The Shoulder

Yep! We are talking about the joint where your arm attaches to your body not the non-verbal communication someone gives you when they are mad at you. Did you know there are 50 different muscles that attach the shoulder girdle to the torso. This makes for a complicated mechanical system. That's why it is imperative to have all the bones that make up the arm, shoulder girdle, and neck be in the right alignment or proper groove for motion. The arm can move in multiple combinations of front, back, out, in, rotating out, and rotating in. If the joint is out of alignment one area of muscles may be working harder than another area which will cause soreness. The muscles around the shoulder that you probably have heard of are the rotator-cuff muscles. The rotator cuff muscles attach the upper arm to the socket on the side of the scapula (shoulder-blade). If you can't move your arm in a certain direction then it is most likely caused by a damaged rotator-cuff muscle. If you have just done something you don't normally do, ie. painting, hammering, swimming, or any other forms of swinging your arm with something in your hand, and now you have some pain, this may be overuse. If you have fallen on your shoulder and it is not moving right or pain is there even without movement there may be some joint damage. Either situation can be helped with chiropractic. At least a proper evaluation would be in order. If the pain is so extreme 10 out of 10, then there may be a fracture. Get it checked at the ER.

Walking in Circles

People always tell me they have a short leg. I say, "have you broken one of them?" Usually the reply is no. There is no reason to have a short leg unless you have broken or fractured a leg and it didn't heal at the same length. Of course there are congenital reasons or things you are born with, but they are rare. When a person lays down on the table with their face down you can usually see a leg length difference. Does everyone have a short leg? No! The key is to bend the legs at the knee and see if the leg stays short or becomes longer. This tells me there is a rotation occuring in the pelvis, causing the legs to be different lengths. I once treated a guy who had one leg at least an inch short. I asked him if he walks in circles all the time. After I corrected his pelvis his legs were even and they stayed even after about four treatments. The only complaint he had was that he had to pay a tailor to hem all of his suit pants since one leg was short on every pair.
So, if you are walking in circles you'll come to the same conclusion, get your pelvis adjusted.

Not tonight I have a headache

Someone asked me what causes headaches. Depends on what kind of headache. There are six common kinds 1)vascular, 2)cervicogenic, 3)hormonal, 4)toxic, 5)traumatic, and 6)sinus. 1)Vascular headaches, meaning they have to do with the blood vessels or blood pressure within the vessels, are the migraine or cluster type. Vascular headaches are sharp or pounding usually on one side of the head. This is caused by the blood vessels inability to expand and contract properly. Vascular headaches can be triggered by many things like allergies, stress, or misalignment. 2) Cervicogenic, meaning originating from the neck, are what I see a lot. This is what causes tension headaches, in my opinion. The neck becomes more unbalanced with misalignment, stress, or injury. This unbalance causes asymmetric muscle tension where the neck is tighter on one side compared to the other. The tight side is working much harder than the relaxed side which creates pain and discontent. The body is meant to be symmetric with equal tension on both sides. 3) Hormonal headaches occur more often in women. The pain is usually in the back of the head. Chiropractic can help with these, but it always best to be checked for estrogen/progesterone/testosterone imbalances. 4)Toxic headaches are the ones that feel like a hangover. Toxicity can come from your kidneys, your liver, your colon, or anywhere that your body accumulates toxins. Toxins include chemicals, heavy metals, food material stuck in your colon, or anything that accumulates in your body that isn't being used or can't get out. 5) Traumatic headaches are caused by a blow to the head or even a whiplash injury. A person may have a mild concussion from an injury. This is where the brain has hit the inside of the skull and is bruised. Concussions can cause a headache but, also include difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and memory loss. 6) Sinus headaches are caused by colds or allergies. The pain is usually behind both eyebrows. Headaches can take a lot of energy. Don't let headaches get you down. Chiropractic can benefit all types of headaches. It helped me.

What the?

Have you ever had one of those pains. You know what I mean. The ones that might go away if you wait long enough. I saw a quote the other day. The five most dangerous words, "It will probably go away." People get pain for many reasons. If you think you have enough awareness in your body to determine whether the pain is not bad, beware. If you have a sudden shooting pain you are in trouble, so get it checked out. If you have a gradually increasing pain, get it checked out. If you have a pain that you have never had before, get it checked out. Most of the pain that can be ignored comes from having done more physical work than you are accustomed to, Weekend warriors and Home Improvers you know who you are. If the pain comes with movement it is most likely a muscle, tendon, or ligament strain/sprain. Use ice or heat and your favorite over the counter pain-reliever or anti-inflammatory. If you have pain without movement you better get it checked out. Evaluate whether it is getting worse or better and rate the pain from 0-10 with 0 being no pain and 10 being screaming. Anything above a 5 get it checked out. Remember pain is sending your body a message. Don't try to suppress it if it is getting worse find out what's wrong. What The?

Chiropractic it Works

I got into this job due to personal experience. I was involved in a car crash in 1987 that caused me headaches for 2 years. That is a long time to be experiencing headaches and it interfered in many aspects of my life. I was treated by a local chiropractor and the effects were good for a awhile, but not long lasting and I abandoned treatment from that doctor. I was talked into treatment from a friend who said,"there are many types of chiropractic and you have to try my chiropractor." I am forever grateful to that friend and to the chiropractor I went to. I was immediately relieved of my headaches after one treatment of the DNFT, Directional non-force technique. The headaches came back, but never as bad as they were. Eventually, I had no headaches at all and I was able to have the awareness to know when I needed an adjustment, so I didn't get anymore headaches. The technique that I practice is called Activator Method. I use an instrument, The Activator, to tap bones back into place. This technique was developed by two doctors who did DNFT but wanted another way to do it without injuring their hands and arms. The technique basically analyzes the symmetry of your body in certain positions. If there is a difference in the length of your legs while in a position there is an area of your spine that is not moving properly and is making your body compensate. After we eliminate all of these compensations you are said to be adjusted. After training your body to accept these adjustments as a new way of holding your body symmetry throughout life, you have better body function, brain body communication, and physical energy. Chiropractic Works!