Low Back and Leg Pain at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

It is interesting to note how many patients don’t put two and two together and realize that their history of knee and/or hip area pain may be related to their low back pain. Simply, when you see low back pain with either concurrent or previous pain in the legs, hips, knees, feet, or ankles you should suspect that the cause of the problem is in the feet.

The feet are the foundation for the rest of the body. The legs, spine, and head all rest upon the foundation the feet have established. Plenty of problems can occur if that foundation is not solid and level.

Do you have low back and leg pain? Stop taking drugs to cover up the pain and get a proper examination to determine if your feet are the cause of your agony.

Exercise and Stopping Pain at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

In a typical chiropractic or physical therapy office it is common to hear a patient say, “I’d love to exercise but it hurts!”

People exercise, or at least say they want to, for any number of reasons. Maybe they want to lose weight. Or maybe they want to “get in shape” so they can enjoy that long awaited vacation. They could even be in midst of realizing that “motion is life” and if they do not begin to get their body moving they are on the fast track to rapid aging and disability.

Often the pain they experience when attempting to exercise emanates from their arthritic knees, hips, or spine. These arthritic joints have simply worn out before their time because of excess wear and tear. That’s the bad news. The good news is that much can be done to restore proper motion to those damaged joints to return them to full functioning.

A comprehensive treatment plan that includes evaluation and correction of the feet (the feet usually cause knee, hip, and spinal arthritis to begin and worsen) combined with chiropractic care, physical therapy modalities, slowly strengthening weak muscles, gently stretching “tight” muscles, and embarking on a gradual but progressive walking program can greatly improve your ability to walk and exercise.

Upper Leg Pain in Young Athletes and Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Upper leg pain in young athletes is not as uncommon as you would imagine and such pain should be investigated immediately by a properly trained doctor.

The danger in delaying a proper diagnosis is that serious conditions such as ischemic necrosis (death of the bone and growth plate in young people) as well as a slipped femoral capital epiphysis (a displaced growth plate in the hip joint area) must be ruled out. If such a condition is discovered after a proper examination then appropriate measures must be taken as soon as possible to avoid long term injury with the potential for disability.

If these problems have been ruled out with X-ray examination then the most likely cause of upper leg pain in young athletes involves problems with flat feet (as determined by foot scan and not your naked eye) along with knee, hip, and pelvic misalignment.  To be able to properly diagnose the cause of upper leg pain in young athletes takes a doctor with extensive experience in this aspect of health care.

At Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy the doctors are well schooled in treating as well as preventing athletic injuries.  Few people consider that chronic injuries may be caused by a correctable problem. An example of this type of situation is chronically sprained ankles or knees that may be caused by the same foot problems we discussed above. So, see a doctor that knows how to treat or prevent athletic injuries and enjoy your sports instead of always being in pain.

Activator Methods at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Activator Methods chiropractic technique is painless in most cases and can be used on everyone from newborn infants to elderly adults.  It is the most thoroughly researched chiropractic technique in the world.

This revolutionary chiropractic technique was developed in the 1960s and has grown to be the most widely used and researched “low-force” technique available.  Of course, there are many other techniques available at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy including “old fashioned” diversified chiropractic technique but Activator is one of the most popular.

An adjustment with an Activator Methods instrument delivers a very fast yet delicate thrust to correct spinal joint dysfunction. With such a fast and delicate adjustment your muscles do not have time to tighten thus allowing a very comfortable adjustment to restore your health. Everything from foot and ankle pain to headaches responds well to Activator Methods chiropractic adjustments.

So, if you or anyone you know has been avoiding the chiropractic care you want and deserve because of an unfounded fear now you know there is a gentle and painless technique available to meet your needs.

When your Head Aches and Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

When your head aches you are miserable. 

One of the first things you must realize is that it is not normal for your head to ache. That doesn’t mean having a headache every six months is OK because it is so infrequent. It means that something is wrong because you should never have your head ache. If you suffer from this malady with even one headache per year you should seek help from your Doctor of Chiropractic.

Why seek chiropractic care?

You want to seek chiropractic care because it has been shown to be effective in relieving headache pain in approximately 80% of migraine headache sufferers. 

Why take pain medication if it is unnecessary and you can correct the problem causing your head to ache? Doesn’t it make sense to correct the problem instead of only covering up the pain with pain medication? Yes, it does make sense to avoid needless medication because medications can affect your kidneys and liver leading to serious health consequences and other unwanted side effects.  

If your head aches and you want to see if chiropractic can help you, call and request a free courtesy consultation so the doctor can sit face-to-face and discuss your situation with you. If you suffer another day with headaches it is only because you failed to act now.  

Life Force at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Your body is fascinating in that it is in constant motion, even when you are resting. Your heart is constantly beating, you are constantly breathing, your blood is constantly flowing, and your guts are constantly digesting. There are always cells dying and cells being created to replace them. 

Health can be defined as your body being able to replace the lost cells normally and consistently every time a cell is replaced.  So many cells are replaced that your body is basically a new structure every year even though you look the same.  You look the same because healthy cells are replaced very consistently time after time after time.

An unhealthy body cannot replace dying or damaged cells with a new cell that is exactly the same as the one it is replacing. When it becomes evident that cells have changed it is known as cancer.  That is definitely unhealthy.

All cells of your body must be controlled by a life force to perform these vital functions. Doctors of Chiropractic call this life force “innate intelligence.”

Innate intelligence flows from the brain to all your cells as well as all the organs and systems functioning within your body.  If innate intelligence surges uninterrupted from your brain to your cells you stay healthy. When it does not flow smoothly you become unhealthy.

What can interfere with the smooth flow of innate intelligence, the life force, throughout your body?

Subluxations in your spine can interfere with the flow of innate intelligence impeding your life force.  Your Doctor of Chiropractic can find and correct subluxations allowing innate intelligence to flow unimpeded throughout your body thereby helping you to stay healthy.

And who doesn’t want to stay healthy?

Spinal Degeneration and Osteoarthritis at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Degeneration and osteoarthritis are the same condition under two different names. Regardless of what you call it the process involves the joint wearing out and the results are the same: pain, stiffness, and an inability to function normally. Spinal degeneration is not fun.

The bad news is that many of the people who suffer from spinal degeneration could have prevented its occurrence. The good news is they can still reduce the pain and suffering associated with it.

How can degeneration of joints be prevented?

To fully understand how joint degeneration can be prevented you must understand how it begins. Degeneration begins from acute trauma which causes damage to the joint or from micro-trauma (many small traumas) over a long period of time.  Micro-trauma does not hurt so you may not know it is occurring with the most common cause of micro-trauma coming from what Doctors of Chiropractic call “subluxations.”

Examples of acute trauma are a knee injury (commonly from sports) or falls that injure the joints with the low back often involved in these types of injuries. An auto collision can cause such damage to joints in your neck or back. A traumatic injury is made worse by the repeated micro-trauma occurring as that injured joint is used in everyday activities over the years.  

That’s why it is dangerous to ignore even minor pain in the mistaken notion that “it will go away.” Pain is only an overt symptom of the degenerative process and often goes away… but the degenerative process continues and will result in permanent pain and disability if the cause is not corrected.

Pain from injuries may disappear in a short period of time but the damage to the joint has been done and degeneration will occur later unless corrective care is taken by a qualified doctor (usually a Doctor of Chiropractic who specializes in preventive care). 

Prevention takes place when you have your spine regularly checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic. Remember, you may not be in pain but you should have your spine checked anyway so the doctor can determine if subluxation (a lack of proper joint motion) is taking place and causing micro-trauma that can lead to degeneration. 

What is micro-trauma?

Micro-trauma is the small, repeated injuries that occur many times a day that eventually cause a joint to wear out. Micro-trauma can be from something as simple as your knees, hips, or spine being out of alignment.  By aligning your spine, hips, and knees your Doctor of Chiropractic is able to stop or at least slow down the rate of degeneration in these areas by establishing smoother movement in your joints.

Much can be done to alleviate the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis (or spinal degeneration, if you prefer to use that term) but it is up to you to seek the help from qualified professionals who understand this problem and can provide the care you want and deserve.