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Researching Chiropractic: Case Studies

drawing of spinal column and nervesChiropractic clinical case histories have been a regular feature of our patient newsletter since its inception. There seems to be no limit to the health problems that respond to chiropractic care. How many people suffering, on drugs, facing a life of limitation could be helped by chiropractic care?

Probably most of them.

Morton’s neuroma.

Morton’s neuroma is a nerve tumor in the foot. It is a painful condition that people describe as “walking on a marble.” It usually affects the ball of the foot, often between the 3rdand 4th toes and may cause a sharp, burning pain or numbness. The medical or podiatry approach is to give corticosteroid (cortisone) injections or surgically to cut out the tumor.

This is the case of a 63-year-old woman who suffered with Morton’s neuroma in her right foot for ten years. She sought chiropractic care for a variety of health complaints.

For one month her vertebral subluxations were addressed and reduced using specific chiropractic care. During this period her Morton’s neuroma symptoms completely disappeared and in addition she reported improvement in her digestion, sleep and ability to move without pain.

Source: Lanoue B, Treahy-Geofreda T, Russell D.Resolution of Morton’s Neuroma in an elderly patient receiving Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique to correct subluxation: a case study. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. January 4, 2016:1-5.

Failure To Thrive

Oral thrush and inconsolable crying in a 4-month-old. This is the case of a baby medically diagnosed with “failure to thrive” (FTT). FTT is determined when a baby’s weight or size is significantly below that of other children of similar age and same gender. The infant was reported to have had birth trauma from a nuchal cord – the umbilical cord was completely wrapped around the fetal neck (360 degrees).

The child was 4-months-old when she was brought to the chiropractor. She was suffering from inconsolable crying, oral thrush (an overgrowth of the fungus candida albicans in the mouth and throat), chronic diarrhea and was dangerously underweight.

Chiropractic examination detected vertebral subluxations at C1-C4 (upper neck) and T3-T4 (upper back).

She received chiropractic adjustments from the first visit and afterwards was checked for vertebral subluxations that were corrected when indicated for seven weeks. Her FTT symptoms began to resolve after the first visit and completely resolved by the seventh week of care. 

Source: Neally R, Alcantara J. Resolution of failure to thrive in a 4-month-old infant following adjustment of subluxation: case study & selective review of the literature. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. 2015;4:149-153. 

Hypothyroidism reduction under chiropractic care.

A 44-year-old woman presented herself to the chiropractor with complaints of upper shoulder and pain between the shoulder blades that occurred after a motor vehicle accident 23 years earlier!

In addition, she had been prescribed ArmourThyroid® in order to treat symptoms of low thyroid function (hypothyroidism).

Cervical or neck x-rays revealed that she had an 80.7% loss of normal neck curve (hypo-lordosis) in addition to vertebral subluxations.

The patient received spinal adjustments to reduce her vertebral subluxation complexes (VSC), and to improve her spinal and postural alignment over a seven-month period.

Thirty days into care the patient began exhibiting signs/symptoms of an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). Her chiropractor suggested that she have her thyroid function checked by her endocrinologist to see if her prescribed thyroid medication should be re-evaluated. After serum lab evaluation, the patient’s endocrinologist instructed the patient to significantly reduce her thyroid medication.

Source: Bak AD, Engelhardt PR. Improvement in cervical curve and hypothyroidism following reduction of subluxation utilizing chiropractic Biophysics: a case study & selective review of the literature. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. December 10, 2015:226-237

We’d like to hear about your experiences with chiropractic care.

CHIROPRACTIC AND VALENTINE’S DAY –WHAT IS THE CONNECTION?

two hands holdingIn this month of love and romance the key word that connects Chiropractic and Valentines Day is CONNECTION.

People and relationships are what nourishes and keeps everyone alive. Connections, which may be keeping a plant growing, a goldfish, a child or a spouse. That’s why women live longer than men and married men with cancer live longer than single men with the same cancers. If you have connections, you keep going. (Bernie Siegel MD)

There are so many ways we can be disconnected from physical, mental and spiritual wholeness:

  • Unnatural childbirth
  • trauma
  • lack of bonding
  • poor nutrition
  • lack of love
  • comfort and security

Lack of stimulation will interfere with our optimal physical/emotional/spiritual development and growth. Our genes will partially sleep, our life will be clouded, our heart will be contracted, our vision will be limited. To the degree that our connection is interfered with –we are less alive. We have dis-ease, we are out of sync to our inner potential and cannot adapt as well to life’s stresses. 

When a chiropractor locates and corrects your subluxations that cause blockages, interference and imbalances… you are more connected and more alive.

Call us to make an appointment and get reconnected with yourself.

Get to Know Your Spinal Column

drawing of spinal column and nervesThe illustration might look like a strange collection of wires and body parts but it shows how your body communicates and connects so that all your parts work together to make you healthy and whole.

Your internal organs send messages to your brain and your brain sends messages back to your internal organs. This back and forth goes through a vast communications cable made up of hundreds of millions of nerves: your spinal cord. This is how your parts are connected.

The Information Highway: Your Spinal Column

This incredible “cable” of nerves or spinal cord goes down your back. You can’t see your spinal cord because it’s encased in a protective bony canal called the spinal column made up of 23 bones called vertebrae.

Your spinal column includes

  • 7 neck or cervical vertebrae
  • 12 mid-back or thoracic vertebrae
  • 5 low back or lumbar vertebrae

Under the lumbars is a fused triangular bone called the sacrum and below that is your tiny tail bone or coccyx.

Also let’s not forget that between your vertebrae are discs – little shock absorbers to prevent your bones from crashing into one another every time you walk.

Get Adjusted after any Accident

Watch out! Injuries, accidents and stress of all kinds can misalign your vertebrae so they won’t move properly. If that happens you might have nerve irritation that can interfere with the function of many nerves, glands, muscles and organs. The result is a subluxation causing lowered immunity and detoxification, pain, and less balance, strength and energy. With subluxations your body parts are less connected to each other.

Your chiropractor’s job is to make sure your vertebrae are in the right place and are moving properly so that there is no nerve stress.

Using various tools (and years of specialized training) doctors of chiropractic can locate spinal nerve stress or subluxations and, using their hands or various instruments, realign the vertebrae and reduce spinal nerve pressure. This is called an adjustment. The adjustment reconnects you to … you.

Reconnect with yourself

Millions of people are disconnected from themselves. They are carrying spinal nerve stress in their bodies and don’t even know it. Do you or your loved ones have this condition? Your chiropractor can find out with a simple analysis. It could make the difference between a life of health and vitality and one of dis-ease and weakness.

Stop by for a chiropractic connection adjustment. Make 2016 a more connected year.

Children Need to Practice Good Computer Ergonomics

At least 70 percent of America’s 30 million elementary school students use computers, according to a recent New York Times article. As a result of this increased usage, doctors of chiropractic are treating more young patients suffering from the effects of working at computer stations that are either designed for adults or poorly designed for children. Many children are already suffering from repetitive motion injuries (RMI) such as carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic pain in the hands, back, neck and shoulders.

A recently published study conducted by a team of researchers from Cornell University found that 40 percent of the elementary school children they studied used computer workstations that put them at postural risk. The remaining 60 percent scored in a range indicating “some concern.”

“Emphasis needs to be placed on teaching children how to properly use computer workstations,” stated Dr. Scott Bautch, past president of the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Occupational Health. “Poor work habits and computer workstations that don’t fit a child’s body during the developing years can have harmful physical effects that can last a lifetime. Parents need to be just as concerned about their children’s interaction with their computer workstations as they are with any activities that may affect their children’s long-term health,” added Dr. Bautch.

What can you do?
To reduce the possibility of your child suffering painful and possibly disabling injuries, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and its Council on Occupational Health offer the following tips:

  • If children and adults in your home share the same computer workstation, make certain that the workstation can be modified for each child’s use.
  • Position the computer monitor so the top of the screen is at or below the child’s eye level. This can be accomplished by taking the computer off its base or stand, or having the child sit on firm pillows or phone books to reach the desired height.
  • Make sure the chair at the workstation fits the child correctly. An ergonomic back cushion, pillow or a rolled-up towel can be placed in the small of the child’s back for added back support. There should be two inches between the front edge of the seat and the back of the knees. The chair should have arm supports so that elbows are resting within a 70- to 135-degree angle to the computer keyboard.
  • Wrists should be held in a neutral position while typing – not angled up or down. The mousing surface should be close to the keyboard so your child doesn’t have to reach or hold the arm away from the body.
  • The child’s knees should be positioned at an approximate 90- to 120-degree angle. To accomplish this angle, feet can be placed on a foot rest, box, stool or similar object.
  • Reduce eyestrain by making sure there is adequate lighting and that there is no glare on the monitor screen. Use an antiglare screen if necessary.
  • Limit your child’s time at the computer and make sure he or she takes periodic stretch breaks during computing time. Stretches can include: clenching hands into fists and moving them in 10 circles inward and 10 circles outward; placing hands in a praying position and squeezing them together for 10 seconds and then pointing them downward and squeezing them together for 10 seconds; spreading fingers apart and then closing them one by one; standing and wrapping arms around the body and turning all the way to the left and then all the way to the right.
  • Your child’s muscles need adequate hydration to work properly and avoid injury. Encourage your child to drink four 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Carbonated beverages, juices and other sweet drinks are not a substitute.
  • Urge your child’s school or PTA officials to provide education on correct computer ergonomics and to install ergonomically correct workstations.

 Let us know of any questions and to book an appointment to have us assess the health of your child’s spine.

Original article from The American Chiropractic Association

Chiropractic Patients Less Likely to Undergo Lumbar Surgery

A study in the medical journal Spine found a strong association between chiropractic care and the avoidance of lumbar spine surgery. The American Chiropractic Association is encouraged by this and other recent research supporting chiropractic’s conservative, less costly approach to low-back pain.

Key findings of the Spine study show that:

  • Approximately 43 percent of patients who saw a surgeon first had surgery
  • Only 1.5 percent of those who saw a chiropractor first ended up having surgery

Two additional studies reinforce ACA’s longstanding position that health care providers should start with conservative approaches to treatment, such as the services provided by doctors of chiropractic, before guiding their patients to less conservative alternatives. Such an approach benefits patients and cuts health care spending—especially for a condition as common as low-back pain.

“As governments and health systems around the globe search for answers to complicated health challenges such as rising numbers of chronically ill and disabled patients and runaway costs, research is finally demonstrating what the chiropractic profession has promoted for years: that caring for patients with conservative treatments first, before moving on to less conservative options or unnecessary drugs and surgery, is a sensible and cost-effective strategy,” said ACA President Keith Overland, DC.

Original Article

How Can Chiropractic Help – from University of Minnesota

Several academic organizations and government organizations recognize and support Chiropractic.

University of Minnesota has a great page about Chiropractic.

Most often, people go to chiropractors the first time for relief from back pain. But chiropractors treat a broad range of complaints, from back and neck pain to headaches, arthritis and more. Moreover, people don’t need to have a specific complaint to benefit from a visit. Chiropractors also focus on on-going preventive and wellness care. Chiropractic care is effective for people of all ages, from infants to the elderly.

The article goes into depth about the benefits of Chiropractic and who can benefit from Chiropractic. Be sure to check it out and send it to those who have questions about Chiropractic.

Chiropractic Care Relieves Severe Facial Pain

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a severe condition in which a large nerve in your head becomes irritated and can cause severe pain. It is a devastating problem, and fortunately Chiropractic adjustments to the neck have been shown to help.

A 58 year-old female who had been diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia six years prior by a neurologist, sought Chiropractic care. She had been taking anticonvulsive medication to control the painful attacks which occurred above her right eye, but when they were no longer effective, she felt it was time to try something new.

She began a course of corrective Chiropractic care, and after nine weeks she reported improvement in symptomatic complaints and had not experienced an attack of trigeminal neuralgia.

Original Study

Sit Up Straight Now To Be A Healthy, Independent Senior

The shape of an older person’s spine may predict their future need for home assistance or admission to a nursing home, according to a new study.

The study included more than 800 people aged 65 and older in Japan, who had their spinal posture assessed. It was found that seniors with an increase in the curve in their thoracic spine (area between your shoulders), suffered from the greatest degree of disability.

Over four and a half years, about 16 percent of the participants became dependent on help for basic daily activities. Those with the greatest curve in the thoracic spine were about three and a half times more likely to become dependent on help for basic daily activities than those with the least spinal inclination.

Original Study

Chiropractic adjustments keep your spinal joints moving freely, allowing you to sit up properly and keep a flexible spine well into your senior years. Being adjusted is the perfect way to ensure spinal flexibility and vibrant senior years!