SYMPTOMS
Most people choose to undergo Chiropractic care to get out of pain.  Many people never realize that Chiropractic treatment can relieve stress as well as a host of other symptoms not necessarily associated with standard “back pain.”

At the Gilbert Chiropractic office, we successfully treat:

HEAD
Headaches: Headaches can come in a variety of forms, including migraine, cluster or those related to tension and imbalances in the neck.  They also may be the result of physical or emotional stress, toxicity, blood sugar issues or a chemically related disorder.  In rare cases, they can be a sign of a more serious condition.  Regardless of the cause, every headache sufferer will agree: the pain is unwelcome.  Often, recurring headaches are related to pressure on the roots of the nerves in the neck, nerves that help in regulating the flow of blood to the brain.  Typically, various forms of pain relievers, blood vessel dilators and anti-inflammatory drugs are used to relieve the pain, but if the headaches continue to recur, it’s important to locate their cause and correct it.  Clearly, the body is attempting to let us know that something is amiss.  At Gilbert Chiropractic, we look to see if displacement of the skull or neck vertebrae is in fact affecting the nerves related to the brain’s blood supply.   We then discern the correct procedures to align these areas and teach our patients what they themselves should do to correct any bio mechanical causes of the headaches, so they can fix it themselves without developing a dependence on us.

Dizziness/Vertigo: If blood is not getting to your brain as well as it should, or if there is even a subtle infection in the ear, one can experience dizziness.  There can be many causes, from blood pressure being too low, to stress, to heart issues and even depression.  Aside from those listed above, one of the more common causes that we often correct  in our practice is the derangement of cervical vertebrae that have been either directly affecting the flow of blood to the brain, or that are irritating the nerves that direct blood flow to the brain.  If caused by an ear infection, by aligning the neck the eustachian tubes (that lead from the middle ear to the throat) are better able to clear, allowing the ears to drain which decreases pressure on the balance structures in the inner ear, reducing dizziness. 

Insomnia: Insomnia can have many causes that range from mild to severe mental disorders and the medications used to treat them, as well as stimulants such as caffeine and other herbs, supplements and medications.  Hormone imbalances, and simple garden variety anxiety can also be at cause.  One particular sleep depriver can be the irritation of the brain stem, the “sleep center” by chronic imbalances of the vertebrae in the upper neck where the neck vertebrae meet the skull.  Imbalances here can put pressure on the spinal cord and irritate the brain stem which is just inside the skull where the neck meets the skull.  Removal of this sort of pressure usually allows this sleep center to quiet down, enabling one to more easily slip off to sleep and stay asleep longer.  We also teach our patients great sleep “hygiene,” which also serves to allow the whole nerve system to quiet, insuring deeper, longer sleep.

Irritability: Have you ever heard someone say “that grates on my nerves?”  Well, when one or many stimuli in your environment irritate, or over stimulate your nerve system, without it having a chance to refract (have a quiet phase), you will experience irritability.   Chiropractic care’s main objective is to lessen or remove irritation to the nerve system.  Our work allows the nerve system to wind down.  In fact, often, during and after receiving care a patient is heard to sigh, …a sigh of relief of irritation and tension.  By teaching our patients what they each personally need to do to prevent and remove irritation to their nerve systems, they can then keep themselves aligned in such a way so as improve their ability to adapt to day to day stressors, thereby preventing irritability.

Forward Head Posture: Forward Head Posture (FHP) is the involuntary carrying of the head too far in front of the chest. It is a posture problem that is caused by several factors including sleeping with the head elevated too high, extended use of computers, texting, reading while lying in bed, lack of developed back and postural muscle strength and lack of nutrients such as calcium.  This posture is sometimes called "Scholar's Neck" or "Reading Neck."  Recent biomechanical research shows that as the head (skull) goes, so goes the entire spine.  The importance of a skull being aligned properly above the rest of the neck and spine cannot be over emphasized!  In fact, long term correction of a lower back issue cannot take place without correcting forward head posture. 

FHP puts pressure on the spinal cord, nerves and discs, leads to aches and pains throughout the whole body, and causes accelerated degeneration of the entire spine while also sucking up your energy.  Aside from strengthening the weak postural muscles that are allowing the head to be held in a forward position, there is no way to correct FHP.  We all know that we can tell ourselves or others to “sit up straight,” which lasts at best about 15 seconds. This is because the postural muscles are not under our conscious control.  New neuromuscular loops must be developed between the postural muscles and the cerebellum, that part of the brain responsible for involuntarily controlling our postural muscles.  This is at the heart of what we do utilizing the Pettibon System, for proven spine and posture rehabilitation.

Chronic Sinus Issues:  The sinuses are air spaces in the front of our head, in the forehead and around the nose.  They humidify the air we breathe and add resonance to our voice while also softening any blows to the face.  They are lined with mucous membranes.  If these membranes become inflamed, as when one has a cold, excessive mucous is produced.

The sinuses must be able to adapt to dry and moist environments, as well as heat and cold, and high and low air pressure.  Many people who suffer from chronic sinus congestion and recurring sinus infections often rely on antihistamine sprays or tablets and antibiotics.  While these help to temporarily relieve the pain, irritation and congestion, they do not improve the sinuses’ ability to better adapt to the environmental factors above.  Nerves stemming from the neck area bring signals from  the brain to the sinuses, instructing them in how to adapt to the environment.  If, due to even subtle displacements of the bones in the neck, the transmission of signals along these nerves is compromised, the sinuses will not have their optimal ability to adapt to the environment and will more easily get infected and congested.  By aligning these vertebrae in the neck, the conductivity of these nerves can be optimized, thereby fully connecting the brain with the sinuses.  The result is sinuses that can better drain, have normal amounts of protective mucous and resist infection.  If, as we do in our office, appropriate home protocols are taught to the patient to stabilize these spinal bones, then recurrences of these sinus issues can be minimized or eliminated.

TMJ (temporomadibular joint):      Temporomandibular Joint and Muscle Disorders (TMJDs) refers to a complex and poorly understood set of conditions that can cause pain in the area of the jaw joint and associated muscles and/or problems using the jaw. Both or just one of the TM joints may be affected. TMJ disorders can affect a person's ability to speak, eat, chew, swallow, make facial expressions, and even breathe.  They can also range in pain from mild to severe.  If dental work has been performed in an imbalanced manner, this can cause imbalances in one or both of the TM joints.  If the nerve supply coming from between the vertebrae in the neck is impeded due to imbalances in the neck or head, then nerve signals from the brain to the muscles of the TM joint(s) will be imbalanced and cause imbalances in the muscles of the TM joint, thereby producing pressures, clicking, uneven tracking and/or pain in the TM joint(s) and surrounding facial areas.  Medical and dental professionals may supply a “guard” device to insure better tracking of the TM joint(s) which may bring some relief while worn, however such a device will not restore an optimal and balanced nerve supply to the muscles of the TM joint preventing its continued normal function.  In moderate to severe cases, both the appliance and manual adjustments to the neck and TM joint usually ensures significant to total recovery.

Attention Deficit/Hyper Activity Disorder (ADHD):  ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Of late, the disorder has been addressed a great deal in both the popular media and scientific literature, particularly with the great number of children being diagnosed with the disorder and even more alarmingly by the type and amount of medication given to treat the condition.  For the pediatric chiropractor, attitudes towards the diagnosis and treatment of children with a diagnosis of ADHD runs counter to accepted medical practice to say the least.

The Chiropractic Perspective on ADHD
Recent research efforts are now bringing to fruition supporting evidence upon the chiropractic principle of the supremacy of the nervous system. ADHD is a central nervous system disorder. Attempts at understanding the underlying neurobiology of ADHD remains a challenge, but one thing is clear: no one functions better with interference to their nerve system, especially one with ADHD.  Since the clinical goal of chiropractic care is to reduce or eliminate interference to the nerve system, such a protocol can only bring more ease to the nerve system.

As of this writing, the first and only documentation in the scientific literature addressing the effects of chiropractic care in children with hyperactivity was performed by Giesen et.al.  Five out of seven children showed improvement in behavioral scores. Four of seven showed improvement in arousal levels, and the improvement in the group as a whole was highly significant. The majority of the children in this study did, in fact, improve under specific chiropractic care.  The results of this study do suggest that chiropractic care has the potential to become an important non-drug intervention for children with hyperactivity.
Considering that many alternative therapies that have been shown to be effective in helping patients with ADHD, and that many of these therapies are incorporated in, or at least networked into by most chiropractic offices, it is our contention that chiropractic provides the best "alternative" for children with a diagnosis of ADHD.

Chronic Ear Infections: These occur more frequently in children, as their ear canals are not yet assisted with drainage by gravity as much as an adult’s, as their heads are not yet fully grown and their ear canals are not as slanted downward.  This can allow for fluids to build up more readily in the middle ear leading to infection.  If the vital nerves which help promote the immune response of the ears to infection are compromised due to displacements of the spinal bones in the neck, this will allow middle ear infections to increase in severity and frequency.  Many children and adults have endured many rounds of antibiotic therapy in an attempt to clear such infections, and in some cases have undergone surgery to insert drainage tubes in the ear(s) to help rid the ear of infected fluids.  It has been our clinical experience, as well as that of thousands of chiropractic clinics throughout the world, that gently aligning the neck bones physically allows for improved drainage of the ear’s eustachian tubes, thereby preventing a build up of fluid.  This, along with removing pressure from the vital nerves that stimulate immune response in and around the ears, boosts the ears’ immune response, thereby assisting the body itself to better prevent and fight off infections.

Fatigue:  When our energy is in short supply, even with a good night’s sleep, we can experience fatigue.   There are a host of causes including poor diet, lack of exercise, mental and emotional challenges, or even adrenal, thyroid, allergies, blood sugar or blood pressure issues.  Certainly these and other possible causes should be investigated, and above all, it is imperative to be certain that there is as little interference to the nerve system as possible.   Since its role is that of the master system, the system that controls, enlivens and coordinates all the tissues, organs and systems of the body, we must be certain that the nerve system is as free of interference as possible.  We can put the best food in the body, attempt to improve our health through daily exercise and even get eight hours’ sleep, but if the nerve system remains compromised and our posture such that it requires massive amounts of bodily energy each day to hold us upright, they will all be for naught and fatigue will persist.  A postural and neurological exam performed by a chiropractor followed by a course of care to lessen or remove nerve pressure and restore postural balance will ensure that all the body’s organs and systems function at their best and that we will have our best ability to adapt to daily stresses and strains while being able to maintain a great level of energy.

NECK
Neck Pain: The most common causes of neck pain are irritation to the nerve roots that exit from between the vertebrae in the neck, and muscle sprains, soreness and stiffness resulting from injuries, poor posture, deteriorating posture and weak postural muscles.  Another major cause of moderate to severe neck pain is bulging and herniated discs pressing on the nerve roots or spinal cord.  Conventional treatments for neck pain run the gamut from mild to strong pain killers, muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories, to soft and hard restrictive collars, static traction, heat or cold packs and even surgery. None of these do anything to permanently restore normal spinal biomechanics to lessen or eliminate pressure on, and irritation to, the discs, ligaments, nerves and muscles of the neck.  With our comprehensive protocol, we first determine if the patient is strong enough to hold a permanent structural correction of the weak areas that are causing the irritation to the nerves in the neck.  If they are not, it is a waste of time and money to attempt to start that correction.  The focus should therefore be initially on pain relief and beginning the process of freeing and/or strengthening the components of the neck.  We then recommend retesting two-to-three weeks later to see if that patient is ready to begin instituting a permanent correction.  Once all the biomechanical measurements are correlated, we can then begin to teach each patient what they individually should do to restore the normal relationship of the bones, discs, nerves, muscles and ligaments in their neck.  Patients with bulging or herniated discs or postural muscles that are particularly resistant to change respond very well to the spine and disc decompression protocol that we offer.

Herniated and Bulging Discs:  These are discs (spongy and shock absorbing tissue between the bones of the neck that keep the bones separated) that have, through either sudden or long standing pressure on them, lost their normal shape and bulge out of their normal positioning, placing pressure on the nerve roots or spinal cord.  This pain can range from mild to severe and does, in some patients, travel into the shoulders, arms or hands.  If present for some time, atrophy of the shoulder, chest or arm muscles is often noted, along with loss of strength of the arms and hands.  Conventional treatment for this type of pain is usually oral pain relieving medications, or pain killing drugs being injected directly into the disc and nerve root area.  Bed rest for a week to a month is also often recommended. Ice, ultrasound or electrical stimulation treatments might also be employed. Often, surgery ends up being performed. When explaining our approach to correcting bulging or herniated discs, I often find it helpful to bring up the image of a marshmallow cookie:  two pieces of cookie above and below a marshmallow, with the cookies representing two of the bones in the neck and the marshmallow representing the disc.  If we squeeze one side of the cookie, the marshmallow bulges out.  This can be likened to a bulging or herniated disc.  The disc, of course, presses on and irritates the nerve root causing pain.  You will note in our cookie analogy, that the issue is not with the marshmallow, but rather the squeezing of the cookies.  If we release the pressure and separate the cookies, the marshmallow can come back into alignment between the cookies.   With the spine and disc decompression work we offer in our practice, we do release the pressure on the disc so it can reduce or eliminate its herniation or bulging, and thereby remove the pressure from the nerve root, stopping the pain.  We then teach the patient what to do to reshape the bones of the neck permanently so pressure does not recur.  It’s important to note that when surgery is performed, the disc only is wholly or partially removed -- nothing is done to restore the normal placement of the bones and other discs in the neck, or to address the optimal head placement over the neck.  Unless this type postural restoration is implemented, one can be almost certain that the spinal segment just above or below the surgically treated area will speedily degenerate in the same way within three to five years, often requiring additional treatment.  The sensible way to deal with disc bulges and herniations is to find and correct the cause via manual adjustment.

Arthritis: Arthritis in the neck refers to an increase in bony growth of the vertebrae of the neck.  When the head is continually held forward of where it optimally belongs, when there have been even minor injuries to the head or neck and the weight of the head is not carried equally among all the vertebrae of the neck, then pressure will build up more on one or a few vertebrae rather than being distributed evenly.  When an area of the neck “perceives” itself as carrying extra weight of the head, the body will, over time, deposit additional bone (calcium) onto those bones bearing extra weight to reinforce them.  These additional bony growths are called osteoarthritic growths, or more commonly referred to simply as arthritis. These arthritic changes can limit normal ranges of motion of the neck and put pressure on the discs and nerves in the neck, causing minor aches and even major pain.  Traditional medicine’s most common method of treatment for this type of arthritic pain is the administration of  NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) which can help to reduce pain, inflammation and stiffness.  Common NSAIDS are Celebrex, Ibuprofen, Meloxicam and Naproxen.  It’s important to note that these medications do not stop, reverse nor prevent the future growth of bony arthritic changes in the neck.  They simply “cut the wires to the fire alarm, without putting out the fire.”  The specific biomechanical imbalances that have been causing the improper bearing of the weight of the head by the neck bones must be isolated and specific corrective procedures employed to alter this arthritis-producing structure. This is chiropractic’s, particularly the Pettibon System’s (the advanced protocol that we offer), strong suit.  Arthritis of the neck can only be stopped and its associated pain naturally reduced when the form and function of the neck are restored as closely as possible to biomechanical norms.

Stenosis: Cervical Spinal Stenosis (CSS) is a condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerves. This is usually due to the process of spinal degeneration that occurs with an imbalanced spinal structure, usually initially caused by weak postural muscles. It can also sometimes be caused by spinal disc herniation, osteoporosis or a tumor. Spinal stenosis may affect the cervical or lumbar vertebrae or both.  Signs of CSS include spastic gait, upper extremity numbness, lower extremity weakness or both, radiating pain in the upper limbs, sphincter disturbances, muscle wasting, sensory deficits, and reflex abnormalities.  If the problem is mild, conventional treatment may be as simple as physical therapy and the use of a cervical collar and pain medication. If severe, treatment will usually include surgery.  From our perspective, it is vital to locate the cause of the stenosis.  If due to bony growth impinging the spinal cord or nerve roots, chiropractic care is not going to remove those bony growths.  However, if the pressure producing effect of the bony growths on the spinal cord or nerve roots is being made worse due to misalignment of the vertebrae, then whatever realignment of these vertebrae that can be achieved through advanced chiropractic care, will produce a corresponding reduction in pain and symptomatology, as well as prevent further progression of the stenosis which is of vital importance.  The spinal decompression therapy that we employ has been shown to be of great benefit in many cases of cervical stenosis.

Stiffness, and Loss of Head and Neck Mobility:  Is it becoming more difficult to look behind you when parallel parking or watch birds fly across the sky?  Decreased range of motion of the neck and head limits our full participation in life’s activities.  This is usually always due to the non fluid cooperation of the muscles and vertebrae in the neck and can be compromised further by arthritis, thin discs and over protective muscle tone.  Moist heat and massage are common methods of treatment, but do not correct the underlying cause.  The muscles that provide for smoothly moving the head in all directions attach to the neck bones, head and upper back.  If the normal alignment of these structures in their relationship to one another has deteriorated, movement will be limited.   Restoring the head and neck’s normal form and function as close to biomechanical norms as possible through advanced chiropractic care, decreases stiffness and improves the head and neck’s mobility.  There’s no overnight cure, but over time, and with a carefully thought out and personalized plan, one can restore all or part of the neck’s normal alignment.

Deteriorating Posture (slumping head and shoulders):  It doesn’t feel good.  It doesn’t look good. Left on its own, it just continues to deteriorate.  And, with the advanced chiropractic protocols of the Pettibon System, it‘s so easy to do something about it!  Did you ever notice that if you tell someone to “sit up straight,” that they can do it for only about 10 to 20 seconds?  This is because the postural muscles are not under our conscious control.  There are an array of complicated postural reflexes that involve our eyes, ears and pressure sensors throughout our body that interface with the brain to always be toning and relaxing groups of muscles that hold us together and up against gravity.  Until we set up new feedback loops between the brain and our postural muscles, they will continue to default back to the same weakened posture.  And since as we age, we don’ t tend to get stronger and stronger, and since gravity is not going away, we must balance and strengthen our postural muscles with isometric exercises (not the typical kind of gym strengthening exercises to which we are accustomed).  Postural muscles respond only to isometric exercise.  This is the essence of what we do for our patients to reverse deteriorating posture.  Since it’s certainly not “one size fits all,” the magic is to figure out each patient as an individual and find the correct combination of weights and exercises to set up new neuromuscular patterns between the cerebellum (brain) and the body’s postural muscles, thereby restoring great posture.

Neck Injury (car accidents, sports injuries, falls, etc.):  Any sudden forceful movement of the neck or physical  impact to the neck can cause neck injury.  One of the most common is whiplash.  Whiplash is commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents, usually when the vehicle has been hit in the rear, however the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including falls from bicycles, horses or other sports or amusement related injuries.  A whiplash injury may be the result of sudden stretching of the neck, mainly the anterior longitudinal ligament, as the head snaps forward and then back again.  Whiplash may be caused by any motion similar to a rear-end collision in a motor vehicle, such as may take place on a roller coaster or other rides at an amusement park, sports injuries such as skiing accidents, other modes of transportation such as airplane travel, or from being hit, kicked or shaken.  Symptoms reported by sufferers include pain and aching of the neck and back, referred pain to the shoulders, sensory disturbance (such as pins and needles) to the arms and legs, as well as headaches. Symptoms can appear directly after the injury, but often are not felt until days afterwards. The most common areas affected by whiplash or neck injury are the neck, and the mid-back.  With collar support to prevent re-injury, rest, and gentle chiropractic realignment of the normal structure of the neck, muscle strengthening and ligamentous rehabilitation, healing of injured tissues is accelerated, and long term damage, with associated physical restrictions, aches and pains are minimized or prevented entirely.  All of this can only be accomplished and permanently stabilized when all the structures of the neck are returned to as normal a state as possible through personalized corrective exercises.

Stress, Anxiety, Irritability and Poor Ability to Adapt to Stress): The nerve system is the window through which we view the world and through which we express ourselves. Going through life with an irritated nerve system is analogous to driving a car at night with a foggy windshield, and you know how stressful, irritating and draining that can be! Have you ever heard someone say “that grates on my nerves?”  Well, when one or many stimuli in your environment irritate, or over stimulate your nerve system without it having a chance to refract (have a quiet phase), you will experience irritability, possibly feel anxious for no particular reason and your ability to adapt to any more stress will be compromised.   Chiropractic care’s main objective is to lessen or remove irritation to the nerve system.  Our work allows the nerve system to wind down.  In fact, often, during and after receiving care a patient is heard to sigh, …a sigh of relief of irritation and tension.  By teaching our patients what they each personally need to do to prevent and remove irritation to their nerve systems, they can then keep themselves aligned in such a way so as to improve their ability to adapt to day to day stressors, helping prevent irritability.

Poor Immune Response:  When we have frequent colds, sore throats, bronchial and lung infections, or when these infections take root for much longer than the average, we need to look at what is compromising our immune response.  When a cold always ends up in our lungs and our sinuses are often congested or we simply live on the edge of always getting sick, there can be many causative factors.  Lack of exercise, poor diet, asking way too much of our bodies and minds without proper rest, are some of the main culprits.  But, by far and away the most important thing to evaluate is our nerve system.  Since the nerve system is the master wiring system, the system which controls and coordinates all the other systems and adapts us to our environment, any compromising of it will cause disorganization of all the other systems in our body.  This in turn compromises our immune system’s ability to adapt to our environment and we become fertile ground for diseases and infirmities of many kinds.  By removing interference from the nerve system, and most importantly instructing people in what they personally can do to keep their own nerve system as free of interference as possible, we give the body’s immune system its best ability to adapt to germs, the environment and stresses of many kinds.

SHOULDERS
Pain, Tightness, Limited Range of Motion: Shoulders that are just not working properly, are sore, painful and have restricted motion, as well as those that have sustained injury, take time and require restored alignment to heal as rapidly and completely as possible.  Often, ancillary procedures such as electrical stimulation, ultrasound, massage and gentle manipulations of the shoulder joint can assist in speeding recovery.  As with any area of the body that is not healing as rapidly as possible, nor functioning as well as is possible, the nerve supply to that area must be evaluated to determine if any pressure exists on the nerves and if the nerves are consequently compromised.  If such nerve pressure is detected, it must be eliminated if recovery and optimal functioning of the shoulder is to be achieved as rapidly and completely as possible.

Slumping Shoulders:  Slumping shoulders often go hand in hand with forward head posture (FHP, see neck area).   Both are clear indicators of weak postural muscles and both place excessive stress and strain on the entire spine and body, leading to postural deterioration, pain and loss of normal ranges of motion elsewhere in the body, as well as lower back pain.   Slumping shoulders cause the chest to cave, thereby decreasing our oxygen intake which then affects our brain function, overall energy level and emotional state.  It also, in decreasing our lung capacity, slows the transfer of air in and out of the lungs, increasing the onset and length of colds, bronchial and lung infections. (And you thought it was only about looks!)  Thorough postural muscle evaluation and subsequent strengthening of the weak postural muscles will correct slumping shoulders and its ever present cohort, FHP, restoring stronger stature and improved body vitality. At Gilbert Chiropractic, this sort of correction is a specialty of ours.

ARMS
Pain, Tingling, Numbness, Weakness of Arms and/or Hands:  Symptoms such as these are almost always caused by the misalignment of the neck bones, bulging or herniated cervical discs, arthritic growths in the neck and forward head posture.  Their most common cause is irritation to the nerve roots that exit from between the vertebrae in the neck. With our comprehensive protocol, we first determine if the patient is strong enough to hold a permanent structural correction of the weak areas that are causing the irritation to the nerves in the neck.  If they are not, it is a waste of time and money to attempt to start that correction.  The focus should therefore be initially on pain relief and beginning the process of freeing and/or strengthening the components of the neck.  We then recommend retesting two-to-three weeks later to see if that patient is ready to begin instituting a permanent correction.  Once all the biomechanical measurements are correlated, we can then begin to teach each patient what they individually should do to restore the normal relationship of the bones, discs, nerves, muscles and ligaments in their neck. 

Patients with bulging or herniated discs or postural muscles that are particularly resistant to change respond very well to the spine and disc decompression protocol that we offer.  The purpose of all of the above is ultimately to remove the pressure from the roots if the nerves in the neck, thereby allowing the arm symptoms to subside.

Carpal Tunnel and Wrist Pain:  By now most of us are aware of the toll that prolonged typing, texting, improper use of gym weights and other repetitive hand motions take on our wrists.  When it has gone on long enough to misalign the small bones in the wrist, this can cause compression of the nerves that travel between the wrist bones, causing localized pain.  This is called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  Very often, an allied component of, and frequent co-causative agent in this type of wrist pain is pressure on the roots of the nerves in the neck - nerves that feed the muscles of the wrist, weakening the wrists’ strength.  When both the neck and wrist scenarios are present, it is referred to as a double crush syndrome.  If the nerves in the neck that are contributing to the wrist pain are not freed of pressure, there can never be complete healing of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  It is also imperative that once the pressure has been removed from the neck nerves that the neck be stabilized with corrective exercises to prevent recurrence.

UPPER BACK
Pain Between Shoulder Blades:  This is most frequently due to tightness of the muscles in this area and/or irritation to the nerve roots emanating from between the vertebrae of the spinal column. Sometimes this nerve root pressure will travel around along the ribs to the sides of the chest.  Most often, Forward Head Posture (FHP) is an important part of this scenario.  If not corrected, the muscles that connect between the back of the head and the spine between the shoulder blades will be forever in a strained situation, working to hold the head up, instigating chronic aches and pain in this area.   Aberration of the normal vertical alignment of the spine in the upper back will also demand more work of the supportive muscles and ligaments of the upper back, causing chronic aches, soreness and pain.  Leaning over a desk or working at a computer for long hours each day, carrying a shoulder bag on one side or holding a phone often with one’s shoulder will all cause or aggravate spinal imbalances here.  Removal of nerve pressure, balancing and strengthening the spine and its supportive postural muscles are essential to lasting correction of pain in this area.

Scoliosis:  Scoliosis is a term that refers to a right or left bend of the spinal column, when observing the spine from behind.  Scoliosis is a progressive curvature of the spine that can range in severity from mild to moderate to severe.  It can affect people of all ages; not only children and adolescents, but also adults. Scoliosis can result not only in an unleveled body, it can cause headaches, shortness of breath, back pain, digestive problems, menstrual-cycle disturbances, leg, hip and knee pain, chronic fatigue and mood swings. Less frequently than it currently is, Scoliosis must be treated with surgery, but most often it can be reduced or corrected through conservative means utilizing the Pettibon System for spine and posture rehabilitation.  Scoliosis can be either anatomical, meaning that it is caused by a congenital anomaly of one or more (misshapen) vertebrae in the spine, causing the spine to bend sideways.  Or, Scoliosis can be classified as functional, meaning that the spine has begun to bend as the result of imbalances in the spine or the body’s structure that have lost their proper alignment over time due to usually physical stresses, such as repeated or long standing stresses, postures or misalignments of the vertebral column.  The key to lessening or correcting Scoliosis is to first free the spine from its chronic positioning and then balance and strengthen the supportive and postural muscles so that they can hold the spine in a more erect position.  Too often overlooked, forward head posture must be reduced or corrected, and normal shock absorbing curves restored in the neck and lower back if Scoliosis is to be ameliorated.  The Pettibon System’s chief goals are to restore these shock absorbing neck and low back curves, as well as to improve forward head posture, and balance the supportive postural muscles of the whole spine.  Also add at end of scoliosis section: Spinal decompression therapy, coupled with the Pettibon protocol, greatly helps to overcome any resistance that the postural muscles may have toward change and speeds the reduction of scoliosis, ensuring better and speedier corrections.

Slumping Posture, Dowager’s Hump (mid and upper back kyphosis, or hunching, or hunchback):  A condition in which the head has moved further forward from the chest (FHP – see neck area) and portions of the lower neck and the upper and mid back have begun to bow outward.  Although some causes may hinge on chronic posture and nutritional and bone calcium deficiencies, from a chiropractic bioimechanical perspective, this area of the spine has begun to bow outward because the normal forward (lordotic) shock absorbing curve in the neck has been lost to some degree.  Or, an inordinate amount of the weight of the head is now improperly carried by this lower neck/upper back area, and it consequently begins to bow under the extra weight, particularly if the postural muscles in this area are weak.  Often restoration of this normal forward neck curve along with strengthening the neck and upper back postural muscles is enough to lessen or completely reverse this condition.  Most of this work can be done by the patient at home, with some visits to the chiropractor to assist in freeing long standing spinal pressures in this area.

Digestion and Reflux Issues:  When the head is held forward of where it optimally belongs, the shoulders curve forward, the chest caves in to some degree and there is pressure on the nerves emanating from the spine in the upper back that regulate the muscle of breathing (the diaphragm) and the upper digestive tract, people will often experience slow, poor, incomplete or difficult digestion of their food.  This often results in pains, bloating and cramping.  If, also due to this type of nerve pressure, the diaphragm is weakened, then stomach acid can come up out of the stomach and into the food pipe (esophagus) causing a burning sensation.  One of the most commonly purchased over the counter, as well as prescribed medications in this country are antacids and digestive aids.  These do bring relief but do nothing to improve the free space for breathing and digestion, nor do they improve the nerve supply to the digestive organs or the diaphragm.  Chiropractic care does both, and practiced the way we do in our office, trains the patient in what to do to correct this for themselves.

Asthma:  With asthma, the bronchi (air passageways leading to the lungs) constrict, making it very difficult to breathe.  For these airways to remain relaxed and open, they must be able to adapt to heat and cold, moist and dry air, changes in air pressure as relates to the weather, as well as the sudden physiological body changes (like increased breathing) that come with exercise.  Medications such as bronchial dilators will relax these air passageways, making it much easier to breathe, but only the restoration of the full nerve supply, the bronchi’s connection to the brain, will improve their ability to adapt in a healthy way to the environment and daily activities.  Chiropractic spinal adjustments, delivered to relieve nerve pressure on these nerves, coupled with spinal postural alignment restoration, accomplish this assuring freer breathing.

Chronic Bronchial and Lung Infections:  Antibiotics will assist in defeating most garden variety bronchial and lung infections, but only restoring these organs’ optimal natural immune response will help the body prevent chronic recurring infections.   Do you have any friends or family members who, when they get a simple cold, it usually always blooms into a more severe condition of the lungs or even pheumonia?  Spinal distortions in the upper back, (from where the nerves that enliven and regulate the lungs and bronchi come from), can interfere with the neural impulses that flow along these nerves, thereby decreasing communication between the brain and these vital organs. This causes them to be more prone to chronic infections by decreasing their ability to adapt to the bacteria and viruses that are always there.  By freeing the upper back distortions, and removing the pressure on the nerves that control these organs, as well as instructing patients in what they can do personally to keep these vital nerve pathways open, these organs can strengthen and better adapt to environmental and microbial stresses.

LOWER BACK
Lower Back Pain:  With lower back pain, even life’s simplest activities can become a torturous challenge.  Simple bending, putting on shoes, sitting for work or travel, caring for family, even walking, standing or sleeping can instigate pain.  In reviewing more than 30 years of in-depth new patient evaluations, it has become clear that even with lower back pain of sudden onset, at least 95% of the time the cause is long standing imbalances of muscles, discs, ligaments and improper spinal alignment that have conspired to create fertile ground for even the slightest daily extra strain to cause a collapse of spinal stability.  Once the spine has lost its stability, it is easy for nerves to become impinged by misplaced vertebrae, or bulging/herniated discs, causing mild to severe pain.  One can treat pain with medications and rest, or even surgery to remove the disc or bony material causing the nerve pain.  But unless all of the lower back’s, and in fact even the whole spine’s, biomechanical factors are addressed, most lower back pain episodes will recur.  Our full spine, comprehensive approach to restore, as closely as is possible, normal spinal form and function, ensures that the nerves, spinal bones, ligaments, muscles and discs all function together properly, without the nerves and discs becoming irritated.  Of course, our primary concern is to first bring relief from pain.  With the spinal and disc decompression protocol we offer, relief often comes rapidly.  However, relief is only part of the process.  We must then figure out each patient individually, to find out exactly where the weak areas are that have allowed the spine to deteriorate, and teach that patient what they personally need to do to strengthen these area so they can stay healthy and pain free.  This ensures your ability to fix the cause of your low back pain and keeps you from becoming dependent upon us.  One other factor that is almost always overlooked in treating low back pain is that if any existing forward head posture is not corrected, and the normal shock absorbing curves of the lower back AND neck are not restored, the lower back pain will almost assuredly return, often worse, and the spine and posture will continue to deteriorate.  The spine must be addressed globally for rapid and complete recovery.

Hip and Groin Pain:  This covers a wide area where one might experience pain, aches, tingling or numbness in the lower abdomen, on the sides or front of the hips or into the groin area.  These types of symptoms usually stem from irritation to the nerves in the mid to upper part of the lumbar (lower back) spine.  Displaced vertebrae and thin discs, caused by imbalanced lower spinal alignment that is unable to adapt to everyday activities like sitting, standing or walking, put pressure on the nerve roots in this area of the lumbar spine, causing the pain and symptoms in the lower abdomen, hips or groin.  Imbalances in the hips themselves, where perhaps one of the hips is tilted farther back or forward than the other, or where one leg is shorter than the other, can also play a part.  Along with aligning the spine and halting/reversing spinal decay in this area
of nerve impingement, pressure can be removed from these nerves via gentle opening-type spinal mobilizations that help relieve pain and other symptoms. Instruction in proper habits of sitting are essential in preventing further pressure build up in this area of the spine.

Herniated and Bulging Discs:  These are discs (spongy and shock absorbing tissue between the bones of the lower back that keep these bones separated) that have, through either sudden or long standing pressure on them, lost their normal shape and possible height, and bulge out of their normal positioning, placing pressure on the nerve roots or spinal cord.  This pain can range from mild to severe and does, in some patients, travel into the buttocks, legs or feet.  If present for some time, atrophy of the buttocks or leg muscles is often noted, along with loss of strength of the legs and feet.  Conventional treatment for this type of pain is usually oral pain relieving medications, or pain lessening drugs being injected directly into the disc and nerve root area.  Bed rest for a week to a month is also often recommended. Ice, ultrasound or electrical stimulation treatments might also be employed. Often, surgery ends up being performed. When explaining our approach to correcting bulging or herniated discs, we often find it helpful to bring up the image of a marshmallow cookie:  two pieces of cookie above and below a marshmallow, with the cookies representing two of the bones in the lower back and the marshmallow representing the disc.  If we squeeze one side of the cookie, the marshmallow bulges out.  This can be likened to a bulging or herniated disc.  The disc, of course, presses on and irritates the nerve root and/or spinal cord, causing pain and possibly weakness.  You will note in our cookie analogy, that the issue is not with the marshmallow, but rather the squeezing of the cookies.  If we release the pressure and separate the cookies, the marshmallow can come back into alignment between the cookies.   With the spine and disc decompression work we offer in our practice, we do release the pressure on the disc so it can reduce or eliminate its herniation or bulging, and thereby remove the pressure from the nerve root or spinal cord, lessening or halting the pain.  We then teach the patient what to do to reshape the bones of the vertebrae of the lower back permanently so pressure does not recur.  It’s important to note that when surgery is performed, the disc only is wholly or partially removed -- nothing is done to restore the normal placement of the bones and other discs in the lower back, or to address the optimal head placement over the neck, nor the alignment of the rest of the spine.  Unless this type postural restoration is implemented, one can be almost certain that the spinal segment just above or below the surgically treated area will speedily degenerate in the same way within three to five years, often requiring additional treatment.  The sensible way to deal with disc bulges and herniations is to find and correct the cause via disc decompression, gentle mobilization and the restoration of (as closely as is possible) normal spinal biomechanics.

Sciatica:  The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that travels from the low back through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg.  For some, sciatica can be severe and debilitating. Clinical diagnosis of sciatica is referred to as a "radiculopathy", which means simply that a disc or spinal bone has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the nerve root in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve.  Medications will not correct the aberrant spine and discal structure.  Only procedures to make the compressed area more malleable, coupled with spine and disc decompression protocols, and then spine and muscle strengthening, will correct this type of debilitating pain will correct this type of debilitating pain as well as prevent its recurrence.  

Loss of Flexibility: When, over time, with life’s daily stresses and strains, the spine has lost some of its optimal alignment, the muscles of the body, and particularly around the spine, become much tighter in an effort to protect a spine that is “slipping” from its ideal alignment.  This tightening of paraspinal muscles contributes to a loss of our flexibility.  Restoring the spine back to its ideal alignment and improving its ability to adapt to everyday activities, allows these protective muscles to relax, thereby increasing our flexibility. Flexibility is an important barometer of our overall health!  Look at a baby’s or an athlete’s flexibility!

Stenosis:  Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS) is a condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerves. This is usually due to a process of spinal degeneration that occurs with an imbalanced spinal structure, usually initially caused by weak postural muscles. It can also sometimes be caused by spinal disc herniation, osteoporosis or a tumor. Spinal stenosis may affect the cervical or lumbar areas of the spine, or both.  Signs of LSS include spastic gait, lower extremity numbness, lower extremity weakness or both, radiating pain in the legs, sphincter disturbances, muscle wasting, sensory deficits, and reflex abnormalities.  If the problem is mild, conventional treatment may be as simple as physical therapy and the use of pain medication. If severe, treatment will, although risky, usually include surgery.  From our perspective, it is vital to locate the cause of the stenosis.  If due to bony growth impinging the spinal cord or nerve roots, chiropractic care is not going to remove those bony growths.  However, if the pressure producing effect of the bony growths on the spinal cord or nerve roots is being made worse due to misalignment of the vertebrae, then whatever realignment of these vertebrae that can be achieved through spinal decompression and advanced chiropractic care, will produce a corresponding reduction in pain and symptomatology, as well as prevent further progression of the stenosis which is of vital importance.  The spinal decompression therapy that we employ has been shown to be of great benefit in many cases of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.

HIPS
Pain When Sitting:  This usually results from one or more components.  Due to long term spinal imbalances, pressure has built up in the lower spine, compressing the shock absorbing discs.  When we sit, which increases the compression on the discs even more, then the discs and/or bones of the spine irritate the roots of the nerves that exit the spine in this low back area, causing pain.  If the hips are misaligned, this will put extra pressure on the sacroiliac joints, the main weight bearing joints that connect each hip to the spine.  If not aligned optimally, pressure will build up in either or both of these joints, resulting in pain.  All of the above respond well to the freeing, realigning and strengthening of the advanced Pettibon System protocols that we offer.  These protocols ensure not just relief, but correction and also strengthening, to minimize the chance for future pain.

Irregular Gait:  If the hips are misaligned, or if there is pressure on the nerves in the lower back, one’s gait can be affected.  If the hips are not transferring weight evenly as one walks, the gait will lose its fluidity.  Of particular effect on gait is pressure on the nerves in the lower back from displaced vertebrae or herniated or bulging discs.  The diminishment of nerve impulses to and from the legs allows for a more clumsy gait and less of an awareness of where our feet and legs are (loss of proprioception).   Aligning the hips and removing, or minimizing nerve pressure in the lower spine, will improve the strength and coordination of our legs, thereby strengthening and smoothing our gait.  Use of the Pettibon wobble chair strengthens all the pelvic and lumbar structures in such a way that they work together to produce a healthier gait.

Painful Menstrual Periods:  If the pelvic bones are not aligned properly, then the uterus does not tip at its ideal angle to slough off monthly menstrual tissue and excessive pooling and clotting will occur.  If, through specific chiropractic procedures, the pelvic (hip) bones are optimally aligned, it becomes much more easy for the body to rid itself of the menses and consequently there is less cramping and less associated lower back pain.  Utilizing the Pettibon wobble chair assists in maintaining a normal pelvic alignment, ensuring easier menstrual periods.

Uneven Hips: This can be due to being born with one leg significantly shorter than the other, but more commonly it is an indication of moderate to sharp imbalances in the lumbar spine, or irregularities in the mid and upper spine.  In the case of a short leg, sometimes a lift is needed in one’s shoe to even out the legs.  Often, more in-depth spinal corrective work is needed if the hip imbalance is stemming from spinal  postural deterioration.  The key is to balance and strengthen all the postural muscles that hold the spine in its normal alignment.

LEGS
Pain, Tingling or Weakness: When more rare possible causes such as blood clots have been ruled out, these three symptoms most frequently result from pressure on the nerves in the lower back, and are sometimes also due to pressure on the spinal cord in the neck or lower back.  Locating the source of these impingements, gently freeing them as best as possible, realigning aberrant spinal structure and rehabilitating the areas that have allowed discs or bones to affect the nerves feeding the feet and their muscles, is the course of care that will correct the source of pain, tingling or weakness in the legs.

FEET
Pain, Tingling or Weakness:  When foot alignment itself and blood circulation in the feet have been ruled out,  these three symptoms most frequently result from pressure on the nerves in the lower back, and are sometimes also due to pressure on the spinal cord in the neck or lower back.  Locating the source of these impingements, gently freeing them as best as is possible, realigning aberrant spinal structure and rehabilitating the areas that have allowed discs or bones to affect the nerves feeding the feet and their muscles, is the course of care that will correct the source of pain, tingling or weakness in the feet.