Posts tagged chiropractor
Headaches and Chiropractic Care
Oct 16th
Dr. Ferris comments: There are numerous sutdies that report the effectiveness of chiropractic care in the treatment headaches. Clinically, it is rare for me to treat a patient with headaches and not see some improvement. As in many conditions, there are many different factors that can contribute to imbalance and the subsequent symptoms. In the case of headaches, one can have contributions from sinuses, hormones, chemical imbalances, nutritional (red wine, chocolate), and structural imbalances. I often educate my patients that chiropractic care is uniquely effective in reducing the structural imbalances (misaligned spinal joints that irritate the nerves that go to the head) that lead to headaches and thus decrease the frequency or intensity of the headaches that may still occur if the other factors that I mentioned are present. What many people don’t realize is that there are many different techniques and post graduate education that a chiropractor can study. Some may choose to focus on pediatrics, pre/post pregnancy, sports injury, and in the case of headaches upper neck care. I have found much more success in treating my patients with headaches and neck issues when I utilize the upper cervical (NUCCA) training I have learned. One such recent patient comes to mind… click here to see his story.
It was reported in October of 2010 that 1 in 6 or 16.54% or approximately 45 million Americans get headaches yearly, with many people suffering daily. While the statistical numbers vary based upon your source of information, it can be agreed upon that headaches are very common and shared with Americans at an epidemic rate.
Taking into account that a single pill for many Americans can cost as much as $43, the overall cost to our economy totals billions of dollars and we need to focus on not the treatment of the effects, but the root of the cause.
While there are many types of headaches ranging from common headaches, migraine headaches, cluster headaches, tension headaches and many more, the one thing to keep in mind that there is no such thing as a “Normal Headache.” You are not supposed to get headaches as pain is an indicator of a problem and you body’s mechanism of letting you know something is wrong, go fix it.
One of the most common and less understood headaches is the “cervicogenic headache.” This is a syndrome characterized by chronic pain around the head that is associated with either the bony structures of the head or the muscles of the neck. This has also been associated with migraine headaches as 64% of migraine sufferers have reported associated neck pain/stiffness with their migraine attack; 31% experienced neck symptoms before and 93% during the headache phase and 31% during the recovery phase.
Therefore cervicogenic headaches are also a component of the migraine headaches and can be treated.
One of the hallmarks of determining if there is a cervicogenic component of any headache is to change the position of your head and if you increase, activate or alter the pain pattern, there is a component.
According to M. Haas, ET. Al. in 2010, spinal manipulative care (chiropractic adjustments) showed significant reduction in cervicogenic headaches of over 50% of the research group that lasted for 24 weeks, or the length of the study. The researchers used the 50% mark to determine validity and they reached their milestone and it lasted for 24 weeks, the length of the study. They also noted a decrease in over the counter medication during the 24 weeks of the study.
Haas also reported in 2010 that at 12 weeks 85% showed improvement with varying degrees of improvement ranging from 25% to 100% with similar findings at 24 weeks.
Chiropractic has been proven to reduce and in many instances totally eradicate headaches. The financial cost to headache sufferers for drugs is staggering along with loss of paychecks when unable to work, the disability costs to insurers and loss of production of workers to industry when their employees cannot perform their jobs on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
“Reprinted with permission from the US Chiropractic Directory (www.USChiroDirectory.com.)
Pain Goes Away On Its Own Myth
Jun 28th
Recent studies show that just waiting for the pain to go away is usually not the best solution. As the article and studies note (click here for full article), chiropractic care is one of the best conservative approaches to improving spinal joint dysfunction, which is the root cause of the majority of headache, neck and back pain.
If you have any complaints that have been going on for more then four weeks or consistently pop up every few months then it would be wise to have a spinal examination by a chiropractor trained to identify and correct spinal joint problems.
If you have any questions, visit our website and send us email or give us a call at 317-585-9111. We would be happy to answer your questions or setup a complimentary consultation with one of our doctors to assess your conditions.
Article: Reprinted from the US Chiropractic Directory (www.USChiroDirectory.com)
Chiropractic used by all 32 NFL teams
Mar 12th
Dr. Ferris’ comments:
I like this article because it is a good reminder that chiropractic is not just for those in pain. Most professional sports’ have a team chiropractor to keep their athletes performing at their peak. Also, many people who do see a chiropractor initially for a particular symptom often choose to return periodically to maintain spinal alignment and proper joint function even when they have little to no symptoms.
Chiropractic used by all 32 NFL teams
The Professional Football Chiropractic Society (PFCS) takes pride in announcing that all 32 teams in the National Football League offer their players and personnel chiropractic physician services as part of the triage in managing and preventing injuries. According to the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, this distinction is a benchmark for the profession and documents the important role that chiropractic care plays in optimizing athletic performance.
“The robust need for chiropractic care in the NFL has been deeply driven by the players’ desire for peak physical conditioning and not simply for injuries,” states Spencer H. Baron, D.C., DACBSP, immediate past President of the PFCS and Miami Dolphins team chiropractor for the past 14 years. “From the earliest years of full contact football, their bodies are subject to structural stress that doctors of chiropractic (DCs) are specially trained to care for. ”
Saints 2006 first round pick, Reggie Bush, has been receiving regular chiropractic care since playing football in high school and during his collegiate years. “I look at chiropractic care as important to keeping me healthy and at the top of my game.”
In fact, many professional athletes are outspoken about their experiences with chiropractic care. Most notably, 2010 NFL Hall Of Fame inductee Jerry Rice, who is a spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public of the many benefits associated with chiropractic care.
“I did a lot of things to stay in the game, but regular visits to my chiropractor made all the difference,” Rice asserts.
To see the full article click here… http://newsblaze.com/story/2010021607372200001.bw/topstory.html
Local Doctor Receives Diplomat with American Academy of Medical Legal Professionals
Jan 12th
Local Doctor Certified in Whiplash and Brain Injury Traumatology Accepted as Diplomat with American Academy of Medical Legal Professionals
Fishers, IN, January-2010 – Did you know that over three million whiplash injuries occur each year resulting from motor vehicle crashes? Of these whiplash injuries, 500,000 people will have chronic problems and up to 300,000 will have some degree of disability. Apart from the effect on health, there’s a significant cost to society. Approximately $43 billion of total annual HARM is attributable to whiplash and related injuries. (HARM is a metric for quantifying the total societal cost of road trauma.)
Dr. Matthew C. Ferris of Health Connections says individuals need to be educated about the issues surrounding whiplash. He reports, “Many times ligament damage and injury goes undetected. Either the person does not have significant symptoms and does not get any medical check or they go to a hospital and get released with pain medication. At the hospital, the primary priority is to discover if there are any major medical issues, like fractures or internal bleeding.”
Therefore, Dr. Ferris explains, “after the hospital or critical care facility has ruled out major medical injury, it is important to go to a physician trained in whiplash diagnosis and treatment to find out for sure the extent of any injuries. In most cases, the diagnosis and treatment of injuries will be covered by either the at fault vehicle or one’s own auto insurance policy if no other vehicle is involved.”
So what are some warning signs? Dr. Ferris commented that, “headaches, neck pain, muscle spasm, back pain, and numbness and tingling are all potential signs that muscles, ligaments, and spinal joints may be injured.” He also notes that, “when ligaments are injured their function of keeping the spinal joints aligned and working properly is changed. If ligaments heal with spinal joints misaligned, it will lock them into a dysfunctional position and set the stage for spinal degeneration and chronic pain.”
– Matthew C. Ferris is a chiropractic physician and clinical accident director at Health Connections in Fishers, Indiana. Dr. Ferris has completed post doctorate certification in Whiplash and Brain Traumatology from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego. He has recently completed a Diplomat with the American Academy of Medical Legal Professionals. If you have a question or would like a no charge consultation in relation to an auto accident, you can call 317-585-9111 or visit www.hcfishers.com.
Medical Report Finds Chiropractic Care More Cost-Effective for Low Back and Neck Pain
Dec 30th
Medical Report Finds Chiropractic Care More Cost-Effective Then Medical or Physical Therapy for Low Back and Neck Pain
Dr. Arnold Milstein is one of the world’s foremost experts on clinical and cost effectiveness in health care, and the Mercer Reports, written by him and his team, are considered the gold standard among medical establishments, third party payers and legislators. In essence, if Dr. Milstein says it’s so, it’s accepted as unchallengeable, based on his reputation for objectivity and scientific reason.
Dr. Milstein’s curiosity with chiropractic connected him with the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress who commissioned him to study the effectiveness of chiropractic care compared to medicine and physical therapy, concentrating on neck and low back patients to begin with.
The results were startling. Chiropractic care was found to be more effective than either medicine or physical therapy – in fact, up to twenty-five times more cost-effective than a program of physical therapy exercises.
Dr. Milstein concluded, “Using data from high quality randomized controlled EU trials and contemporary US based average unit prices payable by commercial insurers, we project that insurance coverage for chiropractic physician care for low back and neck pain for conditions other than fracture and malignancy is likely to drive improved cost-effectiveness of US care. In combination with the existing US-based literature, our findings support the value of health insurance coverage of chiropractic care for low back and neck pain at average fees payable by US commercial insurers.”
Results of study:
- Chiropractic care is more effective than other modalities for treating low back and neck pain
- Chiropractic physician care for low back and neck pain is highly cost effective, represents a good value in comparison to medical physician care and to widely accepted cost-effectiveness thresholds.
If you are experiencing a musculoskeletal condition, such as neck or back pain, do some online searching for a chiropractor in your area to get a consultation and exam.
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- Dr. Matthew C. Ferris is a chiropractic physician practicing at Health Connections in Fishers, Indiana. Dr. Ferris has completed post doctorate certification in Whiplash and Brain Traumatology from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego. If you or someone you know is experiencing neck or back pain, call for a complimentary consultation and exam to see if you are a candidate for our services. 317-585-9111.