Subluxations

What are they, how they're caused, why they are a problem.

What Are Subluxations?

The term subluxation is used by doctors of chiropractic to depict the altered position of the vertebra and subsequent functional loss, which determines the location for the spinal manipulation. Subluxation has been defined medically as "...a partial abnormal separation of the articular surfaces of a joint."

Chiropractors have described the term to include a complex of functions (i.e., the subluxation complex) as "…an alteration of the biomechanical and physiological dynamics of contiguous structures which can cause neural disturbances."

Chiropractic Viewpoint on Subluxations

Chiropractors view subluxation as a process rather than a static condition during which the tissues undergo constant changes, including:

Hyperemia — Referring to an excess of blood in a specific area of the body, hyperemia may develop when there is an obstruction preventing the blood from flowing normally.

Congestion Joint Dysfunction — This affects the muscles in different ways, with some muscles developing trigger points, or areas of congestion, where toxins develop, irritate the nerve endings within the muscle, and produce pain.

Edema — When the body’s tiny blood vessels (capillaries) are damaged or pressurized, excess fluid may leak from them and build up in the tissues, leading to a swelling known as edema.

Minute Hemorrhages — When a small amount of bleeding or an abnormal flow of blood, minute hemorrhages may develop within the body’s blood vessels as a result of certain triggers, underlying conditions and other risk factors.

Fibrosis — Detailing the replacement of normal tissue with scar tissue, fibrosis commonly occurs in people dealing with recurrent back pain.

Local Ischemia — A very specific type of muscle pain, ischemia refers to a lack of blood flow in the muscle (often from a muscle spasm), leaving the muscle very painful to touch.

Atrophy — With muscle atrophy, the muscle shrinks and may partially or completely waste away as a result of inactivity or various diseases and conditions.

Tissue Rigidity — Eventual rigidity and adhesions form not only in joint capsules, but also in ligaments, tendons and muscles themselves.

What Causes Subluxations?

Subluxations are caused by slips, falls, and accidents. They're also caused by gradual wear and tear brought on by such things as long hours of driving, poor posture, awkward sitting positions, unsafe lifting maneuvers, birthing traumas, stress, sudden twisting actions and repetitive motions.

Symptoms

Pain is only one of the symptoms of subluxations. Other symptoms of nerve interference can be organ dysfunction, respiratory, and digestive problems. If the problems that are caused by nerve interference are treated with medication only temporary relief, if any will be experienced.

One of the more obvious signs of a pinched nerve is decreased mobility and range of motion. Less obvious immediately is the impairment of nerves that are vital in the healing injured tissue, and in the functioning of various organs. Subluxations often go undetected for years because they don't cause pain in the early stages, and the failure to correct this unnoticed problem often results in damage and dysfunction as time goes on. Such spinal damage may include the development of bone spurs, arthritis, spinal fusion and finally vertebral degeneration.

Treating Subluxations

The word chiropractic describes the dominant chiropractic treatment. It comes from two Greek words, cheir and praktikis, which mean “done by hand.” Using only his hands—or hand-held precision adjusting instruments—Dr. White adjusts misaligned vertebrae into their correct positions to relieve nerve irritations brought on by the subluxation. Such manipulations are called “adjustments” and are the most basic method of chiropractic treatment.

Once the vertebrae are realigned and the associated derangements corrected, the nerves can begin to function normally again and the body’s own healing mechanism can take over.

 

Fixing Your
Neck Pain

Your neck, also called the cervical spine, begins at the base of the skull and contains seven small vertebrae. Incredibly, the cervical spine supports the full weight of your head, which is on average about 12 pounds. While the cervical spine can move your head in nearly every direction, this flexibility makes the neck very susceptible to pain and injury.

The neck’s susceptibility to injury is due in part to biomechanics. Activities and events that affect cervical biomechanics include extended sitting, repetitive movement, accidents, falls and blows to the body or head, normal aging, and everyday wear and tear. Neck pain can be very bothersome, and it can have a variety of causes.

Researchers reporting in the British Medical Journal compared the cost-effectiveness of treatment of neck pain by chiropractic care, traditional physical therapy, and medical care for 183 people.  The results of the study were that the people treated with chiropractic got better faster and at a lower cost than more traditional treatments!

You owe it to yourself to try the treatment that has been shown to be more effective.  Call us at 619-224-5371 to make an appointment right now for your free chiropractic consultation with Dr. White, at Midway Chiropractic.

 

Although chiropractors care for more than just back pain, many patients visit chiropractors looking for relief from this pervasive condition. In fact, 31 million Americans experience low-back pain at any given time.

A few interesting facts about back pain:

• Low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the Global Burden of Disease 2010

• One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.

• Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work. In fact, back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections.

• Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer.

• Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain—and that’s just for the more easily identified costs.

• Experts estimate that as many as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in our lives.

What Causes Back Pain?

The back is a complicated structure of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. You can sprain ligaments, strain muscles, rupture disks, and irritate joints, all of which can lead to back pain. While sports injuries or accidents can cause back pain, sometimes the simplest of movements—for example, picking up a pencil from the floor— can have painful results. In addition, arthritis, poor posture, obesity, and psychological stress can cause or complicate back pain. Back pain can also directly result from disease of the internal organs, such as kidney stones, kidney infections, blood clots, or bone loss.

Chiropractic Manipulation as a Treatment for Back Problems

Used primarily by Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) for the last century, manipulation has been largely ignored by most others in the health care community until recently. Now, with today's growing emphasis on treatment and cost effectiveness, manipulation is receiving more widespread attention.

Chiropractic spinal manipulation is a safe and effective spine pain treatment. It reduces pain, decreases medication, rapidly advances physical therapy, and requires very few passive forms of treatment, such as bed rest.

In fact, after an extensive study of all currently available care for low back problems, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research—a federal government research organization—recommended that low back pain sufferers choose the most conservative care first. And it recommended spinal manipulation as the only safe and effective, drugless form of initial professional treatment for acute low back problems in adults.

Make an appointment now for a free consultation.  Call Midway Chiropractic at 619-224-5371.

 

If you suffer from incapacitating headaches, just a few minutes with Dr. White may change your life.

Your headaches are not necessarily caused by chemical imbalance or stress.  It could be that you have an easily correctable condition in which your neck muscles and joints are actually irritating the delicate nerves which control muscle tension and blood flow, resulting in a headache that medication will never cure!

It may be that all you need is a simple headache evaluation to determine if you are needlessly suffering, and that the beginning of the end of your pain may be only days away, through chiropractic treatment.

Do yourself a favor and call Midway Chiropractic today to make an appointment for a free consultation.

 

Shoulder Pain and Irritated Nerves

Irritated nerves from the cervical spine are often the cause of problems in the shoulder. The nerves from the cervical spine connect to the muscles and tissues of the shoulder, so if these nerves are irritated, tightening or weakening of the shoulder muscles occur. This leads to a dysfunctional shoulder, usually a mechanically compromised rotator cuff. If one slouches forward while standing or sitting, or if one overuses the shoulder in tennis or golf, or in repetitive motion activities in the workplace, the shoulder joint muscles can become strained or tightened.

No matter how it happened, if you fail to correct the problem, it can get much worse, even resulting in almost complete inability to use the shoulder.

The Dr. White can recommend the proper treatment for your shoulder pain. It will likely involve a combination of correcting muscle imbalances, as well as associated spinal subluxations.

 

Have you been in a car accident? You may need chiropractic care.

Insurance companies realize the many advantages of chiropractic care, and chiropractic treatment is usually fully covered by automobile insurance policies, no matter who is at fault, and no matter whether you were the driver, a passenger, or a pedestrian. We will help you submit the necessary insurance paper work and file a claim with your insurance company.

Even if you are not currently in pain, there nevertheless may be underlying and hidden damage to your spinal column, which may not manifest itself as a serious impairment of bodily function for months or even years. A visit to Midway Chiropractic may end up saving you years of grief and unrelenting pain.

Call our office today for an appointment or to discuss any aspect of your post accident healing process if you have been involved in an automobile accident.

 

Sciatica is a severe pain in the leg caused by compression, irritation, or inflammation of the sciatic nerves, which are thick nerves extending down the back of each leg. Each sciatic nerve consists of five smaller nerves extending from the lower spinal column, which then join together and travel down the legs. The sciatic nerves divide into tiny smaller nerves traveling to the knee, foot, toes, calf, and thigh. The inflammation of any of these nerves is called sciatica.

Symptoms

People with sciatica can sometimes experience shooting pains down the leg and into the foot and toes, and other times a dull ache or numbness. Sciatica is caused by many things. Sitting at a desk for long periods of time in one position can exacerbate the pain. Exercise can make the pain worse. Tennis or golf and other twisting activities can cause sciatica pain to flare up. Sometimes, the pain may be in both legs, and other times it may alternate from one leg to the other.

Causes Of Sciatica

The sciatic nerve is very long, so there are many places along its length at which the irritation may occur. One place is the lower back. Often, a misaligned lumbar vertebra puts pressure on the nerve, causing the pain. This misalignment is called another example of subluxation.

Disc herniation can also cause sciatica. Discs are the "shock absorbers" between the vertebrae of the spine. They are cartilage-like cushions that occupy the spaces between the vertebrae which allow the back to turn and bend normally. If you've been injured in a car accident, or from a fall, one or more of your discs may now be bulging out one side of the spine. This is what is called a "slipped disk," or disc herniation.

Sciatica usually begins as a sharp pain in the lower back. Eventually, the pain stretches down the back of the leg, and gets worse when you sit or stand in one position for a long period of time.

Treatment For Sciatica

Medical doctors normally treat this condition by loading the patient up on pain killers, telling the patient that the condition may go away naturally. This seldom happens, and the net result is that the patient's liver, kidney, or stomach lining, are damaged by the long-term use of drugs. The better approach is the chiropractic one.

The doctor will treat your sciatica by finding the location of nerve irritation, and can relieve the pressure on the nerve, allowing the body to heal itself naturally, without drugs or surgery.

 

Chiropractic and
Your Pregnancy

How can Midway Chiropractic make your pregnancy healthy and comfortable, before and after the baby?

Before you become pregnant, your doctor of chiropractic can detect any imbalances in the pelvis or elsewhere in your body that could contribute to pregnancy discomfort or possible neuromusculoskeletal problems after childbirth.

Many pregnant women have found that chiropractic adjustments provide relief from the increased low-back pain brought on by pregnancy. Chiropractic manipulation is safe for the pregnant woman and her baby and can be especially attractive to those who are trying to avoid medications in treating their back pain. Doctors of chiropractic can also offer nutrition, ergonomic, and exercise advice to help a woman enjoy a healthy pregnancy.

Chiropractic care can also help after childbirth. In the eight weeks following labor and delivery, the ligaments that loosened during pregnancy begin to tighten up again. Ideally, joint problems brought on during pregnancy from improper lifting or reaching should be treated before the ligaments return to their pre-pregnancy state-to prevent muscle tension, headaches, rib discomfort, and shoulder problems.

 

Keeping Athletes Healthy with Chiropractic

Whether you are a weekend athlete or a professional, there are a few things that all athletes have in common. They want to have the best possible performance in their chosen sport, and they both can get injured.

Chiropractic offers a balanced approach to the treatment and the healing of sports injuries. By using the chiropractic adjustment to return proper mobility and biomechanics to the joint or spine in conjunction with the using physiotherapy and active rehabilitation therapy to the supportive tissues (muscles, tendons, & ligaments), chiropractic physicians help the injured areas return to normal function. Afterward, better strategies for exercise and stretching will be discussed with the athlete to help them stay on the straight and narrow path to better enjoyment of his or her chosen sport

Exercise and Chiropractic Care

In the management of low back pain, it is important that the chiropractor blend a combination of chiropractic care with recommended cardiovascular and strengthening exercise. Consultations with the patient's primary care physician must be done before the fitness-promoting activities are begun.

In combination with chiropractic care, exercise provides a variety of benefits. The primary aims of an exercise program for your spine are to make the muscles of your back, neck, stomach, and limbs strong and flexible. It is important to exercise regularly so you can maintain your fitness level. Regular exercise is important to prevent back pain and injury.

Research has shown that people who are physically fit are more resistant to spine injuries and pain, and recover quicker when they do have injuries, than those who are less physically fit.

Before beginning any exercise program, check with your healthcare specialist to make sure that there are no medical considerations that would change your approach to the exercise program.

Do not ignore pain. You have to stop doing exercises immediately and contact your spine-care specialist if it increases pain or causes tingling, numbness, or weakness in your legs or arms.