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Category: Conditions

Chiropractic Care and Immunity

Our body is made in such a way that it’s supposed to fight infections on its own. Whether it’s to neutralize pathogens when they enter the body or to act as a defense barrier, the part responsible is called the immune system. But, if the immune system is in charge of fighting infections, how comes we fall sick?

There can only be one explanation for this. You fall sick because your immune system is suppressed by the infection. A weak immune system is not a reliable protector against diseases. It allows pathogens to attack you easily. Thus, you can easily get cold or flu when you have a weak immune system.

Common Issues Affecting Your Immunity

The immune system comprises primarily immune cells (normally the white blood cell). It also contains tissues and organs that work together to protect your body from diseases. If any of the components has an issue, then the whole immune system may fail to work and this may spell a disease attack. Some of the issues that are likely to attack your immune system are:

  • Allergies – Here, your immune system overreacts to a substance that’s ordinarily not a threat such as dust and pollen. The response by your body is accompanied by serious symptoms like rashes, headaches, and itchiness.
  • Cancer – Here, your body has to do deal with tumor cells that constantly divide and double in population.

Other than the two, your body has to deal with immunodeficiency disorders and autoimmune infections. These conditions will overwhelm your body if your immune system lacks the muscles to initiate a fight.

Treatment Solutions for Immune Issues

Naturally, your immune system gets fighting muscles from the food you eat. This is why proper nutrition is highly recommended. However, in the event that the discussed immune issues take over your body, then you should consider a treatment solution. If you go to a doctor, they’ll prescribe medications that you can use to boost your immunity.

But still, you have to be wary of possible side reactions that come with most immunity-conferring drugs. So, if you are looking for a nondrug and low-risk treatment solution for your immunity, then you should consider chiropractic care. It’s safe and highly recommended by science.

Chiropractic vs. Immunity

You probably know a chiropractor to be an expert in alleviating pain and discomforts on the back, neck, and joints. If this is the case, you must be asking, “What does this expert have to do with the immunity?” Well, your immune system is directly connected to your nervous system. Remember, the spine is part of the nervous system. When it’s not properly aligned (an issue we call a subluxation), the flow of information between the brain (another part of the nervous system) and the immune system is hampered.

If your brain cannot direct your immune system on what to do in the event of infection because the spine (the main channel) is blocked, then your immunity becomes compromised. Now, a chiropractor steps in to remove the spinal misalignments by gently realigning your spine. As a result, the flow of information from the brain to the immune system is restored. Your immune system is now able to launch an attack against possible threats as instructed by the brain.

Ways Chiropractic Care Boosts Your Immunity

Since we’ve already answered how chiropractic through spinal adjustments is able to boost your immunity, it’s important to know the various ways that the adjustments improve your natural immunity. They include:

  1. Relieving body pressure – When your body is under any form of physical pressure, your nerves are compressed. As a result, the flow of information along the nerves is interfered with. Considering that there are nerves everywhere in the body, those along the spine and the immune system are also affected. Thus, your immune system becomes overwhelmed. A chiropractor is able to fix the problem by taking away pressure from the compressed nerves through gentle spinal manipulation. In the end, it’s not just your spine that receives relief but your physical body too.
  2. Relieving mental stress – Whether it’s extra pressure at work, family struggles or business not doing well, they are all potential stress triggers. You become stressed because a hormone called cortisol is released. The problem with this hormone is that it arrests all body functions, including your immunity, and brings them to a temporary halt. Fortunately, the hormone can be neutralized by chiropractic adjustments. The adjustments help to relieve your brain from mental stress and as a result, cortisol production is cut short.
  3. Stimulating immune cells – As mentioned, the immune system is a close ally of the nervous system. What affects one system also affects the other. Whenever there’s a disease attack in the body, your immune system is supposed to respond by releasing immune cells like neutrophils and phagocytes. However, if your immune system is compromised, then these cells will not be released optimally.

So, their activity will not be maximal. Going to see a chiropractor may actually help to stimulate their release and activity. Through chiropractic adjustments, their population at the site of attack improves since the channels of distribution are opened up. Thus, it becomes easy to neutralize the effects of a given disease.

  1. Boosts spinal health – At times, you may be having a spinal dysfunction that you are not aware of. In this case, the problem only manifests when you are unable to sit, bend or walk properly. Such an issue doesn’t just affect your body movements but also your immunity. If your spine is not healthy, don’t expect your immunity to be 100%.

The moment you come into contact with flu or cold when your immune system is less than 100%, you are likely to be put down by the infections. So, it’s advisable to go for chiropractic adjustments so that the expert can diagnose possible spinal dysfunctions and treat them. This’ll give you an enormous boost in as far as your natural immunity is concerned.

Closing Thought:

Chiropractic care is generally great for your immunity. So, if are weighing options to include in your lifestyle changes with the aim of boosting your immunity, then chiropractic care should be at the top of your list. As seen, your immune system needs this therapy and it’s all for the benefit of your body. Therefore, start scaring diseases away by booking an appointment with Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic today.

 

Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Teenagers

We are living in an age where back pain is not just a condition for the senior citizens. The younger generation, teenagers, in particular, are also suffering. Actually, research estimates that 50% of them are affected. This pushes you to wonder: Why? Well, technology is partly to blame. Most of our teens are addicted to smartphones and video games. They spend hours sited while using these devices. In the long run, a lot of stress is placed on their spine and this manifest in the form of back pain.

Teenagers are also known to carry heavy backpacks to school and to outdoor events. The heavy load is not kind to their spine. We also can’t forget to mention poor nutrition and sports injuries which are all risk factors for back pain. If back pain is not treated early, there’s always the probability that it’ll recur later. When you go to most general practitioners, they’ll recommend pain medications for your teenager. The problem with this treatment option is that your teen may become addicted to the medication. Additionally, a majority of prescriptions come with serious side effects.

In case you decide to visit a sports therapist, which is advisable, the expert is likely to recommend exercises and chiropractic care. Most of them will insist on combining the two. This argument is well supported by one meta-analysis. According to it, there’s a massive improvement in pain relief and body flexibility in teens following the use of chiropractic care and exercises. Apparently, chiropractic care played a huge role in the study and it’s highly recommended.

What’s Chiropractic Care? How Can Your Teen Benefit?

Chiropractic care is a natural treatment that involves gentle and fast-acting spinal adjustments. It works on the basis that back pain and most musculoskeletal issues originate from the spine and they are related to a misaligned spine. Thus, by realigning the spine, these issues are fixed. Generally, teenagers can benefit from chiropractic care in the following ways:

  1. All-Round Pain Management

Chiropractic adjustments do not just target the back. Since all parts of the body are connected to the spine, they can all be relieved from pain by chiropractic adjustments. Whether it’s headache, neck ache, hip pain or earache, they can all be treated by chiropractic adjustments. The bonus is that the treatment is natural. Therefore, your teen doesn’t have to worry about adverse reactions as it’s mostly the case with pain medications. In fact, chiropractic care is not just a pain reliever but may also prevent it.

  1. Better Posture

A lot of times, poor posture is associated with prolonged sitting. Teens who like watching too much TV and those who play video games for long are the culprits. Such teens could really use chiropractic care. It helps to identify underlying issues on their spine so as to correct them. If there are misalignments along the spine path that may be messing up your teenager’s posture, a chiropractor will definitely fix them. Furthermore, a chiropractor will advise your teenager on ways to improve body posture at home.

  1. Growth Booster

During teenage life, body growth is at its peak. This is the time that children grow tall and broader. However, this is not given to all teenagers. For some, some parts of the body grow faster than others and this makes them look really awkward. For others, it appears like they are not growing at all. All these issues, luckily, can be fixed by routine chiropractic visits. It plays a critical role in helping them attain optimal growth.

  1. Strong Back

We’ve already mentioned how teenagers who carry heavy backpacks are at risk of developing back pain. However, the solution is not stopping them from carrying loads on their back. The solution is training their backs to carry reasonable loads without risking back pain or any personal injury. They can do it with regular chiropractic visits. If there are underlying issues related to heavy backpacks, a chiropractor will fix them. In the end, chiropractic adjustments will make their back stronger.

  1. Lifetime Healthy habits

Chiropractic care is not a short-term treatment but a long-term one. By seeing a chiropractor more regularly, teenagers become used to the fact that they have to live a healthy lifestyle. So, they start adopting healthy habits that they can use for the rest of their lives. Whether it’s eating healthy, exercising correctly or getting the posture right, they are able to learn them the right way. They simply appreciate the benefit of prevention.

  1. Mental Wellbeing

Teenagers go through a lot in their lives that stresses them. In school, for example, they have to deal with the pressure of bettering their grades and performing in extracurricular activities. At home, there is social pressure that they have to deal with. All these issues are partly the reason why depression is common among teens. So, it’s advisable to take them to see a chiropractor. Through spinal manipulation, they can experience mental calmness and this immensely brings about stress relief and better mood.

  1. Injury Prevention/Healing

Both athletic and non-athletic teens live an active lifestyle. This means they are all prone to injuries. However, a majority of personal injuries that they sustain are preventable. Chiropractic adjustments can help with this. The adjustments realign the spine properly and flex the muscles so as to make them less susceptible to injuries. Moreover, chiropractic adjustments help to fasten the healing process when the teen suffers an injury. By adjusting the spine, your teen’s immunity improves. This promotes natural healing.

  1. Enhanced Athleticism

To perform better in sports at school, your teen needs to be very athletic. Basically, they have to be agile, stable, and mobile. All these are possible with routine chiropractic adjustments. By adjusting your teenager’s spine, a chiropractor is able to ease tension throughout the body. In this case, muscles become more relaxed and joints are relieved from stiffness. This means that the overall mobility, on-field flexibility, and body balance is improved. Simply, your teenager becomes a better athlete.

Closing Thought:

Teenage life is generally an active phase. So, you can’t stop them from living their life. What you can do as a parent is to help them live it healthily. One way to do it is by recommending chiropractic care. As seen above, their life is likely to improve at all angles with chiropractic care than without it. The practice is not just a great treatment for most musculoskeletal issues but also an ideal preventive approach. Contact Dr. Hinz today at Cool Springs Chiropractic to get started!

Chiropractic Treatment for Sciatica: 10 Things You Should Know

Sciatica, a condition characterized by disturbing lower back pain, is one of the most rampant back ailments in the world today. In the United States alone, one-in-every-ten adults suffer from sciatica at one point in their lives. Sciatica pain normally originates from the lower back area but spreads to other parts along the sciatic nerve. We are talking about the hips, the butts, and sometimes the leg. Its pain is the shooting type and can be so severe in the sense that your normal life is interrupted.

Though we have always known sciatica to be treated by medical approaches such as drugs and invasive options, a good number of patients are considering chiropractic treatment. Unlike medical approaches, chiropractic treatment is not invasive and has few known side effects. It’s an all-natural treatment that involves gentle adjustment of the spine to treat misalignments along its path (collectively known as subluxation). In the end, the spinal adjustments bring about pain relief.

Today, chiropractic treatment is one of the most sought-after alternative therapies in the world. But before considering it for sciatica management, here are 10 important things you should know:

  1. Sciatica is as a Result of Spinal Compression

Before sciatica can result, there’s must be a compression along the spine. It’s the compression that interferes with the physical alignment of the sciatic nerve. In this case, the sciatic nerve becomes irritated and pain results. The compression can be because of a degenerative disc disorder, slipping of a vertebral disc, or a narrow spinal canal. Sometimes, spinal compression may be associated with pregnancy discomfort or overweight.

  1. Sciatica Pain May Manifest in Different Ways

We’ve already mentioned pain as the primary manifestation for sciatica. However, it’s important to know that it can show in different ways. They include:

  • Isolated lower back pain
  • A painful feeling in the leg when you try to stand up
  • A tingling sensation in your leg when you sit for long
  • Aching only on one leg or on one side of the leg
  • Frequent pain on the lower back region that’s sometimes irritating

Additionally, because of the severity of sciatica, one leg may be rendered numb. It becomes hard to actually move it.

  1. There’s Always a Chiropractic Diagnosis Before the Adjustments

Prior to a spinal adjustment, a chiropractor has to do a professional diagnosis. For starters, the expert will review your medical history to determine what may be causing your sciatica. The expert may also run imaging exams like x-ray tests, CT scans, and MRIs. The finding from these exams will help to affirm the chiropractor’s initial prognosis.

  1. Spinal Adjustments Are the Core Consideration for Chiropractors

Spinal adjustments (popularly termed as spinal manipulation) are usually the core practice in chiropractic treatment. In this case, a misaligned spine is kindly manipulated to decompress the sciatic nerve. The adjustments are characterized by gentle physical pressure and calculated force. Each adjustment is done with a lot of care to avoid damaging the spine. Essentially, it’s the skill of spinal manipulation that sets chiropractic treatment apart from medical therapies.

  1. A Chiropractor May Do More Than Spinal Adjustments

Though spinal adjustments are the key consideration for chiropractors, they may also resort to other techniques. They include cold therapy and ultrasound. Cold therapy involves using ice packs to soothe lower back inflammation and pain. Ultrasound, on the other hand, involves using sound waves to enhance circulation and to minimize swelling, ache, and cramps.

  1. Chiropractic Treatment May Work Better in Combination with Other Techniques

Since you already know what spinal manipulation can do; now try to imagine adding massage therapy or stretching exercises to your treatment. The results will just be impressive. Massage therapy, for instance, will relax tight muscles on your back and those surrounding the spine. This encourages the performance of spinal adjustments. Stretching exercises, on the other hand, aid in speedy recovery after chiropractic therapy.

  1. Chiropractors Don’t Just Treat the Symptoms; They Treat the Cause

Unlike most doctors and general practitioners, chiropractors are not just concerned with symptoms of sciatica. As a matter of fact, they are more concerned with the root cause. This is because they understand that treating the cause not only treats the symptoms but it also prevents sciatica from recurring. This is why spinal manipulation is at the center of everything. As discussed, sciatica is due to a compressed sciatica nerve and so the adjustments will help decompress it.

  1. What You Do At Home Following Chiropractic Treatment is Decisive

When leaving a chiropractor’s office, you’ll be offered a number of at-home care instructions. These instructions need to be followed to prevent sciatica from recurring. For example, you may be advised to:

  • Avoid prolonged sitting or sleeping only on one side all night.
  • Find an ergonomic seat to sit on and a supportive mattress to sleep on.
  • Observe a proper diet plan and take nutritional supplements that the chiropractor recommends to boost your spinal health. 
  1. Exercises Are Vital for Preventing Sciatica in the Future

After your chiropractic sessions are over, you shouldn’t go back to your sedentary lifestyle. Avoiding activities that are physically demanding and sitting or sleeping for hours doesn’t prevent sciatica from recurring. On the contrary, such habits may encourage the condition sooner than you think. Therefore, it’s important to be physically active after the treatment. You need to exercise your spine. This means finding a workout routine that you can comfortably follow.

  1. Working with a Certified Chiropractor is the Difference Maker

Though what a chiropractor does may look like something that you can do or ask a friend to do on you, it’s actually more complicated than it looks. It involves years of practice and a professional understanding of the musculoskeletal system. For this reason, you shouldn’t attempt the technique on your own. If you do, you may risk aggravating the condition. You can trust Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic to take amazing care of you!

Chiropractic Treatment for Sciatica

Have you ever felt a sharp pain on your lower back when you try to bend? Such pain can be an indicator of sciatica. Statistically speaking, nearly 40% of men and women have to deal with sciatica at some point. In as much as a majority of these cases resolve naturally or with pain relievers, there’s always the risk of having to deal with a stubborn case. Such a case needs a more practical approach and one of the leading options happens to be chiropractic treatment. But before we can learn about how chiropractic treatment can help treat sciatica, let’s first understand the condition.

What’s Sciatica?

Sciatica or simply sciatic nerve pain is debilitating pain that occurs on the sciatic nerve. This nerve is the most extensive on the body that runs from the lower back area and branches into the legs.

What Are the Symptoms?

Generally, the main symptom of sciatica is nerve pain. It can be felt in the lower back region, the hip or in the legs. This pain can range from mild to severe. For some people, they’ll only feel a faint ache or unresponsiveness in the leg. For others, the pain may move from being dull to becoming sharp and excruciating. This is a possible sign of a severe case. You need chiropractic intervention at such a point. Other symptoms to watch out for include:

  • inflammation
  • Tingling sensation
  • Weakness in the legs
  • Difficulty in moving your legs

What Causes It?

Sciatica normally results when there’s compression on the sciatic nerve. 90% of cases are caused by a herniated disc. This adds pressure to the sacral region resulting in a sharp pain along the lower back. Other common causes of sciatica include:

  • Spinal tumor – A growth on the spine is likely to cause a subluxation (misalignment) and this may compress the sciatic nerve resulting in sciatica.
  • Physical Injury – A sports injury, a car crash injury or any other type of personal injury that affects the lower back may cause sciatica if the sciatic nerve is damaged.
  • Pregnancy – The extra weight of the growing fetus may cause pressure on the sciatic nerve resulting in sciatica in some pregnant women.

Are There Risk Factors?

Though sciatica mostly results from a compressed sciatic nerve, there are risk facts involved. These risk factors may make sciatica more severe is some people than in others. They include:

  • Work – Jobs that involve body twisting and heavy lifting increase the risk of sciatica as opposed to office work.
  • Physical inactivity – Even though manual labor has a higher risk of sciatica than office work, it doesn’t mean that you should live a sedentary lifestyle. You need to keep your body physically active. So, exercising is a good idea.
  • Age – As you get older, the risk of a herniated disc improves and so does the risk of sciatica.
  • Prolonged sitting – Sitting for long hours puts pressure on your spine and also on the sciatic nerve and this may cause sciatica.
  • Chronic diseases – A disease like Diabetes can make you more susceptible to nerve damage.

What Are the Treatment Options?

Traditionally, sciatica has been managed using invasive techniques like:

  • Prescription drugs – From anti-inflammatories and antidepressants to narcotics and muscle relaxers, they are all used to fight sciatica.
  • Medical surgery – In extreme cases, surgery has been the only option for a majority of people.
  • Injections – Some people go for steroid injections as opposed to medications. The problem with this option is that it can lead to complications if used regularly.

But now, there’s chiropractic treatment which is the direct opposite of the traditional approaches. It’s a natural, drug-free, and noninvasive option. Thus, it has fewer risks.

How is a Chiropractic Diagnosis Done?

Before beginning chiropractic treatment, Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic has to determine if your condition is really sciatica. Of course, this comes after identifying the discussed symptoms. The chiropractor will use image technologies like x-ray, EMG, and MRI to determine the extent of sciatic nerve damage. The images will also be used to determine the ideal chiropractic technique for your condition.

How is a Chiropractic Treatment Administered?

As mentioned, chiropractic treatment helps you to obtain sciatica relief in a natural way. So, the expert (a chiropractor) employs hands-on maneuvers to help treat the problem. In some cases, a chiropractor may use assisted devices to administer chiropractic care. The most popular technique for chiropractic treatment is a spinal adjustment. Here, a chiropractor manipulates your vertebrae so as to clear subluxations along your spine. By doing this, the sciatic nerve is released from compression. In the end, you’ll have relief from sciatica pain.

Other than spinal adjustments, Dr. Hinz may also decide to inculcate the following techniques in your chiropractic treatment plan:

  • Spinal decompression – Here, a decompressing device is used to instead of hands to relieve the sciatic nerve from compression. It’s an advanced chiropractic technology that helps to stretch your body in the gentlest fashion.
  • Cold therapy – It’s common to suffer an inflammation on the lower back following sciatica. This has to be managed in a natural way before spinal adjustments are done. So, a chiropractor may resort to placing ice on the affected area to help soothe the inflammation.
  • Sound waves – Using an ultrasound machine, a chiropractor may direct sound waves into the affected part to gentle heat the area in order to improve circulation. The waves will also decrease inflammation, muscle stiffness, and pain.
  • TENS (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) – A chiropractor may also resort to the use of a TENS machine to stimulate the sciatic nerve. This helps to reduce spasms.

What Are the Preventive Options?

Sciatica is preventable with a few lifestyle adjustments. Some of the adjustments you can embrace include:

  • Routine exercising – To ensure that your spine is flexible and is not prone to misalignment, observing an exercise routine is a wise move.
  • Proper sitting – Taking the wrong sitting postures is a risk of sciatica. So, you have to ensure that you sit right. Additionally, you need to avoid prolonged sitting.

You can also consider seeing a chiropractor. The expert may help you find better ways to keep sciatica at bay. Chiropractic care is not just a treatment but also a preventive approach for sciatica and other forms of chronic pain.

Closing Thought:

There’s absolutely no doubt that chiropractic treatment is a great option for treating sciatica. It’s a natural noninvasive approach that offers you a great alternative to medical surgery and medications. Additionally, you can use the treatment as a preventive approach. If you believe you may be suffering from sciatica, contact Cool Springs Chiropractic today!

Chiropractic Treatment for ADHD

Every parent wants their children to be attentive in class and to perform well. However, this is not always the case, especially when you are dealing with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Sadly, ADHD is the commonest mental condition among kids globally. Those with the condition are generally hyperactive and so may find it hard to concentrate or control their own impulses. This affects their school life and life at home. In kids, ADHD affects more boys than girls and the reasons are quite unknown. But still, adults can be affected too. The good news, nonetheless, is that it can be treated with chiropractic care. This is according to research. But before we can delve into the treatment, let’s understand ADHD much better.

What Exactly Is ADHD?

ADHD refers to a compulsive mental disorder which results when neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) in the brain become imbalanced. The neurotransmitters are responsible for relaying information between the various nerve cells. The condition mostly affects kids but may proceed to adulthood if left untreated.

Main Causes

There are so many myths out there surrounding the cause of ADHD. For example, some people say that it can be caused by food allergies, long hours of watching TV or taking too much sugar. This is not true. Researchers argue that ADHD can be caused by any of these things:

  • Brain damage – If the frontal part of the brain is damaged by an injury or a disease, this can lead to ADHD.
  • Metal poisoning – Heavy metals like PCB and Lead may poison the brain, resulting in ADHD.
  • Pregnancy interference – Smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse during pregnancy may interfere with the development of the baby’s brain, resulting in ADHD. Infection or poor nutrition can also have similar effects.

Risk Factors

There are a few things that tend to improve the chances of ADHD that you should be aware of. They include:

  • Genes – If ADHD happens to run in your family, there’s the possibility that someone will have the condition. In this case, if a parent has the condition, children will have a 50% chance of getting it. This is because the condition is linked to genes that are passed from one generation to another.
  • Pregnancy complications – If there was an issue like brain injury during birth, low birth weight or premature birth, they are risk factors for developing ADHD.

Main Symptoms

The symptoms of ADHD differ from kids to adults. In kids, we can look at the symptoms in three major groups:

  • Hyperactivity – The kid, in this case, doesn’t like to keep quiet or remain still. So, they’ll excessively talk and jump around. If they are not running, they are probably climbing.
  • Inattentiveness – The kid, in this case, is easily distracted by trivial things. They appear like they are not listening and often lose their things. Others forget to do their chores unless they are reminded. We also have a few cases where the kid daydreams.
  • Rashness – The kid, in this case, is generally impulsive. They are not patient enough to wait for their turn, more so in school. They’ll burst out their answers and interrupt other kids when they speak.

In adults, ADHD symptoms are more serious in some than in others. Often, they become worse as one age. The commonest ones include:

  • Forgetfulness
  • Postponement of tasks and lateness
  • Addiction to a specific drug substance
  • Mood changes and anger issues
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Lack of organization

The Chiropractic Option

Traditionally ADHD has been treated with medications (stimulants and non-stimulants) and special therapies like psychotherapy and social skills training. While these treatments are effective in some way, they suffer a few setbacks. Medications, for example, may not work for everyone who has ADHD. Additionally, they are prone to side reactions like sleep interference, fatigue, and constipation.

The two therapies, on the other hand, may take time before you can start seeing the results. And just like medications, the options may also not work for everyone. This is where chiropractic treatment comes in. It has fewer side effects, it’s more practical for most people, and brings about quick results. It’s basically a great substitute for the two options.

How Does Chiropractic Treatment Help?

Considering that the nerves between the brain and the spine are affected when there’s a neurotransmitter imbalance, a chiropractor can help to normalize things. The expert is able to alleviate your spine from subluxation (misalignments) by gently manipulating the spine using hands. When subluxations are alleviated, the path for the distribution of neurotransmitters becomes opened. So, the levels are restored as they should.

In the end, nerve communication in your central nervous system (which includes the brain and the spine) is restored. This also sees an improvement in impulses and concentration. You are able to control your impulses much better and are able to pay more attention to instructions. According to one study, kids who receive spinal adjustments tend to show a dramatic improvement after a few months of the therapy. This shows that chiropractic treatment is an ideal option for ADHD management.

What Other Things Can a Chiropractor Help You With?

Other than offering therapeutic chiropractic adjustments, Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic can help with:

  • Home exercises – As a parent, you may be directed by a chiropractor on exercises like timing therapy (mostly clapping sessions) that you can use to help your ADHD kid at home. The exercises are meant to alleviate ADHD symptoms.
  • Lifestyle advice – For a pregnant woman, a chiropractor may advise you to make a few adjustments in your life such as abstaining from alcohol and smoking as they may hamper fetus brain development. You may also be asked to have enough rest and to avoid excess sugars. The whole idea here is to try as much as possible to reduce the risk factors.

What Happens When You Go to See a Chiropractor for ADHD?

Spinal adjustments don’t just begin immediately when you go for your first chiropractic appointment. The chiropractor has to first examine the reflexes of the patient together with sense like vision and hearing. Based on the results of the evaluation, a chiropractor is able to decide on the best treatment option.

Closing Thought: What’s next for you?

Since you already know that there’s hope for ADHD treatment in chiropractic care, the next thing to do is to see Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic. Go ahead and make that appointment if you, your kid or someone within the family line has the condition. It may be your only practical way out of this compulsive disorder!

How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help Reduce Stress Levels

People say that stress is part of life. No wonder studies show that about three-quarter of people face varying forms of stress on a daily basis. Whether it’s at home or on the job, stress is something that you have to learn to deal with. But, what exactly is stress? Stress refers to a state of being mentally, physically, or emotionally restrained by a difficult or demanding factor. It’s basically how you respond to the factors, commonly known as stressors.

The stressor can be a financial hardship, health challenge, bad relationship, anxiety or social pressure. You also stress your body if you don’t sleep or eat well. The problem with responding to stress is that your physical body, mind, and heart suffer. Some extreme forms of stress cause very serious health complications. It can also lead to death. The good news though is that there’s a treatment. You just need to talk to a chiropractor.

What’s Stress Like?

Stress comes in different forms and they all affect our lives in one way or another. Here are the general types:

  1. Environmental Stress

This is caused by environmental stressors like bad weather, noise, and high standards. For example, if you have set high expectations for a particular goal in life and you do not achieve it, it’ll stress you. Other environmental stressors that you should be aware of include:

  • Crowding
  • Poor air quality
  • Social tension (pressure from friends)
  • Natural disasters like earthquakes and floods
  • Human disasters like war and conflict
  1. Emotional Stress

Emotional stress is the commonest form of human stress. It’s all about how you respond to things that disturb your mind. For example, criticism and failure are likely to stress you emotionally. Basically, the part affected is the brain but the effects are physically expressed. Some people will manifest stress in the form of mood changes, depression, and anger. The key to distressing, in this case, comes with finding mental relaxation. You have to find something that you can do to help you control your emotions and respond to stress more positively.

  1. Physical Stress

Physical stress has a physical source. It could be an injury, physical danger or poor nutrition. The stressors strain your physical body and to cope up, the body releases an emergency hormone known as adrenaline. However, the effects of adrenaline wear off after a while when the stress becomes overwhelming. In the end, stress wears your body and the effects are manifested physically. From sleep deprivation to weight loss, the symptoms are clear. Someone could actually tell that you are going through something that’s stressing you.

  1. Chemical Stress

This is mostly associated with chemical pollutants that exist in the environment. The pollutants not only stress your body but also often lead to health issues like heart disease, hypertension, asthma, and diabetes. The pollutants are many but the main ones are:

  • Toxic industrial chemicals
  • GMO foods
  • Pesticides
  • Herbicides
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Dyes and stains

A majority of these pollutants get introduces into the body without your knowledge through ingestion or inhalation. It’s a common thing in the industrial job sector.

What Are the General Symptoms?

Generally, stress is characterized by the following symptoms:

  • Anxiety and restlessness
  • Pain, especially on the lower back and on the chest
  • Low sex drive
  • Reduced concentration
  • Poor appetite
  • Lack of personal drive
  • Irritability
  • Gastrointestinal issues
  • Sleeping difficulties
  • Body fatigue
  • Depression

Chiropractic Treatment and Stress

The whole essence of seeing a chiropractor is not to eliminate stress but to treat its symptoms. Chiropractic treatment will help your body, especially the spine to regain its effectiveness. The point of focus is mostly the spine. Usually, a spinal misalignment or dysfunction interferes with the functioning of the nervous system. So, communication between the systems and the body is affected. A chiropractor is able to treat the misalignments to ensure that effective communication is restored.

The whole idea is to help you cope with the stress that you are going through and to bring the symptoms to a minimum. Overall, a chiropractor does the following to help you reduce stress levels:

  • Looks after your spine to ensure that its nervous functions are well controlled
  • Identifies issue on your spine which may be stressing it
  • Restores the curvature of the spine to improve its general health
  • Manage chronic pain, discomfort or tensions on your physical body
  • Identify and manage mental stress

Chiropractic Treatment Options for Stress Alleviation

  1. Readjustment Therapy

Here, a chiropractor performs spinal manipulation on you. The aim of this therapy is to treat spinal misalignments (also known as subluxations). By treating subluxations, the physical stress that’s placed on your spine is minimized. In the end, spinal adjustments bring proper balance to your spine and this means improved nervous coordination.

  1. Muscle Release

Stress is likely to cause tension in your muscles. Tensed muscles interfere with your way of living. Your life becomes interrupted in a number of ways. For example, sleeping becomes a problem and motor coordination is impaired. By performing muscle release, which is a deep-tissue massage-like therapy, tension is released and you experience a feeling of relaxation.

  1. Exercise Therapy

Exercises help you to build physical and mental energy. The energy is important in getting rid of muscle tension and helping you relax. A chiropractor will recommend exercises that you can do when stressed. This will help you to have better control of your emotions.

  1. Relaxation Techniques

The hardest thing for someone when stressed is relaxing. Luckily, a chiropractor can help you do it. For starters, the expert helps you to find the right posture for relaxing. The chiropractor will recommend specific relaxation techniques that’ll improve your posture. Additionally, the expert may make the following recommendations:

  • Listening to soothing music
  • Observing meditation
  • Practicing relaxed breathing

 

  1. Nutrition Advice

A chiropractor can also be your nutritionist when it comes to matters affecting your spine. You’ll be advised on the best foods and supplements that you can take to calm your nerves down and to boost spinal health. Of course, the aim is to use nutritional counseling to suppress the symptoms of stress and not entirely to treat the condition.

Closing Thought:

Generally, chiropractic treatment is a holistic approach that you need to manage different forms of stress. The treatment is good both for your physical and mental health. With no doubt, visiting a chiropractor is a good idea the next time you are weighed down by stress.

Chiropractic Treatment for TMJD

Do you often experience jaw pain and discomfort? You may be having a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD). TMJD is a condition that affects so many people in the world following an injury to the jaw. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which is the joint between your skull and the jawbone, is a very sensitive joint. An injury to it may make it harder for you to chew. Luckily, it can be treated not just by a dentist but also by a chiropractor.

What Are the Key Symptoms?

We’ve already mentioned pain on the jaw in the opening statements. It’s the main symptom for TMJD. However, it not only affects the jaw but also the neck, ear, and teeth. The pain may also extend to the back and arms. Other symptoms are:

  • Jaw clicking – This happens when you either open or close your mouth. Your jaw, in this case, produces a popping sound.
  • Restricted TMJ mobility – Some patients may have their TMJ temporarily locked and this makes it difficult for them to open or close their mouths. Others can only do it slightly.
  • Bite alterations – Sometime, you may not feel your teeth when chewing. This is often because of dysfunction on one side.
  • Hearing difficulties
  • Swallowing complications
  • Blurred vision
  • Dizziness

What Really Causes TMJD?

TMJD can be caused by several factors. Here are the main ones:

  • Injury to the jaw – If you suffer a direct physical injury to the jaw area, you are likely to develop TMJD. It may be a nasty fall on the face or an accidentally hit on the jaw.
  • Muscle dysfunction – If the muscles of the jaw are defective, TMJD can develop.
  • Excessive chewing – This happens mostly when you chew gum for long.
  • Teeth grinding – This happens mostly when you are asleep.
  • Nail biting – This overuses the jaw and thus may affect the temporomandibular joint negatively.
  • Teeth misalignment – This interferes with chewing and eventually affects the TMJ.
  • Arthritis – Arthritis wears off your joints, including TMJ.

Are There Risk Factors?

Like most serious conditions, TMJD has several surprising risk factors. So, sometimes, the source does not have to be a physical one like an injury to the jaw. One major risk factor is poor posture, especially one that affects the neck. If your neck is restrained so much, there’s always the risk of this kind of pressure impacting the temporomandibular joint.

The other popular risk factor is stress. Stress increases muscle tension on your jaw. At the end of the day, this may affect the temporomandibular joint. The other risk factors are age, gender, and inflammations. It’s argued that women are the most affected, more so those aged 18-44. It has to do with hormonal changes. Additionally, the presence of chronic inflammation improves its risk.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Identifying the discussed symptoms is never conclusive. You need to see an expert who can diagnose the condition. TMJD can be handled by a general practitioner, a dentist or an orthodontist. These specialists will often resort to pain prescriptions. It can also be addressed by an oral surgeon. However, this applies to extreme cases.

If you prefer a method that is both nonsurgical and nonmedical, then the right expert to see is a chiropractor. While a GP and dentist treat the symptoms, a chiropractor treats the underlying cause. Once the core cause is treated, then the symptoms will easily be suppressed. Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic can help!

What Happens During a Chiropractic Diagnosis?

Dr. Hinz can perform different evaluations to check for TMJD.

  • Physical assessment – The expert may inspect your jaws to determine signs of temporomandibular inflammation or any kind of abnormality.
  • Posture evaluation – One clear TMJD sign is a head that is jutting forward. The head is not supposed to look that way unless it’s restrained by an underlying issue.
  • Neck assessment – If you have TMJD, it’s likely that the effect will be felt on your neck. A chiropractor can help you with this diagnosis. The expert will observe your neck for issues like a low range of motion, earache, neck stiffness, and severe headache. These signs are suggestive that your neck is affected.

Once Dr. Hinz establishes that what you have is TMJD, then you’ll be advised to start treatment immediately.

What Happens During a Chiropractic Treatment?

Cool Springs Chiropractic does not just do TMJD diagnosis but also helps to treat the underlying causes.  Depending on how severe your TMJD is, Dr. Hinz may use any of these techniques:

Chiropractic manipulation – Popularly known as spinal manipulation or just spinal adjustments, chiropractic manipulation is meant to correct misalignment on your spine. A chiropractor believes that it’s the misalignment that restricts your nerves around the temporomandibular region. Realigning the spine is one way of relieving the restrained nerves. Chiropractic manipulation is generally the first response action for severe TMJD cases. At the end of the day, it’s known to achieve the following:

  • To relax the temporomandibular joint muscles
  • To reposition the jaw
  • To readjust the temporomandibular joint

Jaw retraining – Because of a TMJ, your jaw may have lost its efficiency and so you may not be able to chew properly. A chiropractor can help fix the issue by retraining the jaw to move as it should. It will be adjusted accordingly. This takes off pressure from the temporomandibular joint and significantly reduces TMJD symptoms. With a few adjustments, your jaw will be as good as new.

Myofascial release – A chiropractor is an expert who understands how your muscles need to feel and appear. So, if the muscles are looking tight and have stayed that way for long, then the expert will resort to myofascial release. In this technique, a pressure that is likened to deep tissue massage is applied to the tight muscle knots to soften them. It’s a very effective treatment.

Stretching exercises – Since the pain may be originating from the neck and back region, the expert may opt to stretch you a little. The exercises will be directed mostly on your back to target the spine. You have to remember that TMJD healing is dependent on a healthy spine. If the spine is not misaligned, then your immunity will be enhanced and you’ll recover from TMJD.

Closing Thought:

By treating the root cause of TMJD, chiropractic treatment offers an immediate and long-term solution for the condition. This is something that dentists and general practitioners do not do. They’ll just treat the symptoms when the underlying issue is left bossing your temporomandibular joint. So, if you are looking to treat and prevent TMJD in the future, then contact Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic today!

Chiropractic Treatment for Sciatic Nerve Pain

In the body, the nerve that runs from the lumber part (the lower back) to the legs is what we call the sciatic nerve. It’s the largest in the body and damage to it results in a syndrome called sciatica. Sciatica is an indicator of an underlying medical problem in your lower back. It’s often described as pain, tingle, and numbness in the leg. Sciatica rarely affects both legs and thus you should expect pain to be one-sided.

The unfortunate thing is that sciatic nerve pain worsens with sitting. It also becomes hard to stand, walk or move the affected leg. In severe cases, though rare, sciatic nerve pain may lead to a neurological condition, a bowel dysfunction or a bladder complication. This happens when sciatic is left untreated for long. The good news though is that you can treat it using chiropractic practices.

The Causes

Before we look at the role that chiropractic care plays in treating sciatic nerve pain, it’s important to know what causes it. Unlike most pains, sciatic nerve pain is not caused by a single injury or episode. It normally develops from repeated events and becomes complicated over time. For this reason, it’s often difficult to pinpoint the exact time that the symptoms started to manifest.

In general, the major causes of this debilitating nerve condition are:

  • Repetitive motion – When you twist your back often, there is the risk of triggering sciatic nerve pain. Also, experts argue that driving for long or carrying heavy things repeatedly can be a potential risk for suffering sciatica.
  • Lower back infection – Though this is rare, a serious infection to the lower back may affect the sciatic nerve. If the nerve is damaged by the infection in any way, there is always the chance of suffering sciatica.
  • Bone spurs – When bone spurs exist in the vertebra, they can collide and this may lead to abnormal Such growth has the power to interfere with the sciatic nerve, resulting in sciatica.
  • Physical discomforts – This includes wearing high heels for long, lying on an extremely soft mattress, and accumulating excess weight. All these issues are distress to the spine and thus a potential trigger of sciatica.
  • Slip disc – When a given vertebra disk shifts forward, such a condition is referred to as slip disc. In case the shift occurs in the lumbar area, sciatica results and its highlighted by a painful sensation.
  • Pregnancy – Pregnancy normally results in excess weight directed to the spine, leading to its compression.
  • Disc disease – When a degenerative disc disease occurs on any part of the spine, the discs become less flexible. Hence, they are not able to cushion the spine well or to repair themselves as expected. In the long run, symptoms of sciatic nerve pain start showing up.
  • Spinal tumors – A growth in the spine is a serious cause of sciatica. This is because the more the tumor grows, the more it’s compressed. In the end, the sciatic nerve becomes damaged, resulting in terrible pain and discomfort.

Can Chiropractic Treatment Help?

While there are so many treatment options for sciatic nerve pain such as pain medications, anti-inflammatory applications, and physical therapy, a majority of patients are preferring chiropractic treatments. So, what does a chiropractic doctor (a chiropractor) do to treat sciatica? Ideally, a chiropractor is a musculoskeletal expert. Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic uses hands-on techniques to decompress or realign compressed nerves to give you relief from sciatica. So, yes, a chiropractor can help immensely in treating sciatic nerve pain.

As a specialized doctor, a chiropractor is not just interested in addressing the symptoms but to also get into the root cause of the problem. In this case, the first thing that a chiropractor will do once you demonstrate the symptoms of sciatic nerve pain is to do a complete spinal evaluation on you. The evaluation features CT scans and X-rays. The tests are able to confirm the diagnosis and to show the underlying issue. After the evaluation, the chiropractor will perform s spinal adjustment technique, also known as spinal manipulation, on you.

Spinal Manipulation

Looking at the highlighted causes of sciatic nerve pain, it’s clear that they result in either the compression or misalignment of the sciatic nerve. That’s why chiropractors purpose to decompress and realign the nerve. This is what spinal manipulation is all about. The chiropractor uses hands to adjust the spine. In the end, spinal manipulation achieves the following goals:

  • Reduces sciatic nerve irritability and pain
  • Minimizes muscle spasms and inflammation in the affected part

However, it’s important to note that spinal manipulation is a very delicate procedure that should only be performed by trained and licensed chiropractic doctors. Any wrong move may cause serious damage to your spine.

Other Proven Chiropractic Treatments

Besides spinal manipulation, there are other techniques that Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic can use to manage sciatic nerve pain. They include:

  1. Hot-Cold Therapy – Here, both heat and ice are applied to the affected part in an alternating The ice is used to numb the painful area while the heat is used to stimulate blood flow.
  2. Ultrasounds – The aim of an ultrasound is to build sound waves for improving blood circulation in the affected leg. This significantly helps to reduce muscle stiffness, spasm, and cramps.
  3. Decompression Therapy – In some cases, a chiropractor may prefer to use a decompressing machine instead of hands to correct a spinal compression case. The technique is called decompression therapy. It stretches your vertebra to improve its mobility and flexibility.
  4. TENS – Standing for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, TENS is a treatment involving a small machine that passes an electric current through the muscles to stimulate them. This ideally soothes local inflammation as well as muscle spasm.
  5. Massage Therapy – A chiropractor may also massage the affected area to promote fast healing. Through the massage, blood flow is stimulated as the sciatic nerve is decompressed. This can also be used as a preventive approach for the condition.

Closing Thought:

It’s irrefutable that sciatic nerve pain is a serious nerve condition that calls for immediate treatment following diagnosis. Contact Cool Springs Chiropractic today to get started on the natural roadway to healing.

10 Benefits of Acupuncture

Acupuncture, a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is one of the oldest therapies known to man. Ideally, acupuncture works on the basis of unblocking locked life energy (Qi). This is because it’s believed that health issues can arise when there’s an interruption in the flow of Qi. By restoring Qi, acupuncture promotes physical relaxation and healing. According to some theories, acupuncture is able to accomplish this through the production of endorphins, natural pain relievers. There are also other theories which suggest that acupuncture works by regulating blood flow and nervous functions. Regardless, there are amazing benefits associated with this TCM. Here are the top 10:

  1. Stress Management

Psychological stress is known to instigate inflammatory responses such as poor mood, fatigue, and displeasure. These responses are widely related to depression. The advantage is that they can be prevented with acupuncture. By inhibiting inflammation, acupuncture reduces the production and performance of the stress hormone. This means more mental calmness and clarity. Other aspects such as mood and blood pressure are improved too.

  1. Slows Cognitive Decline

A 2002 study by Maryland University Neurology Department suggests that individuals with Parkinson’s Disease show much improvement with acupuncture. According to the study, acupuncture reduces symptoms like tremor, slowness, anxiety, and walking difficulties. These symptoms are associated with cognitive decline. Based on the finding, there are no clear negative effects of using acupuncture. Therefore, the practice is safe and recommended for Parkinson’s Disease and other cognitive decline conditions.

  1. Low Back Pain Relief

According to a 2017 report by Annals of Internal Medicine, acupuncture decreases pain intensity along the lower back and surrounding areas. The study focused on two groups of people; one using acupuncture to manage low back pain and the other not using the TCM practice. Of course, the finding was that acupuncture helps you in the short-term to manage pain and should only be used as a temporary solution. In case you are looking for a long-term solution, the study recommends doing acupuncture regularly. The more you do it periodically, the more effective the results are.

  1. Manages Pregnancy Discomfort

Like physical therapy, acupuncture has shown effectiveness in promoting relief from pregnancy discomfort. By alleviating pain on the lower back, acupuncture helps to balance the extra weight that a pregnant woman is carrying, thus total relaxation. In a controlled study, ear acupuncture is believed to be effective in managing posterior pelvic pain that’s widespread during the first few weeks of pregnancy. This is the time that most pregnant women become anxious and depressed because of the discomforts.

  1. Boosts Immunity

The body’s natural defense is always stimulated when a foreign material is introduced. Since acupuncture needles are foreign, the body will step up its immunity to try to face the invaders. In this case, the production of immune cells is encouraged and so are defense processes like phagocytosis (engulfing of foreign materials) and lymphocyte proliferation (multiplication of white blood cells). An improved lymphocyte proliferation literary implies enhanced immunity.

  1. Weight Loss

Studies show that acupuncture done on the ear is widely considered in the West as a way to encourage weight loss. By placing needles around the ear, a section of the hypothalamus is stimulated and this makes you less hungry. By lowering your appetite, you feed less and in the long, you don’t gain weight. So, instead of forcefully depriving yourself food, you can use acupuncture to do it willingly. You may not even realize that you are going slow on food after having several acupuncture sessions. Additionally, acupuncture improved intestinal mobility and lowers anxiety. This is important in promoting weight loss.

  1. Migraines Relief

Based on a 2016 review by Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, acupuncture helps significantly in managing migraines (severe headaches) and reducing their frequency. The study involved 4985 patients who are prone to frequent migraines attack and a majority of them responded well to acupuncture. However, the study suggests having acupuncture periodically if you are looking to manage the symptoms for a long period. Since there are is no evidence of harm related to using acupuncture for migraines management, there’s no problem with doing it as much as you are advised.

  1. Treats Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis happens to be the commonest joint disorder around the world. It’s more prevalent among the old, affecting over 85% of men and women aged 75 and above. The good news is that it’s manageable with acupuncture. According to a 2014 study, acupuncture promotes mobility functionality and reduces pain in osteoarthritis patients. The study recommends acupuncture as an alternative to traditional pain relief treatments for osteoarthritis like opiates. Unlike opiates, acupuncture has no major side effects, thus safe.

  1. Enhance Sleep

As a therapy, acupuncture promotes hormonal changes in the body that are related to sleep. It lowers heart rate and metabolism so as to encourage physical and mental relaxation. For this reason, it’s able to treat insomnia and sleep apnea. According to a random study, acupuncture is more effective in managing sleep conditions than most treatments. In addition, a 2016 analysis shows that it helps to treat sleep disturbances in menopausal women.

  1. Knee Pain Relief

A recent analysis shows that acupuncture plays an important role in improving physical functioning of the body in the short-term and long-term. By doing so, it’s able to manage knee pain by providing relief for a number of weeks or months depending on the frequency of the practice. This analysis is supported by another review which suggests that acupuncture delays the availability of pain relievers in the body and this boosts their performance. The relievers are able to act for long in the knee region and other painful parts and this brings total relief.

Closing Thought:

Dr. Hinz and his staff at Cool Springs Chiropractic are proud to offer acupuncture to patients. Acupuncture is one of the most effective therapeutic practices today. If history is anything to go by, then there’s a reason to believe its success. Many generations have used this TCM practice and thus you can be sure ours won’t be the last. Reach out to Cool Springs Chiropractic today to get started!

Chiropractic Treatment for the Elderly

As years go by, the body ages progressively. The joints degenerate and the bones become less dense. That’s how human life is meant to be. However, there’s a need to maintain a healthy lifestyle if you are looking to slow down the aging process. As a senior member of the society, you don’t have to panic when you suffer chronic pains. They are quite common at such an age but this doesn’t make them normal. You need to see a specialist and you can start with Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic.

Who’s a Chiropractor?

A chiropractor is an expert that specializes in bone-related complications, more so those affecting the spine. The expert uses hands-on techniques to correct the problem. Often, a chiropractor is referred to as a musculoskeletal expert because they are able to treat musculoskeletal disorders. Their main goal is to correct subluxations (a situation where the spine is misaligned). It’s the subluxation that brings about chronic pain and other types of discomfort since the nerves are greatly compressed and the effect is felt by your physical body.

What Are the Benefits of Seeking Chiropractic Help?

There’s a close association between the spine and the way the human body depreciates. Research approves chiropractic care as a treatment option for managing spine-related issues. This is on the basis of it being safer and effective for the seniors. Generally, chiropractic care gives you the following benefits:

  1. Pain Management

When it comes to pain management, you have to think of conditions like headaches, neck pain, lower back pain, and shoulder pain. Chiropractic care is not only safe but effective in managing them. It’s naturally effective because most pains originate from the spine and this is the area that a chiropractor specializes in. They are able to treat the spine and bring relief to the surrounding tissues. They are able to do it by correcting subluxations. They ensure that the compressed nerves are freed and in the long run, the pain is managed.

  1. Slows Joint Degeneration

One condition that comes into mind when thinking of joint degeneration is arthritis. Arthritis is generally common among the seniors because of a faster subluxation rate. As your spine starts to misalign, the joints, especially the knees, start to wear out. Chiropractic care helps to readjust the misalignment so as to slow down the wearing process. So, you can be able to manage arthritis easily by routinely going for chiropractic care.

  1. Improves Mobility

In your senior life, your mobility is greatly affected. You become slower and less articulate. While this is a normal sign of getting old, it doesn’t always have to be the case. Chiropractic care may help you improve the way you move around. It not only enhances your speed of walking and doing things but it also enhances your flexibility. It becomes easier to bend when picking your grandkids or when playing golf.

  1. Enhances Posture

So many cases of poor body balance originate from the spine and are related to degenerative conditions. The part that’s most affected is the cervical (neck) area. By opting for chiropractic care, the experts are able to fix subluxations in this region. This ensures you regain body balance and coordination. In the end, you don’t have to worry about falling down unnecessarily.

  1. General Health and Wellbeing

Sometimes, you don’t have to experience chronic pain to see a chiropractor. You can do it to improve your general health and wellbeing. At times, you may be suffering from subluxations without realizing it. Such effects interfere with your immune system and this may mean a high chance of getting sick. You need chiropractic care to ensure that this does not happen.

Are There Any Risks?

Like all other treatments, there are risks involved in chiropractic care. These risks are not so common but this doesn’t dispute the fact that they can happen. For example, you may suffer bone damage, soreness, or any other kind of injury if the wrong technique is used on you or when you approach an inexperienced chiropractor.

What are the Chiropractic Treatment Options for Seniors?

There are two broader chiropractic treatment techniques for seniors: non-manipulative and manipulative. It all depends on need and preference.

  1. Non-Manipulative Technique

This technique is also referred to as non-force spinal adjustment. It applies to the following categories of people:

  • Seniors in acute pain
  • Seniors with spasms
  • Seniors with arthritis or degenerative joint syndrome
  • Seniors with a delicate nervous system

These people generally require gentle care and that’s why the chiropractic treatment is administered non-forceful. It’s also a common technique for infants and children as they also require gentle handling. There are several methods in this category such as myofascial massage (where significant pressure is released from the fascial sheath) and deep tissue massage (where lymph flow is enhanced).

The advantages of non-manipulative techniques are:

  • It’s gentle, thus ideal for delicate seniors.
  • It’s painless, thus ideal for pain-sensitive seniors.

 

  1. Manipulative Technique

This technique is popularly known as spinal manipulation or spinal adjustment. It originates from ancient Chinese and it involves hands-on adjustment of the joints and realignment of the spine. By doing so, it’s able to promote healing not only on the spine but on the surrounding tissues as well. There are several methods under this technique. They include:

  • Orthogonal Technique – Also known as Atlas. It’s used to treat issues that affect the upper cervical area.
  • Diversified Technique – This technique is used by 98% of top chiropractors and above 70% of patients prefer it. It’s characterized by the application of a low-amplitude thrust that is done under high velocity. It’s meant to realign the spine fast and safely.

Generally, spinal adjustment comes with the following advantages:

  • It’s a great option for treating neuromusculoskeletal disorders
  • It’s great for relieving neck pains and lower back pains
  • It’s considered the cheaper option when compared with the non-manipulative This is why most seniors go for it.

Final Thought:

Clearly, you can improve your way of living in your senior life with chiropractic care. The practice is research-based and has been used for years. Therefore, if you are looking to manage musculoskeletal complications that come with old age, seeing a Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic is always a wise idea. You can add it to your new year’s health resolutions. You won’t be disappointed by the decision!