Archive for chiropractic
Whether you see a chiropractor for “crisis” care or on a regular basis, you may have assumed that chiropractic treatment has always been included for the athletes participating in Olympic Games. But, sadly, that hasn’t been the case until now. Read on… For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, will include chiropractic care inside the Olympic Village Polyclinic, a multi-disciplinary facility that offers comprehensive health care and medical services. While doctors of chiropractic (D.C.s) have historically been included on the Olympic medical staff, the upcoming events mark the first time that D.C.’s from the host country will be treating athletes and officials from around the world directly inside the Polyclinic.
“This is an historic event not only for the chiropractic profession, but also the athletes who will now have access to the care that will help them prepare their bodies for competition,” states Michael Reed, D.C., MS, DACBSP, and Team USA Medical Director (USOC). “These athletes train hard and endure significant physical demands. Sports-focused D.C.s, along with other members of the sports medicine team, are specially skilled to assist them in reaching peak performance.”
Throughout the years, chiropractic has become a mainstay in the care of world-class athletes, leading to a growing number of D.C.s included in the Olympic Games. Countless athletes attribute the care they receive from their chiropractors — working along-side other health care professionals – as a key to properly preparing their bodies to perform optimally.
Dr. David Hoewisch, your Santa Clara Chiropractor, offers a number of chiropractic treatment plans that can be adaptable when caring for your musculoskeletal system, from working with distinct injuries to dealing with general health concerns. After thoroughly examining you, Dr. Hoewisch will inform you as to which solution would probably be the most helpful for you personally. He may supply you with several treatment programs from which you can select depending on your present health disabilities as well as your future health and fitness pursuits.
It might be interesting for you to have some understanding, ahead of time, about the different chiropractic treatment plans Dr. Hoewisch will probably recommend.
Relief Care is a type of chiropractic treatment plan proposed to individuals who are experiencing any kind of pain or physical distress, regardless of the cause of the condition. The aim of this therapy is to give a sufferer fast pain relief. The length of the treatment time frame is likely to vary as it depends solely on the scope of the injury or dysfunction suffered by the individual and how fast it can be remedied.
Corrective Care is often a “more advanced” form of chiropractic treatment. It is for those who have suffered from spinal issues over an extended period of time, i.e., for individuals who have a chronic problem that has evolved into a more complex issue as a consequence of not pursuing proper care in the first place. Restorative treatment often stretches over a longer time frame. How long care is necessary is based on the extent of the progressive impairment and how rapidly the individual responds to the treatment.
Maintenance Care, as the name indicates, is intended to maintain or support any type of therapy already administered to a patient. Oftentimes, chiropractic treatment is extended only after the initial treatments have proven to be efficacious. The goal of this type of chiropractic care is to reduce the potential of the initial dysfunction coming back and to prevent degenerative changes in the future.
Wellness Care is available to those that are not challenged by severe discomfort, but are looking to strengthen their overall health. Periodic chiropractic treatment enhances the movement of blood and oxygen in the body, improves muscle flexibility, helps prevent work and play injuries, and boosts an individual’s all round sense of well-being.
Regardless if you are presently in pain or you would like to enhance your overall health, chiropractic care can help. Call Dr. Hoewisch, your Chiropractor in Santa Clara, today!
What does the term, “vertigo,” mean? Vertigo is a medical term used to describe the dizzy sensation that someone suffers within a fixed environment. It is a sense that the outer world is tilting or spinning. The disturbance can be sudden and short-lived or chronic. Whether acute or chronic, however, the precise cause of vertigo should be diagnosed and the proper treatment undertaken.
There are a number of causes for the symptoms of Vertigo. An inner ear condition, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, can sometimes occur as the aftermath of a head injury or severe cold. Sometimes this particular vertigo can be a part of getting older. However, more often then not, the cause is unknown. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a wordy diagnosis, but it delineates perfectly this non-progressive condition that is generated by, as its name implies, a abrupt change in head position. The symptoms are generally unanticipated and unpredictable.
To get an idea of what brings about the often disabling symptoms of this type of vertigo, it is beneficial to examine the function of the inner ear. The inner ear contains fluid that permits the brain to sense movement and maintain balance. The inner ear also contains small calcium carbonate crystals, known as otoconia. These crystals will float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the sensitive nerve endings in the inner ear, they cause the symptoms of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.
If you suffer from BPPV, it is good for you to know that chiropractic treatment can get rid of the symptoms of BPPV fast and effectively using a technique known as the Epley maneuver. Through the use of this technique, your Santa Clara chiropractor moves the head of a BPPV sufferer into several different positions, allowing gravity to move the calcium carbonate crystals into an area of the inner ear that is away from the nerve endings where they won’t generate further dizziness.
Your chiropractor has assisted hundreds of people suffering from Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo using the Epley Maneuver technique. Often, with just one treatment the majority of patients no longer suffer from dizziness. Make an appointment with your Santa Clara chiropractor today!
Santa Clara Chiropractor: Are Extra Pounds Putting Your Joints on Overload?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat’s a few extra pounds? Over time, they can add up to a number of health challenges from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back and joint pain. Excess poundage puts unnecessary stress on organs, like the heart, and on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Over half (62 percent) of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a gigantic number and a big problem (no pun intended).
Excess weight, in the form of body fat, is hard on the structure of the human body. It was not designed for the added. Just an additional 20 or 30 pounds can literally overload the musculoskeletal system. For instance, in order to compensate (counterbalance) for weight in the belly, the pelvis tilts forward. This causes joints in the low back to compress. Joint compression constricts nerve function and creates painful inflammation. Weight-bearing stresses can cause a pinched sciatic nerve or create misalignments of the spinal column that impinge nerves. This is the reason that most overweight individuals suffer from low back pain. Misaligned vertebra can not only produce new arthritic changes in the spine, but can continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place over time.
Where does chiropractic care fit in? First of all, to be clear, a healthy body weight is a necessity in order for the musculoskeletal system to function optimally. That said, in addition, chiropractic treatment relieves nerve restrictions in the spine and helps to restore motion back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, like in the low back, hips, and knees. And, exercise and physical activity is a lot easier when the spine is in alignment and the joints have healthy mobility. Exercise will not only help with weight loss, but it can actually slow down degenerative changes as a person ages.
It is always a good plan to visit a healthcare professional, like your chiropractor, to discuss diet and exercise. Along with helping men and women suffering from back pain and joint inflammation due to arthritis, chiropractors offer expert advice on the type of lifestyle changes that can help a person to stay healthier and more active through the years. Arthritis and immobility do not have to be a foregone conclusion of aging. The human body was designed for a lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if you’ve been throwing your weight around and the result is back and joint pain, your chiropractor can help relieve your suffering. Make an appointment today!
Santa Clara Chiropractor: "No Pain, No Gain?" Not When It Comes to Aging
Posted by: | CommentsLet’s face it, there’s just no getting around the fact that as we age our body feels and acts differently than it did when we were younger. It just doesn’t seem fair that our body seems to become less “cooperative,” while our mind appears to improve and become more “inventive.” We’re stiff when we get out of bed; certain activities during the day make us sore at night; and, if we’re not truly careful, even something as simple as turning too fast or bending over to pick up a dropped pencil, can cause our back or some other muscle group to go into spasm. Fortunately, there is natural treatment accessible that can not only slow down the aging process of the body, but help us to avoid some of those problems altogether.
For instance, arthritis. In point of fact, with the exception of pharmaceuticals, allopathic medicine doesn’t take care of this age-related condition. Why? It is because most medical practitioners treat the symptoms of arthritis. The chiropractic method is to discover the cause of the condition and get rid of the pain at its source. For over a hundred years, chiropractors, like your Santa Clara Chiropractor, have been caring for people suffering from back pain and other conditions caused by arthritic changes in the musculoskeletal system.
Arthritic changes take place as your body ages because, over time, wear of certain joints takes place as the result of repetitive stresses, and years of poor gait, improper posture, and insufficient movement. Chiropractic treatment brings back motion into your joints and decreases pain, and it readjusts any vertebral misalignment that may be causing irritation and restriction. In addition to causing arthritic changes in the spine and increasing pain, did you know that misaligned vertebra can also lower your resistance and immunity? It’s an authoritative fact, and this could be one of the reasons why it may seem that as you age you develop more health issues and that it often takes longer for you to feel better again. According to research done on older individuals, those who received regular chiropractic care stayed healthier. To put it another way, as you get older, chiropractic adjustments are good for what ails you!
When it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractors are highly knowledgeable whether it’s the small, growing frame of an infant or the full-grown body of an aging adult. Your chiropractor understands the aging process and has singular observational and diagnostic skills that assist in locating spinal misalignments and joint degeneration. In fact, a chiropractic examination can frequently reveal certain age-related conditions before they’ve begun to create noticeable pain. Moreover, your Santa Clara Chiropractor can evaluate your posture and analyze your gait to identify inappropriate patterns that could generate further arthritic changes.
So, if feeling your age has become a painful experience, make an appointment with your Santa Clara Chiropractor today!
Knee X-ray
A new study conducted by Tufts University School of Medicine has determined that patients 65 years of age and over who’ve been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and who practice Tai Chi, enhanced their physical capability and encountered less pain. Osteoarthritis is a prevalent form of arthritis that causes a wearing away of joint cartilage. Chiropractors provide therapy for many men and women suffering from OA in a number of places in the body, including the knee joints. Second only to spinal problems, knee pain and disability is one of the most prevalent afflictions of the musculoskeletal system. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are an astounding 4.3 million people in this country over age 60 diagnosed with knee OA, and the CDC predicts that half of the people in America may suffer from symptoms of OA in at least one knee by age 85. Knee osteoarthritis results in pain, mobility limitations, dysfunction and disability, and a reduced quality of life.
Why do so many people develop OA? As with nearly all of the musculoskeletal dysfunctions that we develop as we age, undue stress to a joint over the years is a major element. That is why as people get older they are more susceptible to developing OA in their joints, including the knees. Incorrect function of the knee, poor gait, compensatory foot mechanics as the result of foot pain, and repetitive use of the knee joint all produce undue stress on the knees. Eventually arthritic changes in the knee joint occur. Most chiropractors suggest such natural, drug-free practices as Tai Chi, in combination with their chiropractic care. A traditional style of Chinese martial arts,Tai Chi features slow, rhythmic movements that generate mental relaxation, as well as increased balance, an augmentation of strength, and improved flexibility.
Though in good health otherwise, the 40 adults with confirmed OA that were selected for the Tufts study were, on average, 65 years of age and overweight. Patients were randomly picked to participate in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.
Tai Chi practice involves the kind of range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout that is consistent with contemporary exercise recommendations for osteoarthritis. As an added benefit, researchers observed that the “mental feature” of Tai Chi promoted a sense of well-being, life satisfaction, and impressions of health that helped the participants to deal differently with chronic pain. Compared with the control group, the group practicing Tai Chi exhibited a substantial decrease in knee pain.
Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
Your Santa Clara Chiropractor: You Don't Need to Suffer With the Pain of Sciatica
Posted by: | CommentsYour Santa Clara Chiropractor knows that sciatica is an intensely painful affliction. If you suffer from sciatic pain, you are, sadly, all too acquainted with the deep pain that shadows your waking hours and interferes with your daily activities.
The path of sciatic pain is normally 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. Sitting, as well as motion, can be painful. Occasionally lying down will lessen, or perhaps briefly eliminate, the pain. However, sciatica will not go away permanently without suitable care.
“Radiculopathy,” the medical term for the clinical diagnosis of sciatica, means simply that a disc has bulged from its normal position in the vertebral column and is causing pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. Such pressure is especially painful.
Increased pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encircling the spine, can occur during and after prolonged sitting, specifically in a poor position. For the most part, an explicit event or particular injury doesn’t produce sciatica, but rather it tends to manifest over time as a consequence of commonplace wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Over time the lower spine loses its capacity to function in a healthy way during everyday requirements.
The final result is that, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, which then lets the soft nucleus protrude the disc outward. If the disc presses on sensitive tissues, it generates the pain that is often referred to as a ruptured disc. If the disc puts pressure on the spinal nerve, an individual can develop sciatica.
Most disc challenges, including sciatica, can be eliminated with chiropractic adjustments and management that commonly includes postural exercises. If you are suffering from sciatic pain, it is essential for you to seek chiropractic attention.
Dr. David Hoewisch Asks: Do You Suffer From Tension Headaches or Migraines?
Posted by: | CommentsDr. David Hoewisch wants to help if you are sidelined by tension headaches or migraines. If you are, you are painfully aware of their disabling effects.
Tension headaches: Let’s face it, life can be a pain, on occasion, and result in a tension headache. Many people have been impacted by more than one. If you’ve had a tension headache, then you likely experience it as a dull, painful ache in your head that is sometimes accompanied by a sensation of tightness or pressure across your forehead or on the sides and back of your head. Sometimes, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and at times you may experience a loss of appetite.
Tension headaches are commonly characterized as mild to moderately intense. The severity of the pain varies from one headache to another in the same person, as well as from one individual to another Tension headaches can occur from time to time or you may have them nearly all the time. If your headaches occur fifteen or more days a month for at least three months, they’re diagnosed as chronic. If tension headaches are interferring with your life, chiropractic management may be the solution. Contact your chiropractor today.
Migraine Headaches: Migraine headaches differ from the typical tension-related headache. For instance, migraines generally take place on only one side of the head, according to the National Headache Foundation. They throb or pulsate and are accompanied by nausea or vomiting. One-fifth of migraine sufferers have auras, visual manifestions an hour before a migraine attack, and symptoms like pulsating light, lines or dots.
Do you experience the painful symptoms of migraines? If you do, you know the upsetting, incapacitating effects that this type of affliction can have on your life. The pain of a migraine headache can sideline you for hours, for days, for a lifetime, and typical over-the-counter medications are not only ineffective but, like prescription drugs, they all too frequently have dangerous side effects. It’s time to finally get rid of the pain and get your life back! chiropractic treatment has proved to be powerful in relieving and eliminating migraine headaches. Call Santa Clara chiropractor today!
Dr. Hoewisch: Chiropractic Treatment Can Eliminate Hip Pain
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Hoewisch wants you to know that chiropractic treatment can not only relieve hip pain, but often eliminate it completely. Do you experience pain in one or both hips whenever you twist them or when you cross your legs? Does the pain wake you up in the night and make it hard to get a good night’s sleep? When you get up in the morning, or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it initially difficult to move your legs? If any of these symptoms sound familiar, then it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that, in addition to generating hip pain, can eventually lead to degenerative joint disease in your hips if not treated.
Though hip pain and related problems regularly point to age-related degenerative conditions, particularly osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis isn’t always the “bad guy”. In fact, instead of causing the original problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the ultimate result of damage to your hips at a previous time.
Gait changes as the result of biomechanical problems such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can cause hip pain. Furthermore, your gait may vary to counterbalance new activities 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 imbalances can be caused by carrying a baby or small child on your hip, leg length discrepancies, or foot pronation problems. In other words, anything that creates an asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion can cause painful hip problems.
As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with adjustments, your chiropractor may suggest that you wear orthotics. Your chiropractor will also offer applicable progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.
Hip pain won’t vanish on its own. Hip pain means that something needs to be corrected. Get out of pain, get back in balance, and get your life back now!
Dr. David Hoewisch is a strong believer in pediatric chiropractic, as well as getting kids active, rather than TV or computer bound. Some kids are “naturally” active. But, at times, it can feel draining attempting to keep up with a five-year-old who is. In fact, if you have an active child of this age, or if you’ve ever been around one for any length of time, you may have found yourself longing for the kid to just stop moving for a little while. But, new research is affirming the long-term health benefits of this whirlwind of activity. In fact, according to a new University of Iowa study, instead of making an effort to slow these little ones down, five-year-olds ought be aided in being as active as possible. Why? “Because it pays off as they grow older,” said Kathleen Janz, lead author of the study and professor of health and sport studies in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Even if kids don’t stay as active later in childhood, being active at age five helps them to avoid excess fat as they get older. “We call this effect ‘banking’ because the kids benefit later on, similar to having a savings account at a bank. The protective effect is independent of what happens in between,” Janz went on to say.
The UI team tested the body fat and activity level of 333 kids at ages five, eight and eleven using a special scanner that accurately measures bone, fat and muscle tissue, and an accelerometer that measures movement every minute. Rather than counting on kids or parents to track minutes of exercise, the kids wore accelerometers to record their activity level for up to five days.
The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicates that kids who are active at age five end up with less fat at age eight and eleven, even when controlling for their accumulated level of activity. The average five-year-old in the study got thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. For every ten minutes on top of that, kids had one-third of a pound less fat tissue at ages eight and eleven.
Although further research is necessary to learn what happens to the active kids’ bodies that keeps them in better shape down the road, Janz said that it could be that the active 5-year-olds didn’t develop as many fat cells, improved their insulin response, or that something happened metabolically that offered some protection even as they became less active.
However, as exciting as this study is, weight moderation is not the only benefit of early exercise. As a chiropractor I have discovered in my own practice that active kids don’t have as many ordinary childhood health problems, like catching colds and the flu. chiropractic care is, without a doubt, exceptionally beneficial in helping kids to stay healthier. But, in addition, the stimulation to the brain that happens during activities, especially those that necessitate “cross pattern” motor movements of the larger muscles, i.e., right hand/left leg and left hand/right leg, such as crawling, running, climbing, and skipping, also boosts the autoimmune system and keeps kids healthier.
Too many children these days are overweight and unhealthy. Though part of the problem is an inappropriate diet, lack of exercise is also a major contributing factor. If you have a five-year-old who chooses to watch television or play video games rather than to participate in more active play, help your child to get up and get moving into healthier activities. Moderate to vigorous activity will not only benefit your child now, but will help to build a healthier future. You can bank on it!
