Chiropractic

You can call and inquire about chiropractic session fees.

Typically, 1 or 2 sessions per week, totaling 6-8 sessions, are applied. For healthy individuals, it is beneficial to have chiropractic treatment at least every 2 months to maintain good health.

Contrary to popular belief, having a herniated disc does not necessarily mean you will experience back pain. In fact, a study found that nearly half of all adults have at least one bulging or herniated disc without experiencing any back pain. However, herniated discs can often become an intense and debilitating source of pain that radiates to other parts of the body. Unfortunately, when a disc herniates, it rarely fully heals. Regular chiropractic care can help prevent further deterioration, but complete healing is much less common.

This is a common cause of back pain among weekend warriors – those who are relatively sedentary during the week but push themselves too hard on the weekends. By the end of the weekend, they find themselves lying flat on their backs, counting down the hours until they can see their massage therapists. Overworking the muscles or ligaments in the back can cause small tears in the tissues, which then become painful, swollen, and tense.

When there is a misalignment or partial dislocation in the normal movement or position of a vertebra, the result is pain and inflammation. In the lumbar spine, these often occur in the transition between the lower spine and the sacrum. Subluxations can lead to debilitating back pain. Fortunately, subluxations can be easily treated and often result in significant pain relief immediately after treatment.

One of the most common causes of neck pain and sometimes headaches is poor posture. It’s easy to develop bad posture habits – even innocent activities like reading in bed can eventually lead to pain, headaches, and more serious problems. The basic rule is simple: try to keep your neck in a “neutral” position whenever possible. Avoid bending or hunching your neck for extended periods. Also, try not to sit in the same position for too long. If you need to sit for an extended period, make sure your posture is good: keep your head in a neutral position, ensure your back is supported, keep your knees slightly lower than your hips, and rest your arms if possible.

Headaches affect almost everyone at some point and can manifest in many different ways. Some people feel pain in only part of their head or behind their eyes, some experience a throbbing sensation throughout their entire head, and others may not feel anything at all but experience nausea. The pain can be dull or sharp and can last anywhere from a few minutes to several days. Fortunately, very few headaches have serious underlying causes, but those that do require immediate medical attention.

Headaches can be due to a variety of reasons, including reactions to medications, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), tension in neck muscles, low blood sugar, high blood pressure, stress, and fatigue. While there are many potential causes, most recurring headaches fall into two categories: tension headaches (also called cervicogenic headaches) and migraines. There is also a third, less common type of headache called a cluster headache. Let’s take a closer look at each of these three types of headaches.

Migraine sufferers typically experience their first attack before reaching 30 years of age and have a tendency to be family-related, supporting the idea that there is a genetic component. Some people have several attacks per month; others have them less than once a year. Most people notice that their migraines become less frequent and less severe as they age.

Migraine headaches are caused by a narrowing of blood vessels in the brain, followed by a sudden widening of the vessels. During the narrowing, there is a decrease in blood flow, which leads to the visual symptoms that many people experience. Even in those who do not experience classic migraine auras, most can tell an attack is imminent. When the vessels widen, the increase in blood flow causes the pain. It is this increased pressure that causes the intense pain associated with migraines. With every beat of the heart, the carotid arteries in the neck send a shock wave of blood to the brain. These shock waves are registered as pain by the brain’s nerve endings.

While many theories exist as to why the vessels constrict in the first place, no one knows for sure. What we do know is that many things can trigger migraines; these triggers are incredibly varied and range from exposure to flickering lights and fasting to certain foods, like ‘tyramine’ rich foods. Some lifestyle changes can help reduce the likelihood of suffering migraines.

Numerous research studies show that chiropractic adjustments, especially in the neck, are highly effective in treating tension-type headaches, also referred to as cervicogenic headaches.

In a report released in 2001 by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC, researchers found that “spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for cervicogenic headaches and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headache than a commonly prescribed medication.” This supports a previous study that was published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics which found that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches and that those who stopped chiropractic treatment after four weeks continued to experience a sustained benefit in contrast to those patients who received pain medication.

Each individual’s condition is different and requires a thorough evaluation before an appropriate chiropractic care plan can be determined. However, in most cases of tension-type headaches, significant improvement can be achieved through manipulation of the upper two cervical vertebrae, coupled with adjustments to the junction between the cervical and thoracic spine. This is also beneficial in most cases of migraine headaches as long as food and lifestyle triggers are avoided.

Suboccipital muscles are a group of four small muscles responsible for maintaining proper movement and positioning between the first cervical vertebra and the base of the skull. Trigger points in these muscles can cause pain that radiates from the back of the head to the eyes and forehead, creating a headache pattern similar to migraines.

The Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle extends downward from the side of the neck, starting at the base of the skull, running behind the ear, and attaching to the top of the sternum (breastbone). While many people may not be aware of trigger points in the SCM muscle, their effects, such as referred pain, balance issues, and vision disturbances, are common. The pain patterns tend to involve deep eye pain, headaches above the eye, and can even cause earaches. Another notable characteristic of SCM trigger points is their potential to cause dizziness, nausea, and imbalance.

The Trapezius muscle is a large, flat muscle located in the upper and middle part of the back. One common trigger point in the upper part of the Trapezius can cause pain to radiate to the temples and back of the head, sometimes contributing to headaches. This trigger point can also produce satellite trigger points in the muscles of the temples or jaw, leading to jaw or tooth pain.