Is chiropractic good for your neck and back pain?
More and more patients are realizing the incredible benefits and effectiveness of treating neck and back pain with conservative, non-addictive care.
Chiropractic treatments offer tremendous relief while helping you avoid other costly, invasive care options. It can remove the need for addictive prescription pain medications that come with a variety of side effects and help you avoid painful surgery and recovery.
While chiropractors can effectively treat most things that cause pain, the most common complaints patients seek relief for are neck pain, back pain, and headaches.
Dr. Cody Doyle has over two decades of successfully caring for patients with pain. During this time, he has helped over 100,000 patients find relief from a broad range of dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
How does chiropractic help neck and back pain?
The most common cause of neck and back pain is the misalignment of the bones—or vertebra—in the spine. Chiropractic care involves spinal manipulations—also known as adjustments—to realign the spine. Because all the movements of the human body originate in the spine, misalignment can cause pain in muscles, joints, ligaments, and nerves.
Spinal adjustments restore mobility to ligaments, joints, and muscles that are restricted or injured from repetitive stress or trauma. When the spine is properly aligned, the body can heal itself.
What can I expect during chiropractic care for neck and back pain?
The first thing Dr. Doyle will do is perform a thorough examination. This includes a complete medical history, a physical exam, range of motion testing, and x-rays. Depending on your symptoms and his findings, he may want to order additional diagnostic imaging, such as a CT or MRI.
If Dr. Doyle feels you are an appropriate candidate for chiropractic treatment, he will discuss all your options. The goal is to provide pain relief while restoring function and preventing future injury.
The most common mode of treatment is spinal manipulation, which uses controlled but sudden force to joints to realign the spine.
During treatment, Dr. Doyle may utilize:
- Hands-on treatment. This involves the use of his hands and arms to massage and apply high-velocity, low-amplitude thrusts.
- A drop table. This is a special table with sections that Dr. Doyle can drop down during spinal manipulations.
- A special device that delivers gentle impulses to the spine.
Depending on your unique desires, needs, and diagnoses, Dr. Doyle will create a customized treatment plan for you. This may include suggestions for additional alternative solutions to achieve optimum results. Some examples of complementary therapy services include:
- Acupuncture
- Myofascial release therapy
- Ultrasound
- Muscle stimulation
- A nutritional and herbal plan
- Home exercises
- Hot and cold therapy
Who should seek chiropractic care for neck and back pain?
Certain patients may not be a good candidate for chiropractic care.
For example, patients with the following conditions may need to seek other treatment for neck and back pain:
- Spinal cord damage
- Vertebral fracture(s)
- Severe osteoporosis
- Severe arthritis
- Bone infections
- Patients on blood thinners
- Patients with cancer, especially while on cancer treatment
Chiropractic care is, however, an excellent alternative option for those with acute or chronic neck or back pain.
Some of the most common causes of neck and back pain include:
Trauma, such as from a sports injury, fall, or car accident
Any sudden forceful movement of the head, neck, or back that results in “rebound,” such as with whiplash of the neck, results in injury to the supporting and surrounding tissues.
Trauma can tear muscles and ligaments, also known as a strain. It can also cause muscles to contract and tighten, which leads to stiffness and pain. If severe enough, it can also injure the joints between the vertebra, ligaments, discs, muscles, and nerve roots.
Aging
As we age, degenerative disorders become more common. This can include osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease. Degeneration puts the patient at a higher risk of bulging or herniated disks. Also, the degenerative changes can cause the body to form bone spurs, compounding the pain.
Spinal stenosis is also more common for older patients. When stenosis narrows the nerve passageways, nerve roots can become compressed and trapped. This usually causes radiating pain, such as down the arms or legs.
Habits of Life
Anything that disrupts spinal balance increases the risk of neck and back pain. This includes things like poor posture, obesity, improper ergonomics, and repetitive stress.
Emotional tension and stress lead to muscle tightening and contracting, which leads to pain and stiffness.
Could chiropractic care give you relief from your neck or back pain?
If you suffer from neck or back pain, whether it is acute or chronic, Dr. Doyle has the experience to bring you relief.
Call (817) 767-5430 or contact us online today to schedule a consultation so you can get started on the road to recovery.
5 Symptoms of a Herniated Disc That Might Surprise You
A slipped disc is usually a painful condition, but a mildly herniated disc may not cause severe pain. Some symptoms may seem so unrelated you could easily dismiss them as something else. (“I slept on it wrong” or “I need better walking shoes” or “I sat down too long” come to mind.) Oftentimes, patients sustain an injury to the back, think everything is fine again shortly afterward, but then experience other symptoms that don’t seem connected. Being able to identify secondary signs of a disc problem can help you better understand your body and determine whether a back issue is healing properly or needs further treatment.
Do you have back pain or disc problems? Keller chiropractor Dr. Cody Doyle routinely treats patients for spinal disc issues, and may be able to help your condition. Contact our office at 817-767-5430 to learn about chiropractic and complementary therapies at Doyle Chiropractic and Acupuncture.
What is a Slipped/Herniated Disc?
The spinal discs are the rubbery tissues that cushion the vertebrae. They are composed of layers of fibrocartilage, which (1) allow the spine to be flexible, (2) serve as shock absorbers, and (3) hold the vertebrae together. When an injury is sustained, the discs can be damaged or pushed out of place. They can also be pushed out of alignment or leak fluid due to improper lifting, aging, and/or a combination of the two. A disc that bulges out of place or slips out of place entirely is a serious health concern, since it limits your mobility and can impair your spinal function.
If you’ve had chronic back pain or a recent injury that may have affected your back, be on the lookout for these “unrelated” signs that a disc may be misaligned:
Pain in Arm or Leg
All of our body’s nerves travel through the superhighway of the spinal column. If a bulging disc is compressing a nerve, you might feel pain in locations other than the back. Depending on the location of the affected disc, you might have unexplained pain that manifests in the arm, leg, or trunk of your body.
Coldness on One Side of the Body
When nerves are compressed, the sensations you feel may not always be painful. You might feel a burning, tingling, numbness, or even unexplained coldness that only affects a localized area.
Foot Pain or Numbness
If a bulging disc is affecting the sciatic nerve, it can send shooting pains down one side of the leg and into the tailbone. However, sciatic nerve pain can also cause you to feel pain or lose sensation only in the foot. You might feel it in the ankle, toe, or bottom of the foot, depending on the location of the nerve compression.
Pain When You Laugh or Cough
A hearty round of laughter can certainly make your abdominal muscles sore, but that’s not the type of pain that a herniated disc can cause. If you feel sudden pain when you laugh, cough, or sneeze, it may be from the pressure in your abdomen reverberating into your back and jostling the bulging disc.
Unexplained Weakness
In addition to tingling and numbness, nerve compression can also cause one leg or arm to feel significantly weakened or more heavy than the other. For example, compression of the sciatic nerve can cause muscle weakness in the calf and hamstring muscles. If a bulging disc is pinching a nerve in the upper back, the muscles of the arm may be affected.
Visit Keller Chiropractor Cody Doyle to Learn More
Visit Doyle Chiropractic and Acupuncture if you have pain or other symptoms that may be connected to a spinal issue. Keller chiropractor Dr. Cody Doyle will listen to your symptoms and take scans to determine the cause of your pain. Contact us online or by calling 817-767-5430 to find out whether a chiropractic and complementary therapies may offer relief for your condition.
Back Pain During Pregnancy
When a woman’s body is nurturing the development of a new person, it understandably goes through a number of structural and chemical changes. Just about every part of the body may be affected—from the hair on the top of your head to the swelling in your ankles! The spine is no exception. As a pregnancy progresses, the extra weight that a woman carries in her belly can put stress on the vertebrae and lead to muscular and nervous system dysfunction, all of which may come with painful symptoms. Understanding what’s happening in the body can help you stay comfortable and find ways to relieve pain during your pregnancy.
To learn more about the effects of pregnancy on the spine and your musculoskeletal functioning, contact Keller TX chiropractor Dr. Cody Doyle. Call us at 817-767-5430 to make an appointment.
Lower Back Pain During Pregnancy
Most women gain about 20 pounds or more when pregnant, and most of it is concentrated in the belly. This increases lumbar lordosis (the arch of the lower back), which strains the vertebrae. This can cause constant lower back pain and muscle soreness. Another factor is the fact that pregnancy hormones relax the ligaments and joints to prepare the pelvis for delivery. This happens most significantly in the third trimester and can worsen any lower back pain a woman may be feeling.
If the pregnancy is not her first, an expectant mother might also be looking after an infant or toddler at the same time. This can mean carrying a child in her arms for several hours a day, bending over to pick up the child constantly, and all the other related activities that come with small children (e.g., picking up toys). These factors make back pain a real challenge for many expectant mothers.
Compressed Nerves
Sciatica is another common back problem during pregnancy, though it may be felt primarily in the buttocks. This condition can feel like a shooting pain in the lowest part of the spine (tailbone), that radiates down one or both legs. Sciatica is an example of pain resulting from a compressed nerve, as the sciatic nerve is located in the lower back. It may become compressed by weight gain, stress on the lower back from your shifting center of gravity, or even the position of the baby in the womb. Luckily this type of nerve pain usually goes away after delivery and recovery, but that doesn’t make it any easier to endure.
Keeping Your Spine Happy in the Third Trimester
There are several ways that expectant mothers can try to prevent these painful symptoms.
- Go swimming when possible. The lower gravity environment in the water can take the pressure of your lower back and give your spine and ligaments a break. There’s no need to make it an intense lap-swimming workout; just walk around or let yourself float, and you’ll be doing your back a favor.
- Make sure you sleep in a position that supports proper spinal alignment. Doctors recommend that pregnant women sleep on the left side, but it’s perfectly fine to sleep on the right if you are experiencing sciatic nerve pain on the left.
- Use a body pillow or pregnancy pillow to support your back when sleeping.
- Avoid sciatic pain when sitting by using a special pillow that keeps weight of the tailbone.
- Avoid carrying heavy loads or bending over to pick things up in the third trimester.
How a Keller TX Chiropractor Can Help
Many women are unaware that chiropractic care is not only possible during pregnancy, but can be incredibly helpful at relieving pain. All chiropractors are trained in caring for expectant mothers, and adjustments may even help you achieve an easier birth through proper pelvic alignment. Depending on your symptoms, Dr. Cody Doyle may recommend a combination of chiropractic, acupuncture, and or myofascial release therapy.
If you need a Keller TX chiropractor to help you cope with pregnancy-related back pain, contact our office to make an appointment. We are located on Byron Nelson Boulevard, directly across the street from Hawaiian Falls Water Park. Call us at 817-767-5430 to make an appointment.
Can Chiropractic Help with Muscle Pain?
Has your weight lifting or cross-training routine left you with sore muscles or out-of-control spasms? Maybe you have a shoulder issue you’ve been working around for the past few months? If Epsom salt baths and short intervals of rest have not cleared up the problem, it may be time to seek out a whole-body specialist. Many people think chiropractic care can only help with back and neck pain, but the truth is that chiropractic adjustments can help the whole body function and heal itself more efficiently…muscles included!
Are you in pain from your workouts? Keller TX chiropractor Dr. Cody Doyle can help you make sure your muscles, nerves, and spine are working in harmony for optimal function. Call our Roanoke practice at 817-767-5430 to make an appointment.
If you’re serious about fitness, you know that a certain amount of pain is part of the process. Good workouts should push you to your limits, and muscle soreness the next day is usually the hallmark of an effective workout. There’s a difference between good pain and bad pain, but even good pain can be out-of-proportion if your nervous system is not functioning properly.
Muscles are fibrous bands of tissue that help the body move and maintain position. How and what those muscles do is dependent on the messages they receive and send through the nervous system. Impulses sent from the brain communicate with each muscle through a complex network of nerve pathways. Every impulse involved in your workout is carried through the spinal cord to each end point in the body. All muscle function and recovery is dependent on the nervous system functioning properly. Blocked nerve pathways can prevent your muscles from functioning and healing themselves properly.
You don’t have to be experiencing back pain to have problems resulting from spinal misalignment. Misaligned vertebrae, also known as vertebral subluxations, can compress nerve pathways. This can inhibit communication within your central nervous system and suppress muscle function. Such subluxations can result from spinal compression, injury, muscle tension, or even just sitting improperly for long hours of the day. A visit to a chiropractor can help you ensure your workouts and other routines aren’t leading to poor mechanical function of the spine and other parts of your musculo-skeletal system.
Fascia Damage and Muscle Strains
Dr. Doyle has successfully treated many patients with sports-related and sports-type conditions, such as plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, muscle strains, and more. Fascia damage tends to respond well to myofascial release therapy and other integrative therapies. Acupuncture can also be helpful with musculo-skeletal problems and muscle spasms, as it is known to improve circulatory and nerve function.
Visit Keller TX Chiropractor Dr. Cody Doyle
If you’ve noticed more pain with your gains, you can help make sure your body is functioning at its best by scheduling a visit with Dr. Doyle. He has helped thousands of patients in his two decades in practice and will take the time to listen to your symptoms and formulate a treatment plan that addresses your unique issues.
Call today for an appointment with Keller TX chiropractor Dr. Cody Doyle. We’ll help get to the bottom of your pain and dysfunction so you can perform at your best. Call us at 817-767-5430 to make an appointment.
5 Foods to Avoid if You Have Inflammation
Inflammation is the body’s way of fighting off infection. When it is acute, the inflammation starts and ends quickly in a matter of days. But when it is chronic, it can last for months and cause harm to the body. Chronic inflammation can exacerbate a number of conditions, including arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma. It may even be the culprit of your chronic pain and joint swelling.
While certain medications can help control inflammation in the body, if you are looking for a drug-free approach, you may want to consider looking into alternative and holistic therapies. Keller chiropractor Dr. Doyle offers a variety of treatments, including acupuncture and chiropractic care.
In addition to these musculoskeletal treatments, Dr. Doyle also offers detoxification programs and nutritional therapies to help the body heal itself. It is quite possible that what you are putting into your body is causing greater harm than good. Dr. Doyle discusses certain foods to avoid when facing chronic inflammation and the anti-inflammatory foods to add in to combat it. To book your consultation, please contact our office online or call (817) 767-5430.
Sugar
Processed sugars are considered empty calories void of any nutritional value. They can also spike your blood sugar levels and trigger cytokines, inflammatory messengers known for suppressing white blood cells. Not only does this lead to increased inflammation and weight gain, but you may find yourself more prone to sickness. Try sweetening your foods with natural foods, such as honey and maple syrup.
Vegetable Oils
Vegetable oils, such as soy, corn, safflower, sunflower, and palm oil, are high in omega-6 (inflammatory fat) and low in omega-3 (anti-inflammatory fat). Before eating out at your favorite restaurant, be sure and take a look at what your food is being cooked in. At home, stock your pantry with healthier oils, such as coconut oil, avocado oil, or extra virgin olive oil.
Refined Carbohydrates
White flour, white rice, and gluten have all been linked to increased inflammation. Take a look in your pantry. Do you have processed cereals, chips, or crackers inside? Do you frequently opt for fries instead of salad? By making a few tweaks in your daily routine, you can lower the inflammation in your body. Instead of eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast, try eating scrambled eggs and a side of berries. Swap those fries for a salad at lunch, and grab an apple the next time you get hit with the afternoon cravings.
Dairy
Dairy can disrupt your gut microbiome, decrease the healthy bacteria, and increase inflammation in the body. A healthy guy is needed for controlling inflammation in the body. Dairy is also a common allergen. Research has shown that roughly one in four adults have difficulty digesting it. If you notice increased asthma symptoms, bloating, gas, or stomach pains after eating cheese or drinking milk, you may want to consider eliminating it from your diet for a few weeks to see if it is the source of your problems. Try adding in goat’s milk, coconut milk, or plain Greek yogurt instead.
Alcohol
Frequent consumption of alcohol has been associated with cancer, heart disease, stroke, and digestive issues. It can also cause inflammation in your gut, joints, tissues, liver, and blood vessels. But good news: one to two glasses of organic red wine a day has been known to help improve inflammation. However, if you notice heightened symptoms after consuming it, best to avoid it all together.
Meet With Keller Chiropractor Dr. Doyle
If you are looking for a holistic and drug-free approach to maintaining a healthier lifestyle, we encourage you to set up a consultation with Keller chiropractor Dr. Doyle. You can contact our office online or by calling (817) 767-5430.
Healthy Tips for Pain Management
Pain comes in a variety of ways. It may be a dull ache, sharp shooting, radiating, chronic, or acute. No matter the level, it is uncomfortable and can negatively affect your quality of life. But depending on the severity, it may even be debilitating and keep you from performing basic daily tasks. Have you recently been injured in an accident at work, home, or on the road and are experiencing ongoing pain? Did you overwork a muscle at the gym but haven’t been able to get back to normal? Or perhaps there’s no rhyme or reason to your pain, you just know it started and it’s keeping you from enjoying a happy and fulfilling life.
Whatever the reason, you don’t have to live in pain for forever. Keller chiropractor Dr. Doyle offers a variety of alternative treatment methods at his practice to help patients manage their pain. He also discusses certain tips below to get you back to a healthier and pain-free lifestyle. Continue reading to find out more. We also invite you to schedule a consultation by calling (817) 767-5430 or contacting us online.
Reduce Stress
Stress can actually exacerbate pain because it increases the level of inflammation in your body. If you have a high stress job or hectic lifestyle, stop and assess your situation and see where you can cut back on stress in your life. You may also start implementing meditation or deep breathing exercises to help you relax and control stressful situations.
Boost Endorphins
Endorphins are chemicals in the brain that are instant mood boosters. But they can also block pain signals. How do you get them? Exercise. Even the lightest physical activity can release endorphins into the body. Not only will you start to feel better emotionally by exercising, but as the muscles strengthen, pain will start to reduce. Strong muscles can help prevent re-injury and additional pain. If your weight plays a role in your pain, exercise can also help you lose excess weight, as well as control blood sugar levels and reduce risk of heart disease. Ask your Keller chiropractor for an exercise routine that is right for you.
Try Acupuncture
Founded in traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture stimulates the nerves, muscles, and tissues in your body to address neck and back pain, extremity pain, and other musculoskeletal conditions. Your body is intended to function with certain energy patterns to function effectively. When these energy patterns are disrupted, it can result in pain, disease, and inflammation. Your body also has musculoskeletal acu-points along the surface of the skin. To help correct the disrupted energy flow, Keller chiropractor Dr. Doyle will strategically insert sterilized stainless steel needles in varying lengths into these acu-points to stimulate the underlying tissues and muscles.
It is important to note that Dr. Doyle is not directly treating any specific condition with acupuncture, but treating dysfunction in very specific points within your musculoskeletal system. Treating theses dysfunctional musculoskeletal points has been shown to have a wide range of health benefits, including pain management.
Undergo Routine Chiropractic Adjustments
Your spine hosts your central nervous system, which is responsible for sending messages from your brain to other organs in the body. When the vertebrae in your neck and back are out of alignment, it can cause mixed signals, resulting in pain, inflammation, and disease. By keeping your spine in proper position, you can reduce pain. It’s really quite simple: A healthy spine equals a healthy body. Keller chiropractor Dr. Doyle will fashion a treatment plan unique to your needs.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
What you consume can affect your body’s ability to function. Filling it with wholesome foods gives it better fuel for functioning properly. But a healthy lifestyle doesn’t just mean eating healthy foods. It also means reducing alcohol consumption and avoiding smoking as both of these can exacerbate pain in the body.
Get a Massage
Getting a massage has double benefits. Not only will it help you reduce stress and relax – but it can also alleviate tight muscles often associated with chronic pain. People who receive a massage once a month have statistically been shown to have better health physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Meet With Your Keller Chiropractor
Dr. Doyle would love to meet you and help you manage your pain so you can boost your quality of life. Please contact our office today online or by calling (817) 767-5430.