Month: August 2021

Recently a patient, Thalia, who was in her six month of pregnancy came to my chiropractic office. She had been having mild lower back pain all along, but the discomfort had intensified prompting her to call us. I’ve seen this many times in my 37 years of practice. Chiropractic care during pregnancy can be a great help to the expectant mother. This article will describe 4 reasons to seek chiropractic care during pregnancy.

• Reduce lower back and hip pain naturally

A majority of pregnant women will experience lower back pain. As belly size increases postural changes occur and put pressure on the spine and pelvic joints. The pelvic joints are called the sacroiliac joints and they bear a good deal of weight in the latter stages of pregnancy. These joints can become misaligned, irritated and painful. Chiropractors can perform safe, gentle adjustments to realign the pelvis and bring about pregnancy lower back pain relief.

• Promote proper pelvic alignment to improve fetal positioning.

The baby will change position in the uterus throughout pregnancy. A misaligned pelvis makes it difficult for the baby to, naturally, attain necessary movement. Chiropractic treatment aims to keep the pelvis aligned and the sacroiliac joints moving freely so the baby can achieve optimal position during pregnancy and, especially at the time of delivery. Studies show pregnant women having chiropractic care during their pregnancy have faster and easier deliveries.

• Improve activities of daily living.

When the expectant mother is free of pain her activities of daily living improve. Obviously, she is under stress during pregnancy. When she is free of pain, she’s able to sleep and rest optimally, be more comfortable at work and handle home chores more easily. The mother will also not need to take pain medications that have detrimental side effects.

• Eliminate lower back pain that persists after delivery of the child.

Many women experience lower back pain well after they have delivered their baby. I’ve had women come to me decades after delivery of a child saying: “My back has given me discomfort ever since I had my child.” This is due to the pelvis being misaligned and irritated sacroiliac joints creating ongoing, chronic pain. Chiropractic evaluation commonly will reveal a condition that can be resolved with chiropractic adjustments.

I’m happy to report that with several chiropractic adjustments to realign the pelvis Thalia had complete resolution of her lower back pain. She continued to receive periodic chiropractic care throughout the remainder of her pregnancy and had an easy, natural birth of her baby girl.

Dr James Schofield is a certified Webster Technique chiropractor near me. Visit here for pregnancy back pain relief.

Kelly Kline

WHAT WAS YOUR CONDITION?

My sacroiliac joints were out of alignment.

HOW WERE YOU REFERRED TO CHIROPRACTIC?

I found Dr. Schofield online and thought I would give him a try.

IN YOUR WORDS, WHAT DID THE CHIROPRACTOR DO?

It helped shift my hips into place.  I go for monthly maintenance appointments.  Dr. Schofield is very gentle.  I never have any pain from his adjustments.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES AND INTERESTS?

I love to travel.

HOW HAS CHIROPRACTIC HELPED OTHER ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE?

It helps my job be more manageable because it requires repetitive bending at the waist. 

Please visit here for your local UPMC chiropractor near me. See your McKnight Road chiropractor for neck and back pain relief.

GARY MARANGONI

WHAT WAS YOUR CONDITION?

I have hip and back pain, limited range of motion due to my arthritic right hip, and I also work at a computer all day and get back and neck pain.

WHAT STEPS HAD YOU PREVIOUSLY TAKEN TO GET HELP?

I took Ibuprofen for pain and tried to stretch my legs and back.

HOW WERE YOU REFERRED TO CHIROPRACTIC?

I looked online for reviews of Chiropractors in the area.

IN YOUR WORDS, WHAT DID THE CHIROPRACTOR DO?

He took an initial X-Ray as a part of my assessment and checked my gait and range of motion.  During treatment, he taught me exercises and things to watch out for as well as well as where to ice when I am having problems.  When I started, I was coming for treatment 3X a week.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES AND INTERESTS?

My family and I volunteer at a foodbank monthly and I shoot pistol in a league twice a month or more.  Also keeping up with 6 children and repairing/maintaining my cars keeps me busy.  I also do online gaming with some friends from work on a few evenings.

HOW HAS CHIROPRACTIC HELPED YOUR HOBBIES AND INTERESTS?

When I first came for treatment, I could barely walk.  Moving cases of cans at the foodbank and shooting would leave me in pain.  Now I am more active and know how to prevent problems.  A tune-up every other week or so keeps me moving.

HOW HAS CHIROPRACTIC HELPED OTHER ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE?

I have referred 3 of my kids for treatment when they had issues in the past, with great results.

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO OTHERS?

DON’T GIVE UP!  There are treatments that can help!

Please visit here for your local UPMC chiropractor near me. See your McKnight Road chiropractor for neck and back pain relief.

Hip Pain Relief

Recently, a patient who was experiencing pain of her right hip asked me if her discomfort was because one of her legs was shorter than the other. She said, for years, her tailor had told her that her legs were uneven whenever she had dresses or pants hemmed. Over the 37 years I’ve been in chiropractic practice I’ve had a number of similar inquiries. This article will discuss lower extremity limb length discrepancy and its possible association with hip pain.

When discussing leg length discrepancies, it is helpful to know that there are two types: functional and structural. A structural inequality occurs when bones grow to different lengths. Typically, this will occur when a bone on one leg is actually shorter than that of the other leg.

A functional inequality happens when one leg appears to be shorter than the other due to an imbalance in the lower body. Many times, this occurs when the pelvis is out of alignment.

When I evaluate a patient for hip pain, I always have them stand facing toward me so that I can observe if the crests of the pelvis are level. Many times, it appears as if one is higher than the other. If I see this, 90% of the time, it leads me to determine that a functional short leg is contributing to the hip discomfort. With other physical examination tests and possible x-rays, it can be determined that the hip pain is from a mechanical misalignment and can be helped with the proper treatment.

It’s important to note that when our pelvis is misaligned, we carry more weight on one leg versus the other. Over time, this will cause ongoing irritation to the hip that is bearing the greater load. It’s not uncommon to see osteoarthritis and degeneration of the hip from years of enduring a functional short leg. The wear and tear of the hip joint simply occurs from years of carrying excessive weight, due to leg length inequality and pelvic misalignment.

Bringing hip pain relief, due to mechanical malalignment of the pelvis, is something chiropractors are trained to provide. Treatment of realigning and restoring proper motion to the pelvis joints with gentle, safe chiropractic adjustments has been a tenant of the profession for over a century.

I’m happy to report that my patient’s treatment to correct her pelvic misalignment and functional short leg gave her complete hip pain relief in a matter of weeks. I’ll be curious know if the next tailor’s visit causes surprise when both legs are found to be of equal length.

Please visit here for a same day chiropractor near me. Find a chiropractor near me.

Neck pain can be caused by a cervical disc problem. Many people are told they have neck discomfort that is caused by a disc condition but is that, indeed, the cause of the pain or could it be from something else?

This article will give insight into the make-up of the human spine, causes of pain of the neck and possible safe, non-surgical treatment for neck discomfort.

The spinal bones of the neck are called the cervical vertebrae. Disc-like pads lay between the vertebrae. They are a shock absorbing type of tissue for our neck. As we bend our neck the discs become compressed on the side of pressure and become wider on the side of less pressure.

Disc herniation is a term that is used frequently. Slipped disc, ruptured disc and bulging disc are also expressed and can mean something similar. What matters is if the disc is the actual cause of the problem.

If the disc is irritating a nerve or the spinal cord it may induce pain, or it may be painless if it does not. It’s interesting how many people have been found to have a disc derangement with an MRI but, had no pain at all.

What’s important with neck pain is what the patient, subjectively feels and what the doctor’s objective examination reveals. If the patient is having arm pain, weakness or pins and needles and the examination shows weakness of the muscles of the arm or reduction of sensation of the affected arm, it can indicate a cervical disc injury. If the symptoms and objective exam results aren’t as previously mentioned, the cause of the problem is from something else. Usually this is from misaligned or improperly moving vertebrae of the cervical spine which irritates the joints of the neck. These joints are called façet joints and are the most frequent cause of neck pain.

Chiropractic treatment can be very effective in helping both a cervical disc problem and a cervical facet joint condition. For over 125 years chiropractors have been helping people with mechanical neck and arm pain. Chiropractic treatment is safe and natural and doesn’t involve the use of surgery.

A doctor of chiropractic can take action to correct the malpositioned vertebrae and to restore normal movement of the facet joints. Chiropractors are primary care professionals for relieving spinal neck pain. Chiropractors are trained to diagnose and treat physical, mechanical alignment problems of spine pain.

Please visit here for a same day UPMC chiropractor near me. See your nearby chiropractor for neck and back pain relief.