Patient Questions

Anytime you have pain, it is an indication that something is wrong. There are a lot of reasons for pain in your calf, so you should get it checked by a health care practitioner.

If your back hurts more after a chiropractic treatment, please let your chiropractor know. You may need additional testing like x-rays or MRIs if they have not been done at this point. Other things you may consider could be are you tensing up during the treatment (this is sometimes sub-coconscious), or are you getting enough B vitamins, calcium, Vitamin D, and essential fatty acids in your diet?

Frozen shoulder is also known as adhesive capsulitis. It is more common in women and may be associated with thyroid disease or diabetes. It results in pain and decreased range of motion. Shoulder impingement, on the other hand, happens when the biceps tendon is pinched by the shoulder joint. Some people have an anatomic difference that makes them more prone to impingement. These explanations are simplified, but I hope that helps. If you think you have one of these conditions, please see a health care professional for a full exam and workup so that the problem can be addressed appropriately.

If you are getting headaches after a chiropractic treatment, please let the chiropractor know. There could me many reasons for this, but I would not think it's normal. Your chiropractor should do more investigation to the cause of these headaches. Do you have an x-ray or MRI of your neck? Do you have muscle spasms? Are you dehydrated? What type of an adjustment was performed? These are all questions (among many more) that I would be asking.

Frozen shoulder can be very painful to treat. It's important to identify the underlying cause of frozen shoulder, and the treatments may vary depending on if it is primary frozen shoulder or secondary frozen shoulder.

The short answer is that it can be, depending on the cause of frozen shoulder. A good chiropractic physician will investigate all possible causes of frozen shoulder. Primary frozen shoulder is a musculoskeletal condition, but secondary frozen shoulder may be caused in association with something else, like diabetes or thyroid disease. It is important to check for underlying issues. This can be done with a few simple blood tests. Your evaluation of frozen shoulder should include a clinical exam, possibly x-rays, and lab work.

The quickest answer is most likely. A good chiropractor will take a good history and perform a thorough evaluation to determine the cause of your foot pain, educate you about the problem, and offer solutions and treatment options for your consideration. They may take x-rays, and think about nutritional support for the ligaments and joints of the foot.

It is clear that you injured your knuckle (I don't think you need an expert to tell you that, though). If you really want a diagnosis, you should contact your health care professional. An x-ray (or even better--an MRI) examination would be helpful in assessing the extent of your injury and a prognosis.

The typical life-cycle of adhesive capsulitis (aka frozen shoulder) can be 7 months to over a year! There are some things to consider when trying to make a quicker recovery. First, a good history an examination are essential to finding the underlying cause of frozen shoulder. There is a percentage of those with frozen shoulder that have thyroid problems or other metabolic disorders that should be considered. Simple blood tests can detect these things. It is important to do range of motion exercises. A chiropractor can help determine if you have glenohumeral joint and scapular dysfunctions that may need to be corrected. Bottom line, the faster you can get to the underlying cause, the faster you can get the appropriate treatment.

There could be many potential causes for this. I would advice you to seek a chiropractor that takes a good health history and does a thorough examination. A good chiropractor will attempt to uncover the cause. Some possible causes could be improper ergonomics at work, bad posture, poor core strength, ligament laxity, degenerative changes, possible underlying thyroid problems, other inflammatory diseases, and more. Again, seek help from a health care professional that will ask you a lot of questions and perform a thorough examination. Perhaps a chiropractor who also practices functional medicine may help you with this.

This sound terrible, and I feel for you. I would consider a functional medicine approach that would include myofascial disruption techniques and blood work to rule out other chronic conditions that may be related if it hasn't already been done (full thyroid panel, diabetic panel, nutritional panel, etc) and certainly consider supplementation to support your ligaments. Many times chronic inflammatory conditions can perpetuate these musculoskeletal conditions. Of course, my answer is based on very limited information. A more thorough history and examination would be necessary to give better answers, but this may give you some direction. So, consider finding a functional medicine practitioner.

Chiropractors are physicians in most states. There is a standard of care, which includes an examination before treating--this makes sense because we have to know what we are treating. After a history and examination, the provider will have the information they need to recommend appropriate treatment. There are some reasons not to treat, and those conditions are ruled out through history and examination. That being said, if you feel like your back needs to be cracked, it probably does. Your body is telling you "something is not right". It is a chiropractor's job to find out what is not right and offer you treatment options. Keep in mind that chiropractors have extensive training in diagnosis of all sorts of conditions, but they primarily focus on musculoskeletal conditions, specifically, the spine. Personally, I would be hesitant to get any sort of treatment without an examination. Many individuals visit a chiropractor and do not have any specific health complaints and just want a maintenance adjustment. This is fine, too. I would still expect a history to be taken and examination to be performed. After that, it's great to go in to the chiropractic office for a treatment once a month!

Pain is your body's way of telling you that there is something wrong. Many times we ignore those warnings, and the problem persists or worsens. There are multiple reasons for having upper back pain. Sometimes it is musculoskeletal, sometimes it is something else. A good chiropractor should take a thorough history and perform a detailed examination to identify the underlying cause of your health concern. In short, the sooner you seek treatment, the better so that a small problem does not develop into a large problem.

First of all, if you are having trouble breathing or if you are in respiratory distress, you should call 911 and get to the ER immediately. If you are not in respiratory distress, and would like to learn some deep breathing techniques, or proper breathing techniques, most chiropractors should be able to help. A good chiropractor will try to uncover the underlying problem with your health complaint. This involves taking a detailed history, and doing a complete examination. If your breathing is being affected by joint dysfunction of the thoracic spine, rib dysfunction, or intercostal muscle spasms, a chiropractic treatment may be of some benefit. Your chiropractor may also teach you how to breathe using your diaphragm.

First of all, there is no such thing as being too young to benefit from chiropractic services. Of course you want to find a chiropractor that has training in treating pediatric patients. Some signs that your child may need chiropractic services may include extra fussiness, pain behavior (repeatedly touching the neck or another area of pain), or some injuries (falling from the top bunk bed) after they have been checked at the emergency room or urgent care if need be. Many chiropractors can also offer nutrition advice or general health advice as well. Just be sure that the chiropractor takes a good history and performs a good examination before treating.

Yes! You can resume any and all of your regular activities after seeing a chiropractor, unless specifically instructed not to by your chiropractor.

I understand your question, but I do want to clarify. Chiropractors do not crack bones. You would be in a world of hurt if your bones cracked (we call that a fracture, or broken bone). The noise that you are referring to during a chiropractic treatment is called a cavitation. Cavitation occur (most likely) due to gases that escape from the fluid in a joint capsule. This is similar to opening up a can of soda pop. The primary reason that chiropractors adjust the joint is to restore proper joint mobility. This decreases the stress on the joint. This is important to keep the joint healthy. A healthy joint has less chance of causing problems in the future (like arthritis). It also decreases the stress on the body--the muscles do not have to work as hard to move the joint properly. The adjustment also causes endorphins to be released. These chemicals not only help you feel better, they also can stimulate the immune system. Of course, when the immune system is working better, you decrease the chances for disease, and possibly could extend your life. Be sure to seek treatment from a well-trained and experienced chiropractor.

The short answer is stress. There really are too many reasons for this. A good practitioner will help you identify the areas in your life that contribute to you back going out of alignment all the time. I could be that your tendons and joints aren't getting the right nutrients. Maybe you need a new mattress or pillow. Perhaps your ergonomics at work or home need to be adjusted. It is possible that there is an underlying systemic problem going on like diabetes, thyroid problems, liver problem, kidney problem, or autoimmune problems that need to be addressed. The point is, you need to find a chiropractic physician that will try to help you uncover the cause of your back problems. A detailed history and thorough examination, including X-rays, and perhaps lab work is necessary to answer your question.

Studies have shown that spinal manipulation can release small, but statistically significant, elevations in endorphins, specifically beta-endorphins. Studies have also shown that endorphins along with enkephalins have many immune functions. In my practice, I also recommend dietary changes and whole food supplements that are specifically designed to help support the immune system.

The short answer is... if it doesn't hurt, it's not bad. However, if you feel the constant need to "crack" your wrist, it may be an indication that there is something else at play. There could be a ligament disorder, or something going on with the joint. If that is the case a visit to the chiropractor may help identify the underlying cause, and recommend rehab or supplements that may help.