Chiropractic Care For Kids
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: Pediatric chiropractic is something that often surprises patients. Some patients who grew up going to the chiropractor think that it is perfectly normal to bring their infants and young children in for regular care. Other patients wonder why someone so young needs treatment.
Newborns and young children can have a variety of issues that require chiropractic care. Some newborns are seen as a result of a birth trauma. A prolonged delivery or the use of forceps to extract the child may result in a torticollis or wry neck. Some parents just want to make sure that their child’s spine is aligned correctly without any joint adhesions or restrictions.
As the children grow older, patients find that they notice that they have a stronger immune system. They realize that they don’t get earaches as often…if at all. Their breathing issues, such as asthma, lessen. Their digestion improves.
Since a lot of childhood health issues lessen or are alleviated with chiropractic care, the children require less medication. Since the body is not being subjected to repeated cycles of medication such as antibiotics, when the child is prescribed medication…it works better.
If you are looking for a natural, drug-free form of healthcare to boost the quality of your child’s health, then chiropractic is your answer. While chiropractic will not alleviate all childhood illnesses, when a doctor of chiropractic works with an open-minded pediatrician, you will find that your child will miss less school, be healthier, and able to reach their maximum potential.
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 Weather Patterns Worsen Your Pain
Houston Chiropractor Comments: In the fall and winter, when weather changes quickly and often in Texas, patients ask if it is true that weather causes joint pain. It is not an old wives’ tale, it is true.
People with arthritis and joint conditions can tell you when the weather is going to change. They will tell you that they feel it in their bones. Cold and damp weather can aggravate joint pain, especially in people with arthritic disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, osteoarthritis, or even post-traumatic arthritis.
The main reason for this seems to be a dropping of the barometric pressure. This decreasing pressure allows the tissues in the body to swell. This can irritate your joints. This pain is felt even more if the change in pressure is very rapid, such as when a rain or cold front blows in rapidly.
A cold front will worsen the symptoms due to a constricting of the blood vessels and reduced blood flow.
To help minimize this weather induced pain, there are a few things that you can do.
First, receive regular chiropractic care and stretch. This will help decrease the pressure on the joints and make sure that the muscles are pulling evenly. Second, stay warm. Dress warmly and if needed, warm up your car before driving. Minimize your joint swelling by wearing compression gloves and stockings and use ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatory medications. Finally, stay active. Remember that movement is medicine. This will keep the synovial fluid moving in your joints.
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 During Pregnancy
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: One of the great pleasures of being a chiropractor is being able to help our pregnant patients enjoy their pregnancy with a minimum amount of discomfort, medication, and bed rest.
Patients are surprised when their OB/GYN refer them to our office to help minimize their discomfort and hoping to prevent the need of bed rest. Some future moms are referred by their midwife or even a friend or family member that enjoyed the benefit of our care.
As long as there is not a history of vaginal bleeding for unknown reasons, preeclampsia, or at risk of premature labor, then the pregnant mom is eligible for chiropractic care at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic.
People always ask me if chiropractic care safe during pregnancy. Not only is it safe to go to a chiropractor during pregnancy, but seeing a chiropractor after pregnancy is also safe. Because of the changes your body goes through during birth – your pelvis’ biomechanics change – it can cause discomfort after birth when you are walking, nursing, or sleeping
The most common reason for being seen at our office while pregnant is low back pain. As the infant continues to grow, the mom begins to gain weight in her lower abdomen. This weight gain, along with a stretching of the abdominal muscles, tends to cause the pelvis to tilt forward producing lumbosacral discomfort. This is magnified in the third trimester when the pelvic ligaments begin to loosen. This makes the mom feel like the pelvis is unstable or loose. Sometimes the future mother will even feel the bones moving back and forth in the symphysis pubis or sacroiliac joints.
The second most common reason for treatment is sciatica. This complaint is magnified by the inability of the moms to take medication other than Tylenol. Chiropractic medicine has been shown to produce excellent results with the treatment of sciatica. In our Houston, TX office we have several types of non-invasive treatments to help treat the sciatic pain and show the pregnant mother how to minimize or prevent it from occurring again in the future.
The third most common reason is when the baby is in a breech position. At our Clear Lake City office, we do not attempt to turn the baby. We work on the pelvic ligaments and adjust the spine to create space that will allow the baby to turn freely into the optimal position on their own.
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 Chiropractor’s Effect On Emotional Health
Houston Chiropractor Comments: An aspect of chiropractic care that most people do not expect is the effect that we can have on a patient’s emotional health. The effect is similar to what some people feel when they get a massage, the emotions just come out. It can be very cathartic for the patient.
When I was an intern during my chiropractic training, several of us noted that a patient would start laughing or crying after we worked on a muscle or performed a chiropractic adjustment on them. This because some patients tend to store their stress and tension in specific muscles or areas of the spine.
Over time I have noticed that if a specific injury keeps someone from doing the things they like, that area has a greater probability of storing emotional trauma. Patients that have had a chronic joint problem that caused them to stop playing their favorite sport will sometimes have an emotional release when they are finally able to move their joint and return to the sport that they love. One of the more common areas is when people have repeatedly twisted their ankle. When we can restore their joint range of motion or breakup the scar tissue in their ankle or calf muscles the tears of joy are very rewarding.
The most extreme emotions I have noticed are from patients that have been taking care of a loved one for months or years. They have so much stress and tension built up in their body that when it is finally released the emotions just flow out. This is another part of the healing process, but most people do not like to talk about.
Not only does the chiropractic adjustment help increase the joints range of motion, it can help reduce the tension in the muscle, and allow endorphins to be released to aid in the complete healing of the patient.
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 Chiropractors Really Crack Your Neck?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: This question, or something similar, is one of the most common questions that I get as a doctor of chiropractic (DC). Unfortunately, most people have no idea what a chiropractic adjustment is like, what is happening to the body, or what is causing the noise (or not causing the noise).
Especially recently, people are watching online videos with the emphasis on the “popping” noise. People tend to think that every adjustment will sound like a board breaking.
Some people are even convinced that I could actually break their neck like they see in the movies.
Some of the techniques that chiropractors use, such as activator or spinal decompression, do not even cause a noise to be made.
An overview of what a chiropractic adjustment is can be found here. What is a Chiropractic Adjustment? (beecherchiropractic.com)
The use of the terms “popping or cracking” is only used to describe the sound that may or may not occur after an adjustment. If you do not want to hear the noise, just ask your chiropractor to use a technique that does not cause the cavitation.
Also, make sure that any spinal adjustment that you receive is from a trained doctor of chiropractic and not another healthcare provider that has not received the proper training. Some providers, such as MD’s and PT’s, think that since it looks easy to perform a spinal adjustment, they can also adjust their own patients. Unfortunately for the patient, they soon find out that the provider cannot in fact perform a chiropractic adjustment correctly.
The risks from receiving a neck adjustment from a chiropractor are minimal, as reflected by chiropractic malpractice rates. And no…we do not crack your neck.
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 Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
Houston Chiropractor Comments: Patients are usually surprised when they see pregnant women in my office receiving treatment. They usually want to know if it possible to hurt the baby or what benefit could it be for the mother.
Chiropractic care during pregnancy is safe for both mother and child!
The main reason that pregnant women choose to see me is either a friend, their midwife or their obstetrician told them that we could help with their back pain. Chiropractic helps to reduce lower back, neck, and joint pain by gently adjusting the bones back to their natural position. As the pregnancy progresses, two main things happen that lead to an increase in pain and discomfort. The new mother puts on weight and the ligaments gradually increase in laxity. The adjustments help to ease the pressure on the joints and allow the supporting muscles to relax.
By keeping the spine and pelvic joints in the proper positions most women have a reduced time of labor and delivery. They also typically have a reduced need for pain medication during delivery and thru their pregnancy.
Chiropractic care has also been shown to help with breach babies. There are chiropractic techniques that can be performed to help turn the infant into the proper position. This helps to prevent the possible need for a C-section.
Finally, women who receive chiropractic care during their pregnancy have been shown to have a faster recovery time after delivery.
I have been blessed to help many pregnant women during my 33 years of practice. It is always a joy to help them on their journey to motherhood.
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 Can Help You Reach Your Health Goals in 2022
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: This time of the year people set their personal goals for the new year. Some of those goals involve your health. These can be general goals like sleeping more, losing weight or doing something to reduce pain and stiffness.
Including regular chiropractic care in to your routine can help you reach those goals.
The purpose of chiropractic is to properly align your spine by removing any joint irritation and inflammation. The vertebrae or joints get out of alignment while exercising, sitting at a work station, or poor posture and sleep habits. These joint misalignments cause irritation of the joints, inflammation of the supporting muscles, and a decrease in joint flexibility/mobility.
Regular chiropractic care can help maintain proper joint alignment to reduce the inflammation and irritation. Your chiropractor can show you proper stretching techniques to help maintain your flexibility. As you feel better, it becomes easier to exercise and lose weight. The exercise will also help you to sleep better.
If you have any questions on how to make 2022 better than 2021, please contact me.
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 for Sciatica
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: Sciatica is when the sciatic nerve becomes irritated, causing pain to radiate from the lower back, through the buttocks, and down the leg. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It starts at the lower portion of the spinal cord, passes deep in the buttocks, runs down the back of the thigh before dividing above the knee joint.
Sciatica can be caused by several things. It can be from stress, depression or negative emotions which deprive the nerves of oxygen leading to pain, weakness or tingling. Carrying extra weight or bad posture can pull and irritate the sciatic nerve. A herniated disc or a vertebra being misaligned can also irritate the nerve as well as a spinal tumor.
It is important that you get a proper diagnosis from a doctor that treats sciatica regularly. Some health providers who don’t regularly treat back and nerve complaints incorrectly call all pain that radiates into the leg, sciatica. This leads to a mis-diagnosis and a delay in the proper treatment and pain relief.
After the cause of the sciatica is determined, then the correct treatment can begin. The majority of the cases respond well to chiropractic spinal manipulation, physical therapy, and lifestyle changes. A few of the cases will need to be co managed by a medical doctor.
The purpose of the spinal manipulation is to move the vertebrae or pelvis so that they allow the muscles to relax and remove the irritation to the nerve. It is important to know which vertebrae specifically needs to be adjusted. It is also important to know which vertebrae should be left alone.
Certain types of physical therapy work better for sciatica than others. It is important to know when to perform passive therapies and when active therapies or exercises should be included. Ice and heat are 2 types of therapy to be used, but it is important to know when to use each. Typically, if you can point to a specific area that hurts or is painful you will use ice for 20 minutes. If a large region is achy, but not painful, you will use heat for 20 minutes.
Lifestyle changes would include things like what position you sleep in, is your chair straight up or leaning slightly back, how you lift objects and others.
If the sciatica does not show a reduction in pain by at least 50% in 2 weeks, then ordering an MRI or a referral for medication from a medical doctor would be appropriate.
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!
Ice or Heat?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: A common question that I get is “When do I use ice and when do I use heat?” Most people have been told to use ice for the first 24, 48, or 72 hours and then to switch to heat from their coach or parent. This works for simple sports injuries, but isn’t always the best for every situation.
First, you need to know WHY you are using the ice or heat to begin with.
Ice is good for when there is swelling or inflammation from an injury or aggravation. The vasoconstriction from the ice will help reduce the fluid in an area and help to prevent swelling of the affected area. Don’t use ice for more than 20 minutes as it can injure areas with poor circulation and cause tissue damage.
Heat brings more blood to an area which helps to relax the muscles, reduce joint stiffness, and ease muscle spasms. This is good for sore and achy muscles. Don’t use heat on an open wound or cut as it can cause more bleeding.
An easy way to remember which one to use is “If you can point to a specific area and it is painful, then use ice. If you can’t find a specific area that is painful, but an area is sore and achy, use heat.”
If you are in doubt, use ice. 😉
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 During Pregnancy
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: When a woman is pregnant, it is one of the happiest times of her life. She thinking of all the things that she can do to help the child reach its maximum potential. She eats better, she sleeps more, she takes her vitamins and she exercises. She also worries about how the baby will change her body and will she have much pain during her pregnancy.
I get asked regularly by patients if they will be able to continue their chiropractic care when they get pregnant. I also get asked if chiropractic care can help their pregnant spouse or friend. The answer to both is YES!
Chiropractic care has been found to be safe and beneficial for the mother (and father 😊) throughout the entire pregnancy. Regular chiropractic care will help to manage pain in your back, hips, and joints. It also helps to balance the pelvis to provide the baby with as much space as possible.
The frequency of the chiropractic visits will change as the pregnancy progresses. The first trimester is usually once a month with the new mom doing stretches and exercises to help the body adapt to the future changes. Frequency will increase as the child grows and the new mother’s body changes. During the final month it is not uncommon for the new mom to be seen once a week.
The only time to avoid chiropractic care during pregnancy is if you have vaginal bleeding, placenta previa or placenta abruption, ectopic pregnancy or moderate to severe toxemia.
After you have given birth, it is recommended to get your pelvis adjusted again. This will help to correct any misalignments that might have occurred during labor.
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!
