What’s An Adjustment?

Chiropractic adjustments usually involve a quick, gentle thrust that helps add motion to spinal joints that aren’t moving right. Some methods use the doctor’s hands, an instrument, a special table or the force of gravity. There are many ways to adjust the spine.

Can Subluxations Clear Up On Their Own?

Sometimes. Today’s hectic lifestyles are a constant source of subluxations. Fortunately, our bodies have the ability to self-correct many of these problems as we bend and stretch, or when we sleep at night. When subluxations don’t resolve, you need to see a chiropractic doctor! For Fremont Chiropractic Care, call Dr. Hans at 510-797-4796.

How Do I Know If I Have A Subluxation?

You can have subluxations and not even know it. Like the early stages of tooth decay or cancer, subluxations can be present before any warning signs appear. The results of a thorough chiropractic examination can show the location and severity of subluxations you may have.

How Do You Get Subluxations?

There are three basic causes of subluxations. Physical causes include slips and falls, accidents, repetitive motions and improper lifting. Emotions such as grief, anger, stress and fear can cause subluxations. Chemical causes include alcohol, drugs, pollution and poor diet.

Do I Have A Pinched Nerve?

A pinched nerve is rare. It is more likely that an adjacent spinal bone irritates, stretches, rubs or chafes a nerve otherwise knows as a subluxation. These subluxations distort the nerve messages sent between the brain and the body. This can produce unhealthy changes to the organs and tissues connected to the affected nerve.

Do I Have A Slipped Disc?

Between each pair of spinal bones is a disc. Its fibrous outer ring holds in a jelly-like material. This soft center serves as a “ball bearing” for joint movement. Because of the way it attaches to the spinal bone above and below it, a disc can’t actually “slip.” However, a disc can bulge. It can tear. It can herniate. It can thin and dry out. And it can collapse. But it can’t slip.

Seven Causes of Shoulder Pain and Cures

Shoulder pain can be a problem not only because of the discomfort it causes, but also because it may limit an individual’s mobility and ability to perform everyday tasks. Actions such as putting on a coat, lifting a gallon of milk or other simple, routine things suddenly become an exercise in pain each time they are performed because of shoulder pain.

Yet, shoulder pain doesn’t have to prevent an individual from enjoying life and chiropractic care is a way to quickly and effectively deal with the problem. Chiropractic care is a preferable option not only because it is effective but also because it avoids the possibility of painful surgery or pain-killers which may produce harmful side-effects.

What’s important to remember for individuals suffering from shoulder pain is to be patient. Shoulder problems can be resistant to even the best care, but over time chiropractic can help. Correcting the problem begins with an examination of the neck, upper back and shoulder to determine if spinal nerve irritation could be causing pain. A shoulder injury may also result from a weakness due to an underlying nerve irritation. Spinal and shoulder joint adjustments will be needed to stop the progression of joint deterioration and help the soft tissue heal. A chiropractor will also lead a patient in strengthening or stretching exercises to help restore the full range of motion to their shoulder.

In medical terminology, a shoulder is known as a “suspension” joint. This type of joint makes an individual’s shoulders very mobile and flexible. But a “suspension” joint also limits the strength of an individual’s shoulder because it has a shallow socket and very little support, thus the anatomy of the shoulder makes it vulnerable to injury.

The result is that both young and old may be susceptible to shoulder injuries for different reasons and at different times of life. Possible causes of shoulder pain include:

• Sports injury (as a result of pitching, throwing, tackling, swinging)

• Car accidents (especially those resulting in whiplash)

• Overuse and/or repetitive motions such as lifting and reaching

• Arthritis related to aging and/or normal wear and tear

• Previous injuries such as those from childhood

• Sleeping in an awkward position

• Long-standing spinal or emotional stress

While shoulder pain is frequently dismissed as bursitis or arthritis, it should never be neglected. This is because it may be a sign of a larger problem that could worsen if left untreated. There are several reasons shoulder injuries should be dealt with immediately to assure even the simplest of problems do not worsen and present difficulties years later. Among them:

• Strains and sprains can result in continued injury to joints even longer after the pain is gone

• Overuse of poorly conditioned tissues can leave shoulder joints susceptible to future injuries

• Assuming that pampering a hurt shoulder simply by not using it can cause more harm than good. Left alone for too long your shoulder can freeze up, a condition known as “frozen shoulder syndrome.”

Here is a successful home remedy that you can try for a stiff or painful shoulder. Fill an empty gallon milk container with two inches of water. Swing the partially filled gallon around with one arm like a windmill – ten times in one direction and then ten times in the other direction. If this is too painful at first, go as far as you can in one direction and then as far in the other direction. Do this with both arms so you don’t create problems that can arise with asymmetric muscle development. Leave the milk container on the counter so you remember to do this twice a day – in the morning and in the evening.

Chiropractic care should always be considered when dealing with shoulder pain because of its ability to restore the strength and integrity of shoulder’s supporting soft tissues, along with keeping joints flexible and working free of pain.

Whiplash In Low Speed Vehicle Collisions Does Happen

Whiplash neck injuries are among the fastest growing health problems in the USA today. The ever increasing number of automobiles rolling onto our congested streets and highways, the increased speed of our freeway systems, power brakes, and more powerful engines all contribute to the growing frequency of the type of accident that can result in a whiplash neck injury.

The research crash council of the USAF has demonstrated that the normal neck can withstand a forward snapping of 50 times the force of gravity before producing a major injury, whereas a backward snapping acceleration of only 5 times the force of gravity can be tolerated. And since an auto traveling at only 25 miles per hour creates a force exceeding 3400 pounds, the impact of a crash at this speed will exert several tons of force on the victim’s neck.

A whiplash neck injury occurs as the result of a sudden backward and forward whipping movement of the neck. This sudden, forceful movement often stretches or sprains the ligaments and muscles which hold the spinal segments within a critical range of movement or position. Failure of the holding ligaments to support the spine allows the spinal segments to become displaced, thus altering the normal mechanical balance of the spine. This increased stress results in eventual degenerative disease of the balance of the disc with ‘spur’ formation and the ‘spurs’ will occlude the spinal nerve openings.

Chiropractic Care and Your Central Nervous System

In the one hundred plus years of its development, Chiropractic science has grown to major stature in the field of the healing arts and has reached millions of people. With the rate of growth steadily increasing, the Chiropractic profession has found a continuing need to acquaint new patients with the nature of Chiropractic care. This tour has been prepared to serve that purpose.

The modern Chiropractor works both directly and indirectly with the nervous system. Every function of the body is under the control of this system. Every organ, tissue, and cell is controlled by nerve impulses traveling from the brain to all parts of the body. Nerves make the bowels move. Nerves control the liver, lungs, spleen, pancreas, gall bladder, and kidneys. In fact, the nervous system is the master system which controls all other systems of the body, including: the glandular, reproductive, digestive, eliminative, respiratory, and circulatory.

Every science of healing has what is known as an avenue of approach For example, in the field of medicine, a hypodermic needle injects drugs through the skin; a pill is swallowed and goes into the stomach. They are the avenues through which the drugs gain access to the body.

In the field of Chiropractic, the avenue of approach is the spine. The spine houses and protects the spinal cord, the “switchboard” of the nervous system through which nerve fibers pass from the brain to different parts of the body. For every effect there must have been a cause. The nerves leave the spinal cord through openings between movable spinal bones called vertebrae. When vertebrae through injury or posture become misaligned they interfere with the normal function of these nerves. This misalignment causes pain and malfunction of the nervous system and is called a “subluxation.” The subluxation then becomes the cause of pain.

The objective of Chiropractic care is to determine, through x-ray films and a thorough examination, the exact degree of spinal misalignment producing this subluxation. Proper “adjustments” are given to remove these subluxations and this remove the cause of pain and malfunction.

Chiropractic care will add years and years to your life.

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