Chiropractic Care for Young Athletes

by Posted in How Can a Chiropractor Help Me?, Sports and Athletics

While young people often seem to bounce back quickly after sports injuries, it’s important to make sure they are properly treated. Tissue injuries, joint problems and broken bones do not manifest in children and teenagers the same way they do in adults.

Pain is not always the best way to measure the severity of an injury as it is the end result of the dysfunction – which means the injury is still there before the pain starts.

Also, children and teenagers won’t necessarily complain when they are hurting. Sometimes they simply don’t understand or can’t communicate the problem well. Or maybe they don’t want to attract attention. Or perhaps they simply want to keep playing, and they are afraid they’ll be told they can’t participate while they heal.

Getting your young athlete treated ensures that injuries do not result in dysfunctional movement patterns as the body tries to compensate for the injury—causing more problems in the long run. Also it ensures athletic performance is optimal because there is no irregular movement pattern.

Young athletes are still growing, so young bodies are constantly adapting. It’s important that your child or teenager is checked regularly—particularly if they are injured.

Have questions? Want to know more? We’re here to help. Call us today.

Why Cracking Your Back or Neck Causes More Problems than It Solves

by Posted in Back Pain, How Can a Chiropractor Help Me?, Neck Pain

While cracking you back or neck may create temporary relief from tightness or stiffness, you are likely causing more problems than you are solving. Cracking your neck or back stretches your ligaments, which will not return to normal if stretched excessively.

As a result, your spine can become unstable, which can cause a host of problems from spinal arthritis to decay or degeneration to damage.

If you feel like you need to crack your back or neck, there’s an underlying problem that needs to be addressed. The body’s natural reaction to misalignment of the spine is to tighten the muscles around the area to protect itself. Pain or tightness is your body sending the message that the spine is out of alignment.

The cracking noise you hear is the joints releasing fluid or gas within the joints. If you hear a cracking noise during normal stretching, it’s fine as long as there’s no pain. But if you crack your back regularly on purpose, you can damage the area even more.

A properly aligned spine shouldn’t feel like it needs to be cracked. If you do feel the need continuously, it’s time to get professional help.

Our goal at Hands On Health Care is to find the core problem of your back and neck pain, so you can take steps to relieve and eliminate it with proper exercise and treatment. Don’t live your life in pain. Call us today to learn more.

What is the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy?

by Posted in How Can a Chiropractor Help Me?

Maybe you’ve heard about the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), but you aren’t sure what it means for you.

In a nutshell, the McKenzie Method is a way for healthcare providers to assess musculoskeletal problems. That means if you have pain in your back, neck, shoulder, knee, ankle or other extremity, the McKenzie Method of MDT can help you take control of your health.

The McKenzie Method is a cost- and time-effective method of treatment that seeks to find the root cause of the problem. The goals are to:

  • Accurately understand the patient’s presentation and behavior of symptoms.
  • Determine the most appropriate and effective treatment plan.
  • Eliminate symptoms and restore full function.
  • Empower the patient to self-treat and prevent recurrences.

Most musculoskeletal pain is typically mechanical in origin, which means it’s the result of abnormal mechanics in the tissue, usually caused by some movement or activity that causes the pain.

The McKenzie Method of MDT seeks to find the core of the problem and use a correlated mechanical force to improve or correct it, thereby eliminating the pain and related problems.

Health providers educated in the McKenzie assessment evaluate different positions and movements, how the patient performs them, and the response to these movements—and then determines which corresponding movements and posture become the treatment or therapy.

The McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy is a post-graduate training program that many healthcare providers voluntarily elect to study after they have received a degree in their field of study. These healthcare providers may include physiotherapists, physicians, chiropractors, osteopaths, and physician assistants

Dr. John LeGat of Hands On Health Care is certified in the McKenzie Method. Have questions? Want to know more? Contact us. We’re here to help.

Does a Chiropractor Only Work on the Spine?

by Posted in How Can a Chiropractor Help Me?

Chiropractic ServicesChiropractors in general are thoroughly trained in management of the of the spine and extremities. Here at Hands On Health Care, I spent a majority of most of my clinical days working on feet, shoulders, hamstrings as well as the typical spinal problems that people usually think a Chiropractor would treat.

Since Eugene is known as Track Town USA, it should be no surprise that injuries such as Plantar fasciitis, Runner’s knee, Jumper’s knee, Shin Splints, and Hamstring strains are seen on a daily basis.

How Chiropractic Care Helps After an Automobile Accident

by Posted in Car Accident, How Can a Chiropractor Help Me?, Repetitive Motion Injuries

Often when you are in a car accident, your injuries aren’t obvious right away. That’s because soft tissue injuries are the most common problem after automobile accidents, and they typically don’t show up in x-rays or other scans.

If you feel stiff or sore, you likely have soft tissue damage caused by the force of the impact. Even minor car accidents with limited damage to the car can cause soft tissue damage to the driver and passengers.

The most common soft tissue injury from a car accident is whiplash, which is the destabilization of the spine after a sudden movement of the head. Neck pain is the most common side effect of whiplash, but you also may experience blurred vision, headaches, reduced range of motion or pain in other areas such as your shoulder, arm or lower back.

Chiropractic care specifically addresses the problems associated with car accident injuries, including stretched ligaments, tendons, muscle damage, nerves, bones and connective tissue.

In addition to relieving pain, Dr. LeGat can recommend exercises, massage or other treatments. If you are experiencing any stiffness or soreness after a car accident, don’t suffer more than you have to. Treatment allows your body to begin healing itself and improves recovery time. Contact us today.

Help for Hand Numbness with Chiropractic Care

by Posted in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, How Can a Chiropractor Help Me?, Repetitive Motion Injuries

Our modern lifestyles can result in repetitive motion injuries. As a result, numbness in the hands is becoming increasingly common.

Numbness in the hands is usually caused by pressure on the nerves or blood vessels. Some patients also have a tingling or burning sensation in their hands. This numbness can progress to carpal tunnel syndrome, which is caused by the compression of the median nerve.

Typically, hand numbness is directly related to work and/or lifestyle. Common causes are improper ergonomics, poor posture or overexertion.

Chiropractic care addresses the core problem by relieving pressure on the nerves, retraining the muscles and using strengthening exercises to prevent further injuries.

It’s important to seek care for numbness in the hands to prevent further problems. Dr. LeGat and his team will assess your problem and help you make changes to your lifestyle that will alleviate hand numbness or pain as well as prevent it from occurring again.

Take control of your health. Contact us today.