Read More About Our Most Commonly Treated Conditions….

Neck Pain:
Neck pain can be a seriously debilitating condition that affects a patient’s productivity, ability to work and quality of life due to pain.  Neck pain is common, with 2/3’s of the population having neck pain at some point.  There are many different causes of neck pain including traumatic injury such as sports or whiplash as well as weak muscles, disc injury, abnormal posture and abnormal spinal structure and arthritis/degeneration.  Injury to different components of the spine such as disc, ligament and muscle can cause different types of pain and refer pain to different areas.  Neck injuries can cause pain and conditions in the head, upper and middle back, chest, collarbone, shoulders, arms, fingers and hands as well as pain in the neck itself.

Treatment:  Often neck pain is treated with NSAIDS and muscle relaxers.  This type of treatment does not address the structural damage and is strictly for pain relief.  At Spinal Dynamics we utilize the most scientific treatment to relieve neck pain by rehabilitating the abnormal structural and postural positions.  Addressing the structural damage allows the patient to significantly decrease chances of arthritis and reoccurring symptoms.

Whiplash:
Whiplash is the leading cause of chronic neck pain and headaches in the United States today.  Whiplash is a hyper extension, hyper flexion injury suffered from any activity that hits with force causing your spine to “whip”.  This sudden jolt of force causes your ligaments and muscles to stretch beyond their normal position causing significant and possibly permanent damage to those structures.  Whiplash is most commonly associated with car accidents today; however, other activities such as sports, heavy falls or injuries can also cause this condition. Even a small amount of impact can cause someone’s spine to bend in the opposite direction.  This condition can cause pain, early degeneration/arthritis, disc herniation and many other serious health conditions if left untreated.

Treatment:  Often whiplash symptoms are treated with NSAIDS and muscle relaxers.  This type of treatment does not address the structural damage and is strictly for pain relief.  At Spinal Dynamics we utilize the most scientific treatment to not only relieve pain from a whiplash injury, but rehabilitate the loss of curvature that can occur.  Addressing the structural damage allows the patient to significantly decrease chances of arthritis and reoccurring symptoms.

Headaches/Migraines;
Headaches can be a painful condition that can affect a patient’s productivity, ability to work and quality of life due to pain.  Headaches/neck pain are one of the leading causes of missed work in America today and increasing due to our technology advances and habits.   According to the National Headache Association, it has been found that over 45 million Americans suffer from reoccurring, chronic headaches today.  There are many different types of headaches including migraines, cervicogenic, cluster, tension, stress and sinus.  Headaches can be caused by many things, and often the cause is difficult to determine.  However it is extremely common that headaches can be caused from or complicated by abnormal forward head posture and abnormal neck structure.

Treatment:  Common treatment includes NSAIDS, muscle relaxors and other medication such as Neurontin.  At Spinal Dynamics we achieve great results treating headaches using myofascial release, distractive and corrective traction, exercise and strength training as well as common modalities for pain relief and correction of abnormal structures and posture.  These conservative treatments address the cause of pain and decrease the side effects of prolonged NSAID use.

Numbness:  Arm/Hand and Legs/Feet: Neuropathy
Arm, hand, leg and feet numbness or altered sensation can be a serious problem.  There are several organic causes for this type of pain that can include injury within the nerves and or blood vessels as well as diseases such as diabetes.  Mechanical compression of these structures can cause a diminished function of the sensory portion of the nerves.  In addition the nerves and vessels can be entrapped by bony or soft tissue structures as they exit the spine or as they pass through different “tunnels” in the body.  Often the entrapment is primarily located where the nerves exit the spine.  If this condition progresses it can lead to compression of the motor portion of the nerve in which muscular strength, dexterity and balance can be affected as well.  These conditions indicate can indicate a serious problem.

Treatment: Common treatment includes NSAIDS and injections.  In many instances surgery such as carpal tunnel or even spinal fusion surgery is recommended which often has poor long term outcomes and lead to future surgery.  At Spinal Dynamics we are able to conservatively treat many of these symptoms utilizing scientific therapies to decrease abnormal pressure on the nerves providing excellent long term results.

Frozen Shoulder/Adhesive Capsulitis:
Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, is a debilitating condition that causes restricted range of motion in the shoulder joint.  The capsule surrounding the shoulder becomes inflamed and contracts causing adhesions to form around the joint.  These adhesions restrict the ability of the shoulder joint to move through its full range of motion.  If left untreated, it can progress to where the patient is unable to lift their arm at all and be unable to lie on the affected side due to pain.  Some of the common causes include immobilization for a period of time, improper care after a shoulder injury or surgery and poor postural alignment of the neck and shoulder girdle causing abnormal pressure, inflammation and pain leading to frozen shoulder over time.

Treatment: Common treatments include NSAIDS and cortisone injections.  Conservative treatments have been shown to be safer and often just as affective.  At Spinal Dynamics we focus on conservative treatment that works initially on improving range of motion through soft tissue mobilization, stretching, modalities and exercises.  Once the range of motion has progressed, strengthening exercises are prescribed.  In addition, the structural problems in the neck and shoulder girdle can be addressed and corrected with traction and mirror image adjustments.

Low Back Pain/Sciatica:
Low back pain is a painful condition that can greatly affect a patient’s quality of life.  It is estimated that over 80% of people will experience low back pain in a lifetime affecting over 20 million Americans.  Of those 80%, it is estimated 50% will have a reoccurrence of low back pain.  According to the National Center for Health Statistics, low back pain is the most common work related medical problem in the United States and the #2 cause of missed work days overall.  Studies have shown decreased productivity by 50% in the work place due to low back pain.  It is estimated that it costs Americans over 60 billion dollars per year in treatment and American businesses over 15 billion dollars per year. 

Low back pain is caused from many different things including traumatic injury, weak muscles, disc injury, abnormal posture and abnormal spinal structure and arthritis/degeneration.  Injury to different components of the spine such as disc, ligament and muscle can cause different types of pain and refer pain to different areas.  In addition to causing pain, injuries in the low back can also cause radiating pain into the hip, knee, feet and toes as well as conditions such as sciatica.  Sciatica is a low back condition in which the sciatic nerve or its nerve root is inflamed causing radiating discomfort into the leg that may travel to the foot and toes.

Treatment: Common treatment includes NSAIDS, muscle relaxers, and injections.  These address symptoms and are for pain relief only.  In addition, surgery is often recommended and there has been a significant increase in lumbar fusion surgeries recently.  In 2001 the incidence of spinal fusion surgery was 120,000 and has risen to 500,000 in 2006.  With the increase in surgeries there has also been an increase of failed back surgery syndrome, which is characterized by intractable pain and levels of incapacitation after spinal surgery.  An estimated 10-40% of fusion patients suffer from failed back surgery syndrome.  At Spinal Dynamics we are able to treat low back pain conservatively utilizing scientific therapy to relieve low back conditions by rehabilitating the abnormal structural and postural positions.  Addressing the structural damage allows the patient to significantly decrease disc pressure, chances of arthritis and reoccurring symptoms. 

Disc Bulge/Disc Herniation’s:
Disc bulging and herniation’s are spinal conditions that can be very painful and debilitating.  The disc is the fluid filled sac of water that provides padding and shock absorption for the spine.  It is an integral part of the protection for the delicate spinal cord and its nerve roots.  Any compression from injury or abnormal structure can cause the disc tissue to herniate or tear and cause pressure on the nerves exiting the spinal cord.  This can be extremely painful as well as cause radiating pain, numbness and tingling into the feet, toes, arms, shoulders, upper back and hands. 

Treatment: Common treatments include NSAIDS, muscle relaxers and injections.   Due to the severity of pain caused from a disc injury, surgery is often prescribed.  However, low back surgery often leads to more surgery in the future including lumbar fusions which show poor outcomes for long term prognosis and often result in decreased function.  At Spinal Dynamics we specialize in non-surgical relief and long term care for disc injuries utilizing scientific treatment principals to restore structure and decrease pressure on the affected disc.

Arthritis:
Arthritis is a broad term that can include several different conditions or types such as osteoarthirits, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and psoriatic arthritis.  The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthiritis, affecting approximately 27 million Americans.  This type of arthritis can affect all the joints in the body but most often affects the knee joint, hip joint and spine.  Many sufferers restrict daily activities and are so disabled they are unable to attend school, work, or perform daily functional tasks.  Osteoarthritis usually develops after age 40, however, signs can be detected on x-ray earlier.  Some types of arthritis can be caused by immune dysfunction or genetics; however often the cause is unable to be determined.  Osteoarthritis is often known as the “wear and tear” type of arthritis as it is known to be increased in joints that take abnormal amounts of pressure.  If a joint is misaligned, arthritis is more likely to progress due to abnormal pressure.

Treatment: Arthritis is often diagnosed from an x-ray or blood test and treated with anti-inflammatory and corticosteroid injections to reduce the intensity of the symptoms.  However this type of care does not address the cause, therefore symptoms are likely to progress.  If the condition progresses enough, then the patient may be a candidate for joint replacement surgery. At Spinal Dynamics we utilize scientific principles to restore normal joint alignment thereby relieving abnormal pressure from the affected joints.  Decreasing abnormal pressure from the joints has been shown to decrease pain and may diminish or stop the rate of arthritis progression.

* The primary purpose of this list of and general discussion of health conditions is to inform the public of the possibility that use of Chiropractic care may be associated with positive improvements in a variety of health conditions for patients actively undergoing Chiropractic care. Many of these symptoms require co-management and/or referrals to other health care specialists.  This information is not intended, nor should it be used, to diagnose or treat any individual’s unique health condition.