Chiropractors are doctors that diagnose and treat patients who have issues that relate to their musculoskeletal system. Chiropractic care is considered, by the medical community, to be an alternative form of medicine. Chiropractors do not provide traditional means of care. They do not prescribe drugs nor do they provide surgical care. In fact, their approach to health and healing is quite different than traditional medicine. Chiropractors approach care by focusing on the patient’s overall health and well being. Chiropractor’s main plan of treatment is through spinal manipulation. Many chiropractors are also experts in nutrition and overall health and can recommend specific diets, supplements, certain therapeutic exercises and more to go along with your treatment plan.

Many people each year visit a chiropractor for extremity pain, complaining about issues related to knees, elbows, hips, wrists, shoulders, ankles and so on. There are numerous causes for extremity pain ranging from repetitive motion, falls, playing sports, improper sitting, overexertion or simply just gradual buildup of biomechanical stress. Commonly, people with extremity issues are diagnosed as having tennis elbow, heal spurs, carpal tunnel syndrome, runner’s knee, frozen shoulder, arch collapse and more. Traditional medical treatment for such conditions can range from pain medication to muscle relaxants to steroids or as a last resort surgery. Many people do not like these options, and instead will look for alternative treatment options, including chiropractic care.  

When you suffer an injury to one of your extremities in can be downright painful. Not to mention, that you more often than not will also have a slew of other not so pleasant symptoms. These can include reduced range of motion, inflammation, calcium buildup and even scar tissue. Good Chiropractic care, with a focus on therapy to the extremities can help to greatly improve the range of motion to the joints, enhance blood circulation to the area and reduce scar tissue. Overall, chiropractic care can shorten the healing time without the use of drugs, steroids or surgery.

When you first visit a chiropractor for extremity pain, they will exam you, try to determine the cause of the injury, offer treatment options and then work with you to determine a plan of action.  Most often the treatment plan will consist of spinal manipulations along with other treatments like heat therapy, massage, hot and cold therapy and a variety of active range of motion exercises that you will be asked to do at home. The chiropractor, when developing your treatment plan, will take into consideration such things as your age, lifestyle and any other current health conditions. At the beginning of your treatment you may need to visit your chiropractor a couple of times a week and then gradually decrease your visits as you begin to see improvement.

If you have extremity pain in your ankles or knees, for example, the chiropractor may also recommend and prescribe custom made stabilizing orthotics. Many issues that people have with joints and even back pain can be caused from foot pronation. For many people, spinal manipulations in conjunction with stabilizing orthotics and some corrective exercises can completely eliminate lower joint extremity pain.

Chiropractors very often, will also offer a variety of other services to patients who are interested. Many chiropractors, in addition to spinal manipulations, orthotics, therapeutic exercises, and so on also provide consultations on dietary and healthy lifestyle issues. Many will provide individual or group consolations, focusing on different areas of your overall health and well being. Some provide individual plans to help you lose and maintain a healthy weight. Many chiropractors will also offer a variety of nutritional supplements to their patients for purchase.

Your Tulsa Chiropractor,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

www.MarshallChiropractic.com

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be a painful, long-term injury that causes most patients to seek medical treatment once they can no longer stand the pain or the feeling of weakness in their hands, fingers, and wrists. People generally will seek the advice of a chiropractor when they are having problems associated with their neck and their back but rarely does one realize the benefits of chiropractic care when it comes to other conditions, namely carpal tunnel syndrome.

What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a stress injury related to repetitive motion. For instance, administrative personnel who type all day long or those who work assembly line jobs and do the same motions over and over are susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome which can cause pain and additional injury over time. The term stems from the bones of the wrist which are known as carpal bones and form a tunnel where nerves from the forearm go to the hand. The tendons in the affected area become swollen and leads to a pinched nerve in the carpal tunnel.

What Are the Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel?

Carpal tunnel symptoms usually involve numbness or pain in the fingers, hands, and wrist. Tingling sensations, weakness and shooting pains are commonly associated with carpal tunnel. In some patients both wrist will be affected but in others only one wrist will have the symptoms. The pain can be present at all times or in some cases, only during the repetitive motions act. Eventually the pain or lack of feeling can persist even after periods of non-activity and rest.

How Is Carpal Tunnel Diagnosed?

Diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome can be done through a physical exam, questions related to work and life habits, and x-rays. For patients experiencing pain in their hands and wrists that radiate into the arm, it is best to seek medical advice as soon as possible. The earlier carpal tunnel is diagnosed, the better the end result will be.

How Can a Chiropractor Treat Carpal Tunnel?

Chiropractic methods are a non-invasive treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome and an alternative for pain relief outside of medications and surgery. In research, chiropractic treatment for carpal tunnel has been very effective at helping a patient overcome repetitive stress injuries. The health and age of a person is a factor in the healing process but chiropractic care for treating carpal tunnel has been positive for all patients.

Spinal Manipulations

A chiropractor can use manipulation techniques to adjust the wrist and elbow. They can also work the upper spine by applying controlled pressure to a joint.

Ultrasound Treatment

This type of therapy will use high energy or low energy sound which can not be heard by the human ear. The ultrasound equipment uses sound waves that penetrate the tissue and will serve to relax muscles, reduce inflammation, and stop pain.

Rest

A patient may be advised to stop performing certain work altogether or for a designated period of time depending on the severity of the injury. If the area is inflamed, rest will be necessary to reduce the swelling before treatment can begin.

Exercise

A patient may be advised of certain exercises to be performed daily to alleviate pressure and pain on the wrist area.

Braces/Splints

Wrist supports can be utilized to keep the wrists aligned properly to prevent additional injuries during movement. The braces will keep the area immobile and allow the body to rest from the repetitive motions.

Seeking medical care when numbness or pain is first present is the best advice. A chiropractor can use their techniques to relieve the pressure on the nerves, fight the inflammation and swelling, and treat the current injury before it gets worse. Consider it as a beneficial alternative to more invasive procedures like surgery or to avoid having to take medications to alleviate the pain and pressure.

Your Tulsa Chiropractor,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

www.MarshallChiropractic.com

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a breathing condition that affects many people of all ages. Some suffer with asthma for their entire life from childhood, while others can develop asthma later in life (adult onset asthma). Unfortunately, asthma does not have a cure, and depending on the severity of the condition, it can play a debilitating role in a person’s life.

When people breathe, air is inhaled and exhaled into and out of the lungs, so that oxygen can be taken into the body and carbon dioxide can be expelled. Within the lungs, the air travels through smaller and smaller tubes until it reaches the bronchioles. The bronchioles have a lining that is only one cell thick, which allows the gas exchange between the blood and the air within the lungs.

During an asthma attack, the bronchioles can spasm, swell, fill with liquid or any combination of these effects. As such, the air does not reach the blood as well, which means the person feels like he or she cannot breath. At the mildest, an asthma attack can cause an unpleasant feeling of not being able to catch your breath. At the worst, these attacks can prove to be fatal. As such, finding a successful method of treatment for this condition is extremely important.

Treating Asthma

In many cases, when a person suffers from an asthma attack, some type of medication is used to reduce the symptoms of the attack. There are basically two types of medication prescribed for those who suffer from asthma. Inhalers are often used to provide temporary relief during an attack, and other medicines, like steroids, are used by some to prevent asthma attacks from happening. As more and more research is done into asthma and what causes the condition, further treatment options besides medication are becoming available.

One method of treating asthma is through chiropractic treatments. The goal of any chiropractic treatment is to find the root cause of the symptoms and then treat that cause and not the symptoms themselves. In the case of asthma, the asthma attacks are actually the symptoms and the chiropractor works to determine what is causing the asthma so that it can be corrected. By correcting this root cause, the chiropractor will be treating the patient’s asthma as well.

There are many causes for asthma, so it is important that the right cause is found. In those that have adult onset asthma, it is not uncommon to find that the asthma started after some kind of injury. The injury could be anything from a car accident to a fall or an injury while playing a sport. By pinpointing this injury or trauma and making any corrections through chiropractic treatments, the asthma in the patient can be reduced or even eliminated.

Even in children or those who have had asthma since they were children, there have been studies that show that chiropractic treatments can help reduce the severity of the asthma. Based on the symptoms of asthma, there is a firm belief that the nervous system has a role in asthma attacks. As such, chiropractic treatments look for ways to reduce any pressure on the nervous system that may be affecting the lungs. One such example is a misalignment of the spine. If the spine is misaligned, this in turn can affect the nerves of the lungs. If these nerves are not functioning properly, then it is likely that the lungs won’t function properly either. By realigning the spine, the pressure on the nerves will be reduced, meaning the lungs can function better.

Chiropractic treatments have been used both to prevent asthma and during asthma attacks. Some people have found that if they have a chiropractic treatment while suffering an asthma attack, the treatment stops the attack and they are able to breathe normally without having to use any medication. There are many people who suffer from asthma and have found that with regular chiropractic treatments, their symptoms are either reduced or completely eliminated.

 Your Tulsa Chiropractor,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

www.MarshallChiropractic.com

You are invited to our patient appreciation day on Wednesday, May 12^th.  Come and enjoy a FREE MASSAGE from our massage therapist.  There will also be food and door prizes. We will be doing free consultations for you as well as your friends and family members, so please feel free to bring them as well.

Call to schedule your appointment today!  If it has been a while since your last visit this may be a great time to have any underlying problems checked out.  I would like the opportunity to personally thank you for being our patient and trusting us in playing a part in your health care.  We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, May 12^th. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

*To join our facebook page click here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tulsa-OK/Marshall-Chiropractic/60714581492

Do you know someone with low back pain?  At any given time there are 31 million Americans that experience low back pain.  That is just the lower back not including neck and mid-back pain.  Just think of how many Americans that experience neck and mid-back pain as well. 

The ACA (American Chiropractic Association) website states, “Back pain is the second leading cause of all physician visits in the U.S. In fact, half of all working Americans admit to having back pain each year.  According to a study conducted by the American Chiropractic Association in 2001, 43% of patients seen by a doctor of chiropractic were treated for low-back pain.”

So what is the cause of low back pain, or any back pain for that matter?  There are many factors that can contribute to back pain.  Stress and trauma are two of the most common contributors.  Stress on muscles and joints, from activities such as sports, or other activities of daily living as well as mental stress can cause misalignments of the spine and muscle spasms.  Car wrecks, slips, falls and even repetitive motions are some of the traumas that can cause misalignments.

Stress and repetitive motion need to be addressed when dealing with chronic muscle pain.  If a muscle is hurting for an extended period of time, then therapy may be necessary.  It is also a good idea to get to the cause of the stress or try to reduce the amount of movement in a repetitive motion.

After a muscle is injured from a trauma, such as lifting a heavy object that causes lower back pain, it is imperative to start the healing process with some sort of therapy.  Chiropractic care is a great therapy to help muscle and joint pain. 

Chiropractic care is fantastic for relieving aches and pains, but it is also great for prevention of future problems.  Chiropractic care can be a lot like going to the dentist to have your teeth checked and cleaned on a regular basis.  Prevention of disc injury is always better than rehab and recovery.

Chiropractic care can help prevent disc injury by adding an increased range of motion to a joint through manipulation to the spine.  This increase in range of motion will help stop scar tissue and calcium deposits from developing around the joint.  The muscles will be able to move through out a better range of motion as well after manipulation to the spine.

The number of muscles in the human body varies from about 656 to 850, depending on which source you consult.  But what causes muscle pain?  Some common causes are stress, over exertion.  Sore muscles resulting from exercise or other forms of physical stress will most often resolve after a few days.  Other causes of muscle pain may stick around until something is done about it.

There are many things one can do to help alleviate low back pain. A helpful hint everybody can do to help low back pain at night time is keep a comfortable pillow near the knees.  Keeping a pillow between the knees while sleeping on your side can help relieve hip tension.  And a pillow under the knees while sleeping on your back can help relieve tension in the low back.  Make sure it is comfortable from the start.  If there is any pain, stop immediately. 

Always consult with your doctor before trying new sleeping positions.  There are certain conditions that could possibly be aggravated from these positions. There are certain orthopedic pillows designed to help align the natural curvature in your neck and low back.  These pillows may help alleviate pain through out the night and even help pain levels the following day.

Lower back pain can be frustrating and may not clear up over night.  Start by trying a more conservative approach to alleviating your low back pain before trying more invasive procedures.

Your Tulsa Chiropractor,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

www.MarshallChiropractic.com

Have you ever had a therapeutic massage with the expectation that afterwards, all traces of aches or twinges would just disappear, or had a chiropractic manipulation to relieve pain, only to find that some vestiges still remain? This is not uncommon, and it certainly doesn’t mean that either of these treatments was ineffective. What it could be indicating is that both treatments were just exactly what was needed, but would have given a much better result if they were done in conjunction with each other, rather than as two separate events.

There is also some misunderstanding in the general community about the functions of these two natural therapies, so to clear that up, here is a brief summary of the purpose of each:

Massage Therapy

• Drug-free, non-invasive, hands-on, natural.
• Works by changing the condition of soft tissues, muscles, tendons and connective tissue through the application of external pressure.
• Increases blood and lymphatic circulation.
• Relieves muscle spasms and cramps.
• Promotes a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate, making it especially helpful for people dealing with anxiety and stress.

Chiropractic

• Drug-free, non-invasive, hands-on, natural.
• Works by aligning your spine through manipulation to ensure that messages flowing constantly between the body and the brain are not blocked.
• Initial examination locates areas of nervous system misalignment, which are then adjusted to reduce interference and promote good health.
• Assessment of spinal problems can identify more serious conditions which require different intervention.
• Helps the nervous system to work the way it should, thereby assisting with increased blood flow to muscle and tissue, relieving numbness, weakness and pain.

 It should now be clear that they are actually two very different forms of natural therapy. It is possible, depending on the circumstances, to obtain relief from either method. However, the best long-term way of keeping your body in a state of optimum health is to combine the two.

When you visit the chiropractor, generally there is no time in your appointment for an extended massage of up to one hour to get your muscles completely relaxed. The doctor assesses your condition and performs the corrective manipulation, and you go on your way.

Your massage therapist will work on tissue and muscle to get that state of relaxation, but will not be able to manipulate your bones into alignment to ensure you get the full benefit of the massage. If, however, you have your massage first, then attend your chiropractic session, your body will be relaxed with good blood flow to the tissues and muscles, which will make the chiropractic adjustment more comfortable and pain-free.

Your chiropractor will most likely be very supportive of you having regular massage therapy at the same time as your chiropractic adjustments. It makes their treatments more effective and longer lasting. If your muscles are tight, it affects the connective tissues and tendons. In fact, tight muscles can pull the spine out of alignment, so having a massage to free up these areas before your adjustment is an excellent way to assist your chiropractor to work on your spine to the fullest extent.

Remember that you should advise both the massage therapist, and the chiropractor of the alternate treatments you are having, so they are both aware of each other’s work, just in case one treatment could adversely affect the other. Utilizing the skills of both these natural therapy practitioners will help you to reduce stress, increase your body’s flexibility and healing abilities, and reduce pain and discomfort. Put them together as partners in your health and well-being and you will get the maximum benefit of both therapies.

Your Tulsa Chiropractor,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

www.MarshallChiropractic.com

Millions of people, over 10% of the population suffer from migraine headaches. Migraine headaches are different than other types of headaches in that they can last for a considerable amount of time sometimes days, keeping people from normal everyday functioning and even out of work. They can also cause a number of other unpleasant symptoms including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of appetite, irritability, vertigo, fatigue and even visual impairment. Traditional medicine in treatment of migraines does not work for many people and the side effects of migraine medication can often be unpleasant. The good news for people impacted by migraines is that there is a natural alternative treatment that has proven to be effective.

Millions of people each year visit a chiropractor as an alternative way to treat and even cure their migraine outbreaks. For over 100 years chiropractic treatment has been used successfully to treat migraine headaches. It is a safe and effective non drug treatment that is considered a miracle treatment by many migraine sufferers.

Most people that visit a chiropractor for help with migraines wish that they had done so sooner. Unfortunately, chiropractic care is often one of the last forms of treatment sought out by migraine suffers, mainly because people are uneducated in how chiropractic care can treat migraines. Many people have the misconception that chiropractic care helps people with just back problems, but this is simply not true. Other suffers that learn of chiropractic care as being a possible treatment are skeptical or afraid to try it out. Most chiropractors are sensitive to nervous patients and take the extra time and effort to educate new patients on what chiropractic care is all about and how it can benefit them.

Chiropractors will generally educate patients on their belief of how a chiropractic adjustment works to help ease migraines. Misalignment of the vertebrae of the spine, also known as subluxation, is what chiropractors believe is the root cause of migraine headaches. This misalignment irritates spinal nerves that travel all the way to the head. This causes chemical imbalances in your brain that in turn cause the migraine headache to occur. During a spinal manipulation the chiropractor realigns the vertebrae. This relieves the pressure of the nerves and in turn relieves the cause of the migraine. Unlike alternative drugs that are used to treat migraines, chiropractic care gets to the direct cause of the problem. Without the use of drugs and the side effects that go along with them chiropractic adjustments can greatly reduce the chance of migraines from occurring. For some people, migraines can be completely eliminated.

There have been a number of clinical studies that have looked at the benefits of chiropractic care and the relation to migraines. One study followed patients who received chiropractic adjustments. Of those receiving them, 22% of study participants reported a 90% decrease in migraines and 49% reported a significant reduction.

Another study compared chiropractic treatment to drug prevention treatment. Results indicated that chiropractic adjustments were just as effective at preventing migraines as medication.

Many people who visit chiropractors with severe migraines, suffering one or more times per week, report astonishing results. Even those that suffer from the occasional migraine can be helped. Usually on your first visit, the Chiropractor will develop a treatment plan especially for you. Treatment at first is usually very vigorous and you can expect to visit a chiropractor for adjustments several times a week. As headaches start to diminish chiropractic adjustments can start to decrease. Eventually most patients are able to go onto a maintenance schedule, usually receiving a chiropractic adjustment about one time per month.  

Your Tulsa Chiropractor,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

www.MarshallChiropractic.com

What is Sciatica?

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body, and when it becomes inflamed, it can cause significant pain in the lower back and leg. Not only is the sciatic nerve the longest nerve in the body, it is also the widest. The nerve starts in the lower back, and runs through the buttock and down the leg. It provides nerve impulses for all the skin of the leg, as well as the muscles at the back of the thigh and of the calf and foot.

Sciatica is the term used to describe leg pain that is caused by an inflammation of the sciatic nerve. The symptoms of sciatica can range from numbness, feelings of pins and needles and muscle weakness in the leg, to pain that can be quite severe. The pain and symptoms are not always localized and can be felt in the lower back or buttock area or anywhere throughout the leg or foot. Usually, sciatica only affects one side of the body, but it can lead to difficulty moving.

Causes of Sciatica

While many think of sciatica as a diagnosis, it is actually a symptom of another underlying problem. There are four common causes of sciatica, which are:

• Disc injury – This can be a herniated disc, also called a slipped disc, or a torn disc. If sciatica is caused by a disc injury, it is called sciatic neuritis.
• Spinal stenosis – This condition is caused by a narrowing of the spinal column or the bony canal where the sciatic nerve passes through. Spinal stenosis is a chronic condition that is common with aging. As the spinal column or bony canal narrow, they press against the nerve, which causes pain and inflammation.
• Lumbar facet syndrome – This is also a chronic condition that is affiliated with age and changes due to arthritis. Facet joints appear in pairs at the back of each vertebrae of the spine to allow movement. Over time, they can degenerate, which can lead to compression of the sciatic nerve. Lumbar facet syndrome is more common in the elderly, although it can be caused by a facet joint sprain.
• Trapped nerves – When it comes to the sciatic nerve, it becomes “trapped” when the surrounding muscle contracts and squeezes it. Chronic muscle spasms can cause the tightness and may be due to imbalances of the spine and pelvis and degenerating discs. This is commonly called “wallet sciatica” as it is caused by sitting on a wallet for long periods of time.

Diagnosing the Cause of Sciatica

Before treatment can begin, it is important that the underlying cause of the sciatic symptoms is diagnosed. In order to determine if the pain is caused by the sciatic nerve, and why it is being caused, chiropractors will take the time to evaluate the entire spine, hips and leg that is symptomatic. In this way, not only will the correct symptoms be treated, but further damage by incorrect treatment will be avoided.

Treatment is dependent on what is causing the sciatic symptoms, and because different parts of the body are the root cause of the pain and inflammation, chiropractors approach each diagnosis differently. During your initial visit with a chiropractor, joint range and motion, potential disc injury, muscle spasm and ligament injury will all be tested. Also, your overall posture and walk will be evaluated. All of these tests will point out what is causing your pain.

Treating Sciatica with Chiropractic Care

Once the cause of your symptoms has been determined, the chiropractor will provide a treatment plan. This plan will be determined by the root cause of the condition and can involve spinal adjustment, spinal manipulation, manual therapy of soft tissues, like muscles and ligaments, and therapies to reduce the inflammation, such as ultrasound treatment.

Spinal manipulation and adjustments are used to improve joint motion and return soft tissues back to a healthy state. Depending on the patient, they can be hands-on and apply force directly to the affected joints, or more gentle with indirect force applied. Manual therapy involves applying pressure to muscles in spasm to release the tension and also stretching and resistance exercises. Finally, ultrasound or electrical stimulation may be used to reduce inflammation of the area and may be required before or at the same time as the other methods of treatment.

Whether your sciatic symptoms are caused by mechanical damage or nerve-related damage, working with a chiropractor is sure to reduce, if not remove entirely, your discomfort so you should be able to get back to your daily life activities.

Your Tulsa Chiropractor,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

www.MarshallChiropractic.com

Chiropractics is a non surgical and non drug medical profession practice that through spinal manipulations treats disorders of the nervous and musculoskeletal system.  Each year millions of people make a visit to a chiropractor for treatment, most often for help with back pain. Chiropractic care has been shown to be safe and effective for people who suffer from lower back pain.  In fact, studies have shown that chiropractic spinal manipulation is one of the very few means that can effectively treat lower back pain.

Nearly 90% of the population at one time or another suffers from lower back pain.  It is one of the most common reasons for people to miss work.  The cause of back pain is often undetectable.   When a cause is known however, it is most often in relation to having pinched nerves, injury to the muscle, injury to the nerves of the spine, slipped or ruptured discs or arthritis.  A well educated and practiced chiropractor is able to easily determine the root cause of the pain.  After determining the cause they are able to make spinal adjustments to alleviate pain and discomfort. 

Some people are hesitant to visit a chiropractor, mainly because they don’t know what to expect. On a typical first visit, a full patient health history is taken.  Patients will also be given a chiropractor exam where the chiropractic doctor will perform an examination focusing on the spine.  Sometimes, but not always, patients will be sent for a spinal x-ray before their first manipulation.

For first time patients, chiropractors will almost always take the time to educate them on what chiropractic care is and how it works.  They will go over procedures and help patients to feel at ease.  This education is especially important for those patients who are apprehensive about chiropractic treatment.

On most first visits chiropractors will give the patient their first chiropractic adjustment or manipulation.  The manipulation will be the first of many for those undergoing treatment for back pain.  Chiropractic adjustments reduce subluxation.  After the adjustment patients should experience increased range of motion and a reduction in nerve pain. Most patients, when adjusted will experience joint cavitations or cracking, but not always.  If not, this is often because the patient is tense and unable to relax enough for proper treatment.  In such cases, chiropractors during recurrent treatment sessions will treat the patients with stimulation, heat or massage prior to the adjustment. 

During the first visit, a treatment plan will also be recommended. With lower back pain, patients will typically need to be adjusted a few times a week, at least in the beginning.  Over time, when pain starts to diminish manipulations can slowly become further apart.  While most patients seeking chiropractic treatment for lower back pain do report great results, a minority few will not see any benefit.  If no improvement is noted within 4-6 weeks it is generally recommended to stop treatment. 

Chiropractors will generally also work with patients to prevent further lower back pain and injury. Most patients will be sent home with some rehabilitative exercises to focus on.  It is also recommended that people who suffer from lower back pain exercise regularly, that they wear comfortable low heeled shoes, have lower back support in any chairs they sit in, make sure that any work table or desk they use is at a comfortable height, be careful when lifting and to use a limber corset if they lift heavy items for their job or on a regular basis. 

Besides help with lower back pain, chiropractics can also help with neck pain, middle and upper back pain and even headaches.  Often chiropractors can offer patients additional services besides chiropractic manipulations.  Many have additional training and degrees and are able to provide information on diet, weight loss and living a healthy lifestyle.  Many also sell dietary and nutritional supplements that they recommend to their patients. 

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

Chiropractors specialize in the non-drug treatment of musculoskeletal problems, including joint sprains and disk injuries. To some extent, the chiropractic approach to sports injuries overlaps that of traditional medical care: A chiropractor’s initial patient examination includes standard orthopedic and neurological tests to diagnose whether a particular pain is due to a strain, sprain or disk problem. When needed, chiropractors use x-ray to screen for fractures and other bone disorders, such as osteoporosis. Chiropractic treatment of sports injuries often includes widely used physical therapies such as ice for swelling and inflammation; and heat, ultrasound or electronic muscle stimulation for muscle strains and spasms.

Two contributions chiropractic has made to sports medicine include hands-on adjustment of spinal and other joints (to maintain a full range of motion) and a strong emphasis on the overall structural balance of the body. For example, when a muscle or joint is injured, the body naturally compensates, attempting to maintain balance and protect itself by tightening other muscles and joints. Chiropractic adjustments help restore the natural balance that was present before the injury.

To address your problem specifically, the persistent pain in your shoulder could be the result of a direct injury to the shoulder; it could also reflect your body’s compensation for spinal-joint movement restrictions in your neck. Similarly, pain in the hip could come from the hip itself, or be the result of lower back, ankle or knee problems. The key point is that the various parts of the body are interconnected: If a doctor examines and treats only the area of pain, he or she could be dealing with the symptom rather than the cause. For example, I have seen many cases of knee pain that cleared when I administered chiropractic adjustments to the lower back.

Within the past decade a number of studies published in the British Medical Journal have demonstrated the effectiveness of manual manipulation (the majority of which is done by chiropractors) for back, neck and shoulder pain. Interestingly, the treatment for shoulder pain involved not only manipulation of the shoulder itself, but also of nearby areas in the neck and upper back.

Research such as this has contributed to a climate where chiropractic now enjoys far-greater acceptance than in the past. In fact, chiropractic is now part of the sports-medicine program of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Of course, you don’t have to be an Olympian to benefit from chiropractic care. Each year, 20 million Americans go to the chiropractor, 90 percent of them seeking treatment for musculoskeletal problems like back pain, neck pain, other joint and muscle pains and headaches.

In short, while mild, temporary soreness after exertion is nothing to worry about, persistent aches and pains are a sign that you are overstressing your muscles and joints. It’s important not to push your body to the limit while in pain, because this increases your risk of further injury. If your athletic activities are causing more than temporary pain, a chiropractor may be able to help

Your Tulsa Chiropractor,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

www.MarshallChiropractic.com