Dr. Charles W. Armour

Changing posture requires that you have desire, discipline and dedication.  There is no magic pill – in order to make posture changes permanent, you will need the desire to modify your posture to ‘good posture’, the discipline to follow an exercise routine to correct the muscle imbalances and the dedication to modify the habits and practices that resulted in your ‘bad posture’ in the first place.



Your chiropractor should evaluate your posture, determining if the posture CAN be changed.  If you had scoliosis as a child, and the elements of your spine have ‘set’ a\in a way that results in bad posture, there may be ways to (slightly) modify the curvature. Assuming change is possible, your foundation is key.  If you wear poorly designed shoes or have foot arch issues, they need to be corrected first.  Along with that base, your gait (how you walk) has a lot to do with your posture.



Habits (slouching on the couch watching TV, texting with your head forward and down, rounding your shoulders, using your computer with screen below your shoulders…etc. 



Well, you can begin to see that many things impact your posture.  We as chiropractors are trained to observe your posture, movement and spinal function. Give us a call today and we’ll see what we can do for you! Dr Armour, DC – Summit Chiropractic LLC, https://summitcw.com for contact info.

It often does – because your spine does not support your structure as spines are meant to, life can add to the stresses placed on your spine, causing further misalignment and in the long run, faster onset of degeneration. You may also experience nervous system changes if the curvature increases.  See your chiropractic physician for a complete physical.  Dr Armour, www.summitcw.com

If you “crack” your neck, especially daily , you can cause muscle strain and tendonitis symptoms. As chiropractors, we are trained for 4 years to manipulate the joints of the body using safe, correct methods – resulting in greater range of motion and correct motion of the joints manipulated. We also adjust or manipulate the joint in the correct plane and vector to maximize the adjustment – something you cannot do by yourself without training. You might get the ‘pop’ or ‘crack’, but that is just gasses moving from one area of the joint to another -NOT the proper adjustment. See your chiropractor to get adjusted!

It depends on the cause, but the short answer is: a life with sciatic pain, and possible nerve damage to the sciatic nerve.  When nerves are compressed or compromised, they cannot move nutrients through the cell as they should, and therefore not function in an optimal manner.  The sciatic nerve controls many sensory and motor unctions – so if the nerve is compromised, so too are these functions.  See your chiropractic physician to correct this condition if possible.



If the cause of your pain is narrowing of the spinal canal, putting pressure on your spinal column, you should have imaging to determine the extent of the condition.  Sciatic nerve pain can also be caused by disc issues in your lumbar spine, or by compression of the nerve from the piriformis muscle.  Your physician can test that indicate which is the cause for your pain.

A typical visit to your chiropractor usually will last 10-15 minutes for a daily visit. An initial exam visit will be longer, depending on your condition(s) and severity. Also, treatment may include other modalities such as e-stim and ultrasound that can add an additional 10 to 30 minutes.

Thanks for your question,

Dr Armour, DC

In most cases, absolutely!  Sciatic pain can be caused by several conditions and they are (most) all treatable with chiropractic care.  See your chiropractor to determine the cause of your sciatic pain and they will determine if chiropractic care is appropriate for you!  Best of health, Dr Armour, DC www.summitcw.com

As in all medical cases, it depends on the cause of your pain.  Did you have trauma (a fall, car accident, sports injury, etc) or did it just ‘come on’?  You should see a physician, a doctor of chiropractic, a medical doctor, a DO or a nurse practitioner to help determine the cause and severity of your hip pain. Depending on the cause, any of these providers can provide a referral or a course of treatment if appropriate.  If you have hip pain with no apparent cause, please see a physician promptly!

One of the main differences I that PT’s may only see patients based on a referral from a doc tor – whether a DC, MD or a DO. They cannot legally see patients without referral in most states. The process of identifying the cause of your issue lies with the doctor, not PT. So you will have to see a doctor anyway to get your issue diagnosed. As far as treatments go, PT’s do not have the schooling or skill set to provide adjustment therapies as a DC does. Their scope of practice is limited to the ‘prescription’ or plan of therapy given to them by your physician, they cannot go outside this plan of care. 

Thanks,

Dr. Armour, DC

In most cases, yes! Depending on what caused your neck pain in the first place (torticollis that went untreated for years, or trauma from a car accident, or early degeneration, or an underlying condition that exists, but you might not even know it…), a chiropractor can help you.  A full exam, possibly with xrays is indicated in cases of trauma, and a full medical history is indicated for underlying conditions.  Your chiropractor can help you discover the cause of your neck pain and advise you if chiropractic treatment or other types of therapy are indicated.  Best of Health!  Dr Armour, DC Summitcw.com

It depends on many factors – the speed of the impact, the direction of impact, the size of your vehicle as compared with the size of the vehicle that hit you, the position of your neck, whether you had seatbelt restraints, whether the airbags deployed, how long before treatment starts from the date of your accident, etc. There is really no way to tell how many visits would be required without a thorough exam, including X-rays (to rule out any possible fracture). If you have any symptoms of concussion or excruciating neck pain, that could indicate possible VBA dissection.

Thanks,

Dr. Armour

If your chiropractor found a restriction in your neck, it is within the scope of practice for them to adjust (in your terms - crack) your neck.  The sound is not a ‘cracking’ of your neck, it is gas molecules that exist in most joints redistributing to a different area of the joint.  When you say ‘cracked my neck, hard’, that is very descriptive, but does not describe the circumstances of the actual adjustment.  If you feel that your chiropractor adjusted an area that you did not authorize them to work on, or that they performed the adjustment in an unsafe matter, first talk with them and have them explain their actions. Hopefully, they will answer your questions to your satisfaction, but if you are not satisfied, you can file a complaint with your state’s Board of Health.

Massage therapists do not have diagnostic training, so to determine the cause of your pain and recommend treatment, you should go to your chiropractor first.
Thanks for the question!

Dr. Armour, DC

You should check with your chiropractor to make sure, but generally the answer is yes. Letting your joints and muscles find their ‘new normal’ after adjustment can be a good thing, especially if working out is what caused your pain in the first place. (If you keep doing what you’re doing, you keep getting the same results...” Also check with your provider to make sure your workout is being done with the correct form. If you are ‘lifting’ and not utilizing your core correctly, your spine can have immense loads placed on it and cause you pain, then or even a few days later.

Chiropractic care has been shown to be safe and effective for patients of all ages, from newborns on up.  Older patients respond well to chiropractic treatment, because chiropractic adjustments help increase range of motion and restore the functions of the body that allow the patient to heal.  Individuals ‘of an age’ can have their own set of complications, generally there is some form of arthritis, some have chronic conditions, and some may have contraindications to chiropractic care like osteoporosis, aneurisms and other conditions.  These can be discovered through the full examination each patient receives at a chiropractic office prior to the administration of care. Of course when any patient comes in, the exam is an important part of determining whether chiropractic care is appropriate for the patient or whether the patient should be referred out for care at another provider or chiropractic be used in a multi-disciplinary approach. 

A physical therapist is not a doctor, and require a doctor to prescribe a set of physical therapy goals that are to be met during the therapy sessions. A chiropractor is a physician, able to evaluate your condition with testing, history, evaluation of your physical musculoskeletal issues, neurological impairments, posture, etc. A chiropractor has a large number of treatment options for you, where physical therapists must follow the prescription and not deviate from it, even if they think other modalities would be better suited to your condition. They can contact the doctor to see if the prescription can be changed, but cannot change it themselves. So, I would choose a chiropractor, and if they deem physical therapy to be appropriate for you, they can refer you to the PT as needed.

The Sciatic nerve and it’s branches supply the nerves to your leg.  Sciatic pain can be felt in the low back at the nerve root, through the hip and into the leg as well.  There are multiple causes for nerve entrapment, visit your provider soon to have the cause identified.

An exam to determine the cause of your foot pain should be your first step. It may be your weight, it may be the result of another condition, such as plantar fasciitis or caused by weak muscles and ligaments that can be corrected with exercise. Of course, if your weight is the cause, the best advice is to change your diet and lifestyle.

Chiropractors can adjust patients of any age. 13 is not too young, but as always, an exam to determine the cause of her back pain should always be the first step. Chiropractor with proper training adjust newborns, and all ages upwards.

Many cases of scoliosis in the literature indicate that if the curvature is minor, it can self-correct. However, it is VERY important to have the condition monitored to make sure it is not progressing past the 'minor' classification. Also note that even with 'minor' curvature, it can become permanent if it does not self-correct. There are exercise options, chiropractic adjustments, in severe cases bracing options are indicated. Scoliosis is no joke, it can affect her breathing, heart function, other organ systems as well as the obvious postural anc cosmetic issues. Have it checked by a healthcare professional to determine the extent of curvature and monitored throughout treatment to.

Chiropractic physicians help increase movement in joints, including the joints of the spine. When these joints are not freely moveable, the nerve that exits the spine at that area may also have inhibited capability. Restoring proper movement to that area can restore nerve function, from the spine to the end organ. If that end-organ is the colon, restoring the nerve function can reduce colon issues, like constipation. We are trained to look for the root cause of the issue as well which in this could be something as simple as dehydration or a more concerning condition. Functional wellness practitioners look for why something is not working correctly rather than treating just the symptoms.