Back pain can cause a person to drastically change their entire way of living. This is especially true for the individuals who are accustomed to an active lifestyle. Here are some of the ways that a Dr. Lew and Dr. Ryan, our Ogden Chiropractors, can help to relieve your back pain.

Reduces the need to use pain medications

In an effort to bring some relief to their aching back, some people choose to use pain medications. While pain medications may provide temporarily comfort, they can cause a number of health problems in the long run. After a relaxing chiropractic session, most clients begin to experience significantly less pain. This is good news for the people who are seeking a natural alternative to dangerous pain medications.

Promotes physical activity

Often times, back pain sufferers are forced to get an extra amount of bed rest. Unfortunately, too much bed rest can actually cause their discomfort to worsen. By gently manipulating the various regions of the spine, chiropractors are able to increase a person’s mobility. Remaining active is certainly one of the best ways to relieve back pain.

Faster rate of recovery

In the event that a person injures their back, a physician will likely recommend several weeks of physical therapy. Although physical therapy can be effective, chiropractic treatment can speed up the recovery process. The chiropractic treatment program can even be designed to work in harmony with a physical therapy program. The main goal is to get the person back on their feet as soon as possible.

Lowers the overall degree of pain

Chiropractors specialize in reducing pain and bodily discomfort. If the chiropractor discovers a spinal misalignment or rib misalignment, they will focus on readjusting the person’s body. While many clients experience back pain relief after only one chiropractic session, it typically takes multiple sessions for the bones to begin to completely realign. After a while, the client should eventually begin to feel totally pain-free.

Long-term relief

Chiropractic care is not just a short-term solution for back pain. Due to the fact that their spine will be properly aligned, many chiropractic patients are able to live without any chronic back pain. There is no overlooking the fact that back pain can be excruciating at times. Fortunately, chiropractic care can definitely provide long-lasting back pain relief. 

Whiplash symptoms are one of the most common injuries you can suffer in a car accident. Whiplash pain can cause sleepless nights and loss of range of motion in joints and muscles. Not every person experiences whiplash the same way and the symptoms may be more severe for some. Dr. Lew and Dr. Ryan have years of experience in helping whiplash pain sufferers heal through several chiropractic treatment options. If you are suffering from whiplash, you can feel better.

Chiropractic Manipulation

Whiplash caused by joint dysfunction may be one of the most common types. Our Ogden Chiropractors will evaluate your condition during your initial visit to determine the extent of the joint dysfunction. Subsequent treatments involve adjusting the spine to move the affected joints back into their correct place. This chiropractic adjustment moves the joint slowly back into place with small thrusts. You will feel a bit of pressure during the procedure as the spine is realigned. This realignment relieves pain and helps the body to heal faster and correctly.

Muscle Relaxation and Stimulation

Muscles often tighten up after a whiplash injury. The doctors in our Ogden Chiropractic office can help them relax in order to relieve whiplash symptoms. Depending on the severity of the tightness, you may have to undergo deeper stretches. The chiropractor might also use pressure techniques to relieve tightness and pain. Whiplash pain relief will be accomplished with various methods designed to help the muscles relax. 

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes can also help a patient cope with whiplash symptoms. Dr. Lew and Dr. Ryan will discuss with you adjustments that may need to be made at work, at home, in recreational activities, and in other areas until the body has time to heal and the pain and other whiplash symptoms decrease. The chiropractor can also show you how to take better care of the injury at home so that you can be comfortable while you heal.

The caring doctors at the Chiropractic Health Center of Ogden, Dr. Lew and Dr. Ryan, will help you get relief from whiplash pain as soon as possible. Visiting the chiropractor as soon as possible after your accident will speed up recovery time and decrease collateral injuries. Call us today so you can start healing.

Massage Therapy and Chiropractics

Massage therapy has been used throughout history and many cultures to help heal, relieve stress, and maintain a healthy body and well-being. Massage focuses on the soft tissue of the body such as the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A massage therapist manually manipulates the muscle tissue to release tension and stimulate healing.

The combined practices of massage therapy and chiropractic treatment cohesively work to benefit the health of the entire body. The relationship between chiropractic care and massage therapy can be associated with the relationship between the skeleton and muscles. The skeleton is the framework - a framework that should be aligned and supported properly to grant health and well-being to the rest of the body.

While chiropractic care focuses on the mechanical alignment of the skeletal framework, massage therapy reinforces the framework by supporting the health of them muscles. The muscles help hold the skeletal framework in place, helps to facilitate the proper function of many other systems of the body while also allowing mobility.

The integration of these two different approaches can be especially beneficial in relieving pain from injuries or providing ongoing healthy maintenance. There are many who can benefit from regular massage and chiropractic visits: contact sport athletes, runners/marathoners, cyclists/triathletes, auto accident victims, osteoarthritis sufferers, those who suffer from depression, insomnia, cholesterol, prostate issues, as well as those who require regular physical therapy.

Consulting the experienced chiropractors and massage therapist at Chiropractic Health Center of Ogden about utilizing both of these beneficial treatments can greatly improve recovery and overall health.

How is Massage Therapy Beneficial?

There isn’t just one kind of massage. There are in fact dozens of modalities of massage that can be used to facilitate different needs. Speaking with a licensed and experienced massage therapist will help an individual determine which of these modalities match their specific needs. At Chiropractic Health Center of Ogden, Carla Larsen, the in-house massage therapist, is specialized in performing several forms of massage including:

• Swedish Massage: This is the most common form of massage and is generally the best modality to use for those who wish to simply relax tight or sore muscles, relieve stress, and is beneficial during pregnancy. This type of massage generally covers the areas of the back, neck, shoulders, and legs.
• Deep Tissue Massage: A massage that focuses on the body’s deepest layer of muscle and tissue. This form of massage may be useful to those you suffer from chronic pain, muscle injuries, and blood pressure issues while improving the ability of the lymphatic system to function properly and relieving stress.
• Sports Massage: This form of massage is geared specifically for athletes and athletic injuries. The massage therapist may use a combination of deep tissue work, stretching/flexibility movements, and strength-training to help the injury heal quickly and properly. The goal is usually for the athlete to return to a high level of performance as soon as possible.
• Lymphatic Massage: For those who wish to boost their immune system and help rid the body of toxins. This massage is done with lite pressure and slow movements aimed at stimulating the lymph nodes. This is usually performed on the face, neck, arms, as well as around the breast to help drain the lymph. The lymphatic massage is ideal to do following a deep tissue massage.

Don't wait in pain! Call us today to find out how we can help with a combination of chiropractic and massage therapy treatments.

Benefits of Chiropractic Care After an Auto Accident:

Chiropractic Health Center of Ogden specializes in holistic chiropractic care after an accident by addressing the most vulnerable areas - the neck and spine. Seeking medical care after an auto accident is a normal procedure and a necessary practice. However, just as necessary may be the need to seek chiropractic treatment after an accident. Whether a mild fender bender or something more serious, a licensed chiropractor can assist an accident victim in returning to full health.

Chiropractic care focuses on restoring or maintaining health through correct alignment of the spine. When the neck and spine are in their proper and optimal position the nervous system and other integrated systems of the body can function properly as well. However, in a rear-end collision this alignment can be thrown off, usually resulting in the most common injury sustained in an accident - whiplash.

The sudden jarring of an accident causes the head to jerk forward then back (or side to side). This motion may stretch muscles and cause misalignment of the vertebrae. Even a mild accident can cause whiplash, which may fracture bone and strain or even tear muscles and tendons. Unfortunately, an accident victim may not experience the symptoms associated with whiplash for days or even weeks later.

What is the symptoms of whiplash?

• Pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, and/or back
• Neck stiffness or limited range of motion
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Blurred or impaired vision
• Nausea

The best course of action after an accident is to schedule a visit with a chiropractor before serious symptoms begin to manifest. The longer an accident victim waits to be treated, the more likelihood there may be for long term complications.

How long does it take to recover from whiplash?

Each individual is unique and so are their injuries, recovery time, and form of treatment. Factors that may affect the care and recovery time an individual requires include:

• The extent of the injury
• What was damaged and how severely?
• The previous health habits of the individual
• smoking, drug use, low muscle mass, or other factors that weaken bone or muscle strength.
• The age of the individual
• It becomes more difficult to heal with age

These are just a few of the many factors that could play a role in the duration and ability to reach a full recovery. There may be more severe instances where chiropractic treatment can only improve or maintain a partial recovery. It is always best to speak with the chiropractor about concerns, options, and possible recovery time.

Don’t Wait to Get Chiropractic Care

Being treated by a licensed and experienced chiropractor, like Dr. Ryan Bosley or Dr. Lew Wheelwright, immediately following an accident can prevent further damage and pain.

Unlike getting a one-time shot to numb pain, an accident victim shouldn’t expect to only see their chiropractor one time to receive the full benefits. Chiropractics is much more closely related to physical therapy. As such, aspects of physical therapy are also used to help the patient stretch and loosen tight tendons and muscles, allowing the chiropractor to align the neck, spine, or other areas of concern. And just like physical therapy a one time visit won’t be enough.

If left untreated, a stiff neck from whiplash over time may develop into debilitating acute neck pain, pinched nerves, chronic headaches, numbness, arthritis, bone spurs, bone fusion, and/or permanent loss of range of motion. This type of constant pain and limited mobility can cause an otherwise healthy individual to experience mild to severe disability for weeks, months or even years after an incident.

Thankfully, mild whiplash and it’s side effects can most often be alleviated through non-invasive chiropractic procedures over a period of several weeks. A chiropractor can treat the mechanical issues associated with an accident without the need for surgery, injections, or prescription pain medication. This alternative form of treatment allows the patient to heal properly and in most cases return to full health and mobility.

However, this can only be achieved if proper chiropractic care is sought immediately following an accident. The longer the injury is allowed to go untreated the more likely it will be that further damage may be done due to inflammation and improperly healed injuries.

There isn’t just a “one size fits all” procedure for auto accident victims. Consulting the knowledgeable chiropractors from Chiropractic Health Center of Ogden to customize a treatment plan as soon as possible can help prevent, repair, and restore health.