TREAT THE SOURCE not just the symptoms!

Aspen Laser Therapy has been clinically proven to not only reduce pain and inflammation, but to effectively treat their underlying causes. Among the myriad conditions for which Aspen Laser Therapy has been proven to be beneficial are: Post-Injury Pain, Joint Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Bursitis, Tendinitis, Arthritis, Back and Neck Pain, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Muscle Spasms, Fibromyalgia, Connective Tissue Injuries, Sprains and Strains!

Aspen Laser Therapy (also known as photobiomodulation therapy or “PBMT”) generates photochemical responses at the cellular level which increase circulation and cellular energy production while reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. PBMT also increases the rate and quality of tissue repair, improves muscle performance, enhances recovery and alleviates pain. During each brief laser therapy session, the Aspen Apex uses a simple hand piece to deliver PBMT in a localized, region-specific manner. This allows for a more focused approach to treating specific areas of the body, helping to improve clinical outcomes and facilitating the healing process.

Whether you’re recovering from an injury or dealing with a chronic condition, pain and inflammation can hold you back from the activities you love. Therapy with the Aspen Apex will help you to break free from the pain and start living the life you were meant to live. Even after your first session, you’ll begin to feel better, perform better and live better

Lower back pain. Just the phrase can bring agony to some people. The feeling can be a dull throb to bent-over excruciating agony. Although all areas of the body can experience pain, it seems that pain in the spine can be the most frustrating as far as any type of pain is concerned.

Due to the various types, degrees, and sources of back pain, medical care is also varied. While treatment by a medical doctor is necessary at times, chiropractic care is also an option for many conditions.

A chiropractor takes a holistic approach to treatment, practicing non-surgical and drug free care. Using this approach chiropractors treat conditions of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system affecting nerves, muscles, bones, and joints. Their use of hands-on therapies has been shown to be effective with lower back pain issues. When the pain is associated to a muscle or ligament sprain, chiropractic care is beneficial. Some issues that respond to chiropractic care are neck pain, flare-up of chronic back pain, and/or recent back pain of three months or less.

Since back pain involves so many areas of the body, not all back pain should be treated only by a chiropractor. Some of the conditions that should be treated by a medical doctor are pain caused by cancer, viral infections, and issues where the back pain is associated with leg pain, tingling, or muscle weakness. Some other serious conditions that are best treated by a medical doctor are bone fractures or tumors, chronic arthritis and osteoporosis, and infections of bones or joints.

If suffering from back pain, realize that there are many options for treatment. The first and most important aspect is to find out what is causing the pain. Once that is established, you can choose the best treatment program for you and your lifestyle. If you choose chiropractic care keep in mind this is a holistic approach to treatment. The program will consist of a non-surgical, drug free environment where hands-on manipulation is the primary focus. Also realize that if at any time your chiropractor believes you need to see a medical doctor, you will be referred to one.

Neck pain is real and can be severe. The cause of the pain can be numerous things and treatment varies. The problem comes in diagnosing the pain since neck pain can come from various sources. Neck pain is most commonly due to tight muscles, a pinched nerve, or vertebral subluxations (where a bone of the spine, also called a “vertebra,” moves out of alignment).

The most common instances of neck pain do not require surgery or medication. However, if left untreated, these problems can become chronic, which may then leave drugs and surgeries as the only option. If you are looking for a non-surgical option to handle neck pain, research chiropractic care.

Types of neck pain that are good candidates for chiropractic treatment are:

• Disc injuries where surgery is not necessary
• Injuries involving cervical sprains
• Whiplash
• Mis-aligned vertebrae
• Degenerative joint issues

Before any treatment or programs are designed, a physical exam will be completed. Along with this, your medical history will be documented. This will give our chiropractor the information needed to design a specialized treatment program for you.

During the examination, not only your neck, but your entire spine will be examined. You may have neck pain, but it may be originating in another location. There could be lifestyle issues contributing to the pain including diet and stress. Other areas to be examined may be posture and range of motion. The curvature and alignment of your spine will be documented. There should also be testing of muscle strength and reflexes. All of this information helps the chiropractor diagnose the problem areas and develop a treatment program.

Although neck pain can be caused from injuries due to falls and head knocks, there are other factors associated with neck pain. These include activities and jobs with repetitive motions, sitting for long periods, as well as aging and normal deterioration on the neck and spine area.

When you arrive as a new patient in our office, one of our experienced chiropractors will take a thorough history of your problem to determine if we will accept you for care. If he determines that surgery is not required and that your case is one we can accept, then a treatment plan can be established. Because neck pain has so many variables, our doctor will try to isolate the cause. Some questions may be when did the pain begin?

Does it radiate to other areas? How are you treating the pain? Does doing things make the pain better or worse? Rate the severity of the pain.  All of your answers will assist in the treatment plan. If surgery is needed, you will be referred to a surgeon. The chiropractic care program may include chiropractic adjustments (a specific type of manipulation of the spine, in which chiropractors are trained) some type of massage therapy, physical therapy modalities, and exercises.

Since chiropractic care is holistic care, the treatment program will include all aspects of your life. Included in your program will be nutrition, exercise, daily activities, as well as regular chiropractic sessions. In order to have the maximum pain relief, the entire treatment plan should be followed. There may be lifestyle changes necessary to relieve the pain in your neck.

Some manipulation methods could include a gentle manipulation to improve and/or restore range of motion. While this is done using hands, there can be a manipulation using a handheld instrument. Use of the instrument allows light force to be used without pushing into the spine. Instrument adjustments are effective for treating any area of the spine, including problems in the upper back and lower back pain.

The massage therapy can also be both manual and instrument assisted. This could include joint stretching and muscle massage as well as soft tissue therapy using instruments.

Other treatments are Interferential Electrical Stimulation or stimulation of the neck muscles by using electrical current of low frequency and Ultrasound for stiff muscles.

An exercise program may be developed for you. Exercises to improve range of motion as well as ones to control neck pain may be included. These exercises are for home use as well as in office.

One of the primary treatments may be a neck adjustment. The medical term for this treatment is cervical manipulation, typically used to treat neck joints by using hands. A benefit of this treatment is a greater range of motion and decrease in stiffness resulting in less pain in the neck.

Nerve pain can be severe and debilitating. Pain can come from various sources and the intensity can vary. One nerve that can cause significant pain is the sciatic nerve. This is a large nerve that begins in the lower back and goes down the back of each leg. The pain associated with this nerve is call sciatica. The most effective treatment to relieve sciatica pain, which we use in our office, is the chiropractic spinal adjustment, ice or cold therapy, heat or ultrasound, muscle stimulation (TENS), cold-laser therapy.

The pain associated with sciatica can extend from the lower back to the toes or anywhere in-between. And the pain can be from irritating to debilitating. Just as the area and severity of pain can vary so can the symptoms. These can range from continuous rear pain on one side to shooting pain making it difficult to stand. The leg and/or foot on one side can be affected causing weakness, numbness, or difficulty when moving or there could be a burning or tingling in the leg. All of these symptoms are coming from the lower lumbar and lumbosacral spine which has become irritated.

Although sciatica is an irritation of the sciatic nerve there are various causes. Some are medical including lumbar spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis (one vertebra slips over another), spinal subluxation (a misaligned vertebra) and pregnancy. There are also some lifestyle causes including obesity, lack of exercise, high heel wearing, and a too soft mattress.

Because sciatica can be caused by a variety of conditions, proper diagnosis is essential. Our chiropractors at West Chiropractic regularly treat sciatica and are familiar with all of the causes and treatments. Chiropractic treatment is considered holistic, using no surgery or drugs, but merely providing treatment which aids the body in healing itself. It has been shown to be effective for neck pain, back pain, headaches and migraines, as well as a large number of other conditions. Because chiropractic treats the spine and nervous system, which supplies the entire body, its effects can be far-reaching.

Based on the cause, there are various options for treatment. The treatment plan may include more than one option since some can work together to give better results. Call us – CTA

Keep reading for more detail around our treatment approach for Sciatica.

One of the simplest treatments that can be added to the adjustment is using ice or cold therapy. Using cold may help decrease the inflammation that will help the pain.

Heat can be used by means of ultrasound. This method infiltrates deep into the tissues with the use of moderate heat. If you are having muscle spasms, this treatment is useful. It can also help with any cramps, inflammation, and/or stiffness.

A machine that is used to stimulate muscles called TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) could be an option. This is treatment using electrical current of various degrees. This option is also available for home use under the chiropractor’s monitoring.

One of the most advanced therapies we have available for sciatic is our cold laser. This can provide a significant amount of relief in a short amount of time. Although it does not get to the cause of the problem itself, it can provide a quick means of reducing symptoms and swelling.

Since chiropractic care is holistic, treatment may include lifestyle changes. Weight and exercise have a bearing on sciatica, so diet and nutrition will be discussed. A home exercise program may be designed to assist in the treatment process. Losing weight and regular exercise will have a positive effect on controlling the pain from sciatica.

When developing a treatment program, our chiropractor will examine not only your body but also your lifestyle. Your entire medical history should be relayed with all current conditions and medications. Also all activities you participate in as well as eating habits should be discussed.

Knowing your history will assist the doctor in developing a treatment program to treat the whole person. This will include office sessions and exercises to be done at home on a regular basis. Suggestions will be made regarding diet and what improvements can be made.

This total treatment program will improve your sciatica as well as your total body and lifestyle. By receiving proper chiropractic care and making a few changes you will be able to enjoy an active lifestyle to fit your liking.

To find out more about how chiropractic can relieve your sciatica pain, please call our office today and request an appointment to speak with one of our experienced doctors.

“I have a headache.” This phrase is heard over and over and can mean many different things. Headache refers to pain in the head and often involves pain extending into the neck region. This can be anything from an intense, short pain from eating or drinking very cold food to more severe forms of migraines.

Migraines are a neurological issue and can range in pain from moderate to severe. Interestingly, the typical migraine pain only affects one side of the head. This pulsating or throbbing type pain can last up to 72 hours and cause nausea and vomiting. Many people when suffering from migraines are sensitive to light, sound, and/or smell. Some sufferers will experience an aura prior to the onset of the migraine. Once the pain is over you could experience a feeling of fatigue or even fluctuations in mood and there could also be difficulty concentrating.

Although the actual causes of migraines could be a combination of things, it is believed to be both environmental and genetic. Many migraine issues will run in families. Most migraine patients use some form of medication to relieve the pain associated with the headaches, there could be other options. Before beginning a regimen based on medication, chiropractic care may offer a drug-free option to pain relief.

The chiropractic treatment will be focused on the spinal column. Vertebrae can become misaligned or the range of motion could decrease and both of these issues could be adjusted by a chiropractor. This misalignment, which can cause nerve pressure affecting the brain, may be one of the triggers for a migraine. Correction can be accomplished by gentle manipulation of the spine.

In conjunction with this type of treatment to ease your migraines, there are things you can do between chiropractic visits. One of the main items within your control is to make sure you have proper posture. Doing this will keep your back straight and shoulders back giving muscles plenty of room. If you work at a desk or sit for long periods, move. In other words, while sitting move your body as much as possible, and take breaks to walk around. Remember, you are trying to relieve pressure on the spine before this pressure moves to your head and possibly cause migraines. You may also be given a home exercise routine that will help with body alignment as well as posture.

A chiropractic approach to migraines will be a holistic program. This could include spine and neck manipulations and adjustments as well as therapy for your trigger points. Then there will be a home program including diet and nutrition, exercises to improve posture as well as spine alignment, and stretching and relaxation skills.

All of these can work together to give you better migraine management leading to a better quality of life. Start living yours today, schedule an appointment now, we are waiting to help you.

A closer look at our care for Migraines:

When you visit our St. Petersburg office, the first thing our chiropractor will do is perform an exam, including learning your history as it relates to migraines and any other family information that may be relative. Also, our doctor needs to be informed of any medication that you are currently taking for any condition, not just the migraines. A complete medical/health history is necessary.

The physical exam will focus on the head and neck area as well as your posture. You will be checked for any tension or spasm as well as range of motion in the area. Particularly, we will check your spine for spinal subluxations that could be contributing to your migraines. Subluxations are misalignments of the vertebrae of the spine, which can affect nerves which supply blood flow to the head.

If our chiropractor finds any abnormal results on the spinal examination, this could be the area of emphasis for treatment of your migraines. Treatment will probably include chiropractic adjustments, which are a gentle form of spinal manipulation.

Hands-on treatment is only one aspect of a chiropractic program. Environmental factors as well as lifestyle can cause migraines or at least contribute to them. You may be asked to keep a journal or log of what you eat and drink as well as your activities to see how these affect your migraines. Caffeine may cause migraines for someone whereas just the smell of garlic could cause them in someone else. In order to know what your trigger is, a detailed daily history is necessary. This would include when a migraine occurs and how long it lasts.

Lifestyle changes may also be necessary including a regular exercise program and keeping hydrated. Sufficient sleep could be an important factor in treatment as well as proper diet.