Thursday, January 17, 2013

Chiro for Kids


By Dr. Dave Edenfield

While most of us are introduced to chiropractic care as adults, there are a number of reasons why children can benefit from treatment from a very early age.  Right from the start, infants and toddlers are exposed to a number of environmental and developmental factors that can cause physical, emotional or developmental issues

You are never too young to benefit from chiropractic care
Mother holds Child
Mother holds Child (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In the first place, the very act of birth is known to cause spinal trauma.  This is why many parents schedule their newborns for a chiropractic screening in the first month or so after birth.  As an infant develops, the very acts of crawling, sitting and even supporting the head can affect spinal alignment.  As toddlers develop, everything from their sleep habits to their immune system and even their behavior can be improved by regular chiropractic care.  As they develop from toddlers to school age children, they are all subjected to a number of physical activities and related injuries that can lead to small but significant spinal misalignments that may result in more serious problems later in life. 

While many parents only seek a chiropractor for their child after an injury has been sustained, this is not the only or indeed the best time to begin treatment.  Chiropractors are not only in the business of treating conditions relating to spinal irregularities.  They are tasked with adjusting the entire nervous system, which controls such functions as circulation, respiration, immune functions, hormonal regulation and much more.  As well as hands on treatment, chiropractors also offer consultation on everything from diet to exercise that is tailored to help parents raise children that are happy, healthy and developmentally unimpaired by many of the obstacles that life throws their way.

Best of all, unlike trips to most doctors’ offices, kids as a rule are not resistant to visiting a chiropractor, since they dispense their treatments in a pain-free environment that never includes an injection.  In fact, most parents tell us that their children enjoy their adjustments and are anything but reluctant to return for a follow up visit.  Most importantly, they also report improvements in the areas of health, attitude and development while their children are under regular chiropractic care.

10 reasons parents take their children to see a chiropractor:
1.      To encourage good brain and nerve development.
2.      To support their child’s overall health and wellbeing.
3.      To help strengthen their child’s system.
4.      To reduce bouts of colic and Irritable Baby Syndrome.
5.      To help with asthma and allergies.
6.      To encourage good spinal posture.
7.      To help improve concentration.
8.      To assist with behavioral disorders.
9.      To help alleviate digestive problems.
10.  To assist with bed-wetting and sleep issues.
A parent should know that when it comes to treatment, adjusting a child is not a difficult procedure.  In most cases children’s muscles are not as tense and they have not had any long-standing spinal subluxations.  Therefore their adjustments as a rule are almost always significantly shorter and tend to last longer than those of adults.  However, since children are significantly more accident-prone than adults, regular checkups are recommended.

When it comes to raising children, parents can either be reactive or they can be proactive.  What I mean by this is that the one of the best ways to assure your children’s health is not to wait until they are ill or in distress, but to take the steps that are necessary to ensure their continued health and wellbeing.  Chiro for kids is one of the best ways to accomplish this goal.

Dr. Dave Edenfield is part of the team of doctors and therapists at http://lakewoodchiropracticjax.com who are dedicated to helping you and your family lead a healthier, happier and pain-free life.
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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Chiropractic Treatment of Lower Back Pain


By Dr. Steven Warfield

Nobody likes to go through a day, let alone a lifetime with chronic pain, especially spinal pain. Yet there are few of us who will go through a lifetime without experiencing back pain, either from muscle strain or due to a sports injury or an accident.  The important thing to understand when you do encounter back pain is that you are not alone.  Nearly 22 million Americans visit chiropractors annually. Of these, 7.7 million are seeking relief from back pain
When someone injures their back, the first response is usually either an over the counter or prescription pain killer.  While this may make the pain go away temporarily, this does nothing to address the underlying cause of the problem.  While many people are reluctant to seek medical help, avoiding treat
Pain Research & Management
Pain Research & Management (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ment can not only cause the injury to become more chronic over time, but there is also the problem of drug dependence which can lead to problems of its own.
Research has shown that pain caused by tissue inflammation often does not surface for several days or even weeks following an accident. Additionally, it is not uncommon for either muscle groups or bone position to be radically altered following an accident, where pain does not present itself for as long as several months. A spinal vertebra that is out of place may even place pressure on the surrounding nerves and in so doing mask trauma which will later manifest as chronic pain.
While I can understand the public’s aversion to surgical intervention, chiropractic is a health care profession dedicated to the non-surgical treatment of disorders of the nervous system and/or musculoskeletal system.  Chiropractors use hands-on spinal manipulation and other alternative treatments that are designed to help the body heal itself without surgical intervention or medication. Manipulation is used to restore mobility to joints restricted by tissue injury caused by a traumatic event, such as falling, or repetitive stress, such as sitting without proper back support.  Other treatments can include the use of ultrasound, electro-stimulation and even therapeutic lasers, all of which can be used to reduce back pain and inflammation.
More importantly, not only do chiropractors offer treatment designed to bring the body back into balance, but they also offer lifestyle enhancing regimens such as:
·         Exercise. Various cardiovascular, stretching and strengthening exercises may be prescribed by chiropractors to decrease lower back pain, increase strength and restore range of motion.  Chiropractors may also have patients do exercises that strengthen weak and under or overstimulated muscles of the trunk and pelvis.
·         Ergonomics. During the course of chiropractic care, the chiropractor may recommend some procedures that can be employed at home or at work. It isn’t uncommon for a chiropractor to uncover an occupational hazard as the underlying cause of a patient’s pain.  Modification of an activity or appliance can sometimes relieve the problem and lead to a complete recovery.
·          Patient education. After consulting with a patient, a chiropractor may advise a variety of lifestyle modifications, including diet and nutritional programs, self-care and coping strategies that could be of great value to a patient experiencing lower back pain.

The important thing to note is that the healing process can start with a simple call to arrange a free consultation with a licensed and qualified chiropractor.  The evaluation will not only begin the process that can help alleviate pain without the use of medication, but it will also help you get your body back in balance so that you can get on with your life.  And that’s the most precious gift of all.

Dr.’s Steven Warfield and Dr. Dave Edenfield offer the most advanced treatments for back pain, sciatica, neck pain, whiplash and headaches. They also treat auto accident victims with state-of-the-art technologies.
If you or anyone you know suffers from herniated discs, degenerative discs or spinal stenosis,  visit http://www.lakewoodchiropracticjax.com/
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