conditions
Amongst the many conditions chiropractic care helps with, here are a few of the most common:
back pain
Back pain is a debilitating condition that affects people of all ages. People suffering from back pain may find difficulty performing everyday tasks like sitting, sleeping and engaging in physical activities. Pain can also radiate from the back to other parts of the body. Some causes include bad posture (especially as the younger generation turn to hand held devices), incorrect lifting, stress, trauma, sports injury, pregnancy, degeneration.
Managing your back pain with chiropractic care can help alleviate back pain and restore quality of life.
The human spine is a complex structure of discs, joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. There are several possible structural causes for back pain or discomfort.
Muscles, ligaments and tendons get strained when they are pulled or torn, and spinal segments misalign, which can damage or compress nerve fibers resulting in pain. This is more common among athletes and weekend warriors who engage in physically-demanding activities. However, you can still suffer from the above while doing things, such as lifting, at home or at work.
Chiropractors work to identify the cause of your problem going to the source of pain not just address in symtoms., they treat the cause and then advise on how best to keep it from happening repeatedly.
Neck pain and whiplash
Neck pain is a common problem affecting millions of people worldwide and it is one of the top reasons people seek chiropractic care. People suffering from neck pain may also have one or more of the following: muscle spasm, fatigue, upper back pain, pain in the shoulders or arms, pain in between the shoulder blades, headaches, depression, anxiety and neck stiffness.
Most people with neck pain usually try to eliminate pain on their own or ignore it altogether, hoping the pain will naturally go away. Prolonged neck pain can affect overall health and quality of life as it can limit your range of motion. At Chiropractic with Kylie, I use gentle chiropractic care to alleviate neck pain, so patients can get back to enjoying normal, active and pain-free life.
HEadaches and migraines
Headaches are so common that many people believe that it is normal to suffer with them from time to time. Even though painkillers often mask the pain and allow you to “get on with it”, they do not address the underlying cause.
There are different types of headache including Tension headache, Migraine headache, Cluster headache, or Cervicogenic headache. Symptoms such as dizziness, sensitivity to light, visual disturbances, nausea and even vomiting can accompany a headache.
Chiropractors will get to the root of the problem, and once identified the appropriate course of action is required, whether it be adjusting the spine, lifestyle recommendations or referral to the appropriate health care specialist.
sciatica
Sciatica is identified by pain that stems from compressed sciatic nerves. The pain usually starts in the lower back and travels down to one or both legs even to as far as the toes. The pain may vary in terms of frequency, severity, or it may be constant. The sciatic nerve travels through the lower back, hips and buttocks.
When the sciatic nerve is compressed it could be caused by either abnormally functioning spinal vertebrae, herniated discs, tight muscles, inflammation from dysfunction of the lumbar spine or pelvis. Even though these things can cause the pain, the pain may not be coming from these specific areas and sometimes the only thing you may feel is buttock or leg pain.
Symptoms may or may not include sharp shooting pain along the sciatic nerve, buttock pain, numbness in your legs, deep dull aches, and pain when standing. It can be ipsilateral (pain on one side of the body) or bilateral (pain on both sides of the body). Chiropractic adjustments will aim to re-align the spine and take the pressure off of the sciatic nerve for pain relief. Once the pressure is off, the body can begin to heal itself from within.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a term used to describe abnormal sideways curvature of the spine. One shoulder or hip may be higher than the other, giving indications that something is not quite right.
Kylie sees many children with scoliosis in her practice, and is thus experienced in the care of such patients. X-rays are sometimes deemed necessary after a full physical examination to determine the degree, angle and stage at which the scoliosis is at. Age also plays an important role on how this condition is cared for, this will be discussed with Kylie.
After examination, patient education is required to understand the cause and the treatment to follow. Care of this condition may require instruction on specific exercises, postural recommendations and chiropractic adjustments, referrals to concurrent spinal specialists will be made if deemed necessary for the best treatment possible.
arthritis and joint pain
There are many types of arthritis and it can affect people of all ages, from osteoarthritis to rheumatoid arthritis, juvenille arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. It can be referred to as spondylosis, degeneration or ‘wear and tear’. Chiropractic care does not claim to reverse what is already established arthritis but it can help to improve function, decrease pain experienced and slow the process down.
A few common conditions that chiropractic does address that may influence the chance that someone will develop arthritis in the involved joint are: Tennis Elbow, Golfers Elbow, Frozen Shoulder, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Radial Tunnel and RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury).
shoulder, arm and hand pain
Did you know that you can do more movements with your arm than with any other part of your body?
Your arms are very versatile however, when they stop working a lot of problems can occur. Similar to the spine your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands perform both complex movements and functions.
Because of the high range of mobility in these parts of the body if the joints become stiff, painful or lose their normal movement the symptoms can be wide and varied.
Problems with the neck, mid-back and the arm can also affect how the shoulder is working. That is why it is important that all of these areas are checked at your chiropractic appointment.
Symptoms such as pain, reduced motion, loss of strength or pins and needles can occur in the shoulder and down the arm. Trauma and repetitive stress to your joints such as your shoulder, elbow and wrist can cause pain and dysfunction anywhere in the shoulder and arm.
Some of the most typical complaints and injuries we treat in our chiropractic clinic include rotator cuff injuries, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, general sporting injuries and work-related repetitive strain injuries.
Painful and limiting shoulder conditions such as frozen shoulder are very frustrating and can affect individuals of any age. They can range from that of a mild to serious condition and can be caused by specific injuries to the joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage or wear and tear from old injuries.
The nerves that supply the shoulder and arm actually originate from the upper spine and neck. Abnormal function and damage to this area can also cause shoulder and arm pain.
Chiropractic works to decrease pain and helps to speed up recovery addressing and minimising dysfunction in the joint/s and soft tissues involved.