Archive for chiropractic treatment
Your Wichita Chiropractor Offers Lasting Relief From Foot Pain
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Melody Shubert, your Wichita Chiropractor, not only knows why you may have foot pain, but she knows how to treat it to bring about lasting pain relief. We all know that movement is good for the whole body, right? From our head to our toes, our good health is determined by how much physical activity we get on a regular basis. So, why do so many people suffer from aches and pains in their feet? After all, aren’t our feet made for walking? Yes, but they weren’t designed for abuse.
The average, healthy person takes 3,000-5,000 steps each day, not including activities such as running and aerobic exercise. But, often those steps are made by people walking incorrectly, with poor gait patterns and bad posture. In addition, a large number of people wear badly-designed, poorly-fitting shoes. Moving the body through space incorrectly on feet that are inhibited from functioning correctly cannot help but to cause aches and pains not only in a number of places in our feet, but in other parts of our body. For example, if an individual over-pronates (walks like a duck) in a pair of poorly made or unevenly-worn shoes, or in a pair of high heels, that person is not only likely to develop foot and ankle problems, but will probably experience problems of the back, knees and legs.
One of the most common foot problems is Plantar Fascitis (heel pain), which is usually caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a wonderful, multi-tasking band of connective tissue that encircles the muscles on the bottom of the foot, adheres the heel bone to the ball of the foot, supports the arch, protects the foot, and absorbs shock.
There are many factors that contribute to the development of Plantar Fascitis. One such factor is short and tight calf muscles. When calf muscles get short and tight they exert a strong pull on the back of the heel bone, producing undue stress on the smaller and weaker plantar muscles and fascia. How do calf muscles get short and tight? In addition to running and jumping activities such as aerobics, volleyball, running, basketball, and tennis, the wearing of high heels can cause the problem.
Other factors that contribute to Plantar Fascitis include sudden strenuous activity after a period of prolonged inactivity, abnormal walking patterns (such as over-pronation), improper footwear, walking on hard or uneven surfaces (especially barefooted), and obesity.
Once an individual develops Plantar Fascitis, the condition is frequently not easy to manage and can become intensely painful and persistent. If you are suffering from heel pain, Dr. Shubert, your Chiropractor in Wichita, will be able to determine the cause of your problem and what chiropractic management is best suited. Such care might include ultrasound therapy, laser, joint manipulation, muscle stretching and strengthening exercises, special taping and, in some cases, orthotics.
Call Dr. Shubert’s office today. Don’t walk another step in pain!
3101 North Rock Rd #100 Wichita, KS, 67226 USA
info@wichitachiropractor.net • 316-636-4444
The adverse effects of pharmaceuticals on the health of children has been well-documented, and many parents are concerned. Today, when given a medical prescription for their child’s recurrent problem, more and more moms and dads are asking, “Is this really all I can do for my child? Isn’t there a safer alternative?” The answer is “Yes” and chiropractic care is that alternative!
Parents are disinclined to just mask symptoms with pharmaceuticals and for good reason. Moms and dads are far more “drug-savvy” than they used to be, especially when it comes to their children. They are more aware and more worried about harmful side effects. Today, parents are seeking out health care options for their children that encourage and support their child’s natural ability to be healthy.
Chiropractic care is an excellent option because it stimulate a child’s nervous system, including the immune system, in functioning at peak performance. When their autoimmune system is functioning optimally, children stay healthier. As far as a child’s health is concerned, “the best offense is a good defense.” Children are exposed to such an abundance of health-endangering illnesses every day that it would be impossible to immunize them against them all, even if there were such immunization available. Your Wichita Chiropractor has both education and experience with colds, sore throats, ear infections, fevers, colic, asthma, tonsillitis, allergies, bed-wetting, infections, pains, falls, stomach-aches, and the hundred and one little (and big) things children go through as they grow up.
The amazing thing is that almost every illnesses that affects children is avoidable! Chiropractic care aids in removing interferences to the inherent healing power that runs through your child’s body. When that healing ability is unleashed, the changes that take place may often be profound.
In addition, a well-adjust child (one who sees a chiropractor on a regular basis) is less likely to be injured at play or in sports. And, as an added plus, children who receive regular chiropactic care don’t seem to experience as many “growing pains” as other children.
You may be thinking to yourself, “Wow, can chiropractic care really do all that!?” The truth is that chiropractic doesn’t “do” anything more than help your child to “do what comes naturally,” which is to be strong and healthy. Dr. Melody Shubert, your Chiropractor in Wichita, believes that all children have the right to manifest their fullest potential on every level. If you have questions about your child’s health, call your Wichita Chiropractor and get and answers you need.
Wichita Chiropractor Offers Hope for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Suffers
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are one of those who suffers from fibromyalgia, you don’t need anyone to tell you the difficult symptoms of the condition. Your Wichita Chiropractor is well-aware of the painful symptoms that can occur above and below your waist, and involve large areas on both sides of your body. She understands the deep aching that accompanies the condition and often travels, shoots, stings, and even gnaws at your body.
As if the intense pain and suffering from fibromyalgia weren’t enough, an amazing ninety percent of fibromyalgia sufferers also experience chronic fatigue syndrome. Perhaps you may be one of them. It is this “double whammy” that can result in your not only suffering from pain and fatigue, but also malaise, headaches, numbness and pins and needles, dizziness, sleep disturbance, swollen feeling in tissues, stiffness, sensitivity to noise and stress, and cognitive impairment.
If you are suffering from one, or both, of these two debilitating conditions, you may find it difficult to take part in even the simplest activities in life, and you might even be feeling depressed and defeated. But, don’t give up hope because your Wichita Chiropractor can assist you. Chiropractic techniques have been proven to be highly effective in reversing trauma-induced injuries by reducing irritation to the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord that can cause pain, neuromuscular dysfunction, and fatigue.
What do “trauma-induced injuries” have to do with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome? The connection may surprise you. While the specific cause of these problems is not known, current research has pointed to traumatic neck injuries, such as whiplash and concussion, as risk factors for the onset of both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. And, here’s the thing: though the pain and fatigue generated by spinal injuries can begin immediately, in many cases it can take quite a long time, perhaps months or even years to develop. By the time fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms arise, such injuries may be long-forgotten.
Chiropractic care has been shown to be extraordinarily beneficial in reversing trauma-induced spinal injury. See Dr. Melody Shubert, your chiropractor in Wichita, today to see if chiropractic management can help to decrease the pain and suffering you’ve been experiencing from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Dr. Shubert understands and she can help!
Your Wichita Chiropractor: Low Back Pain is Nothing to Sneeze At!
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re experiencing low back pain, your Wichita Chiropractor wants you to know that you’re not alone. Low back pain affects many people, an amazing 80% in fact, making it second only to the common cold in its frequency. However, contrary to the common cold, waiting for your back pain to “run its course,” and taking prescription or over-the-counter remedies while you wait, is not the answer. The majority of back pain won’t go away by itself. More often than not, if your pain lessens, it is usually due to the fact that your body has compensated for the problem and, unfortunately, is generating new conditions. Obviously, low back pain is nothing to sneeze at! If you’d like to eliminate your back pain for good (and who wouldn’t?), it is important for you to see a back pain expert, like Wichita Chiropractor, Dr. Melody Shubert.
Back pain is often a mystery to most people who are suffering from it, and chiropractors are skilled in solving their confusion. Most individuals ask: “Why is it that I have not experienced any trauma, accidents, or major injuries before the onset of my pain?” The answer is that the cumulative effects of awkward sitting posture, bad work habits, improper lifting, lack of routine exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related factors create most back pain.
These elements add up over time and produce stresses and imbalances on the spine causing subluxations that can turn into serious back conditions. The process is similar to the front end of your car being out of alignment. When you insist upon driving anyway, there is irregular wear and tear on your tires. If you didn’t get the problem fixed, the situation would worsen until a tire “blew.” When the spine is misaligned, the function of the spine is put at risk. In other words, it’s not only a problem waiting to happen, it’s a problem waiting to get worse. And then, something as seemingly benign as reaching down to pick up a piece of paper can be the “final factor” that generates back injury. When this occurs, the surrounding back muscles go into spasm in order to stabilize the stressed or injured tissues of the back.
Chiropractors have more education, training, and experience than medical doctors when it comes to knowledge and treatment of the spine. They offer state-of-the-art diagnosis and experienced treatment for all musculoskeletal abnormalities. They not only provide welcomed relief if you are suffering from back pain, but they are knowledgeable about what will assist you in avoiding further back pain. As an adjunct to effective adjustments and other productive chiropractic therapies, your Chiropractor in Wichita will give you an individual exercise plan and recommend other healthy lifestyle changes that will keep you well-adjusted and pain-free in the future.
Wichita Chiropractor Explains How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help Your Hip Pain
Posted by: | CommentsYour Wichita Chiropractor asks: Do you feel pain in one or both hips whenever you twist them or when you cross your legs? Does the pain keep you awake at night and make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep? When you get out of bed in the morning, or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it hard, at first, to move your legs? If you answered in the affirmative to any or all of these questions, it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in the lower part of your body that in addition to creating hip pain can, over time, bring about degenerative hip joint disease if not treated.
Even though hip pain and related problems are often signs of age-related degenerative conditions, especially osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis isn’t always the “culprit.” In fact, rather than being the original cause of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the ultimate result of damage to your hips at a previous time.
Gait changes caused by biomechanical injury such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can generate hip pain. Furthermore, your gait may shift to counterbalance new body demands such as a job change, an alteration in the way you sit, a new sport or activity, or if you start driving for long periods of time on a regular basis..
In addition, gait asymmetries can occur from leg length dissimilarities, foot pronation (walking like a duck), even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. The point is, anything that generates an asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion can cause painful hip problems.
Dr. Melody Shubert, your Chiropractor in Wichita, can help in many of these areas. Along with your adjustments, as part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, she may suggest that you wear orthotics. She will also offer appropriate progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.
Hip pain won’t disappear on its own. Hip pain indicates that something needs to be corrected. Get out of pain, get back in balance, and get your life back now! Call Dr. Melody Shubert, your Wichita Chiropractor. She knows what to do to help you!
Ask Your Wichita Chiropractor If Chiropractic Care Can Stop the Pain of Sciatica
Posted by: | CommentsSciatica is an extraordinarily painful condition. The good news is that chiropractic treatment can help. Dr. Melody Shubert, your Wichita Chiropractor, knows about the pain of sciatica, the deep discomfort that is constant during your waking hours and interferes with your daily activities.
The path of sciatic pain is usually from your low back, through the buttock(s), and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s). Many times, the pain can even radiate into your knee. Motion and sitting, alike, can produce pain. On occasion lying down will decrease, or perhaps momentarily eliminate, the pain. Nonetheless, sciatica cannot be corrected without suitable management, and chiropractic treatment is highly effective.
The clinical diagnosis of sciatica is referred to as “radiculopathy”, a medical term that means simply that a disc has distended from its usual position in the vertebral column and is placing pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. This type of pressure is extremely painful.
Additional pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encircling the spine, can happen during and after prolonged sitting, especially in a improper position. In general, an explicit event or exact injury doesn’t create sciatica. Instead, it tends to develop over time as a consequence of general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Over time the lower spine loses its capacity to function normally during everyday requirements.
The final result is that the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, which then lets the soft nucleus extend the disc outward. If the disc puts pressure on sensitive tissues, it generates the pain that is frequently called a slipped disc. If the disc puts pressure on the spinal nerve, an individual can develop sciatica.
With chiropractic adjustments and therapies, which often includes postural exercises, most disc problems, including sciatica, can be alleviated. If you are experiencing sciatic pain, it is essential for you to seek help as soon as possible. Call Dr. Melody Shubert, your Wichita Chiropractor. She’s a spine expert!
Wichita Chiropractor Warns: Don't Play With Shoulder Pain
Posted by: | CommentsThere’s no doubt about it, your shoulders carry plenty of responsibility. You depend on them to perform many different actions in the course of your day. This variety of involved motion aids you in doing what you need to do in your life – at work and at play. However, as your Wichita Chiropractor can tell you, if you are currently suffering from shoulder pain, you’ve probably been overworking your shoulders. How? You might be involved in repetitive activities such as lifting and other arm movements, in particular those done overhead like throwing a baseball, swinging a golf club or tennis racket, or merely putting items on overhead shelves. Nerve irritation, joint stress, and wear and tear of the tissues surrounding the shoulder joints can occur as the result of these types of repetitive motions. On the other hand, repetitive activities shouldn’t actually create pain if your shoulder is healthy. If you are experiencing pain in your shoulder, it’s nothing to play around with. It is evidence that there’s a problem that requires attention.
When the nerves are irritated, your shoulder muscles frequently become stiff, even weak, and motion is painful and confined. This often takes place in the ligaments and a group of muscles (and their tendon attachments) referred to as the rotator cuff. These muscles and tendons join your upper arm bone with your shoulder blade and, in addition, help to lock the ball of your upper arm solidly in its shoulder socket. It is the elegant arrangement of this combination that permits the most significant range of motion of any joint in your body.
The symptoms of this shoulder impingement syndrome can extend from a slight “catching” pain with activity (in particular raising your arm overhead), to an almost entire inability to use the shoulder. Never ignore your shoulder pain or continue an activity while in pain. It is crucial for you to attend to your shoulder problem as soon as you’re able because the pain will only go from bad to worse. Unhappily, if disregarded, some shoulder problems, such as Rotator Cuff Syndrome, frequently end up requiring surgery and a long rehabilitation.
Dr. Melody Shubert, your Chiropractor in Wichita, is an authority in the area of musculoskeletal problems, and she knows what to do to get you out of pain. Because chiropractic care focuses on the reason for your shoulder pain, the problem is treated at its source. Dr. Shubert will help to restore healthy mobility to your shoulder joints, and will also recommend rehabilitation exercises that will not only help you get rid of the shoulder pain you have now, but will help you to avoid shoulder injuries in the future.
Why Decide on Chiropractic Treatment? Your Wichita Chiropractor Has the Answer!
Posted by: | CommentsDid you know that chiropractic therapy has been increasing in popularity for a long time and that it’s continuing to increase annually as the favored healthcare option for many people? As a Wichita Chiropractor, I can confidently tell you that individuals are choosing chiropractic treatment because of the many positive aspects that such care offers. No other medical practice is less invasive to the body and, at the same time, is able to stimulate the body’s organic capacity to heal itself, instead of masking symptoms with medicines.
Let’s face it, where there’s a musculoskeletal structure, as in the human body, there is the chance of musculoskeletal dysfunction such as low back pain and neck pain, pain in the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee joints, and ankle and foot pain. No one is immune from misalignment of the spine and joint inflammation, though a large number of problems can be the consequence of sports injuries, accidents, and the aging process. Regardless of the cause, any kind of motion on a traumatized area of the body can not simply add to pain or suffering, but will result in inactivity. And, certainly, specific musculoskeletal challenges, if left untreated, can lead to irreversible incapacitation.
It has been claimed of chiropractic treatment that its “many benefits exceed” merely eliminating a specific challenge. And, though correcting a particular problem is fantastic, in and of itself, in actual fact, someone who comes in to see a chiropractor for lower back pain, for instance, not only profits from pain alleviation, but also from increased circulation, a reduction or elimination of lactic acid, smoother travel of oxygen and nutrients within the body, more flexibility, less everyday pain and soreness, quicker recuperation time, a more comfortable sensation, and the deterrence of future harm! Is it any wonder that chiropractic care has become the treatment of preference for so many people?
Besides providing specialized musculoskeletal care, chiropractors also include education and guidelines as it pertains to strengthening your complete health and wellness. Chiropractors are well aware that in order for you to get healthier and remain that way, it is important for to decide on a naturally healthy lifestyle that includes drinking enough water to keep the body well-hydrated, following a nutritious diet program, and developing a basic stretching and exercise routine.
Chiropractic treatment doesn’t exactly work “miracles, ” but it can come fairly close in a considerable number of areas that may perhaps surprise you. For example, chiropractic treatment can help pregnant women deliver more easily. It can strengthen developmental abilities of babies, such as better motor skills, and it can often eliminate scoliosis. Chiropractic adjustments for kids may help relieve asthma complaints, ear infections, and even bed-wetting. Along with the positive aspects just stated, routine chiropractic management can help adults to feel more vital and dynamic, which consequently improves productivity and life enjoyment. And, finally, for maturing baby boomers and the growing senior population, not only can chiropractic therapy aide in reducing age-related problems and keep an individual more active in later years, it can reduce the balance problems that all too often end up in critical injury from falls.
If you’re already visiting a chiropractor, good for you! You have no doubt experienced many of the plus points mentioned above. If so, have you thought to enlighten an associate, friend, or family member about chiropractic? Don’t let someone you care about, who may be living with pain, fall victim to the sort of misinformation regarding chiropractic care that could keep them from living their life more actively. Tell the people you care about to call your Wichita Chiropractor. She can help and they’ll thank you!
Your Wichita Chiropractor Warns: There Is No Such Thing as a "Minor Fender Bender"
Posted by: | CommentsChiropractors, like your Wichita Chiropractor, treat plenty of people who’ve been in major car accidents, but all too often, a check up after a minor car accident is overlooked by those involved. If you drive a big car and you’re in an accident, it’s easy to assume that you haven’t been injured if your car doesn’t look “hurt.” After all, isn’t that the purpose of driving a big vehicle? It’s for protection, right? Then you might be surprised to learn that research has revealed that occupants of vehicles, both large and compact, can be injured a lot more than might be predicted from a minor auto accident. In reality, as far as your body goes, there’s really no such thing as a “minor fender bender.”
Let’s face it, there are going to be repercussions when your body is forced to stop abruptly and without warning. You might be offered a clean bill of health by an emergency room attendant if you haven’t sustained any broken bones, and you may be given a prescription for drugs to relax the muscle spasms that you are no doubt experiencing as a consequence of the structural changes in your neck or lower back that you received from the impact. But, your problem could go from bad to much, much worse unless you’re treated for the bodily trauma you’ve sustained. In fact, quite a few individuals encounter problems years after a car accident due to the fact that they didn’t get the help they needed in the first place.
Your chiropractor in Wichita truly understands what your body experiences during a car accident. If you’ve encountered a minor auto accident, she knows that you are likely to need more repair than your car. Neck and back injuries are not only painful in the regions in which they happen, but they can also generate pain, tingling, and numbness in your arms and hands and create headaches days, weeks, even months after an accident occurs.
Chiropractic techniques include treatment for soft tissue injuries and spinal bio-mechanics dysfunction. Chiropractic care offers a drug-free, natural road back to feeling good again. It can help to put the trauma of your accident where it belongs – in the past. Moreover, because Dr. Melody Shubert, your Wichita Chiropractor has experience communicating effectively with insurance companies and lawyers, not only will you undergo less physical stress, but less emotional stress, as well!
Amidst a great deal of emotion and rhetoric coming out of Connecticut this week regarding the stroke issue, The Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation has just released a very clear position statement on the issue of chiropractic and strokes.
Atlanta, GA, January 07, 2010 –(PR.com)– According to the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation there is no human experimental evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations are causally related to strokes.
“While plaintiff’s attorneys and expert witness make claims and statements contending that such a causative link exists, the fact remains that these are based largely on anecdotes, case reports, and case controlled studies and cannot be used to prove causation” stated Foundation President Christopher Kent DC, JD a chiropractic researcher and attorney.
According to researchers and the scientific method itself there are all sorts of biases and distortions that effect conclusions drawn from such studies and other criteria must be used to determine whether such a link exists.
“What this boils down to is a simple lack of understanding of biostatistics and epidemiology” stated Foundation Vice President Matthew McCoy DC, MPH, a chiropractic researcher and public health expert. “Words like ‘association’ and ‘causation’ and ‘risk’ have very specific meanings when it comes to their use in epidemiology and it’s clear that laypersons involved in this debate are using these terms inappropriately.”
While the experience of a stroke can be devastating and no one would suggest ignoring the concerns of those who have suffered one, the reality is that when it comes to the contention that chiropractic causes strokes – the evidence just isn’t there. And while the strokes these people have experienced are indeed real, McCoy suggests there are often other issues involved and offered an example. “Millions of people visit a dentist every year and a certain number of those same people get into car accidents on their way home. If we were to run the stats on it we might find that there is a statistical association between visiting a dentist and getting into a car accident on the way home. But no one would even consider suggesting that the dentists are causing the car accidents.”
Self described chiropractic stroke victims say there is a risk and that people should be advised about it prior to undergoing chiropractic care. The majority of chiropractors would agree that patients should be informed of the risks, benefits and alternatives of any health care intervention, but according to Dr. Kent “Such informed consent must be based on appropriate information and since there is no scientific evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations actually cause strokes, it is inappropriate to require a doctor to suggest that such a risk exists.”
Dr. McCoy added another often overlooked issue “Chiropractors utilize a number of techniques to address joint dysfunction and vertebral subluxation and in fact there are over 300 named chiropractic techniques and many do not employ the type of manipulation that has been alleged to be a factor in vertebrobasilar accidents. This adds to the inappropriate nature of such a disclosure.”
In the end, chiropractic has an impressive safety record compared to traditional medical care with estimates are that anywhere from 100,000 (Institute of medicine) to 750,000 (Null et al) people die every year from medical care. In comparison, other than some minor soreness following chiropractic treatment, research has shown chiropractic to be very safe
