Chiropractic Info

01 Sports Injuries

You don’t have to be a professional athlete to experience an injury related to athletics. Knee pain is very common for avid runners and walkers. It is very important to have good spinal alignment. It’s also important to have proper knee and foot alignment. Over time, misaligned knees can cause cartilage to wear away, eventually leading to arthritis. This can very easily be prevented. Don’t let nagging injuries sideline you! We use a variety of techniques to treat the body’s various joints. So whether your sport of choice is tennis, golf, bowling, racquetball, running, etc., our chiropractic care can keep you happy and active.

02 Headaches

There are many different types of headaches. The most common type is known as a tension headache. These headaches are usually located at the base of the skull. They become progressively worse as the day goes on. Tension headaches can usually be attributed to stress. However, they can also be caused by improper posture, looking at a computer monitor too long, not sitting in the proper chair, etc. When the vertebrae in the neck are misaligned, muscles at the skull’s base work overtime. Correct spinal alignment alleviates the tension in these muscles, thus decreasing pain and stiffness.

03 Disc Bulge/Herniation

The intervertebral disk (IVD) serves as a cushion between the individual vertebrae. It also affords proper height between the vertebrae so nerves can exit from the spinal cord.

When there is a misalignment in the spine, especially in the lumbar (low-back) region of the spine, a disc can become wedged or possibly wear away over time. When this occurs, range of motion is decreased, nerves are impinged, and ultimately the spine degenerates (causing arthritis).

Discs can also bulge due to uneven pressure distributed over a period of time. Various chiropractic techniques can be used to treat these types of disc injuries. Chiropractic care can help the spine move in proper alignment and preserve disc height, thus contributing to good overall spinal health.

04 Arthritis

Arthritis affects many people, and the problem is that these people have learned to accept their aches and pains as a part of aging. People with arthritis should not give in! There are many low-force, soft-tissue techniques that can be used to treat those with arthritis. Chiropractic care can help prevent further degeneration from occurring in the future while immediately increasing mobility.

05 Low Back Pain

Low-back pain affects eight percent of the population. There are numerous causes of low-back pain, such as improper posture, weakness, wearing uncomfortable shoes, how we sleep at night, etc. When vertebrae in the lumbar (low-back) region of the spine become misaligned, extra stress and strain are placed upon the joints and the intervertebral discs of the spine. This causes the area to become unstable. Spinal muscles tighten around the unstable area, increasing pressure on the nerve as it exits the spine and resulting in pain. Chiropractic care can relieve this kind of low-back pain while preventing the occurrence of similar symptoms in the future.

06 Neck & Shoulder Pain

This is a very common, yet very treatable problem that we see at Active Care Chiropractic. Many people who work at a computer experience neck and shoulder pain and stiffness on a daily basis. Improper posture is often the cause of the discomfort. There is a natural curve in the cervical spine (neck region), which supports the entire weight of the head. Over time, improper posture can cause a reversal of this curve, causing the neck to become straight. The weight of the head is no longer evenly distributed throughout the joints in the cervical spine, resulting in extra strain that leads to pain, stiffness and a decreased range of motion. It is extremely important to first correct misalignments in the cervical spine, and then take an active role to improve the posture.

07 Whiplash

Whiplash is what we call an injury to the neck caused by sudden movement of the head sideways, backwards or forwards. Whiplash is usually associated with auto accidents in which a car is struck from behind or collides with another vehicle. When the head is suddenly jerked back and forth, it is stretched beyond normal limits, causing muscles and ligaments that support the spine to be overstretched or torn.

The most common complaint of whiplash victims is a headache. It can be on one side or both sides of the head. It can be constant, it can occur in an off-and-on manner, or it can be more general. This is usually caused when tightened muscles try to keep the head stable. Radiating pain from the back of the neck down into the shoulder blade area is often the result of tightened muscles or muscle spasms. After a fracture has been ruled out, whiplash patients are often prescribed muscle relaxants. However, with whiplash, a structural problem (spinal misalignment) has most often occurred in conjunction with soft-tissue injuries. Muscles cannot fully relax until the spine is in proper alignment.

Whiplash can even occur in a minor fender bender. It might not even be felt at the time. Whiplash symptoms can take years to develop. This can pose a great danger. That’s why an immediate chiropractic exam is essential. One study showed 74 percent of acute whiplash patients improved with chiropractic care (Source: "Dynamic Chiropractic," Volume 18, Number One).

08 Sciatica

Sciatica is a condition characterized by pain that radiates from the lower back into the buttocks and lower extremities. The sciatic nerve itself travels from the lower back through the obturator foramen of the pelvis and down the leg. The pain in the buttocks and leg is usually greater than the low-back pain.

Sciatica is most commonly caused by a prolapsed intervertebral disc. However, because of where the nerve travels, misalignment of the pelvis may also be the cause of sciatica or sciatica-like symptoms. As mentioned before, the sciatic nerve travels through the obturator foramen of the pelvis. If the pelvis is misaligned, increased pressure is placed on the sciatic nerve, causing an increase in pain.

Many medical doctors will manage sciatica with anti-inflammatory medication or muscle relaxants. But these just mask the symptoms. However, chiropractic care works beautifully for sciatica. A chiropractor addresses the structural causes of sciatica through treatment to decrease pain and increase mobility.

09 Carpal Tunnel 

Burning, numbness and / or tingling in the hands and fingers are some of the symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. Most of the time, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is worse at night and is usually associated with repetitive motion, such as working at a computer keyboard for many hours. CTS can develop over weeks, months or even years. If it is left untreated, it can lead to permanent nerve damage. Why risk losing the use of your hand when something as simple as chiropractic care can help?

A large nerve, called the median nerve, runs from your neck and extends down your arm into the hand through a tunnel-like passage in the wrist. With CTS, it is important to have the vertebrae in the neck properly aligned, along with the shoulder girdle, elbow and wrist. Most cases of CTS can be resolved with chiropractic adjustments to the neck. While it seems like the neck is a long way from the wrist, there is definitely an important connection. Initial irritation of the median nerve occurs with misaligned vertebrae in the neck, often associated with repetitive stress to the shoulders and neck.