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.

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

Adjustments to a child’s spine are done much differently than on an adult’s spine. Very light pressure is applied to the child’s misalignments. There is no “popping” or “cracking.” It is an extremely gentle procedure.

Tulsa Chiropractor

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

Tulsa Chiropactor

Dr. Ryan Marshall

            I hope everyone is having a great start to 2010! As you know most of our new patients have come from existing patients, such as yourself, referring others to our office.   

As a way of saying thank you, during the month of February refer a friend or family member to our office and receive a FREE 30 minute massage from one of our licensed massage therapist!

Sincerely,

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.

Did You Know?

- Hallmark reportedly has over 1330 different cards specifically for Valentine’s Day.

No. You may need a referral to our office if you have an HMO insurance policy that you would like to use. If you are unsure, please call our office and someone on our friendly staff will be able to give you a definitive answer.

Dr. Marshall will keep in close contact with your primary care physician in the appropriate circumstance.

Here is a list of conditions that Dr. Marshall has helped many people with:

Even the condition of certain types of arthritis can be improved with treatment.