Benefits of Chiropractic Maintenance Care
Houston Chiropractor Comments: A common question that I get from patients after they complete their scheduled treatments for their injuries or complaints, is “What can I do to help prevent this from happening again?”
They have gone from having pain or limitations and now feel good. They are now looking for ways to make sure that they maintain all the gains that they received.
This is where maintenance care comes into the picture.
Chiropractic maintenance care comes in a couple of different ways.
The first part is doing specific stretches and exercises. While patients are under active care, we show specific stretches and exercises to help stabilize their problem areas. After patients are discharged from active care, we recommend a series of specific exercises and stretches to address other areas of weakness. This helps to allow the body to operate at its maximum potential.
The second aspect of maintenance is making sure that the patient is getting the proper rest and nutrition. The body needs the correct nutrition and opportunity to rebuild healthier than before.
The final aspect of maintenance care is finding a schedule of spinal adjustments to make sure that your body is staying in the optimal alignment. This will depend on a variety of different factors, including the patient’s overall health, lifestyle habits, and specific concerns.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!chiroprac
10 Benefits of Prenatal Chiropractic Care
Houston Chiropractor Comments: During the journey of pregnancy, the body undergoes many changes to help accommodate a growing baby and prepare for delivery. For some women, this can mean pain and discomfort. Chiropractic care during pregnancy doesn’t just benefit women who are experiencing pain. Prenatal chiropractic care is for all pregnant women looking for prenatal and postnatal benefits.
Here are 10 benefits of prenatal chiropractic care:
1. Relief From Back Pain
Back pain is one of the most common complaints among pregnant women. Back pain is often caused by the loosening of joints and ligaments in preparation for delivery. Routine adjustments throughout pregnancy can help to relieve pain or injury caused by spinal instability, or loosened ligaments and joints.
2. Nausea Reduction
Some women who are plagued by extreme “morning sickness” and nausea during pregnancy can benefit greatly from chiropractic care. While some medications or diet changes can help to reduce nausea for some, a more holistic and complete option can be more effective or used as a complementary treatment. Chiropractors address nausea and vomiting by focusing on spinal realignment that helps to improve nervous system function for hormonal balance. Additionally, adjustments can help to improve digestive issues that are causing everything from nausea to constipation during pregnancy.
3. Improved Pelvic Balance
This one is important for mothers who are concerned about their babies staying in the breech position ahead of labor. There’s evidence that chiropractic care during pregnancy assists with maintaining pelvic balance that helps babies move more freely into the right pre-birth position. In one study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, chiropractors reported a success rate of 82 percent using the Webster Technique.
4. A Smoother, More Controlled Delivery
Many women who continue with chiropractic care throughout their pregnancies find that the birthing process is simply easier. We can attribute this to the way regular adjustments help to keep the hips, pelvis and spine in proper alignment. Additionally, properly functioning nerves may help women to control contractions more easily.
5. Injury Avoidance
Prenatal chiropractic care helps expectant mothers to stay flexible. This can help to reduce stress injuries that can occur as women adapt to their changing bodies. Let chiropractic care help you move in harmony with your changing body.
6. Posture Support
It’s important for pregnant women to avoid the “arching” of the back that commonly happens during pregnancy because this can lead to long-term back pain and injury. With chiropractic guidance, you’ll learn techniques for keeping a straight back.
7. Better Sleep
Improper sleep posture can lead to restlessness and pain during pregnancy. Unfortunately, that means that many women get less sleep during a time when they need it the most. With guidance from a prenatal chiropractor, pregnant women can learn techniques for good sleep posture.
8. A Healthier Pregnancy
For many women, chiropractic care’s benefits for reducing inflammation and supporting the immune system can lead to healthier pregnancies.
9. Faster Labor Recovery
Routine adjustments during pregnancy can put your body in a position to heal and bounce back quicker because you’re starting off with your body in proper balance.
10. Continued Wellness After Pregnancy
Women who seek chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy can continue to enjoy the benefits after delivery. Proper alignment can help new moms avoid injury when bending to lift a baby, holding a baby for long periods, pushing strollers and lifting car seats.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Can I Have Chiropractic Care After Back Surgery?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: I was recently talking to a patient, when they mentioned that they wished their brother could go to a chiropractor for his back pain. I found out that her brother had back surgery 5 years ago, and assumed that he could never get adjusted by a chiropractor again.
This, unfortunately, is a common misunderstanding of patients. People think that if they have ever had neck or back surgery, that they can not go to a doctor of chiropractic and get a spinal adjustment again.
The main thing to understand is it will depend on where and what type of spinal surgery you had to determine when and how can get adjusted again.
After practicing in the greater Houston area for 34 years, we have developed a great working relationship with several spinal surgeons. For a typical discectomy most surgeons will suggest that we wait 4-6 weeks before beginning chiropractic care. A spinal fusion will typically require waiting 4-9 months before receiving a chiropractic manipulation. If a patient received a spinal fusion cage or scoliosis rods, we do not adjust that specific area, but we can adjust the surrounding areas.
A recent study noted that 10% of patients receiving regular chiropractic treatment had at least one prior spinal surgery in the past. Patients With a History of Spine Surgery Receiving Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation in US Academic Health Centers: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study – PMC (nih.gov) As spine specialist, doctors of chiropractic are uniquely qualified to help with post-surgical rehabilitation and to help minimize a reoccurrence.
Chiropractic care after back surgery will help increase spinal motion, minimize joint adhesions, and help reduce any associated joint pain.
Just because you had neck or back surgery in the past, it does not mean that you cannot experience the pleasure of health by receiving chiropractic care now.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Do You Have To Keep Going To A Chiropractor After You Start?
Houston Chiropractor Comments: I was recently talking with someone when they told me that they wanted to start chiropractic care, but were worried that they would have to keep getting adjusted forever if they did.
Unfortunately, it was not the first time that I had heard that. Since only about 10 percent of the population goes to a doctor of chiropractic, there is a lot of misinformation about chiropractic care.
In my 35 years of being a doctor of chiropractic (DC), we have treated some patients one time and resolved their problem and we have some patients that come one time a month, and have done that for 30+ years.
In my Houston, Texas office we like to find out what is causing the patients’ complaint / pain, fix the problem with chiropractic care and exercises / stretches, and then leave it alone.
Most of the time, this works well. The patients’ complaints are alleviated and they are given stretches and exercises to help prevent a reoccurrence. Think of it like going to a dentist and he fixes a cavity and then tells you to brush and floss to prevent future cavities.
Some patients do well with their home-care program, but eventually life gets busy and they stop doing their stretches and exercises. Since they are usually still doing the same activities…the problems that had resolved, return. The patients have these exacerbations periodically until they make their home-care, part of their daily routine.
Finally, some patients find that the quality of their life is improved with regular chiropractic care. They find that they need less medication, visit other doctors less frequently, and generally have more energy. For these patients, it is like having a tune-up so that they can enjoy life to the fullest.
You do not have to get chiropractic care forever, but you might just find that you want to have regular chiropractic care and experience the pleasure of health.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Are Chiropractic Adjustments Painful?
Houston Chiropractor Comments: Every month, at least 10 – 12 new patients ask me if their chiropractic adjustments will hurt. For most people, it is the fear of the unknown. They have never been to a chiropractor, so they have no idea what to expect. Some have been referred in by a doctor, friend, or co-worker, but even if they are told it is safe, they ask me if it will be painful.
Sometimes I will joke that it will not hurt me at all … and then smile. Patients want reassurance that the treatment will not hurt more than the pain that brought them to our Houston Texas office.
If an adjustment is performed correctly, it should not be painful. Sometimes if there is a serious injury with a lot of swelling and muscle spasms, there might be some soreness noted in the area around the injury.
The actual adjustment removes any restriction in the joint and allows more pain free movement. It also allows any irritation of the nerve to be reduced. These things help to reduce rather than cause pain.
Some patients hear the sound of a chiropractic adjustment and assume that it must cause pain. They think that the sound is two bones grinding together or breaking. In fact, it is just gas in the joint capsule typically. Here is a video explaining the noise that you may hear after an adjustment. Beecher Chiropractic – What is that Chiropractic Noise? (youtube.com)
In summary, typically there is no pain from a properly performed chiropractic adjustment. If you do have any discomfort after an adjustment, it will typically be minimal, such as you might feel after lifting weights or doing yard work. Finally, if you notice any increase in pain after an adjustment put ice on the painful area for 20 minutes and it should go away.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Benefits Of Walking
Houston Chiropractor Comments: If you have had lower back pain in the past, new research out of Australia has confirmed what we suspected. The study showed that if you have recovered from low back pain, then walking can help to prevent a reoccurrence.
The study mentions that walking allows a combination of gentle oscillatory movements, loading and strengthening the spinal muscles and structures, as well as relaxation, stress relief and the release of endorphins.
Over 800 million people around the world suffer from low back pain. In 7 out of 10 cases, the pain will alleviate only to return in the future.
Most chiropractors and other doctors will recommend stretching and exercising to help prevent, or at least minimize, a reoccurrence. Walking is a low cost, and widely accessible form of exercise regardless of age, socio-economic status, or geographic location.
The study, recently posted in The Lancet, showed that walking almost doubled the length of time before a reoccurrence. In addition, the study group reported missing work only half as frequently. Additional benefits were an increase in bone density, cardiovascular health, weight loss, and improved mental health.
As we say at Beecher Chiropractic, movement is medicine.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Chiropractic Care of Motorcycle Injuries
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: As the weather warms up here in the Houston, Texas area, more people begin to start riding their motorcycles. Unfortunately, some vehicle drivers fail to notice the motorcycle traveling next to them and some motorcycle riders think that traffic laws do not apply to them.
That is when the accidents occur and injuries are the outcome.
Since motorcycle riders do not have the benefit of a solid object protecting them and do not have seatbelts to restrain their motion, they tend to acquire different injuries.
Motorcycle riders and passengers tend to have more abrasions, contusions, and broken / dislocated bones. It is important to properly document all the cuts and bruises to not only be able to address the injuries, but to document any scarring or impairments in the future. Patients who have slid on the pavement or gravel are often surprised when they find that some of it got under their skin and they notice it days or weeks later.
The injured rider’s body also tends to roll or flip over on the ground or pavement instead of being restrained in a vehicle and having a sudden acceleration / deceleration. This results in more global injuries to multiple areas instead of the focal injuries (neck and shoulder) typically seen in auto accidents.
Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) are uniquely qualified for this. Orthopedists MD) and physical therapists (PT) tend to only examine the areas that the patient complains of such as a shoulder or knee and they do not document other areas, such as the neck and back complaint, until after the other area has been surgically corrected or the therapy has finished. At Beecher Chiropractic Clinic in Clear Lake City, Texas we examine not only the area that you are complaining about, but evaluate the mechanism of injury and try to anticipate what other areas might have been injured. This way all your injuries are diagnosed and treated at the same time, if possible.
Hopefully you never get injured on your motorcycle, but if you do, we will be happy to get your injuries resolved as quickly as possible.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Manipulation vs. Mobilization
Houston Chiropractor Comments: I recently had a prior patient return for treatment of her low back pain. Her HMO doctor had referred her to physical therapy (PT) for treatment of her pain and she went there. She had asked to be referred to my Clear Lake City, TX office, but her GP stated that chiropractors and PT’s treat low back pain the same so he would not refer her to my office.
The visit at the physical therapy clinic started out the same as most clinics. She had an examination followed by some therapy. After the therapy was completed, she asked about getting her back adjusted.
That is when she found out about the difference between chiropractic manipulation or adjustments and PT mobilization.
A chiropractic manipulation is typically a high velocity end range technique. A PT mobilization typically takes a joint through their range of motion, but does not take the joint beyond its end range.
The chiropractic manipulation requires a lot more skill to deliver the correct treatment. It usually requires several thousand adjustments before a chiropractor can determine the exact amount of force and speed to manipulate patients of any age correctly.
The mobilization usually is slower in speed and does not go through the full joint range of motion. They typically consist of slow, rhythmical, oscillating techniques similar to stretching.
After 3 visits with the PT my patient had not seen any improvement, so she decided to pay out of pocket to see me. After the first chiropractic manipulation she had a 50% reduction in pain and it was completely relieved in 3 visits.
Both of these treatments have their place, but they are not the same and neither are the results.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Chiropractor Near Me
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: I am old enough to remember when new patients to my office were either referred by their friends, family member, or co-worker. Phonebooks were merely a way for people to look up your phone number without calling information.
That all changed in the early 1990’s. First, insurance companies started switching to managed care plans. With these plans, patients first looked to see if you were on their HMO or PPO list. Then they would see if you were near their home or work for convenience.
Next came the internet. Now patients could look up all the information about a provider or clinic. This made looking for a doctor easier. You could get all the information that you wanted (and some that you didn’t want) at the push of a button. As time progressed, you could read blogs about specific questions that you had or videos to see the correct way to stretch.
Now we have reached a time where people are choosing a doctor of chiropractic simply based off their Google or Yelp reviews or because they came up #1 on a search for “Chiropractor Near Me”.
It has been an interesting journey for sure. Luckily, we have blogs covering almost any topic and YouTube videos to show common stretches. We have also been blessed with wonderful patients who have written hundreds of reviews.
In addition, when you type “Chiropractor Near Me” and you live in Houston, Clear Lake, Webster, Friendswood, Pearland, Seabrook, or Pasadena, we come up at the top of the list. We are always ready to help you experience the pleasure of health.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
The Supplements That I Take
Houston Chiropractor Comments: I get asked frequently, “What supplements do you take?” I try to eat a healthy diet with a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, but I still take supplements to make sure that I receive all the nutrients that my body needs.
Multivitamin
The number one thing that I take is a general multivitamin. This will usually cover the minerals and essential vitamins that my body will require. This is beneficial since at times my diet may be lacking in one or more essential nutrients and this helps to support various bodily functions.
Probiotic
The second supplement that I take is a probiotic. This helps to promote a healthy balance of flora in your gut. This will aid in digestion, boost your immunity, and help to prevent gas and bloating.
Vitamin D
While some people get their vitamin D from sunshine, people working indoors or not spending time outside need to take a supplement to get their daily requirements. This will help with your bones, heart, mood, and immune system.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
This will commonly be called a fish oil supplement. This will aid in reducing inflammation in the body as well as helping with heart, brain, and joint health.
Supplements alone will not correct a poor diet. You should also eat a balanced diet, get regular exercise, and sleep, and periodically receive chiropractic care. Experience the pleasure of health.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
