Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine curves and contorts in abnormal directions. Most people's first impressions of scoliosis comes from scoliosis screening tests in grade school. You are told to bend over while a doctor examines the curvature of your back, and then you're told whether you are likely to have scoliosis. But does scoliosis affect you? Scoliosis can be a serious condition for three main reasons: the spinal cord can get tugged, stretched, or twisted, causing problems in the nervous system; the heart and lungs, which are encased in the ribs, can become deformed or malformed due to the pressures put on them; and pain and physical deformity can develop in severe cases. If your scoliosis has not progressed beyond the conservative management range (generally regarded as scoliotic curves less than 40 degrees), you may benefit from chiropractic care. If you have already reached the age of skeletal maturity (which varies, but generally occurs prior to age 18), it is even possible that through chiropractic management your curves will lessen in severity. But even if you are already skeletally mature, you may find relief from your pain through chiropractic care. I have treated multiple patients with scoliosis, and each have reported decreased pain and increased ability to remain active in their chosen hobbies. I am always encouraged to see these patients feeling better, knowing that without chiropractic care they would still be in pain. Since the gentle and safe Activator Methods technique is used at Johnson Family Chiropractic, each patient knows that their treatments will not cause additional pain. Chiropractic can be effective for scoliosis for several reasons. The additional motion that the chiropractic adjustment provides to the spinal joints allows the spine to be flexible instead of tightening up in a abnormal position. Tight muscles which pull the bones out of position are relaxed. And there are several other complex theories of why chiropractic may help scoliosis. Several groundbreaking research studies on scoliosis have now shown that chiropractic can be effective in treating or helping to treat scoliosis. If you are curious to learn more about chiropractic and scoliosis, feel free to contact a chiropractor in Peoria to set up a consultation or examination.
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The basic health principles that give chiropractors purpose and life have been known since ancient times. The famous Greek physician Hippocrates (d. 357 BC) wrote such notable sayings as "It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has" and "If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health" and "Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases." Physicians and doctors throughout the ages have attempted to relieve conditions and ailments by spinal manipulations and exercises. But it was not until 1895 that a systematic philosophy and science was first generated. On September 18, 1895, an event occurred that changed the future of health care. In the words of D. D. Palmer, a one-time grocer and magnetic healer who had maintained a strong interest in health care, "Harvey Lillard, a janitor in the Ryan Block, where I had my office, had been so deaf for 17 years that he could not hear the racket of a wagon on the street or the ticking of a watch. I made inquiry as to the cause of his deafness and was informed that when he was exerting himself in a cramped, stooping position, he felt something give in his back and immediately became deaf. An examination showed a vertebra racked from its normal position. I reasoned that if that vertebra was replaced, the man’s hearing should be restored. With this object in view, a half-hour’s talk persuaded Mr. Lillard to allow me to replace it. I racked it into position by using the spinous process as a lever and soon the man could hear as before. There was nothing “accidental” about this, as it was accomplished with an object in view, and the result expected was obtained. There was nothing crude about this adjustment; it was specific, so much so that no Chiropractor has equaled it." Harvey Lillard testified to the benefits of that first modern chiropractic adjustment: "I was deaf 17 years and I expected to always remain so, for I had doctored a great deal without any benefit. I had long ago made up my mind to not take any more ear treatments, for it did me no good. Last January Dr. Palmer told me that my deafness came from an injury in my spine. This was new to me; but it is a fact that my back was injured at the time I went deaf. Dr. Palmer treated me on the spine; in two treatments I could hear quite well. That was eight months ago. My hearing remains good." That first experimental chiropractic adjustment blossomed over the many years into the chiropractic profession that now exists: the third-largest doctoral level profession after medicine and dentistry, licensed chiropractors in every state and many countries around the world, and nearly 60,000 chiropractors in the United States alone. The tradition of Hippocrates and D. D. Palmer continue in the joy of every new patient who finds relief from pain through doctors of chiropractic. So, thanks to all the pioneers of chiropractic in the past and present... Happy 117th Birthday, Chiropractic! I was interested to read an interview by Aaron Rodgers, last year's Most Valuable Player in the National Football League. Rodgers has been known for the astonishing power and speed with which he throws a football. Rodgers credits his off-season flexibility workouts with increasing his strength. "I did a lot of posture stuff with my workouts," he said, "making sure that I was doing more pulls for my back then pushes for my chest. Because whether you're an athlete or not, a lot of people internally rotate their shoulders which decreases your flexibility in your shoulder if you're a thrower. "Or when you're sitting at a desk most of the days you're going to have your shoulders internally rotate. So to combat that, I'm doing more exercises to open up my chest and pull my shoulders back. It increases the flexibility on your shoulder and takes stress off of it. So those are some of the things I thought about." Rodgers is talking about a condition called Upper Crossed Syndrome. Here's one specific example: in order to throw a football, he first has to bring his throwing arm behind his head. But if he has been affected by a tightness in his pectoral muscle (which connects the upper arm to the chest), he won't be able to bring his arm back as far as he needs to. His "windup" won't have its full potential. It's not only professional athletes who have to be concerned about Upper Crossed Syndrome. This technological age, in which we spend hours a day in front of the television, computer, tablet, and smartphone, is causing Upper Crossed Syndrome to become ubiquitous. After hearing Rodgers' enlightened comments on the issue, it may not come as a surprise that his father is a chiropractor in California. He has learned these basic postural principles throughout his life. "I want to be able to move around a little bit better out there," Rodgers said, "and I thought flexibility would be a good way to do that. So I focused on that a lot." To learn more about how you can prevent Upper Crossed Syndrome from affecting your life and work, contact your Peoria chiropractor today. The purpose of chiropractic is to restore the natural ability of the nervous system to control the functions of the body. But what if the nervous system itself needs to be repaired? A fantastic video captures the actual transport of individual proteins through a neuron. These proteins are essential for repair and healing of the nerve itself. It was once thought that nerves could not regenerate or heal themselves. We now know that nerves can indeed heal! Just ask Peyton Manning. In this video, the large blob on the lower right is the cell body. Most of the tendril or leg-like lines coming from the cell body are dendrites, portions of the cell that accept information. The cell sends out information along the longest leg called the axon, which stretches off the upper left hand side of the video. It is along the axon that we get to watch the protein packet move. In fact, you can watch proteins, structural pieces, and other molecular packages pass like traffic, both ways along all these superhighways of the ultracomplex nervous system. HT: io9
Note: This video is not in real time, but has been sped up slightly. |
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DisclaimerUnless otherwise attributed, all content is written by Kyle Johnson, DC, of Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria.
All images used are under Creative Commons license. Although every effort has been made to provide an accurate description of our chiropractic care and its benefits, the information given on this website and blog is not intended to be, nor should it be interpreted as, medical advice for any condition. If you have any questions regarding your condition, you should seek the help of Dr. Johnson in person, so that he may properly assess your condition. This blog is provided by Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria, S.C., proudly located in Peoria, IL. |