Dr. James Schofield

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY! From the Pittsburgh North Hills chiropractic office of Dr. James J Schofield.

Many people experiencing neck pain, believe their condition is caused by tight muscles. They try anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxer medications, massages, acupuncture, and physical therapy, but only obtain partial, temporary neck pain relief. There is no harm in utilizing methods to relax muscles that are in spasm to obtain relief from neck discomfort. However, if these approaches don’t work, it’s time to try something else. Fortunately, chiropractic care is a common, effective, natural approach to improve and eliminate neck pain.

Neck pain develops mainly from two causes: 1) trauma and 2) gradual accumulation of neck pain over time due to poor posture.

Trauma might be from an auto accident, fall or sports injury. These mechanical injuries certainly strain the muscles and sprain ligaments. Much more significantly, trauma affects deeper structures, including the spinal bones. In the neck area, the spinal bones are called the cervical vertebrae. If the cervical vertebrae are misaligned, it can cause pinching of the nerves, exiting the cervical spine and irritate the joints of the area which causes most cases of neck pain.

Poor posture, which is ubiquitous in our time due to extended, prolonged periods of sitting also causes stress on the cervical spine. Over the years and decades stress causes cervical vertebrae to become misaligned and, as in the case of trauma, causes pinched nerves and irritated joints.

In cases of trauma and prolonged poor posture, it is important to have these deeper structures of the spine, examined. If problems exist in the cervical spine, it causes more superficial tissues, such as muscles going into spasm. Merely addressing the muscles will not correct the problem.

Chiropractors are doctors who assess and evaluate the spine as well as soft tissues (muscles and ligaments). A Doctor of Chiropractic will initially meet with a patient and take their history, perform an examination and possibly take x-rays of the cervical spine. The patient and doctor can then discuss the condition and arrive at an appropriate treatment plan

Chiropractors utilize a method of treatment called manipulation. Manipulation may also be termed the chiropractic adjustment. This is a safe, gentle therapy for improving neck pain. Chiropractic adjustments can bring significant neck pain relief for most patients.

No medications or surgery is needed when chiropractic care is utilized for neck pain relief. This conservative approach is preferred by many patients as it specifically corrects the cause of the problem and patients appreciate this natural, holistic form of healthcare.

Visit here to learn more about  pain relief. See this site for information about a pain relief chiropractor near me.

I recently had a patient say: “I’m surprised my back feels better even though I have arthritis.”

I had been seeing her for a few weeks, providing chiropractic treatment for her sore lower back. She had a long history of lower back pain and had been diagnosed with lower back arthritis and assumed she’d have to live with the pain. Another of my patients, who was her friend, referred her to me, hoping that chiropractic care might be of some help. This article will discuss lower back pain relief with chiropractic care, even if arthritis of the back is present.

When we talk of arthritis of the spine, it is not much different than arthritis of other areas of the body. For instance, if someone has arthritis over their knuckle joints, we would expect there to be some bone on bone degeneration of the joint spaces. The knuckles would also be enlarged because of bone spurs. If we look at an x-ray of an arthritic spine, we also see narrowing and degeneration of the disk space between vertebrae and bone spurs.

A person having back pain might be led to believe that their pain is being caused by the arthritis. However, most lower back pain is mechanical in origin. This simply means that if the vertebrae of the spine are out of alignment, causing irritation to the nerves and spinal joints it will create back discomfort.

This is what was happening with my patient. Her x-rays showed spinal degenerative arthritis. However, her initial chiropractic evaluation with me revealed mechanical misalignment and improperly moving lower back spinal vertebrae which was the cause of her pain.

Helping her with back pain relief was simply a matter of providing safe and effective chiropractic adjustments to correct her misalignments and allow her body to heal. She only needed a couple treatments a week for a few weeks to see marked improvement.

Chiropractors are the preeminent healthcare providers, when it comes to relieving spinal neck pain and pain of the lower spine. Chiropractors are the only professionals trained to diagnose and treat physical, mechanical alignment problems of spine pain. Most patients who go to chiropractors find that having a chiropractic adjustment is a safe, pleasant experience because it relieves tightness and spasm of the muscles by correcting the deeper spinal misalignment. The number of treatments and visits a patient will required to attain relief of their neck and back spinal pain will depend on how long they’ve had the condition and its severity.

Visit here to learn more about  pain relief. See this site for information about a pain relief chiropractor near me.

I recently had a middle-aged woman come to my office for help with significant neck pain that she was experiencing. Her pain had been mildly bothering her for several years, but in the past three months, it had greatly worsened. She had an eight hours a day, five days per week computer/desk job. Her neck pain increased as the day went on and was particularly bad at the end of the work week. Her neck discomfort improved when she took ibuprofen three times a day, but that was beginning to irritate her stomach. This article will discuss how this patient’s neck pain was improved with chiropractic care.

I have seen many patients in my 38 years of chiropractic practice with similar complaints. Neck problems, like this patient’s, can develop gradually over many years, and then seemingly, suddenly deteriorate. In her case, prolonged poor posture from her desk job caused the spinal bones in her neck to become slightly misaligned. Spinal bones of the neck are called the cervical vertebrae. When the cervical vertebrae become malpositioned, they can pinch and irritate the spinal nerves of the neck. If these nerves are irritated the muscles of the upper shoulders and the neck can go into spasms and become very tight and quite uncomfortable.

Upon initially seeing her, we sat down and had a conversation detailing what she was feeling. Then we did an evaluation where we checked her spine’s alignment. X-rays were also taken to further identify misaligned vertebrae and pinched nerves and to rule out non-chiropractic conditions like cancer and fractures.

Once I definitively knew that her condition could be helped with chiropractic care I showed her a plastic model of a spine and exactly what was causing her problem. Since she had never been to a chiropractor before I fully explained what her treatment would entail before we did anything. Since she was comfortable with that, we started her treatment. I very gently started to perform safe, chiropractic manipulations to help her condition. We also used an electrical physical therapy machine that massaged her muscles. I gave her exercises she could do at home and made recommendations on how to improve her workspace and her posture.

Within a couple weeks of beginning care, her neck pain had significantly improved. In another week it had completely resolved she did not need to be seen anymore.  I told her she could come back anytime. She was especially happy that she had stopped taking ibuprofen and her stomach was feeling better as well.

See your McKnight Road chiropractor for neck and back pain relief. See this site for information about a pain relief chiropractor near me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! From the Pittsburgh North Hills chiropractic office of Dr. James J Schofield.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! From the Pittsburgh North Hills chiropractic office of Dr. James J Schofield.

Many people search for neck and back pain relief. They’ve tried medication’s, physical therapy massage, yoga and other remedies. Chiropractic care is an option they may have considered but have not taken the step to schedule a first visit. This article will give you information and an introduction about what happens on your first chiropractic visit for neck and back pain relief.

Initially, your chiropractor will take a complete history. Finding out the location of your pain, when it started and what caused it to begin are very important. Knowing how is it affecting your ability to work, take care of your house and yard, engage in recreational activities like walking and get adequate sleep and rest will help, so that you can regain these vital activities of daily living.

The next step Is to check you physically. Chiropractors are thoroughly trained to examine your neck and lower back for muscle spasm and swelling, poor and abnormal posture and misalignments of the spine and pelvis, which can cause pinched nerves.

X-rays may be taken to rule out non-chiropractic factors like fracture or cancer, but also to look for abnormal alignment, degeneration and arthritis. If MRI or CT scans have been taken, they can be obtained and viewed by the chiropractor.

Once the chiropractor has reviewed your history, checked you physically and studied your x-rays and other information he or she will put it all together and correlate it all. Then it can be determined if you have a condition that can be helped. If so, chiropractic treatment can begin.

Chiropractic care to realign malpositioned bones of the spine and pelvis is gentle, safe and effective. By following through on your chiropractor’s advice, you will find considerable relief of your neck and back pain and restoration of your normal activities.

See your McKnight Road chiropractor for neck and back pain relief. See this site for information about a pain relief chiropractor near me.

Pregnancy is a beautiful and joyful time in a woman’s life. However, with pregnancy also comes significant changes to the expecting mother’s body. One of these changes can be lower back pain associated with pregnancy. This article will discuss a safe, effective method for pregnant women to obtain lower back pain relief.

In pregnancy, a female’s body undergoes definite physiological, and anatomical changes to support the growing child. One of the most noticeable visual changes that occurs is the enlargement of the expecting woman’s abdomen, causing a weight shift that can put stress on the lower spine. If enough stress accumulates it can create lower back pain.

Additionally, increased weight of the growing baby creates widening of the pelvis and stress to the pelvic joints, which are known as the sacroiliac joints. Misalignment of the sacroiliac joints can also contribute to lower back pain.

When looking for lower back pain relief most women do not want to take medications. Instead, they would prefer a natural method to relieve back discomfort. Fortunately, this is where chiropractic care can be of help, giving pain relief to expecting mothers.

On the pregnant females first visit to a chiropractor a complete medical history will be taken and a physical examination will be performed to determine the cause of the lower back pain. The patient will receive an explanation of what is causing the back pain and what treatment can be given. If the patient agrees to undergo treatment, the chiropractor will perform gentle, safe chiropractic adjustments to realign the spinal and pelvic joints to help reduce the discomfort.

Chiropractors have been helping to provide natural lower back pain relief to pregnant females for over 100 years. Chiropractic care for expecting mothers can make a world of difference!

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

If we look at our spine from the front, ideally, the spine should be straight. If we look at our spine from the side, there should be three curves. If these curves are present, we have less chance for neck or low back pain. This article will discuss spinal curves and the prevention and relief of neck and low back pain.

As noted earlier, there are three curves of the spine when looking from the side. There is a forward curve in the neck area, which is called the cervical spine. There is a backward curve of the mid back, which is called the thoracic spine. And finally, there is another forward curve of the lower back, which is our lumbar spine. Collectively, these are called the lateral curvature of the spine.

These three curves act as a shock absorber or cushion for our spine. Historically, we as humans, have been creatures that move around walking, carrying and bending to perform our daily tasks. This movement and natural, normal exercise help to maintain the curves of our spine,

keeping us free of back and neck pain.

In our society today, however, there are three defiler’s that can cause a loss of our normal spinal curves. These are trauma, such as whiplash auto accidents. Poor posture from sitting in school classrooms and at desk and computer jobs. And finally, from lack of movement, especially walking. All these lead to neck, pain and low back pain.

The solution to correcting these ills is three-fold. First, seek chiropractic care to correct misalignments of the spine. Chiropractors are the preeminent spine-care specialists in providing safe, gentle, effective neck and lower back pain relief. Next, understand that human beings are not made to sit for long periods of time. Taking standing and walking breaks and using an upright desk must be employed to counteract the effects of sitting. Finally, walking to optimally exercise the muscles surrounding the spine and gently introduce movement to the spinal joints and discs should be undertaken to enhance proper spinal curvature.

Proper lateral curvature of the spine is important to prevent and gain relief of neck and lower back pain. Achieving normal curves of the spine is relatively simple and easy, and like all beneficial aspects of life, need to be performed continuously and harmoniously.

See your McKnight Road chiropractor for neck and back pain relief. See this site for information about a pain relief chiropractor near me.

Many people incorporate exercise into their daily routine to obtain physical and mental benefits. While this is an admirable activity, others are not inclined to have structured routines of exercise in their daily life. This article will discuss the benefits of movement, versus exercise, and how this can be a benefit for those suffering from back and neck pain.

Let’s start with defining exercise. Exercise describes a structured activity, where a person aims to lose weight, burn calories, and build muscle. On the other hand, movement is more spontaneous and focuses on activity that feels enjoyable.

Examples of exercise would be going to the gym to lift weights, getting up in the morning and going jogging or going to the cross-training facility for regular workouts. For many this routine works well and keeps them on a regular program which they enjoy and helps them stay in shape.

For others, this type of planned, structured activity would not only be impossible due to hectic lifestyles but would be akin to misery and lead to burn out. Irregularities in their lives would not allow them to commit to regular exercise and might even provoke feelings of guilt, and shame should they not complete regular programs of exercise.

Another approach would be to permit impromptu activities of movement into our day. Examples of movement are going for a walk of any type and duration at any time. For some it might be taking an hour walk on a trail in the woods daily. For another who is an office worker, taking several 10-minute walks around the parking lot of the office building where they work would be not only sufficient but excellent.

Anyone who knows me will confirm that my favorite exercise is walking. Walking with good, upright, erect posture, while swinging the arms is what human beings have done for millennia, and what we are designed for. My experience in helping patients gain neck and lower back pain relief has led me to discover that walking is tremendously beneficial. I’ve come to learn that my patients who are lifetime walkers are the healthiest overall, especially well into their later years.

If you are a regular exerciser congratulations, keep it up! If you are one who engages in spontaneous but consistent movement congratulations also and keep it up too Neither way is perfectly right for every person. The key is to utilize what works best for you and keeps you healthy.

See your McKnight Road chiropractor for neck and back pain relief. See this site for information about a pain relief chiropractor near me.