Everyone’s spine curves a little bit, but sometimes said curve goes beyond the normal amount. The curvature of your spine is what keeps your head positioned over your pelvis and is what helps to absorb any shock from the stress the biomechanics of moving place on your spine. If your spine is curved too much, so that it starts to look more like a C or an S, then this can result in a number of problems, since it impacts how your spine is meant to function. 

This is called scoliosis, and while there is no known cure for it, there are treatment options available which can help. Chiropractors help scoliosis in a number of ways. Here’s what you need to know about scoliosis and the variety of ways that a chiropractor can help. 

What Is Scoliosis?

As mentioned above, scoliosis is when your spine curves in a way that isn’t normal. It’s a sideways curvature that generally is mild, and most people who have a mild case of scoliosis can go about their lives as normal. In more severe cases, though, as the curve of your spine becomes more and more abnormal, this leads to escalated risk for other health issues. While scoliosis most commonly affects the lower section of your back and chest, it is possible for it to impact any area of your spine. 

What Are The Signs Of Scoliosis?

We say signs of scoliosis rather than symptoms because more often than not, there aren’t any symptoms with scoliosis. Some of the potential signs of scoliosis include:

• Uneven shoulders
• Uncentered head
• Uneven waist
• Rib cages at different heights
• One or both of the hips raised or unusually high
• The entire body leans to one side 
• One side of the back is more prominent when bending over
• Dimples, abnormalities in color, hairy patches, and other differences in the look or texture of the spine over where the spine curves abnormally
• Clothes hanging unevenly
• And of course: the spine curving more to one side than the other

Though scoliosis typically doesn’t come with symptoms, it can, especially if it progresses into more severe cases. Some of the symptoms of scoliosis include:

• Back pain
• Shoulder pain
• The spine feeling weak or tired after sitting or standing for an extended period of time
• Persistent pain from increased wear on spinal bones
• Breathing problems
• Spine or nerve damage
• Spinal fluid leakage
• Lower self-esteem from the changes in appearance as scoliosis progresses to become more noticeable
• Muscle spasms

Scoliosis generally develops gradually, and it can go unnoticed, especially since mild cases don’t usually come with pain. However, it can get worse over time, so if you suspect you or your child may have scoliosis, it’s best to go to a doctor to have it diagnosed so you can get it treated. You may also see a chiropractor, because chiropractors help scoliosis with their expert knowledge of the spine and joints. 

What Causes Scoliosis?

Scoliosis is one of those medical issues that we don’t know much about yet, aside from what it looks like and what it can do. Generally, it seems like there’s something in the genes that can put one at higher risk for developing scoliosis, as it’s a condition that tends to run in families. There are other potential causes for scoliosis too.

There are three types of scoliosis: idiopathic, congenital, and neuromuscular. 

• Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common kind, where the potential causes of scoliosis have been eliminated from diagnosis. Aka: we’re not sure why your spine is curving abnormally, but it is.

• Congenital scoliosis is when there’s an embryological malformation in the vertebrae of your spine, and since it occurs during fetal development, it’s easier to diagnose earlier in life. 

• Neuromuscular scoliosis refers to scoliosis that goes hand in hand with neurological and/or muscular diseases, such as cerebral palsy. This type generally progresses faster than the others and is most likely to require surgery in order to treat.

There are several risk factors that make one more likely to develop idiopathic scoliosis, such as: age (scoliosis typically starts in adolescence), sex (girls are more likely than boys to have scoliosis that progresses from mild to needing treatment), and family history (as mentioned before, it could have something to do with genetics, although many children with scoliosis don’t have a family history of it). Generally, chiropractors help scoliosis, especially if it is mild, but depending on the cause, you could need more invasive treatment. 

How Is Scoliosis Diagnosed?

Scoliosis can be diagnosed through physical examinations, such as a doctor or chiropractor inspecting your spine and having you bend over in order to see if one shoulder protrudes more than the other, and the like. It can also be diagnosed with exams and tests such as x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and spinal radiographs. 

Treatment Options

The treatment options available to you depend on your specific case of scoliosis. For instance, if you’re still growing, that impacts the treatments that may be recommended to you, as can how severe the curve is, its location, and how likely it is to worsen. Depending on the factors impacting your case, it may be recommended that:

• It simply be observed to monitor it for any potentially progression from mild and not painful to worse.
• Bracing, which is best for adolescents, as it improves the curvature of the spine.
• Surgery, in severe cases where other treatments aren’t enough.

Chiropractors help scoliosis too, mostly in mild cases. If you need your scoliosis diagnosed or confirmed or treated, chiropractors help scoliosis in a number of ways, from diagnosis to suggesting treatment options and more. 

How Can Chiropractors Help Scoliosis?

As mentioned above, there are several ways chiropractors help scoliosis. It’s important to choose a chiropractor who is educated about scoliosis, though, as some chiropractors aren’t aware of how chiropractors help scoliosis differs from simple spinal manipulation and can worsen it. 

Since scoliosis involved the spine being curved out of proper positioning, chiropractors help scoliosis through decreasing the pressure on your spine, suggesting exercises to strengthen your body’s body as well as methods to move that can relieve pain and help joint support, help you breathe easier, and provide ideas on ways that you can stay active without causing the scoliosis to progress. 

Chiropractors help scoliosis with natural, non-invasive methods that help you manage it and get stronger and better equipped to deal with it. If you’re looking for treatments that don’t involve drugs or invasive procedures, chiropractors help scoliosis in ways that don’t include that, making them a great option for treatment of mild scoliosis. 

If you want chiropractic help for scoliosis, look no further! Grant Chiropractic offers expertly trained chiropractic care that is non-invasive and drug-free. We know the way chiropractors help scoliosis differs from a typical chiropractic adjustment, so there’s no need to worry about us making your condition worse. Contact us today to set up an appointment!

You know how people say they can predict the weather just from aches in their joints? While there’s no scientific evidence to back up such claims, it is true that aches and pains are heightened by colder temperatures, which is one of the reasons why there is an increase in neck pain in the winter. It’s why so many people dread the colder months, because they don’t want to have to deal with neck pain in the winter. Luckily, there are steps you can take to both reduce your risk of and to alleviate neck pain in the winter.

Why Neck Pain Increases In The Winter

Maybe you can’t predict blizzards, but cold weather does exacerbate neck pain in the winter for a number of reasons. Many of them have to do with how our bodies react to plummeting temperatures. For example, your muscles tighten up in order to constrict your blood vessels as a protective measure against heat loss. Your muscles being tight for an extended period of time can result in pain, because they’re not meant to be so tense all the time. 

Your posture and your movement levels also impact neck pain in the winter. Many people slump and hunch over in order to conserve body heat, which puts your neck in an unnatural position. If it’s freezing, chances are that you’d rather be curled up inside with a good book and a steaming cup of your hot beverage of choice rather than exercising or moving around. Reduced activity levels lead to muscle and joint stiffness, which can lead to your neck hurting.

One of the most annoying causes for neck pain in the winter is how the very things that keep us warm when we leave the house can be increasing the strain on our necks – coats and scarves and hats. This added weight can put more stress on your neck, especially if you’re bundling up in a way that doesn’t hold your head over your spine, but instead causes your chin to just out. Talk about a catch 22. 

Maybe winter increases your risk of neck pain, but you can best that pesky bugger through a number of methods.

Preventing Neck Pain In The Winter

Neck pain can be avoided and alleviated in multiple ways. Here are some of the ways you can prevent neck pain this winter.

• Bundle up properly!

When you’re wrapping scarves around your neck, make sure that you’re not inadvertently putting your neck out of proper alignment. Your neck should be over your spine – not in front of or behind it.

• Don’t sit for too long.

Tempting, isn’t it? When it’s cold, many people are more sedentary than normal. Making sure you are sitting up straight and getting up to walk around every half hour or so can reduce the strain on your neck, especially if you’re prone to slouching when you sit.

• Stretch your neck.

Stretching is one of the best ways to increase strength and mobility and reduce risk of injury and pain. Neck stretches are simple and can be done even sat in front of the TV. They’re an excellent way to alleviate strain on your spine and reduce pain.

• Stay hydrated!

Chances are, you’re probably reaching for hot drinks more often than not. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water, though! Your spinal disks are mainly water, so staying hydrated will help to keep your spine in good condition, which dominoes into reducing neck pain.

Neck pain in the winter needn’t be some unavoidable horror. You can work to prevent it! Sometimes, though, either through conditions like chronic pain, or other circumstances, you can’t. Or maybe you suffer from it and didn’t know how to prevent it. Regardless, if you suffer from neck pain in the winter, you don’t have to just grin and bear it. Chiropractors can treat your neck pain and get you feeling better.

Chiropractic Care For Neck Pain

When you see a chiropractor for your neck pain, they’ll first conduct an assessment in order to determine the root cause of your pain and the best course of treatment for you. They will look to see any areas where your movement is restricted, check your spinal alignment, and consider your overall body mechanics. They’ll also want to know your history, to learn about any other underlying conditions and things to be aware of.

Chiropractors can then treat your neck pain in a variety of ways. They may use spinal manipulation to restore movement to your joints or manipulations to increase blood flow to your muscles, reducing tension. Massage is another way they can ease tense muscles, as well as other therapies like soft tissue therapy and trigger point therapy. 

Your chiropractor will also guide you through stretches that you’ll be able to do on your own, as well. Your treatment options will be personalized to you.

Are You Suffering From Neck Pain?

Neck pain is a pain in the neck – but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Grant Chiropractic offers professional chiropractic services to alleviate your pain and get you back to feeling like yourself again. For any questions or to schedule an appointment, please contact our office today!

We use our hips for everything, so when they hurt, that impacts our entire life. Our hips are what help to keep us upright, to bear our weight, to move with ease. If you suffer from hip pain, it can be from a number of causes. A chiropractor can help you both determine the root cause of your pain and offer a number of treatment methods aimed at providing long-term relief. 

Common Causes Of Hip Pain 

There are many potential causes of hip pain. Some of the most common include:

Age

As we age, our bodies naturally become more fragile due to years and years of wear and tear. While an active, healthy lifestyle can keep you strong and in good shape well into your senior years, age still can play a factor in hip pain due to all the use of the cartilage. 

Overuse

We use our hips a lot! Sometimes though, doing repetitive motions for an extended period of time can lead to hip pain. Hips are used to being used in lots of different ways, so doing the same motion with them over and over again can cause pain, the same way that writing a lot can lead to writer’s cramp. 

Overuse is a frequent cause of hip pain especially for those with active lifestyles such as athletes and dancers. All those high kicks take a toll after a while! In order to prevent hip pain from overuse from developing into arthritis, it’s important to see your chiropractor! They’ll keep your hips in tip-top condition so you can jump all over the stage or whatever else without fear of hip pain. 

Injury

The damage overuse does to the hip over time is gradual – injuries aren’t. An injury can shatter or dislocate your hip bone, which can lead to debilitating hip pain. Sometimes even if you didn’t hurt the bone itself, an injury can still strain, sprain, or bruise your hip, which is also extremely painful. 

Inflammation

Inflammation can result from injury, overuse, illness, and more. Whatever the cause, if the space around the joint of your hip becomes inflamed, this can cause a lot of pain. 

Arthritis

Arthritis, also called osteoarthritis, is an inflammatory joint disease. It’s most common in older adults, although it can occur in younger people too. As mentioned above, if left untreated, the damage overuse does can lead to arthritis over time. Arthritis causes stiffness, swelling, cartilage loss, and joint deterioration over time. As such, it’s a common cause of hip pain for those who suffer from it. Arthritis isn’t curable, but with proper treatment, it can be slowed and symptoms can be minimized. 

In addition to these, hip pain could be caused by a number of other conditions or injuries elsewhere in your body. Sciatica, muscle tears, and iliotibial band issues are some other potential causes of pain. An examination will show your doctor or chiropractor what the source of your pain is. 

How Chiropractors Help Hip Pain 

Chiropractors offer relief for hip pain in a way that doesn’t involve medication or surgeries. Chiropractic care is non-invasive and personalized to you. When you see a chiropractor for hip pain, they will conduct a physical examination and ask questions about your personal history in order to determine the root cause of your hip pain in order to determine the best treatment plan for you. 

Some of the ways that chiropractors treat hip pain are as follows:

Chiropractic Adjustments

Perhaps the most commonly known method of pain relief chiropractors offer is through adjustments that are aimed to get everything back into alignment and minimize stresses on certain areas of the body, such as your hip joint. A spinal adjustment can reduce or eliminate the stress put on your hip, ergo, helping your hip pain. 

Exercises

One of the best ways to reduce the likelihood of pain and to help you heal from current pain is through a variety of exercises designed to strengthen the muscles around your hips. These will keep your hips in better shape, and if you worry about overuse, these exercises can help prevent that. 

Some common exercises chiropractors will have you do include external hip rotations and hip and lower back stretches. They can be done both with your chiropractor and at home by yourself. 

Stretches

As mentioned above, stretches can also be included in your chiropractor’s treatment plan for your hip pain. Stretching increases mobility, and obviously, if something hurts, it limits your mobility. Stretching will help you get that back. 

Some common stretches to help your hips include: hip abduction, hip extension, and mini squats. 

Some chiropractors may also utilize a number of other treatment methods in order to help you out. They may involve electrotherapy, cold laser therapy, massages, infrared sauna, and deep ultrasounds, amongst others. 

Do You Need Help With Hip Pain?

Grant Chiropractic believes in the effectiveness of chiropractic care for getting to the root cause of your hip pain in order to provide long term relief. If you are suffering from hip pain, please feel free to contact us to set up an adjustment. We also treat back pain, do spinal adjustments, and a multitude of other chiropractic concerns. For more information about hip pain or any of our other services, call 801-546-2273 today!