Most folks that experience Upper Back Pain, acknowledge that the pain is felt between the shoulder blades, on top of your shoulders, and can also be in one side of the upper back. Most folks feel continuous muscle tension and spasm and/or a dull pain with bouts of burning type pain. The result of this discomfort is a reduced ability to turn your head, irritability (pain can make you act differently and affect concentration) and harder to work at the computer.
Because, most chiropractors in West Hartford and surrounding area are of the conventional variety, I think a great place to start would be to define what is considered conventional chiropractic care. Conventional chiropractic care has the following goals: Decrease Muscle Spasm, Increase Range of Motion,Reduce Pain. This is what most conventional chiropractors offer in the way of care, and I believe that most of these folks do a great job at what they do.
Unlike traditional chiropractors, here at Advanced Chiropractic, we focus on Structural Correction by utilizing S.C.I, Structural Rehabilitation and Complementary Recommendations in an effort to correct AHS (Anterior Head Syndrome).
We're all familiar with normal body temperature: 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. How do we known when someone has abnormal blood pressure? For that matter, how do we know when air pressure in our tires is low? The only way to appreciate abnormal - is to know normal.
When it comes to normal, we're not expecting anyone to be perfect. However, if your head is displaced 30mm beyond what's considered acceptable, you have Anterior Head Syndrome. Your head shifting forward is no different than your care being forced out of proper alignment, or the foundation of your house sinking a few inches.
Because the underlying structure has been shifted (regardless of reason), this deviation of your skull puts abnormal stress on your muscles, tendons, ligaments, spinal bones, and disc - forcing them to degenerate(damage) which makes them less functional.
Now, some people who's foundation dropped by a few inches this would cause their floors to creak or cracks in the drywall. The traditional doctor would put a few extra nails in the floor boards and patch up the cracks in the dry wall.
What would you do FIRST if it where your foundation? You would probably hire someone who focuses on structural problems, come to your home and fix your foundation. After that, and after a little work on the Secondary effects from the shift in the foundation, you're good to go. Does this make sense?
To understand what we do, and how what we do is DIFFERENT, let's start off by talking about what is considered NORMAL STRUCTURE. As you can see on our Strong Foundation Poster, from the side your spine should have three curves, and your ear should line up over your shoulders and shoulders over the hips and finally your hips over your ankles.
At first, minor abnormal shifts of the areas of the spine are nothing to worry about. No one has absolutely 100% perfect alignment. However, no different than blood pressure, eyesight,normal weight and normal blood pressure, there is a range that is acceptable and what's unacceptable.
If your structural shifts are outside what's considered normal, then you will experience one or more of what we refer to as Secondary Condition or symptoms. The reason we call them Secondary , because they are a result of a Primary Condition or an underlying cause. One Secondary Condition is caused Upper Back Pain and is a result of the Primary Condition Anterior Head Syndrome.
Your head weighs as much as a bowling ball 12 to 16 pounds. Now picture yourself holding a bowling ball close to your chest, then extend your arms fully. Which position do think holding the bowling ball would be hardest? Correct, the extended position. When your head has shifted abnormally anterior or forward this places continuous harsh pressures on your muscles, spinal bones, ligaments, tendons and nerves, causing Mid Back Pain.
There are four signs that are clear indicators of Anterior Head Syndrome. These indicators are not related to age, or genetics. They are a result of trauma, repetitive micro trauma, and chemical/ emotional stress that have disrupted the normal function of they spine. They include: 1). Anterior head Syndrome, 2.) Degenerated (damaged) Vertebrae 3.) Nerve Impingement Syndrome 4.) Degenerated (damaged) Disc.
As I mentioned earlier, here at Advanced Chiropractic, we focus on structural correction of the spine. We do this by utlizing gentle specific spinal adjusting methods with our S.C.I. (one of the tools we use), which are followed by post- adjustment Structural Rehabilitation on our remodeling tables and complementary requirements that you do on your own.
Here's how correcting AHS helps with upper back pain, once your skull is position with in normal range over your shoulders this relieves the abnormal pressures on your spinal bones, discs, muscles and nerves, thus relieving your upper back pain.
There is much more to our solution, for additional information call 860.523.5465
Have a GREAT Day
ADVANCED CHIROPRACTIC of West Hartford
Dr. Chris Chase - Certified Structural Correction Chiropractor, Dr.
Chris is the only Structural Chiropractor in West Hartford, and
surrounding communities. ADVANCED CHIROPRACTIC is a company that offers
Structural Correction services for women, children and men - which is
different from traditional chiropractors (not better BUT significantly
different).
Dr. Chris Chase is known for his directive focus to patient care and comprehensive approach to better health.
For additional information, you may inquire at: 860-523-5465
Most folks assume that degenerated (damaged) #disc are a direct result of the aging process or related to their genes (Grand mom has a granny hump, mom has a granny hump, so I will have a granny hump). Which is the furthest from fact as stating the earth is flat. Degenerated (damaged) discs are a result of a structural shift of the spine that is outside normal range, regardless of what caused the structural shift of the spinal bones in the first place.
Think of a car tire out of alignment, the abnormal alignment causes the uneven wear (damage) to the tires. You would not simply replace the tire without first correcting the abnormal shift in the structure of your car's wheel.
Because most chiropractors in this area are of the traditional variety, I think a great place to start would be to define what is considered "traditional chiropractic" care.
Traditional chiropractic has the following goals:
- Decrease muscular spasm
- Increase range of motion
- Reduce Pain
This is what MOST chiropractors in #West Hartford and the Farmington Valley offer in the way of care, and I believe that most folks do a great job at what they do.
Unlike traditional chiropractors, here at #Advanced Chiropractic, we focus on Structural Correction by utilizing gentle specific spinal corrections, structural remodeling and complementary recommendations in an effort to correct your structure.
The above is a picture of a normal spine and an abnormal spine that has the primary condition of Anterior Head Syndrome. Just like blood pressure or eyesight their are normals, just like the normal range of the spine. Think of your house if it had an un level foundation. Would you expect cracks in the wall, or a creaky floor? Of course, now most would patch the wall and nail the floor, but that is really not getting to the underlying problem.
We would first correct the foundation and then work on the secondary effects, which leads to a longer lasting correction with out the same problems arising over and over again.
Now think of a Degenerated /damaged disc, this is usually caused by a structural shift of the spine. This unhealthy loading of harsh forces causes the change in disc height, and degeneration of spinal bones. Which will also cause continuous muscle tension and muscle spasm. Think of a bowling ball, your head weighs as much as a bowling ball, when you have AHS of greater than an inch this creates 10 to 20 pounds additional force to your discs.
The indicators I look for a AHS or structural shift in the spine are:
- Anterior Head Syndrome
- Degenerated Vertebrae (damaged)
- Nerve Impingement Syndrome
- Muscular tension/spasm
- Degenerated Damaged Disc
Having just one indicates a structural problem, having more than one increases the severity. These indicators are not the result of genetics or age, they are the result of traumas (repetitive), accidents, unmanned stress and improper bio mechanics.
There is more than one way to cook an egg, and it is not my intention to give you my opinion on all the different options you have for treating a damaged disc. I want you to have the information to make a good decision for your health.
More often than not, the first step is prescription medication. If that doesn't work out, the next step is physical therapy, nerve injections, and in many cases if they do not work out then more invasive procedures.
Our focus at Advanced Chiropractic is to direct your spine to what's considered normal. By doing so, this will relieve pressure to your discs, which will subsequently relieve pressure to your nerves, thus improving your #neck pain or #back pain.
Once we correct your neck or back into the normal range this reduces the pressure off the discs and back onto the spinal bones where the pressure is meant to be carried. It's easy to understand.
Have a GREAT Day
ADVANCED CHIROPRACTIC of West Hartford
Dr. Chris Chase - Certified Structural Correction Chiropractor, Dr.
Chris is the only Structural Chiropractor in West Hartford, and
surrounding communities. ADVANCED CHIROPRACTIC is a company that offers
Structural Correction services for women, children and men - which is
different from traditional chiropractors (not better BUT significantly
different).
Dr. Chris Chase is known for his directive focus to patient care and comprehensive approach to better health.
For additional information, you may inquire at: 860-523-5465
Neck Pain: A Different Approach
At Advanced Chiropractic, here in West Hartford we have a different approach to Neck Pain. The picture to the left is a representation of a spine outside normal range. We know this spine is abnormal because the photo below represents Normal Structure.
As you can see on the Normal Structure poster the dramatic differences from the Anterior Head Syndrome poster. These dramatic differences are the underlying cause of the majority of neck pain, back pain, degenerated (damaged) discs and degenerated joint disease, as well as radiating pain (traveling) to the arms and fingers.
We at Advanced Chiropractic, focus on Structural Correction of the spine which is vastly different from Conventional Chiropractic, Physical Therapist and Medicine - not better and very different.
You see, as a Structural Chiropractor our focus is to enhance your spine back to normal range. When the spine is in normal range this takes the harsh pressures off your discs, nerves and causes muscles to relax.
Stretching the muscles, general non-specific manipulation, massage, electric stim, ultrasound, and medications all try to reduce pain, increase motion and decrease spasm and I have no doubt that these accomplish these goals. They DO NOT correct the underlying structural abnormality.
Just like a crack in the wall, most would just "patch" the crack, only to have the crack return over and over again, because the frame of the wall was never corrected. Most common solutions, patch the crack. We address the abnormal frame/structure then we address the drywall. This is the different approach, we dig a little deeper.
We use specific spinal corrections using two instruments, structural rehabilitation with our remodeling tables and complementary recommendations to enhance what we do for you the other 23 hours of the day you are not at our office.
If this makes sense to you, then call our office at 860.523.5465 and schedule for your complimentary consult or our group presentation called, Chiropractic:101.
When
you schedule for either we will have a Gift Certificate waiting for
your for $50.00 off our Structural Examination and will also include our
Structural Correction with any Structural Rehab. This is a thank you
for reading our blog.
Have a GREAT Day!
About Dr. Chris...
Dr. Chris Chase is a Chiropractor that focuses on the Structural Correction of the spine at his practice Advanced Chiropractic, located in West Hartford,CT.
In contrast to traditional chiropractors whose goal is to provide
temporary relief of pain, Dr. Chase's goal is to shift the underlying
framework of the body back to the stability of what all healthcare
professionals agree is normal.
Dr. Chase can be reached at 860.523.5465
and www.advancedwesthartford.com or www.facebook.com/advancedwesthartford1
Screwed... Literally
I meet folks in West Hartford who are skeptical about conventional chiropractic care and I do not blame them.
We are NOT a conventional Chiropractic office, we focus on a branch of Chiropractic called Structural Correction. Here is the big difference between Conventional and Structural Chiropractic.
As
you know we DO not use aggressive manipulations, or ask you to "believe"
in chiropractic or claim to cure everything. And many like our
approach, they say it just makes sense and is reasonable.
The
picture above is that of an unfortunate patient (not at our office) that has under gone major back
surgery. Now, after seeing that picture, there is nothing in my office
that should scare, intimidate or even cause you to take pause.
What
I can say after my years of experience is this; "uncorrected spinal
structure will cause damage and degenerate spinal structures which for some will cause major
debilitating consequences".
We do Structural Chiropractic to correct abnormal structure from degenerating to such a point where this surgery was performed.
We
use two different instruments, a handheld Correcting instrument and
our Structural Corrective Table. Again, most conventional chiropractors
use their hands with a non-specifc general manipulations - which are
safe.
Our goal or focus is structural correction, with that in
mind we need to be specific and realize not every vertebra (back bone)
needs to be corrected. Our technique is similar to fine tuning of a grand piano vs using a sledge hammer to persuade a piece of concrete. Specific, gentle with a less is more mindset to patient care.
Detecting is vital, the correction is as
much a science and art. That is why we take Structural Films, most
conventional chiropractors DO NOT take films anymore. Again, the more specific we are the less force we need to use and results tend to speak for themselves.
Also
the hand held instrument delivers forces from mere (3-4) ounces to 40
pounds per square inch - very specific. Also the speed in which that
specific force is delivered resonates (beneficial) with the tissues of
the body, mainly your nervous system and ligaments.
And, I know
people are hesitant to go to a Conventional Chiropractor because of
unnecessary worry about aggressive manipulation - since you have
experienced Structural Chiropractic or now know about about our gentle
specific correction, when people ask about our office you can honestly
say we are gentle and specific - different than most conventional
chiropractors.
Who should be our patient?
Patients
who have periodic reoccurring symptoms, chronic patients, and those
who have been to other conventional chiropractors and/or physical
therapists, and have not experienced significant correction.
Many Secondary Conditions, such as; back pain, neck pain, sciatica, headaches and TMJ have been helped by correcting abnormal structure.
Plus, our technique gets results, in my not so humble opinion.
Have a GREAT Day!
About Dr. Chris...
Dr. Chris Chase is a Chiropractor that focuses on the Structural Correction of the spine at his practice Advanced Chiropractic, located in West Hartford,CT.
In contrast to traditional chiropractors whose goal is to provide
temporary relief of pain, Dr. Chase's goal is to shift the underlying
framework of the body back to the stability of what all healthcare
professionals agree is normal.
Dr. Chase can be reached at 860.523.5465
and www.advancedwesthartford.com or www.facebook.com/advancedwesthartford1
Most folks who have neck pain in West Hartford have had neck problems for months or years. It usually started off as muscle soreness or stiffness occasionally and as time progressed the symptoms usually become more frequent and pain becomes greater. From the once-in-a while pain to constant pain in the neck.
Some even experience pain in their arms traveling down to their fingers. Weakness, pins and needles, even in painful when sneezing or coughing. When you dread sneezing because of the pain, you have a serious problem that will get worse if not attended to properly.
Conventional solutions or common ways to deal with neck pain only address the symptoms or pain, which is all well and good and does not address normal spinal structure. For example;
- OTC or over -the - counter pills, kill pain temporarily and do not address correcting the structural problem.
- Anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers, kill pain and relax muscles. Muscles are tight because they are trying to protect against further damage - it's your bodies way of stabilizing a problem area.
- PT and Conventional chiropractic - all good people and have three goals they are; decrease pain, increases how you move and decrease spasm - all well and good, and does not address abnormal structure.
- Nerve injections if the first three are of little help - then pain meds are shot into the damaged area. Does not address abnormal structure, only looking to temporarily decrease pain
- Surgery, from a disc ectomy (removal of the disc) to fusions with plates,screws and rods. Usually one surgery will lead to further surgeries down the road. This does address abnormal structure. Recovery time is usually a few weeks to many months.
The five conventional solutions are used all the time with vary amounts of success, you see if you feel better than that is counted as success, even though your structure was not corrected and the pain returns again, and again and again, so you do the above solutions over and over again.
Our focus at Advanced Chiropractic in West Hartford,is to correct your abnormal structure the first time and show you how to protect your corrected structure so you do not have to deal with neck pain over and over again. Our patients that work with us like that our approach is reasonable and just makes sense.
We look for Anterior Head Syndrome or AHS for short.
AHS has some tell tale indicators; muscle spasm/tension, Dowagers Hump, compressed or damaged disc, damaged or degenerated bone and nerve impingement syndrome. If you have just one indicator then you have AHS, if you have more than one indicator, this means your AHS is more severe.
As you may of heard, your head weighs 12 - 16 pounds so for every inch your head and shoulders are rounded this puts 10 more pounds of harsh force to your neck structure. In other words because you head has shifted anterior/forward abnormally this rots your spine from the inside out.
No amount of rubbing muscles, electric stim, ultrasound, popping joints, stretching or strengthening muscles will ever correct the abnormal structure. Other health care providers just do not know how and really do not want to - they are happy doing the conventional, it is what it is.
We ONLY correct abnormal structure, not saying there are other approaches out there, it's just we us the Structural Correction approach, which is new to most and different from the conventional.
We do not use aggressive spinal manipulation, we do not have you come in forever or do excessive care and we are not a jack of all trades - meaning we are great at structural correction, not great at pulled muscles.
How is our method is new and different?
Our focus is structural correction, using specific spinal corrections, which is utilized with two different correcting instruments. These instruments are precise and very tolerable to you the patient. Which help you move better, take the pain away and decrease muscle spasm and tension as well as positively activates your nervous system.
The we use Structural rehab to enhance your spinal structure more towards normal, getting to the underlining cause of the problem and along the way we have you do Complementary Recommendations to help with the other 23 hours of the day you are not in our office. This is vital without the Structural Rehab or Complementary Recommendation you will not get the best out of your care. We are a team, so you and I both have to work at this with our best effort and you will be excited with your corrections.
Who should be our patient?
Patients
who have periodic reoccurring symptoms, chronic patients, and those who
have been to other conventional chiropractors and/or physical
therapists, and have not experienced significant correction.
For additional information call: 860.523.5465
Advanced Chiropractic Facebook Page
Top Ten Supplements To Enhance Your Health
We’ve come a long way since our grandparents Geritol
(multivitamin). Now there are hundreds maybe even a few thousand
different supplements you can buy ranging from the exotic to the mundane
Vitamin C.
Now, as a Structural Corrective Chiropractor/Healthcare provider I
know you DO NOT need bags full of supplements to take daily. That is
NOT necessary and I also know there ARE helpful supplements that are
valuable to optimum health.
Here are my top supplements that I recommend:
- Omega-3 EPA/DHA
- ECG
- Vitamin D
- ALA
- CoQ10
- B12
- Glucosamine
- Chondrotin
- Turmeric
- Cal/Mag
The list above, does NOT mean you should take all ten. That
would be foolish. The above list is the most common I recommend for our
patients. My recommendation is based on science and customized with a
strategic plan to optimize your results. A
solution that is based on a plan, with goals and objective indicators
vs. the take this or that or try this then that approach.
For example, it makes no sense to recommend Vit D in the summer time
for the average person. Just go outside for 30mins daily and expose most
of your skin to the beautiful sun. Yet, in February living in West
Hartford, you bet your running shoes taking Vit D is PRUDENT.
This is why it is important to have a trusted adviser (that would be
me – shameless plug) to guide you or at least give you a second opinion
on what you are taking, in regards to supplements.
For example, should a runner, Crossfitter or tennis player be taking
the same supplements or could there be some overlap and specific
supplements in regards to specific training needs? Specifics and
details makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
What if you are on medications?
What supplements are safe and beneficial to enhance your treatment
from your family doctor? Especially, if you are on statin medications,
there are two that I recommend that have dramatically helped patients.
In our practice we have a DRAMATIC usage of supplements from the guy
who thinks/believes he needs nothing to the patient who comes in with 20
different supplements including medications.
Both are WRONG WRONG WRONG!
The correct way is to have a reasonable approach that includes
specific knowledge in how your body works and how these supplements
interact with certain medications. In addition, what changes can you do
with your diet to minimize supplementation needs to be addressed.
What are your goals, age, fitness level, sports and recreation, diet
and medicines you are taking – all of these factors plus any health
indicators should be play the predominate role in your decision and
choice of supplement routine. As a Structural Chiropractic (different
than traditional chiropractor), we are concerned with your nervous
system and the inner frame work of your body that houses and PROTECTS
your nervous system – your spine.
So any food or supplement that
enhances brain function, nerve function, reduces chronic inflammation is
excellent and reasonable goal. You see, there is never a silver bullet
and a silver strategy is reasonable. Not only do we detect and correct
abnormal spinal structure, we also give you complementary
recommendations to enhance your care. This way you can protect your
health.
Supplements are NOT candy – they will change your body’s physiology,
no joke. If you are serious about your health and/or performance, then
this is reasonable. If you believe taking a daily multi-vitamin is
plenty and good enough for everyone regardless of their lifestyle, ask
yourself; “Does that sound remotely reasonable”?
Have a GREAT Day!
About Dr. Chris…
Dr. Chris Chase is a Chiropractor that focuses on the Structural Correction of the spine at his practice Advanced Chiropractic, located in West Hartford,
CT. In contrast to traditional chiropractors whose goal is to provide
temporary relief of pain, Dr. Chase’s goal is to shift the underlying
framework of the body back to the stability of what all healthcare
professionals agree is normal.
Dr. Chase can be reached at 860.523.5465
and www.advancedwesthartford.com or
www.facebook.com/advancedwesthartford1
Most folks that experience Upper Back Pain, acknowledge that the pain is felt between the shoulder blades, on top of your shoulders, and can also be in one side of the upper back. Most folks feel continuous muscle tension and spasm and/or a dull pain with bouts of burning type pain. The result of this discomfort is a reduced ability to turn your head, irritability (pain can make you act differently and affect concentration) and harder to work at the computer. 
