Learn More About Sciatica and The Root Causes Behind It

How do you develop sciatica?

Like mentioned before, a lot of different factors can lead to the development of sciatica. Injury to muscle, ligament, nerve or bulging of spinal disc material causing nerve pinching are the most common reasons. Disc and musculoskeletal injuries can be a direct result of bad posture, repetitive stress injuries, or accidents/trauma. This damage causes poor alignment thus increasing stress in the tissues of the body causing inflammation and further damage resulting in compression/irritation of the sciatic nerve.

How do I know if I have sciatica?

The best way to find out if you have sciatica is to get a thorough exam. An exam will include a full review of your medical history, with orthopedic, neurologic and physical assessment to start, followed by the utilization of Digital motion study x-ray which will pinpoint the likely areas of damage and imbalance causing the nerve irritation.

How do we treat sciatic symptoms?

After the diagnosis and assessment, a treatment plan based on the findings will be put together to address your specific needs. The type of treatment will depend on what’s causing the sciatica and may include several different treatments such as:

– Regenerative Medicine – Wharton’s Jelly is the use of umbilical cord tissue to restore the support tissue and provide the stem cells to stimulate new tissue growth of damaged or torn tissue.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) which contains platelets and growth factors to stimulate the repair of damaged ligament, muscle, tendon and joint tissue.

– Spinal Decompression (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) – A series of computer controlled stretching of the spine to increase circulation to the damaged disc material, accelerating the healing of the disc and reducing nerve irritation.

– Adjustments (spinal manipulation) – One of the most common options used to realign the body to alleviate restricted movement of the spine. Spinal adjustments reduce the nerve impingement responsible for causing inflammation, muscle spasm, pain, and other symptoms related to sciatica.

– Cold laser (Infra-Red light Therapy ) – Used in countless therapies to enhance tissue healing, and reduce damaging effects of chronic inflammation.

– Rehabilitation Exercise – To ensure proper strengthening and recovery, a supervised exercise regime customized to patient needs.

Ready to start with your personalized holistic and chiropractic treatment? Schedule your appointment now:

Appointments

Learn More About Plantar Fasciitis and What To Do About It

The plantar fascia is a thick ligament located between your heel and the front of your foot, connecting both parts together and acting as a shock absorber, supporting the arch of your foot, helping you walk.

How do I know I have plantar fasciitis?

The most common symptom experienced while suffering plantar fasciitis is pain at the bottom of the heel, and often pain in the mid-foot area. It is more commonly happening on a single foot (dominant foot -foot where the person is more likely to rest their weight or add more pressure during everyday activities,) but some people might experience it in both. This pain can be dull or sharp, and develop overtime.

What preventive measures can I take?

Despite the root cause for plantar fasciitis being quite unclear, there are certain measures that can be taken to avoid overexertion of the plantar fascia ligaments. These measures include wearing athletic footwear with enough support and replacing them once a year (variating on a person-to-person basis and actual wear,) incorporating low-impact exercises in your routine and stretching properly before every workout.

Ready to start with your personalized, non-invasive medical treatment?

Give Us a Call Now

Learn More About The Effects of Car Accidents On Your Mobility and Full Body Wellness

by Dr. Brad Mouroux

Motor vehicle accidents can cause many different types of injuries, and chiropractors are skilled in a wide variety of techniques to treat and relieve these issues and to provide both immediate and long-term relief of symptoms. Most car accidents involve impact injuries to the soft tissues and nerves of the back and neck. Chiropractic care can be especially helpful in treating injuries from motor vehicle accidents because it uses a holistic, whole-patient approach that helps rebalance the spine so multiple symptoms can be improved.

What kinds of medical problems and injuries can be caused by motor vehicle accidents?

Most car and truck accidents involve some degree of impact when one vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object. These impacts can cause many different types of injuries, including bruising, lacerations, fractures, sprains and strains, as well as nerve damage in the back and neck. Even relatively brief or minor impacts can result in jolts that can cause the head and neck to snap back and forth, resulting in whiplash injuries and symptoms like pain and numbness radiating into the arms. Stiffness in the muscles and joints is another common result of car accidents – even minor ones.

Should I see a chiropractor even if the accident was minor?

Yes. Many car accidents may seem minor at first, but they can cause tearing of nerves and soft tissues that may not show up until days or weeks after the accident occurs. Seeing a chiropractor after an accident ensures patients are thoroughly evaluated for any type of injury, even subtle ones, as well as receiving care that can prevent relatively minor issues from becoming major medical issues. Plus, by seeing a chiropractor immediately after a motor vehicle accident, a medical record of care is established that can be used for insurance or legal purposes.

Relieve painful symptoms and enjoy greater mobility and better health and wellness!

Call to Book a Visit

Learn More About Knee Pain and The Root Causes Behind It

by Dr. Brad Mouroux

Knee injuries,
degeneration and imbalance

You see the ankle, hip, pelvis, and low back all influence the stability of motion in the knee. So, unless a direct injury to the knee occurs like someone getting slide tacked in soccer, or tackled at the knee in football in a way that causes a tear or break, then the damage is being caused by imbalances above and below the knee.

The ankle and hip/pelvis have far more range of motion, and with increased motion comes a decrease in instability of the joints. Additionally, the hips are influenced by the function of the low back and pelvis.

All of the major muscle groups connecting and stabilizing the knee have connections from the hip and pelvis, and these muscles connect and coordinate with muscles that connect with the foot and ankle.

So, by far the majority of knee pain comes from unbalanced motion coming from the ankle/foot and/or hips/pelvis as a result the knee is punished by the abnormal load. Because any imbalance in those areas creates strain at the knee to which the knee has no flexibility to accommodate.

Over time, the imbalance grinds away at the joint and tissues until eventually there is a failure. Failure can show up as a tear when doing a recreational sport or just a simple action like walking and hiking. Also, the failure can come as a slow grind with degeneration of the joint to the point where the collagen is run down to the bone.

Either way, the knee is now permanently compromised and will never be the same. Then the activities that people once loved to do become memories.

Knee pain causes without obvious injury

Many times, I see young kids and adults with knee pains but no clear injury. With older patients, they usually have had a history of pain with and without surgical procedures or intervention.

The average patient has had at least a year of knee pain before they see me and typically, the pain comes and goes or is persistent only during/after an activity, and then the pain takes a day or two to go away.

The basic problem is they can still function, so nothing is done to address the imbalance that is damaging the knee.

Ready to start with your personalized holistic and chiropractic treatment?

Give Us a Call Now