Pain, both acute and chronic, is hard and it can oftentimes impact the quality of life, limit mobility, and affect overall well-being. In the pursuit of relief from pain, many individuals turn to chiropractors for a more holistic approach to addressing musculoskeletal issues, with the hopes of getting back to the life they love living.
A Non-Invasive Approach
One of the primary reasons people seek chiropractic care for pain relief is the non-invasive nature of the treatments. Unlike surgical interventions or pharmaceutical approaches, chiropractic adjustments involve manual manipulation of the spine and joints. This hands-on technique is generally considered safe and often preferred by individuals who wish to explore drug-free and surgery-free alternatives for managing their pain. Rather than merely addressing the symptoms, Dr. Chris aims to identify the root cause of the pain and treat it at its source.
Treatment Areas
Back Pain Relief
Back pain is one of the most common reasons people visit chiropractors. Whether caused by poor posture, muscle strain, or spinal misalignments, back pain can be one of the leading causes of missed work and/or causes of disability. At BMC Family Chiropractic, it is important that we find out what the main cause of the discomfort is, so that we are able to create a plan to help you feel better and hopefully prevent the discomfort from becoming a chronic problem. By discussing your daily activities, favorite hobbies and even how you sleep, Dr. Chris will evaluate your specific case and recommend a treatment plan of chiropractic care and exercises to help you return to the activities that you love to do!
Sciatic Pain Relief
One of the most common types of low back pain is sciatic pain. The sciatic nerve is made up of five spinal nerves (L4-S3) and is the largest nerve in the body, in terms of diameter. The sciatic nerve runs from the lower part of your back with branches all the way to the bottom of your foot. Because of this great length, many areas can cause problems with the sciatic nerve but the most likely area that causes sciatica is in the lower back. Chiropractic can help alleviate sciatic pain by removing any interference or misalignments in the lumbar and sacral regions of the spine, restoring normal function, which helps decrease pain and discomfort.
Neck Pain
Chiropractors frequently treat neck pain and headaches, associated with tension and misalignments in the cervical spine. Often caused by poor posture, stress or a combination of things, a gentle adjustment can restore proper alignment, reduce muscle tension and alleviate pain.
Headache/Migraine Relief
Headaches have many different causes. Many of these causes stem from tightness and restriction in the neck. By finding the area in the neck with the most stress in it , gentle adjustments can restore proper alignment, which can reduce tightness and help to decrease symptoms of the headache. In addition to chiropractic adjustments, Dr. Chris can utilize functional dry needling and craniosacral therapy to help reduce the tension that may be contributing to formation of your headaches.
Improved Joint Function
Chiropractic care extends beyond spinal adjustments to address joint issues throughout the body. Individuals experiencing pain in the shoulders, hips, knees, and other joints may find relief through chiropractic adjustments. A restricted joint quickly becomes a “cranky” joint. As the saying goes, “Motion is lotion” and restoring normal range of motion in a joint helps return that joint to a healthier state.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is a very common area of discomfort, due to the natural instability of the shoulder joint. It is an incredibly mobile joint and prone to injury. Fortunately, it is also a joint that responds well to chiropractic adjustments and soft tissue mobilizations.
TMJ
One place many people do not associate with chiropractic is the temporomandibular joint or TMJ for short. While the most logical person to call is your dentist, Dr. Chris has treated numerous patients with jaw pain. Using a very gentle technique, with the activator, he has been able to help acute and chronic TMJ pain patients get relief.
Vertigo
Although not directly related to pain, vertigo can be just as debilitating, if not more. Similarly to migraine headaches, there are many causes of vertigo. Fortunately, a good number of these respond well to chiropractic care. Removing misalignments, specifically in the upper cervical spine, can help reduce the vertigo or dizziness in most patients. Dr. Chris can perform Epley’s Maneuver in the office to help with one specific cause of vertigo known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).
Plantar Fasciitis
The discomfort caused from plantar fasciitis is hard to miss. From that first step upon waking or the first steps after sitting for any length of time, plantar fasciitis is a condition that affects the overall quality of life for some people. Through restoring normal motion within the ankle and foot joints, to prescribing specific home exercises, Dr. Chris has been able to help a number of people suffering from plantar fasciitis. Along with these initial lines of treatment, Dr. Chris also has soft tissue techniques that can help with those more stubborn cases.
Patient Education and Empowerment
Dr. Chris is a big believer of patient education, empowering his patients to take an active role in their health and well-being. Through discussions about posture, ergonomics, and exercise, Dr. Chris works with patients to identify and address contributing factors to their pain. As he says to many patients, “You are with yourself a lot more than I am,” meaning that the more things you do right (i.e. home exercises), the better and better you are going to feel.