In today’s world, different viewpoints on medicine are abundant. Some stick with western ideas and will only visit traditional doctors. Yet when that doesn’t work, where do you turn?

One concept that is growing in acceptance is the idea of wellness medicine instead of focusing in on the problem after it occurs. Through wellness medicine, the focus is put on keeping you healthy instead of finding a problem that has already occurred. And as we begin focusing more on healthy living, the practice of chiropractic is becoming more popular.

If you live in the South Denver suburb of Centennial, its important that you find a chiropractor close by. Chiropractic is different than a traditional doctor you may only visit once per year. Chiropractic relies on adjustments, and in many cases you will visit your chiropractor on a regular basis for adjustments. Being close by ensures you will stick with your schedule.

Many things have changed in recent years that is making chiropractic more acceptable. Chiropractic services can’t be administered by just anyone willing to “crack your back”. Chiropractors are full fledged doctors and have the degrees to prove it. They complete undergraduate work, medical school with chiropractic specialty, and are licensed to take and read x-rays as well.

Chiropractors usually take one of two approaches. Some focus on “pain” and specialize in acute or immediate care. Others specialize on “lifestyle” and offer health plans to keep you healthy and out of the traditional doctors offices.

Chiropractic is not something you seek out when you have a problem. Instead, chiropractic should be something you seek out to stay well. With regular adjustments, you can correct “problems” that may not have surfaced yet, and in general improve your overall health. Chiropractic care has the belief that our bodies were made to work in certain ways. Subluxations or spinal misalignment prevents the body from working at its optimum level. Through regular adjustments, your body will stay on track, meaning you can avoid the traditional “problems” that send most people into the health care system, over-medicating them along the way.

If you are in Centennial, Colorado and are looking at changing the way you approach your health, Dr Jason Watts with Watts Chiropractic may be your solution. Contact us today.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that is becoming more common everyday, especially in women aged 50 and older. Statistics show that women suffer three times more then men, and those under the age of 30 account for less than 10 percent.

In order to treat CTS, finding the root cause would seem like the optimal place to start. Yet even doctors and health experts admit to having no way of pinpointing what causes this condition to arise. Researchers are looking into many different areas, including genetic predisposition, direct injury, diabetes or hypothyroidism.

With no “magic cure”, the best place to start is by taking steps to prevent it as soon as the first symptoms are visible. Mild pain around the carpal tunnel, numbing or tingling sensation around the thumb and fingers, burning sensations, weakness, loss of griping strength, and swelling on the hand or wrist can all be symptoms.

Instead of relying on “pills” or surgery, many people are now looking for alternatives, and the best place to start is with chiropractic. New chiropractic methods have been introduced over the last few years that are proving to be highly effective in eliminating the symptoms associated with CTS.

Chiropractic focuses on adjusting your spine and bringing you back to a state of natural health. If your body isn’t performing at its optimal level, every part may suffer in the process. Adjustments will be made to your spine, wrists, elbows and even shoulder areas to help alleviate the joint pain and control numbness.

If you think you have the first symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, don’t wait for them to get stronger and more painful. Do something today; make your appointment to find out how chiropractic can make a difference in your life.

If you have suffered from whiplash, often because of a car accident, you understand what it means to be in pain.

Whiplash is a painful injury that occurs when your head and neck are “whipped” to and fro. The impact from a collision often leads to whiplash. While this is a treatable condition, for many victims, the pain of whiplash keeps coming back. To prevent chronic pain from whiplash, you may want to consider chiropractic treatments. Your chiropractor has various methods he will use to relieve your chronic whiplash pain.

Stimulation and relaxation treatments – your chiropractor may decide that this type of treatment is your best option. He may stretch the affected muscles and joints, working the areas in various manners to provide relief. Your chiropractor may also use various forms of massage to relax the affected areas – just one more way to provide pain relief.

Adjustments – your chiropractor may choose manual adjustments as the treatment of choice. During this process, your chiropractor will adjust the affected joints. You may know this as “popping” your neck or back. During the adjustments, your skilled chiropractor will “pop” the affected areas to provide pain relief. Many patients notice a difference after only one adjustment treatment.

Exercises – finally, your chiropractor may help you perform various pain-relieving exercises. These exercises are simple movements that your chiropractor will show you how to perform. Then, you can do the exercises at home to provide your own pain relief.

You and your chiropractor will work together to come up with a treatment plan that provides you with the pain relief you need. Chronic pain from whiplash is a common occurrence – but it is not something that you must learn to live with. There are treatments available to help you live a life free from the pain of whiplash.

Cervical spinal stenosis is a condition resulting from the degeneration of the cervical spine. In other words, it is a neck problem – one that can leave you in great pain and discomfort. The cause of the pain is the formation of bone spurs that narrow the spinal canal and press against the spinal cord. Understanding the symptoms of cervical spinal stenosis can help you seek treatment in the early stages – before surgery becomes necessary. There are many non-invasive treatments for cervical spinal stenosis, including chiropractic care, which can relieve your pain.

Symptoms

• Difficulty controlling your legs

• Weakness in the legs

• Numbness in arms and legs

• Inability to know where your arms or legs are located without looking at them

Diagnosis

• Expect a complete examination, including your medical history pertaining to any symptoms

• The physical examination normally entails rolling your head and bending your neck, checking for tenderness, testing reflexes, and looking for numbness

• Diagnostic tests, such as an x-ray and an MRI, to pinpoint the problem

Treatments

• Chiropractic treatment plan

• Medication for the pain

• Severe cases may require surgery if non-invasive treatments do not work

Your cervical spine (neck) is a vital part of your body. It is up to you to know what to watch for and seek medical treatment for any suspected problems. Pay attention to your neck, as well as your arms and legs – make sure they are functioning properly at all times. Watch for numbness, tenderness and weakness. As you get older, your body continues to tell you when something is wrong – it is a normal process that comes with aging. It is essential that you take care of your cervical spine, along with the rest of your back, so you can live a pain-free life. Should you develop cervical spinal stenosis, the sooner you seek treatment, the better your chances are of avoiding surgery.

Neck pain. Its not something we want. And if you’ve experienced it, you may have no idea what caused it. You simply want to find a way to relieve it.

Understanding your neck – technically called the cervical spine – will help you pinpoint problems faster. When you know how your neck works, you have a better chance at avoiding things that will make your neck hurt. Knowing a few facts can also help you find ways to relieve your neck pain.

The cervical spine, or the neck, has a starting point at the base of your skull. From there, it connects to your upper back by way of seven vertebral sections. There are six discs in your neck, one between each vertebra, which support and cushion the vertebrae.

The cervical spine supports the weight of your head – which can weigh over 10 pounds – and controls your ability to move your head. When you turn your head in any direction, you are utilizing your cervical spine.

The cervical spine also contains special openings for vertebral arteries to pass through, taking blood to your brain. This is an important job and no other section of your back has these openings.

Just like the rest of your back, your cervical spine can be injured – direct blows and even daily activity can cause stress on your neck, leading to pain and discomfort.

Your neck is actually pretty tough – most common neck pain comes from normal wear and tear on the vertebrae.

As you get older and you incur wear and tear on your cervical spine, you might experience bone spurs, osteoarthritis, or other forms of degeneration. These conditions may or may not require surgery – in many cases, chiropractic treatment can resolve the problems.

The discs in your neck may also degenerate over time. Treatment usually involves medication and chiropractic care, but if relief is not found, you may need surgery to remove the “bad” discs.

Now that you know a few facts about your cervical spine, you know what an important role it plays in your well-being. The next time you experience neck pain, consider your previous activities to find a cause. If you cannot pinpoint the problem, you may need to seek medical care to ensure you are not experiencing serious problems. Don’t wait for a problem to occur. Instead, start your well checkups today at your local chiropractors office and avoid the pain and the problems down the road.

Cervical Spine Chiropractic, as the name implies, is chiropractic that focuses on the cervical spine.  The cervical spine is the uppermost region of the spine composed of the top seven vertebrae.  Another, less technical name for the cervical spine is the neck.  So, cervical spine chiropractic is chiropractic that addresses the needs of the neck area.

The seven vertebrae that compose the neck are the smallest vertebrae in your spinal column, and yet they are responsible for supporting and moving your head.  This is no small feat considering the average adult head weighs approximately 12 pounds.  As a result of the demands placed upon it, the neck is more susceptible to wear and injury.

Some things that can lead to neck discomfort or pain include:

Whiplash is the sudden multi-directional jerking of the neck and head.  This can lead to muscle fatigue, pain, and in extreme cases, damage to the joints.

Osteoarthritis is a joint disorder that leads to cartilage degeneration.  This disease can create painful bone spurs.

Spinal stenosis is a compression of the small nerve passageways within the spine.  This can lead to compression and trapping of the nerves, causing pain in the head, neck, spine, and arms.

Degenerative disc disease leads to a loss of the elasticity and length of the disks separating the vertebrae.  This loss can cause painful grinding of the vertebrae.  If left untreated, this can lead to more widespread numbness or pain.

Poor daily habits such as slouching can cause extra stress to the neck area as it attempts to compensate for the lack of support in other areas of the body.

Poor general health such as obesity can cause added stress on the cervical spine by causing a greater demand on the muscles and joints to compensate for the weight.

While it is not a cure all for these issues, cervical spine chiropractic can help alleviate the pain and misalignment associated with these difficulties.

The stress comes from having to deal with the legal portion of the accident – filling out a police report, filing a claim with your insurance company, and dealing with auto repairs.

The painful portion comes from possible injuries. Some accidents cause severe injuries, while others cause less severe, but still painful, injuries. One of the most common injuries sustained in automobile accidents is whiplash.

Most occurrences of whiplash result from rear-end collisions. As the two cars collide, the occupants’ heads are violently “lashed” forward and backward, like a whip.

Whiplash is a painful neck injury that can display a number of painful problems. Herniated discs can occur from whiplash. The vertebrae of the spine have tiny discs in between and whiplash can cause small tears that cause the discs to bulge out. The bulging disc can come into contact with nerve endings and cause a great deal of physical pain in the body.

Joint problems are another possible result of whiplash. The strain on the joints from the impact can leave the joints with less resiliency, making it painful to move.

Some victims of whiplash experience chronic pain in the neck – the pain never goes away and the victim is forced to treat the pain with various medications and treatment.

Even mental problems can occur from whiplash. Some victims have a difficult time concentrating after whiplash.

If you are involved in an automobile accident, especially a rear-end collision, it is important to seek medical attention. You could have whiplash. The sooner you seek treatment, the better your chances are at finding a way to repair the damage and manage any ongoing pain.

Chiropractic treatments are often a good way to treat whiplash injuries, especially those that leave a victim in chronic pain. Your doctor will discuss treatment options and help you decide the best method to relieve your pain.

When you hear the word “chiropractic” what do you think of?

Many people have a misunderstanding of chiropractic therapy. It is not a strange, “voodoo” medicine – it is a proven form of treatment. Before you swear off the unknown based on what you may have heard, examine the facts. Chiropractic treatment provides millions of people with pain management and relief.

The following seven chiropractic myths are just that – myths. Knowing the truth can help you make an informed decision about seeking chiropractic treatment.

1. Chiropractic care is just for your back – Chiropractors treat many sources of pain, including knees, ankles, shoulders, and just about anywhere on your body. Your spine is the center of your entire body; keep it in top shape, and you’ll feel good, from your head to your toes.

2. Treatment hurts – Chiropractic treatment should not be painful. Many patients feel almost immediate relief from each treatment.

3. Treatment is dangerous – Chiropractic care is actually quite safe. While the idea of spinal adjustments might seem frightening, as long as you are being treated by a licensed and experienced chiropractor, you have nothing to worry about.

4. Once you start, you have to continue forever – While preventative care is a good idea, you are not required to continue seeking treatment once your issues are resolved. The best plan is to treat your chiropractor like your doctor or dentist. Schedule follow-up treatments as prescribed, as a preventative form of therapy.

5. Anyone can be a chiropractor – Chiropractors require education, just like a medical doctor. In addition to four years of college, prospective chiropractors then spend another four years in chiropractic school. They also have to acquire hundreds of hours in a clinical setting while they are students.

6. It is too expensive – Chiropractic visits are often much less than the average cost of a visit to a regular physician. And if you focus on wellness, you’ll spend less time in the doctors’ chair for “problems”.

7. It is not a “real” medicine – Many people associate medicine with science and believe chiropractic care does not fall into that category. However, many scientific studies have proven that this form of treatment works. In fact chiropractic is one of the largest expanding fields of medicine – probably because it focuses on keeping you well instead of curing what ails you.

Are you ready for a second look at chiropractic?

Being diagnosed with cancer is a devastating experience. Not only do you have to deal with the emotional effects of the diagnosis, you have to begin dealing with the physical effects of treatment.

Cancer treatment often “takes it all out of you”, leaving you in various forms of pain and discomfort as the treatment fights the cancer. And if the medication from cancer treatment isn’t enough, you also wind up having to put even more medications into your body for pain relief.

Fortunately, many people have discovered that chiropractic care can help alleviate your cancer pain treatment in a natural way.

As cancer treatments start to affect your body, you may find yourself experiencing varying levels of pain in your bones and joints. Your stress level is going to be much higher than normal and, overall, you will probably feel “blah”.

Chiropractic care works by addressing the pain at the source. Chiropractors work by adjusting the bones of the body to relieve pain. And while they start at the source – your spine- ultimately they can help any part of your body experiencing pain, from head to toe.

Chiropractic care is also a proven way to reduce stress levels. When the pain is being addressed and treated and the body is relaxed, stress levels go down. Without the pain, you can begin focusing on taking care of you instead of feeling bad.

It is also a natural alternative to prescription medications, an important fact because many cancer patients want to avoid putting any more chemicals into their already medication-riddled bodies.

Chiropractors focus on treating the body, rather than just loading a patient up with prescription medications. Addressing the source of the pain with a natural approach might just be the relief you are looking for during your battle with cancer. By adding natural chiropractic care to your cancer treatment regimen, you are likely to find yourself in less pain and with reduced levels of stress.

Anytime you have had an ache in your back or your neck, you probably popped a couple of over-the-counter pills and went on your way. If the pills worked, great – if not, you learned how to deal with the gnawing pain.

When you have aches and pains that will not go away, it is probably time for a visit to your chiropractor. A chiropractor can help ease your pain in just a few treatments. What many people do not realize is that, in order for their pain to stay away for good, you need to have ongoing treatment.

Think of your body like a finely tuned machine. In order to stay in the best shape, you have to maintain that machine. Much as you give your car regular maintenance, you have to do the same for your body. Chiropractic care is a great way to get quick relief for pain. It is also a great way to maintain your body and keep the pain at bay.

Your chiropractor may be able to relieve your immediate pain with a few treatments. However, if you stop going as soon as the pain subsides, it is likely that your pain will return. By scheduling regular treatments with your chiropractor, you can keep all of your bones adjusted and free from pain. It is much better to stay pain-free than to have to return in a few months with more intense pain.

The next time you suffer from back or neck pain, pay a visit to your chiropractor. Let him or her give you the pain relief you need to get through the day. Then, once you feel one hundred percent again, keep up the visits. Do not give the pain a chance to return by letting your chiropractor provide ongoing care. Your body will thank you for keeping the pain away instead of letting it return time and time again.