Welcome to Chiropractor Athens GA!
If You Are Looking For A Chiropractor In Athens, You Need To Listen To What I Have To Say!
Can you believe that it is estimated that over 80% of all people will experience back pain in their lifetime? Of course, this did not concern me until I experienced an acute case of lower back pain myself, but what amazed me more was that I as unable to easily find the proper professional in Athens GA that could help me. The way I chose to search was very basic, as I simply typed in Chiropractor Athens GA to see if there was a local chiropractor that was not only close to me, but one that I could learn more about chiropractic care. When I realized that I couldn’t find an Athens GA Chiropractic office website that had this information, I decided to create Chiropractor Athens GA as the perfect resource for chiropractic and alternative medicine.
The great thing is, I learned so much about my condition with extended search engine research, from the allopathic model, physical therapy, to the experts in the field, chiropractors. After reviewing the statistics on the success of back surgeries, I knew that would not be an option for me. Some scientific journals rated the success of surgery for back pain at less than one percent. Not only did I not like these odds, my insurance did not cover a large enough percentage of the massive cost a back surgery would be.
Lucky for me, I came across a recent study by insurance companies that revealed the success that chiropractic care has with spine discomfort, including back pain. The insurance companies even showed a forty percent reduction in costs if a person first sees a chiropractor. That is when I knew I would have to make an appointment to see an Athens GA Chiropractor, but before a Doctor of Chiropractic was chosen, I needed to know what I was getting into.
One of the most impressive things I learned was that a chiropractor actually has an equivalent education to a general practitioner of medicine. Each Athens chiropractor even has more hours in anatomy and physiology than a typical M.D. The great thing is, this information gave me the confidence I needed to feel comfortable receiving care from a licensed chiropractor. After graduation, a Doctor of Chiropractic in Athens GA cannot just practice in any state they choose. Each doctor is required to take a national board examination that has four separate parts to it. Once those are completed, certain states, such as Georgia, have an additional state chiropractic examination to verify the quality of chiropractor they are allowing to practice in the state. I really had no clue that a chiropractor had such a great education, as well as a stringent level of testing to practice.
Due to my extreme discomfort I was scared of the idea of being touched by anyone, and from what I read, a chiropractor would be manipulating my spine to make it feel better. It became a little confusing, as I read the term manipulation and chiropractic adjustment as interchangeable words, but one Athens GA chiropractic website I visited insisted that adjustment was the correct terminology. With these chiropractic adjustments, an Athens GA chiropractor would help fix, or correct “subluxations”. It is my understanding that a subluxation is the area that hurts, or where a nerve or disc has been compromised by a vertebra or disc that has gone out of place. At this point I knew I must’ve had a major vertebral subluxation, and couldn’t wait to get it adjusted.
Another thing I learned through all of this chiropractic research is that a chiropractor just doesn’t take care of back pain. Well, they actually don’t take care of back pain at all, the body does. Most chiropractors consider their profession as a serious alternative to mainstream medicine. With this belief, they look at the body as a self-healing organism, and with proper communication between the brain, spinal cord, and the rest of the body it will heal the back pain on its own. Some of this seemed like talking in a circle, but from what I read, the best chiropractor in Athens GA would give more credit to the body than their treatment. This seems to be a serious contrast to modern medicine, which gives all credit to drugs and surgery.
Just like in medicine, which is headed by the American Medical Association, chiropractic has a number of professional organizations that represent it. It was important for me to find a chiropractor in Athens that belonged to a professional group, as it tells me they are keeping up with the latest information in their profession. The three associations I wanted my ideal chiropractor to belong to would be the International Chiropractic Association, American Chiropractic Association, and the World Chiropractic Federation. Each chiropractic association has a bit of a different stream of thinking, from very alternative to quite medical. The most important thing was that the Athens chiropractic office I would choose would be solid in their skill and belief system.
With this belief system, chiropractors give a person’s body, nervous system, anatomy and physiology the best chance of healing and working properly. This is why ailments such as neck pain, back pain, headaches, carpal tunnel, ulcers, acid reflux, and multiple sclerosis are treated with this type of alternative medicine.
Since every person is extremely different in their make-up, treatments and results can be quite subjective. However, what I like about it is the fact that each person who seeks care from a quality Athens GA chiropractic clinic will receive individualized care. This is another major contrast to the one pill fits all, of the common medical standards of care.
Choosing an Athens GA chiropractor for low back pain, or neck pain treatment should not be too difficult, as most people simply want the same thing. If you are like me you want a competent chiropractor who will provide a neurological, systemic review, and treat you with evidence based chiropractic care. It is just too bad that most Athens GA chiropractic websites do not directly mention this. While I believe many probably do provide this type of alternative chiropractic medicine, it is my hope that this website will let you know this right away.
In some cases a chiropractor can also provided nutritional advice as well as physical therapy in conjunction with the chiropractic adjustment. I was not sure what I would need yet, but the chiropractor would be able to determine it after a thorough physical exam, neurological tests, and potentially x-rays.
When I entered the chiropractor’s office, I remained a little nervous since this was my very first experience with one. The chiropractor made me feel very at ease, and his explanation of what was going wrong with my back allowed me to get rid of my jitters. At this point I felt like I was in very good hands.
The examination was very extensive, and the chiropractor helped me realize that this back pain I was experiencing wasn’t from sleeping wrong, but was possibly from the years of sports I played while I was in high school and college. The X-rays exposed some significant degeneration that he explained was typical for impact sports played during youth. Using these x-rays he was able to pinpoint the exact areas that were subluxated and would need to be adjusted. The game plan that he came up with would not only target my pain symptoms but help slow down and prevent further degenerative joint disease.
I felt very fortunate to find out that chiropractors work on so many athletes. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer and hockey players regularly see chiropractors to not only prevent injury, but to improve performance. For the first time in years, I had hope that I might be able to return to playing sports.
It has been a few months since I chose my Athens GA chiropractic clinic to take care of my acute low back pain, and I have had phenomenal results. I had feared that the discomfort would get worse, or simply turn from acute to chronic low back pain, but it actually went away in three weeks. Not only that, but my allergies actually went away, and the strength in my right arm increased. These are two things I never mentioned, and had been battling with for over twenty years. At the beginning of this journey, I didn’t expect my back pain would turn me into a chiropractic disciple. My entire family now receives regular chiropractic care on a monthly basis, and we have never been healthier. I no longer rely on pain relief medication, and I’m happy to say that I am not addicted to NSAIDs like so many people.
Seeing a chiropractor in Athens GA was one of the best decisions of my life, and I believe that this website can provide the vital information you need when trying to choose the best chiropractic office. My goal is to periodically add informative articles and videos here to further assist you, and I also plan on making recommendations of qualified and competent chiropractors in the Greater Athens GA area to save you hours of research. I hope that you enjoy Chiropractor Athens GA, and I welcome your comments and suggestions.
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Tags: Migraines can be very painful at times. Visiting an Athens GA Chiropractor for chiropractic treatment is a safe & natural way of getting relief from the pain and avoiding medications at the same time.
Prescribed medicines can help you for some time but they cannot provide you long term relief. Therefore, many people are turning towards chiropractic treatment to get relief from the pain.
Migraine headaches are considered to be idiopathic. This means that despite of the many medical advances, the reason for these headaches is not clearly known. There are few ideas that can explain migraines. They involve a serotonin deficiency in migraineurs, arterial swelling in the cranium and genetics malformations.
The subluxations in the muscle tissue at the skull base and the base of the neck cause or at least contribute to cause the formation of migraine. The tense locations in the muscle tissue connecting the bones of the upper spinal column are known as subluxations. When looking on x-ray, the bones seem to be located at the right place and therefore many doctors miss the pressure that is present in the muscular tissues. Chiropractic treatment provides manipulation to the backbone so that these subluxations can get loosened up.
Combined chiropractic and straight chiropractic are two kinds of care that chiropractor give to migraine sufferers. Manipulation from the spinal subluxations and the backbone come under straight chiropractic. When standard manipulation is combined with complimentary methods, it is known as blended chiropractic care. The aim of combined chiropractic is to reduce the stress and strain on the neck.
Researchers compared medicines for migraine and chronic stress complications and chiropractic treatment. Few patients were given medications and others were given chiropractic treatment. The reports showed a reduction of fifty percent in chiropractic care patients and forty percent for that of medications patients. After following up for four weeks, it was seen that only the patients on chiropractic care showed continuous recovery. Chiropractic treatment provides long term solution to the problem of migraine. If this condition is left ignored, it can result in disarming and very sharp pain.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a very common condition nowadays, especially in people over 50 years of age. Statistics indicate that women are diagnosed more often than men with a ratio of 3:1 in between the ages of 45-60 years of age. Only 10% of reported cases of CTS are younger than 30 years of age. It occurs in around three per cent of men and 11 per cent of women at some point in their lives. It is most prevalent in manual workers, including computer programmers, assembly line workers, gardeners, golfers and the list could go on. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome first became prevalent following World War Two, while the first use of the term was noted 1939. However there were documented reports as early as the 1800s. It is one of the most frequent work injuries reported by the health professions today.
What Is The Carpal Tunnel and What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or CTS, is a collection of various symptoms and clinical presentations, which are caused by compression of the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel is a narrow tunnel, in the palm side of the wrist. It is surrounded on three sides by the bones of the hand (carpal bones) creating an arch. Running through the tunnel are nine flexor tendons, together with the median nerve, which controls muscles around the thumb. The nerve and the tendons provide function, feeling, and movement to some of the fingers. The finger and wrist flexor muscles including their tendons originate in the forearm at the medial epicondyle of the elbow joint and attach to the bones of the fingers and thumb. The floor of the tunnel are the wrist bones; the sides are the tendons of the fingers, and the top is the transverse carpal ligament. The carpal tunnel is not very big and does not have much room. If there is any swelling, this will result in pressure on the nerve, and the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome may appear. The median nerve can be compressed by a decrease in the size of the tunnel, an increase in the size of the structures in the tunnel, such as the swelling of tissues around the flexor tendons, or both. Flexing the wrist alone, up to or greater than 90 degrees will decrease the size of the canal.
Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms range from mild discomfort or sensations to extreme pain, weakness and parasthesia (abnormal sensations such as pins, needles and burning).. These symptoms progressively worsen over time and patients that have been diagnosed with CTS often experience burning sensations, numbness and tingling in the thumb and fingers, particularly the index and middle fingers, which are affected by the median nerve. Individuals also experience pain in the wrists or hands and some people also lose gripping strength. Pain may also develop in the arms and shoulders and swelling of the hand. The pain may be worse at night do to the different sleeping positions.
Numbness and parasthesia in the median nerve dermatome and myotomes (areas of skin and muscle the nerve supplies) are the neurological symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Weakness and atrophy of the wrist and hand muscles may occur if the condition remains untreated.
What Can Cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Any condition that causes increased pressure on the median nerve at the Carpal Tunnel can be included in the differential diagnosis of CTS. A large percentage of CTS sufferers, have been found to be of unknown cause for their symptoms. Some people may be genetically predisposed to this condition. Diabetes, arthritis, hypothyroidism and direct injury are other common conditions that can lead to CTS.
“Double Crush” Syndrome
Double Crush was first described in 1973. It has been documented as involvement of multiple injury sites in repetitive strain injuries. It was found that there were associated cervical nerves involved in the pathology as well. They proposed that if a nerve is impaired at one location it makes that patient more susceptible to other entrapments along the same nerve distribution. They felt that either nerve compression alone or by itself would not be enough to cause clinical dysfunction. The two or more sites of nerve compression may slow axonal transport, thus creating conduction abnormalities. They concluded it is of vital importance to identify each area of nerve compression or entrapment and treat each one individually.
In CTS, many times the nerves to the hand are damaged due to injuries of the wrist along with concurrent injuries ranging from the forearm to the upper neck (“Double Crush”). They may present with neck pain. An example of this is a cervical (neck) nerve impingement causing pain, and other symptoms like numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arms (neck site) and carpal tunnel syndrome (wrist site). Determining the damage at each site may be difficult to assess, and make a definitive diagnosis unclear. Treatment of the problem at one site alone is most likely to result in ongoing and persistent symptoms. Advance testing can be done by a neurologist to determine whether the condition is indeed “Double Crush.” Nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography to determine specific sites of damage and nerve root compression.
What Can Be Done For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or “Double Crush Syndrome?”
Stretching exercises for the fingers wrist and hand are a good preventative strategy to decrease the possibility of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This may help to minimise numbness and pain caused by repetitive stress to the involved areas. In more chronic cases use of night splints may be helpful. A more aggressive approach includes corticosteroid injections and ultimately surgery. Surgical procedures have been developed over the years to “release” the pressure on the nerves at the carpal tunnel by permanently severing the ligament that holds the tunnel together.
The Chiropractic Approach
CTS is commonly treated by Chiropractors. Modern techniques and procedures have shown Chiropractic may be very effective at reducing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and improve overall function. The methods most chiropractors use to treat CTS include adjustments and mobilisation of the wrist, elbow, and spine. Safe, gentle and effective adjustments, in combination with the other mentioned supporting preventative measures may help to reduce the pain, numbness and burning that accompany Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Chiropractic treatment may also help strengthen and increase the functionality of the involved areas. This may decrease the likelihood of the problem coming back. How frequent a person needs to be adjusted would depend not only on that persons individual history and exam findings, but also the repetitive nature of the stress that contributed to the original injury.
If you think you may be a sufferer of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or have struggled to get relief from your current approach, consulting with your Chiropractor may be helpful. They will perform a thorough history and consultation, a complete physical exam including orthopaedic, neurological and x-ray exam. Further testing may also be necessary depending on the severity and nature of the problem.
Chiropractic care may provide a safe, conservative approach to managing your condition, and helping you back to optimum health.
Experiencing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Contact an Athens GA Chiropractor today!
Quadriceps Stretch – Standing tall, raise one heel toward buttocks (grasp above ankle joint). Keep knees level, pelvic tilt and squeeze buttocks to extend hip back slightly to feel a stretch in the front of the hip. Hold, relax buttocks and repeat two times holding 30 seconds each time.
Hamstrings Seated – Sitting with both feet straight out in front, toes point to the ceiling. Bend straight forward from the hips, keeping back aligned and chest up, to feel a stretch in the back of the legs. Support body with hands on the floor. Repeat two times holding 30 seconds each time.
Seated Rotation/Knee Across Chest – Sitting tall, legs out in front. Cross one foot over the opposite leg and hug bent knee toward chest while turning upper body. Maintain tall posture as you turn to feel a stretch across the hip and low back. Repeat two times holding 30 seconds each time.
Hip Flexors/Lateral Bend – Down on one knee into a lunge position so that the knees remain shoulder width apart. Lunge position should be long enough so that the front knee does not bend past 90 degrees. Keeping upper body square and upright, perform a pelvic tilt then lean torso to the opposite side to feel a stretch in the front of the hip. Repeat two times holding 30 seconds each time.
Hip Flexors/Low Lunge – Down on one knee in a lunge position so that knees remain shoulder width apart, back toe is turned inward and shin is on the floor. Lunge position should be long enough so that the front knee should not bend past 90 degrees. Keep upper body square and upright and gently tuck pelvis under to feel a stretch in the front of the hip and thigh. Repeat two times holding 30 seconds each time.