Ask the Local Professional

Low back is sore after working around the house doing bending and lifting. Help please?!

Often times when we bend and lift and are active throughout the day our low back ends up doing most of the work. The problem is our low back is meant to be stable and the movement associated with bending and lifting should be initiated through your hips. Your glutes (aka butt muscles) are much stronger and can support your upper body with ease and for long periods of time. If your low back is sore at the end of a long day give this a try. Brace your core to keep it rigid and engaged while bending forwards. Initiate the movement with your hips by sticking your butt out, like you’re closing your car door. If you could imagine holding a stick from your tail-bone to your neck and you cant break the stick while you bend downwards. Use your knees and hips as the fulcrums and your back is braced as the lever.

Chiropractors are mostly are recognized for treating the spine. This however is only the beginning. In short, the whole body is my area of expertise. Yup! Head, shoulders, knees and toes. Aches and pains are what I like to focus on, sometimes when one problem comes up, the solution isn’t always at the source of pain. I like to test muscle strength, whole body movements, and joint complexes to see how they’re interacting that may be leading to issues. If you’ve got some discomforts you’d like resolved give me a shout!

What are some that you treat that are not back related?

What got me into the chiropractic profession?

All my life growing up, playing, working or sports, I was constantly ending up with tweaks and injuries. You tweak your back rough housing with friends or hip hurts while you walk. Whenever anything came up and I would complain to my mother (a habit I still maintain to this day). Her first response was to go to the chiropractor. Turns out after needing to take 3 robaxacet mixed with Advil a day in order to play sports or just have fun and STILL be in pain wasn’t exactly ideal… But I would suffer through discomfort for a couple weeks with no relief. When my mother finally convinced me to go, I would feel better for the rest of the year after maybe 2-4 visits. It wasn’t until after finishing an undergraduate degree that I realized the only form of health care that I am consistently using Chiropractic. That's what inspired me to look into the profession so I could help others. The way I approach chiropractic is not just a quick adjustment. I want to make your body strong so that you can keep doing what you enjoy without worrying about pain. I wanna teach you how to move safely, efficiently and with ease. NOT relying on me 3x a week. But relying on yourself every day. That's what my chiropractor inspired upon me, and what I hope to inspire upon my patients. 

More than just a quick adjustment, my approach to care will start with building upon movements and strengths of your everyday life. I look for ways to enhance your ability to cope with stressors and improve. I am naturally very positive and want to help problem solve and find solutions to your daily aches and pains.  Part of this comes into play when we want to develop strategies for how you’re moving and the reason you’re ending up in the office. Then let’s build up and work on your deficiencies.

I love coming into work because I want to help people get out of pain! I wanna push you to be the best version of yourself. The best version of you, starts with building confidence in your movements. You should be able to shovel the driveway without worrying you’re going to throw your back out. I can help!

What makes me unique? Why do I love to go into work each day?

Do you take insurance?

Yes! If you have any secondary coverage. We can submit MOST claims directly to the insurance company. This will reduce your cost, however each plan is going to be a little different and its best to get in contact with them to find out exactly how much will be covered. There are also options through MSP that some families may qualify. 

If I do not direct bill to your insurance provider, a quick payment and emailed receipt makes reimbursement simple and convenient right back into your bank account.

Yes! More and more patients are seeking care after surgical interventions have not provided the expected result. These areas will be reviewed during your initial exam and conservative treatment locations are determined for future visits. Old or new surgical areas are safe to treat (once the area is healed) and may need more attention regardless as some compensations in your body can develop due to soft tissue tension, even from seemingly simple procedures. Muscle and joint restrictions can lead to pain or discomfort elsewhere, which is where I come in! For example: after back surgery, now your muscles are pulling on joints that are physically stuck, this is what leads to irritation! That’s what needs fixing and your body needs to learn how to handle that appropriately.

Can I have chiropractic care in areas I’ve had surgery?

Is chiropractic care ongoing?

I focus on providing acute, chronic and preventative/performance care to my patients. Due to the hands-on nature of treatment there is essentially a requirement to visit the office a number of times. To be treated, a patient most often needs to be in the clinic. In contrast, a treatment delivered by medical doctors can be completed and conducted at home (ie taking antibiotics for a predetermined amount of weeks). However, my style of practice does NOT include prepaid long term treatment plans such as 3x/week for 6 months. Depending on the condition, the extent of treatment and recommendations towards how long you can expect treatments to last is something we go over together. My goal is to make your body resilient to injury and build tolerance to pain; teaching you how to move so that you can take a proactive approach to your health. My job is to help you help yourself.