Treating Chronic Pain with Chiropractic Treatment

Whatever the cause, thousands of Canadians suffer through chronic pain on a regular basis. Whether as a result of an injury (a car accident or sports-related injury) or an unrelated condition (sciatica), chronic pain can be debilitating and make even the simplest daily tasks harder.

What exactly is chronic pain? Chronic pain is just that, pain that continues to persist after the expected time frame, and often doesn’t respond well to typical treatment or pain management techniques.  It can affect various parts of the body, and can be intermittent (coming on at different points during the day) or present all the time.

This is where chiropractic treatment comes in. A registered chiropractor, one trained to assess chronic pain and administer treatment can bring significant relief.

Prior to any form of treatment, your registered chiropractor will assess your pain, learning how and why this pain is present – it is essential to know what is causing the pain before attempting to treat it. Following this assessment and diagnosis, your chiropractor will develop an individualized plan to address the issue. A one size fits all approach to treating chronic pain will not work for most, and so a unique plan of attack is what will be the most effective.

After your chiropractor has determined the source of the pain, a variety of different treatment methods may be used to help decrease the pain and increase mobility. This treatment most often involves the use of manual spinal manipulation to help restore alignment to the structure of the body, thereby alleviating pain without surgery or medication.

Active Release Technique and Graston Technique are two forms of chiropractic treatment that are also becoming more popular because of their effectiveness at treating chronic pain. Both work (in different ways) to break down or reduce the amount of scar tissue that builds up following an injury.

Kinesiotaping is especially effective when treating a sports injury. It is used by chiropractors to help stabilize and support muscles and joints while offering flexibility – this can be a great way to help curb the pain while out enjoying your favourite activities.

If you find yourself suffering throughout the day because of chronic pain, stop ignoring the pain and get some actual relief. A chiropractor can work with you to find it!

For more about chiropractic treatment for chronic pain, please contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine today by calling 416 800 0800 or visit www.aesm.ca.

Tim Hortons’ Roar of the Rings! Curling Injuries? Try Chiropractic Treatment

This week, Winnipeg's MTS Centre is host to Tim Hortons’ Roar of the Rings, a week-long curling championship which serves as the trials for Canada’s Olympic curling team. This year, the country's top 16 teams (8 men’s and 8 women’s) will compete for the highly coveted position. Whether you're an avid curler, or an avid curling fan - or both- this is a very exciting event.

Enthusiastic and devoted stone throwers everywhere know that curling is one of the safest sports there is, despite it being quite strenuous. The overall reported serious injury rate is only 3.5%. That being said, the strain that comes from a round of curling can be seriously tough to deal with, be it a friendly pick-up match or a competitive contest.

The most common curling injuries are musculoskeletal in nature and most often affect the shoulders, knees and back. These injuries are normally the result of movement involving stress on your joints. This stress is really not surprising when you think about the fact that the stones are made of pure granite and can weigh up to 20kg!

Tips to avoid curling injuries:

-        Stretching. This can't be stressed enough. Heading out onto the rink thinking that the sport isn't difficult and, therefore, stretching isn’t really necessary will cost you in the end!

-        Learn the proper technique. First-time curlers: this is for you! Watching Scotty’s Tournament of Hearts each year doesn't mean you know what you're doing. Make sure you get some guidance or head out with someone who can give you some specific points to help you form and refine your own stance and procedure.

-        Wear the right equipment. Jeans may be stylish but they don’t belong on the rink. Wear comfortable clothing, something with give. And don't forget gloves!

And what if you’ve already hit the rink and didn’t realize how hard curling can be on your body? There's no need to suffer through pain if you're dealing with a curling injury. Try chiropractic treatment to get your body straightened out! A chiropractor can help adjust and manipulate misaligned joints that are contributing to pain and bring you relief.

For more information about avoiding curling injuries or to find out about how chiropractic care can help you heal, contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine at 1 (416) 800-0800 or visit us online at www.aesm.ca.

Back Pain Keeping Your From the Field? Try Toronto Chiropractic Treatment

Being active is an important part of staying healthy, and participating in sports is one of the best ways to include healthy activity in your life - and have fun at the same time!  When your body is strong, healthy and pain-free, enjoying sports is easy. But what if your suffering from pain robs you of that enjoyment? If you are suffering from back pain that prevents you from enjoying the sports you love, it might be time to consider chiropractic treatment.

A registered chiropractor at a sports medicine clinic can offer you the chiropractic treatment you need to get relief. Using a variety of techniques, including Active Release Technique, acupuncture, Graston technique and kinesiotaping, chiropractic treatment will help you deal with your chronic or acute back pain effectively by correcting misalignments in the spine to reduce pain and restore normal bodily function.

What do each of these techniques consist of and how do they work to get rid of your back pain?

Acupuncture: as a holistic form of chiropractic treatment, acupuncture works by stimulating the body’s central nervous system, releasing chemicals which work to influence biochemical changes and promote the body’s natural healing abilities. This improves overall well-being and helps heal pain caused by sports.

Active Release Technique: a patented soft tissue based massage technique, Active Release Technique treats chronic and acute back pain by applying pressure to the affected area and working to remove or break up the scar tissue build up that causes muscles to tighten and become painful. Active Release Technique is also effective at treating numerous other sports related ailments including carpel tunnel syndrome, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis and sciatica.

Graston technique: an instrument-assisted form of soft tissue mobilization, Graston technique detects and treats areas of the body causing pain due to chronic inflammation by breaking down and separating scar tissues that restrict normal movement and function. It also works to increase blood flow and cellular activity.

Kinesiotaping: a sports taping method which uses strategically applied sports tape to muscles to reduce pain and inflammation. Rather than restricting movement by binding joints and muscles, kinesiotaping is non-restrictive, allowing for full range of motion while delivering muscle support.

Don’t play through the pain. If you are suffering from sports related back pain, try chiropractic treatment to assist your entire body and get back on the field.

For more information about chiropractic treatment including Active Release Technique, contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine by calling 416-800-0800 or visit www.aesm.ca.

 

Chiropractic Treatment Used to Treat Chronic Pain

If you have suffered an injury to your back or neck, you’re well aware how greatly your ability to participate in daily activities is reduced. Suffering from chronic pain can severely and negatively impact your way of life, turning the simplest tasks into dramatic, if not daunting ordeals.  If you have found yourself in this situation, it’s important to remember that there are options available for dealing with back and neck related chronic pain.   One of the most common and most popular is chiropractic treatment. 

Chiropractic treatment involves the manipulation of the neuromusculoskeletal system – focusing mainly on the spine, soft tissues, and other joints – by a medically trained professional. A doctor of chiropractic therapy, or chiropractor, uses a form of hands-on therapy called “adjustment” to promote the body’s ability to heal itself without surgery or medication. This is achieved through the proper alignment of the body’s musculoskeletal structure, more specifically the spine.

Many chiropractors will use various other methods as part of their chiropractic therapy procedure.  These can include the Graston Technique, a therapy that uses tools to break down scar tissue and promote healing, or the Active Release Technique, which uses different massage methods to relieve tension and loosen muscles.

What are the benefits of chiropractic therapy?

There are several, and each is extremely valuable. Firstly, many doctors recommend chiropractic therapy as an alternative to surgery to treat back pain of two categories; mild acute-lasting less that 3 months; or chronic – lasting longer than 3 months.  The latter is especially so if back surgery is the ultimate last resort (also bear in mind: the classification of back pain as acute or chronic is based on the length of time you have experienced pain, not the severity of the pain itself). Instead of dealing with the symptom (the pain), chiropractic therapy treats the cause and allows you to get back to enjoying the things you love, without having to go through the extensive recovery period that can accompany back surgery.

Chiropractic therapy can also be used to relieve tension and migraine headaches. If you suffer from these, you know how dreadfully debilitating they can be.  They can ruin both special occasions and every day routines without warning, robbing you of fulfilling the plans you make.  Some people are so plagued by migraines that they are leery of making any plans at all for fear a migraine will keep them from their commitments.  Chiropractic therapy commonly helps relieve migraines and can greatly increase your ability to enjoy each day without having to worry about the pain and inconvenience of a monster-headache!

In addition to relieving back pain, chiropractic therapy is also used to restore your body’s ability to function fully, normally and without injury.

Suffering through acute or chronic back pain can be nothing less than torture, but being aware of existing solutions can be liberating. An aligned spine and flexible muscles are crucial to the prevention of serious injuries which can grind your pursuit of the sports you love to an abrupt halt.  Chiropractic therapy is an important and viable option to consider whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, or if you just want to protect your body for pain and injury-free longevity.

To find out more about chiropractic therapy, or to make an appointment with a trained chiropractor, contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine by calling 416 800 0800, or visit www.aesm.ca