Can Chiropractic Help With Herniated Discs?

We treat a plethora of patients in our Plano Chiropractic office that have herniated discs, and most of them responded very well to care. A herniated disc is when a portion of the gelatinous material inside the outer annulus breaks through and puts pressure on the nerve or causes inflammation which them puts pressure on the nerve.

There are a few options that can be done to treat a herniated disc. The first option is medication, while there can be serious reactions to medication it can be effective, although it is rated the lowest in effectiveness compare to the other options. Most people do not like medication and it seems that every person reacts differently. In this case the medication will usually be in the form of an analgesic and anti-inflammatory. This option could further lead to epidural steroid injections and surgery which could equally be ineffective as well as surgery carries an increased risk of permanent injuries or death. It has been estimated that while some surgeries do work up to seventy percent of lower back surgeries fail. Surgery should always be the last option.

Another option is physical therapy, while physical therapy can be effected and is more effective than medication it is still less effective than chiropractic. Physical therapy usually employees stretching and exercises as well as some passive modalities. Many physical therapy patients get frustrated easily because care can be mundane and usually centers around the physical therapist babysitting the patient in doing exercises. Most active patient learn the exercise then don't see the need for the therapist any more. Chiropractors usually incorporate some sort of physical therapy into their treatment protocol as well which is one of the reasons chiropractic is rated the most effective for lower back pain and disc herniations.

Chiropractic is by far the most effective for treating lower back pain and herniated disc as reported by the patient. Most patients report better customer service due to more doctor face time and report that the therapies overall are more effective. The chiropractic adjustments which work on increasing the zygapophyseal joint space as shown via MRI will increase the overall size of neural foramina allowing greater area for the nerve is question to traverse. Chiropractic is the only conservative treatment that does this. In addition to the above chiropractic increases the range of motion, breaks joint adhesions and helps in decrease inflammation. Including chiropractic with physical therapy is the best choice and since physical therapist cannot preform chiropractic adjustments, the chiropractor should be the first line of defense in lower back pain and disc herniations. If you want help due to a herniated disc or lower back pain we are here to help.     

         

Can My Chiropractor Help Me With My Sprained Ankle?

Ankle injuries can be quite bothersome and can have a reoccurring theme to them. Injuries to the ankle are most common during a traumatic event, for example an auto accident or stepping off a curb. The most common traumatic injury associated with the ankle is an ankle sprain. The tissues that are effected the most during a sprain are the lateral ligaments of the ankle joint. The ankle is prone to undergoing inversion during trauma thus stretching the lateral ligaments, more specifically the anterior talofibular (ATF) ligament. When the injury to ATF happens the tissues are stretched to a point of damage where some fibers are torn and some fibers are painfully stretched. This torn and stretched pathology in a certain combination grades the sprain in a class between one and three, with three being the worst.

Once you have an ankle injury, visiting a chiropractor is very important not only to diagnosis a sprain ankle but also to treat it. Chiropractors are very skilled at not only diagnosing musculoskeletal conditions but also rehabbing said conditions as well. The reason why rehabbing an ankle is very important is because the tissues need to lay ligamentous tissue and not scare tissue. If scare tissue is laid down in place of normal tissue the patient will be troubled with future sprains of that same ligaments as well as being prone to an unstable ankle. Scare tissue is not nearly as strong or pliable as regular ligamentous tissue therefore injury reoccurrence is almost a certainty.

Once the chiropractor diagnosis the injury as a ligamentous sprain the first method of treatment should be to decrease inflammation and trying to halt the inflammatory process. The inflammation process can be stopped by ice baths and cryotherapy. Cryotherapy and electric muscle stimulation can also concurrently help with decreasing the pain level. If a grade three sprain is ruled out and tissues have decreased in inflammatory exudate and pain has decrease to a workable level, the facilitation of the rehab phase can take place. The rehab phase first should include the promotion of health ligamentous tissue being laid down where the injury occurred, this could be done in the form of cross friction massage or light Graston therapy. The first day after the rehab phase there will be pain, word of warning but that should subdue with time. Once the chiropractor is successful with the rehab phase then the strengthen phase can start to be ushered in. The strengthen phase is perhaps the most important one, using strengthen and proprioception exercise to restore the ankle to proper function.

The rehabilitation of the ankle can take some time but it is totally worth it, you don't want to always worry about your ankle at the most inopportune times. It only takes one injury with the improper rehab to cause life long weakness or problems. If you or someone you know needs help with ankle injuries be sure to visit our Plano Chiropractic office website.

Chiropractic Treatment For Functional Leg Length Discrepancy

A functional leg length discrepancy is when one leg upon measurement seems to be longer than the other when it's not anatomically longer, meaning one just appears to be longer. While measuring is going to yield the same results, radiographs may show a pelvis discrepancy in the iliac crest or greater trochanters. This discrepancy can be attributed to a possible issue within the lower back or sacroiliac joint. When the lower back and sacroiliac joints are not functioning properly it changes the way the tissues response creating an "asymmetry" in the spinal muscles. If the muscles in the spine are either tight (hypertonic) or loose (hypotonic) then the certain structures can be elevated or depressed leading to an appearance of a longer leg. Radiographs will show this and it can be explain to the patient.

If a functional leg length is present and remains for a long period of time without being treated by a chiropractic major issue can arise. Of course lower back and sacroiliac pain will be present but also any joint in the legs can be effected due to a disruption of normal biomechanics. If a joint is holding more weight than the other joint it is going to fail and become inflamed quicker, then a patient will start to favor the sore joint which will then cause the other joint on the other leg, due to compensation, to have aberrant biomechanics and that starts to turn into a long process when now both joints hurt. Long term effects of improper mechanics wear on the overall strength and stability of the lumber spine leading to possible disc herniation or injuries with minimal force compared to a normally functioning spine.

Chiropractic treatment rendered can help, the first step is to correct the muscle to make them more pliable so one side is not completely spasmodic due to the long standing effects. Then after taking careful radiographic measurements you can adjust the sacroiliac joint in their respective position. One side should be done in a posterior inferior direction while the other should be in a posterior superior direction. This chiropractic adjusting can be done in a prone position with chiropractic drops. After a course of treatment there should be a new resting alignment, this could be observed with radiographs or measurements on the patient's body. Once the new resting alignment is observed to satisfactory of the patient and the chiropractor, corrective and strengthen exercises can be done to hold the alignment and possibly help preventing future injury due to weakness. As always wellness care can and should be recommended for maintaining gains and prevent possible future reoccurrence. If you are having back pain and want to see if chiropractic can help you visit our website or our Plano Chiropractic office.