Monday, September 13, 2010
We are happy to announce that we have obtained our massage establishment license and are now able to provide therapeutic massage in addition to Chiropractic and Acupuncture. We have experienced male and female therapists available to provide soft tissue treatment. Give our office a call at 683-0000 and we will be happy to schedule an appointment for you.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Pain after Low Back Surgery
A few weeks ago a patient asked me why he was having pain a year after successful back surgery. He felt fine after the operation but several months later his pain was coming back. He told me that the pain felt different than it used to and that it was going down his leg in a different area.
I told him that chances were very good that the surgery took care of his problem at the one area that the surgeon was working on. The problem is that the sciatic nerve has three major branches and that the major distribution point (the lumbar plexus) receives input from all the lumbar nerve canals and even the sacrum. I went on to tell him that it was quite possible that there was another problem at a different area of the lumbar spine or sacrum. I further suggested that he might want to come to the office and let me take a look. If I found a problem above or below the level of the surgery, I would be able to adjust but if it was at the same area, he'd need to check back with his surgeon.
If you are having a similar problem, you may want to have a chiropractic physician check you out. Just because you have back pain again in no way indicates that your surgery was unsuccessful. It may well be that you have another problem that developed after the successful surgery.
I told him that chances were very good that the surgery took care of his problem at the one area that the surgeon was working on. The problem is that the sciatic nerve has three major branches and that the major distribution point (the lumbar plexus) receives input from all the lumbar nerve canals and even the sacrum. I went on to tell him that it was quite possible that there was another problem at a different area of the lumbar spine or sacrum. I further suggested that he might want to come to the office and let me take a look. If I found a problem above or below the level of the surgery, I would be able to adjust but if it was at the same area, he'd need to check back with his surgeon.
If you are having a similar problem, you may want to have a chiropractic physician check you out. Just because you have back pain again in no way indicates that your surgery was unsuccessful. It may well be that you have another problem that developed after the successful surgery.
Friday, July 9, 2010
I woke up with my neck twisted and can't move it without pain
This condition (torticollis) is one that can scare you to death. You didn't do anything that you can think of to cause it and it hurts so bad that you can't move your neck. Your neck muscles are in spasm and there's nothing much you can do.
You may have popped any kind of pain medication you could find around the house, found your heating pad and wrapped it around your neck but things aren't helping much. You've got several options. You could try to get in to see your medical doctor (if they will sneak you in between other patients), you could go to the Emergency room, or you might try a chiropractor.
Torticollis is a condition where multiple vertebra in your neck rotate significantly out of place. This is accompanied by a massive muscle contraction on one side of your neck and a tremendous pulling on the opposite side. The soft tissue in the nerve canals are compressed and a biochemical inflammation begins. It's almost certain that this condition isn't going to resolve on it's own.
From a medical standpoint you will probably receive pain medication, muscle relaxants and maybe anti inflammatory medications. If you're lucky, it will improve gradually over several days to a week.
In our office, you would receive a gentle instrument adjustment of the vertebra in your neck, gentle electric stimulation of the neck muscles (at a frequency designed to reduce pain) and possible a second adjustment later in the day (at no additional cost) to attempt to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. We would check you daily for the next few days and adjust and provide therapy as needed.
Our goal is to get you back to normal as quickly as possible and I can guarantee that you will be treated the same way as I would want to be treated.
If you have any questions about torticollis (or any other problem) remember that consultation is always free. I hope you never develop this condition but I am ready to help if you find yourself in need.
You may have popped any kind of pain medication you could find around the house, found your heating pad and wrapped it around your neck but things aren't helping much. You've got several options. You could try to get in to see your medical doctor (if they will sneak you in between other patients), you could go to the Emergency room, or you might try a chiropractor.
Torticollis is a condition where multiple vertebra in your neck rotate significantly out of place. This is accompanied by a massive muscle contraction on one side of your neck and a tremendous pulling on the opposite side. The soft tissue in the nerve canals are compressed and a biochemical inflammation begins. It's almost certain that this condition isn't going to resolve on it's own.
From a medical standpoint you will probably receive pain medication, muscle relaxants and maybe anti inflammatory medications. If you're lucky, it will improve gradually over several days to a week.
In our office, you would receive a gentle instrument adjustment of the vertebra in your neck, gentle electric stimulation of the neck muscles (at a frequency designed to reduce pain) and possible a second adjustment later in the day (at no additional cost) to attempt to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. We would check you daily for the next few days and adjust and provide therapy as needed.
Our goal is to get you back to normal as quickly as possible and I can guarantee that you will be treated the same way as I would want to be treated.
If you have any questions about torticollis (or any other problem) remember that consultation is always free. I hope you never develop this condition but I am ready to help if you find yourself in need.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Why do folks without insurance pay the most for healthcare?
Why do the folks who can afford health care least wind up paying the most for it? It just doesn't seem fair! Individuals and families that have no health insurance wind up being charged the health care provider's usual and customary rates and have little option but to pay the highest rates. Why? It's because the providers are not allowed to have more than one fee per service. They are required by law to charge the same rate to someone without insurance that they charge to Medicare or any other insurance company. The difference is that providers who accept insurance assignment have a written agreement to accept less than their usual and customary fees as payment in full for their services. For folks who pay cash or who receive services that are not covered by their insurance, the provider must charge them the full price (usual and customary).
To me, it just doesn't seem fair. To the insurance company, it's the way they make a profit. You purchase their coverage and have to make a monthly premium payment to protect yourself from that catastrophic accident, injury, or illness. Then you have to meet your deductible before the company will contribute. Once you've met your deductible, you still have your co-pay that you have to pay out of your pocket. You're stuck! If you didn't have insurance how could you afford to pay for a visit to the Emergency Room with stomach pains that turn out to be appendicitis. We're talking ER charges, admission to the hospital, charges for the surgeon, the operating room, the anesthesiologist, charges for the recovery room, your hospital room, meals (even if you can't eat them) and medications. I'm sure that I'm missing some charges but you can rest assured that the hospital won't.
We're all really stuck. We can't afford not to have insurance if there is any way we can afford it. Unfortunately, there are many of you that can't afford it. The numbers of uninsured keep going up every year. That's why the government is intervening and attempting to make health insurance mandatory. Unfortunately, all this is reflected in the providers usual and customary fees.
We at Hankison Family Chiropractic and Acupuncture will soon be offering you a way to reduce your cost of chiropractic care to what we are accepting from many major medical insurance companies. We are joining with many other chiropractic physicians who feel the same way we do and have enrolled in a Discount Medical Plan Organization (DMPO) called ChiroHealthUSA. Rather than spend a lot of time explaining it, I'm going to refer you to www.chirohealthusa.com and let them tell you all about it.
We are very excited and are glad to finally be able to help reduce your costs for chiropractic care. Times are tough and personally I don't think we are going to see any quick fixes to the economy. To me, it just feels good to be able to help those in need afford the cost of chiropractic care. If you're fortunate, you won't need our care but if you do, at least it won't cost you as much as it would have. I wish you the very best of health but want to let you know that I'm here to help you if you need me.
To me, it just doesn't seem fair. To the insurance company, it's the way they make a profit. You purchase their coverage and have to make a monthly premium payment to protect yourself from that catastrophic accident, injury, or illness. Then you have to meet your deductible before the company will contribute. Once you've met your deductible, you still have your co-pay that you have to pay out of your pocket. You're stuck! If you didn't have insurance how could you afford to pay for a visit to the Emergency Room with stomach pains that turn out to be appendicitis. We're talking ER charges, admission to the hospital, charges for the surgeon, the operating room, the anesthesiologist, charges for the recovery room, your hospital room, meals (even if you can't eat them) and medications. I'm sure that I'm missing some charges but you can rest assured that the hospital won't.
We're all really stuck. We can't afford not to have insurance if there is any way we can afford it. Unfortunately, there are many of you that can't afford it. The numbers of uninsured keep going up every year. That's why the government is intervening and attempting to make health insurance mandatory. Unfortunately, all this is reflected in the providers usual and customary fees.
We at Hankison Family Chiropractic and Acupuncture will soon be offering you a way to reduce your cost of chiropractic care to what we are accepting from many major medical insurance companies. We are joining with many other chiropractic physicians who feel the same way we do and have enrolled in a Discount Medical Plan Organization (DMPO) called ChiroHealthUSA. Rather than spend a lot of time explaining it, I'm going to refer you to www.chirohealthusa.com and let them tell you all about it.
We are very excited and are glad to finally be able to help reduce your costs for chiropractic care. Times are tough and personally I don't think we are going to see any quick fixes to the economy. To me, it just feels good to be able to help those in need afford the cost of chiropractic care. If you're fortunate, you won't need our care but if you do, at least it won't cost you as much as it would have. I wish you the very best of health but want to let you know that I'm here to help you if you need me.
Friday, June 25, 2010
You're pregnant and in pain. What can you do?
The vast majority of women develop back pain at some point while they are pregnant. Medications are severely restricted because of adverse effects on the baby. Hormones are changing and muscles and ligaments are beginning to become lax as the body prepares for birth. This allows the vertebra in the spine to shift ever so slightly out of position. Unfortunately, it doesn't take much of a shift to cause pain.
One of the safest and most effective methods for reducing or eliminating pain is the chiropractic adjustment.
In my 17+ years of practice I have helped many women reduce or eliminate back pain. I have an adjusting table with a break away abdominal piece that allows the patient to lie comfortably on her tummy without putting any pressure on the baby. I can't even begin to tell you how many women have asked just to lie there for a while. I also have a special chest piece to take the pressure off the often very tender breast tissue. The adjustment is normally done with very little force as the muscles tend to loose tone and ligaments become more elastic as mom gets closer to term.
Ladies, if you're looking for a way to feel better throughout your pregnancy, I can't think of anything more effective than chiropractic. Talk to your obstetrician and if there are any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me. I'm here to make your pregnancy as comfortable as possible.
One of the safest and most effective methods for reducing or eliminating pain is the chiropractic adjustment.
In my 17+ years of practice I have helped many women reduce or eliminate back pain. I have an adjusting table with a break away abdominal piece that allows the patient to lie comfortably on her tummy without putting any pressure on the baby. I can't even begin to tell you how many women have asked just to lie there for a while. I also have a special chest piece to take the pressure off the often very tender breast tissue. The adjustment is normally done with very little force as the muscles tend to loose tone and ligaments become more elastic as mom gets closer to term.
Ladies, if you're looking for a way to feel better throughout your pregnancy, I can't think of anything more effective than chiropractic. Talk to your obstetrician and if there are any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me. I'm here to make your pregnancy as comfortable as possible.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
21st Century Chiropractic
Although Chiropractic is one of the newest fields in the health care arena, there have been tremendous advances since it's inception.
You may have heard the story of the founder D.D. Palmer (a magnetic healer) performing the first adjustment to Harvy Lillard (a deaf janitor) which miraculously restored his hearing.
How much education D.D. Palmer had is questionable and even the validity of restoring hearing with the adjustment performed leaves many questions. My point is that this was the 19th century and thankfully the Chiropractic profession has changed dramatically since.
When I graduated from high school in 1967, I could have gone on to chiropractic college and graduated in about 18 months. How in the world could I have understood more than how to twist, turn, crack and pop the body. I would have been a Chiropractor but what would I have understood about the anatomy and physiology of the body. How could I have effectively communicated with medical doctors and other health care professions?
Thankfully, I didn't start Chiropractic college until 1989. By that time, the Council of Chiropractic Education (CCE) had been formed (1974) and chiropractic education had advanced to the point that a minimum of two years of college with heavy emphasison biology, chemistry & physics was required to enroll in chiropractic college. Education was developed based on most of the requirements necessary to complete medical college (with the exception of pharmacology and surgery). The curriculum required over four years of medical and chiropractic education with over 2 years of clinical practice running concurrently.
Today, nearly all chiropractic colleges require a Baccalaureate degree prior to matriculation and the curriculum has been constantly changing to correspond to the changes in medicine. Chiropractic Physicians work in conjunction with Medical Doctors and other Health Care disciplines to make sure that the patient receives the care needed.
Even with this vast improvement, there are still some Chiropractors who are philosophically attached to the 19th and early 20th century concepts. I would advise all individuals considering chiropractic care to use care in their choices. Just as I'm sure there are doctors, dentists, and other health care facilities that you would or should avoid, the same holds true for chiropractic physicians.
We at Hankison Family Chiropractic & Acupuncture acknowledge the beginnings of our profession but choose to practice in the 21st century. We feel that our job is to help you resolve your problem. If we can't help you, we'll try to send you to someone who can. We treat our patients the way we want to be treated ourselves.
We offer a free consultation to give you a chance to meet with us and discuss your problem. If we feel we can help you, we'll let you know. If not, we'll let you know who we'd go to if we had a similar problem. If you feel we might be able to help you, give our office a call at 683-0000 and we'll be happy to set up a consultation.
You may have heard the story of the founder D.D. Palmer (a magnetic healer) performing the first adjustment to Harvy Lillard (a deaf janitor) which miraculously restored his hearing.
How much education D.D. Palmer had is questionable and even the validity of restoring hearing with the adjustment performed leaves many questions. My point is that this was the 19th century and thankfully the Chiropractic profession has changed dramatically since.
When I graduated from high school in 1967, I could have gone on to chiropractic college and graduated in about 18 months. How in the world could I have understood more than how to twist, turn, crack and pop the body. I would have been a Chiropractor but what would I have understood about the anatomy and physiology of the body. How could I have effectively communicated with medical doctors and other health care professions?
Thankfully, I didn't start Chiropractic college until 1989. By that time, the Council of Chiropractic Education (CCE) had been formed (1974) and chiropractic education had advanced to the point that a minimum of two years of college with heavy emphasison biology, chemistry & physics was required to enroll in chiropractic college. Education was developed based on most of the requirements necessary to complete medical college (with the exception of pharmacology and surgery). The curriculum required over four years of medical and chiropractic education with over 2 years of clinical practice running concurrently.
Today, nearly all chiropractic colleges require a Baccalaureate degree prior to matriculation and the curriculum has been constantly changing to correspond to the changes in medicine. Chiropractic Physicians work in conjunction with Medical Doctors and other Health Care disciplines to make sure that the patient receives the care needed.
Even with this vast improvement, there are still some Chiropractors who are philosophically attached to the 19th and early 20th century concepts. I would advise all individuals considering chiropractic care to use care in their choices. Just as I'm sure there are doctors, dentists, and other health care facilities that you would or should avoid, the same holds true for chiropractic physicians.
We at Hankison Family Chiropractic & Acupuncture acknowledge the beginnings of our profession but choose to practice in the 21st century. We feel that our job is to help you resolve your problem. If we can't help you, we'll try to send you to someone who can. We treat our patients the way we want to be treated ourselves.
We offer a free consultation to give you a chance to meet with us and discuss your problem. If we feel we can help you, we'll let you know. If not, we'll let you know who we'd go to if we had a similar problem. If you feel we might be able to help you, give our office a call at 683-0000 and we'll be happy to set up a consultation.
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