Protect Your Back While Shoveling Snow This Winter

Whether we like it or not, winter in Michigan is here! With winter comes snow, and with snow comes the risk of hurting ourselves when we shovel.

Have you thrown out your back before? The pain can be intense, and even worse if you’re someone who suffers with chronic low back pain.

How can you prevent back pain and keep from throwing out your back?

Throwing out your back sounds sudden and violent, but it might not involve sharp pain or even a realization that you’ve done it until later. Symptoms of a thrown out back include:

• Back stiffness that limits your range of motion
• Intense low back pain
• Muscle spasms
• Problems standing up straight or maintaining good posture

Shoveling snow is one of the biggest reasons people in the Midwest throw out their back each year.

Read more about back pain relief in Ann Arbor on our website.

Come to Pivotal Chiropractic for Back Pain Relief!

We understand that healthcare choices are critical decisions and that you have many different options to treat back pain in Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities. If you have back pain, neck pain, or tingling or numbness in your hands and feet, it’s time to see a chiropractor. To schedule a complimentary consultation, contact us at 734-221-0362.
 

Can Sciatica Pain Be Relieved Without Surgery?

Do you suffer from sciatica pain?

Are you tired of not being able to do the activities you love?

Many Americans suffer from sciatica pain, and like many of us who have experienced chronic, debilitating pain, you may be putting off going to the doctor for fear that they’ll tell you that you might need surgery.

Luckily, sciatica can often be relieved non-surgically. Increasing your back and core strength while increasing your flexibility and mobility in your hips can help relieve sciatica pain.

What is Sciatica?

It is estimated that 40% of the general population will experience sciatica pain at some point in their lifetime. Often this can be disabling. Sciatica accounts for more work loss and increased costs than low back pain alone.

Sciatica is pain that radiates down the back of the thigh and into the lower leg. It can be caused by irritation of spinal nerves, and the pain can often be severe. People who suffer from sciatica can also experience numbness and tingling sensation as well as muscle weakness.

Read more about sciatica in Ann Arbor on our website!

Come to Pivotal Chiropractic in Ann Arbor for a Chiropractor Who Puts You First!

We understand that healthcare choices are critical decisions and that you have many different options in Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities. If you have back pain, neck pain, tingling or numbness in your hands and feet, or sciatica in Ann Arbor, it’s time to see a chiropractor. To schedule a complimentary consultation, where a conversation is never a commitment, contact us at 734-221-0362.

Sciatica Treatment Through Chiropractic Care

Just as there is more than one way to cook an egg, there is more than one way to treat sciatica.

Most people begin with over-the-counter medications to help reduce pain. If those don’t work, other options are available, such as:

• Massage therapy and physical therapy, which involve stretching and strengthening muscles.
• Improve core and back strength to improve your posture and ability to respond to stress, reducing the severity of back pain.
• More invasive options like injections or surgery.
  
  

See Your Chiropractor to Treat Sciatica in Ann Arbor

An assessment by a specific structural chiropractor to determine the cause and source of the sciatic pain is crucial in the treatment process.

If the cause of the sciatica pain is misalignments of the vertebra and/ or bulges in the spinal discs, then safe, gentle spinal corrections along with disc reducing exercises are used to correct the problem.

Read more about sciatica in Ann Arbor on our website!

Come to Pivotal Chiropractic in Ann Arbor for a Chiropractor Who Puts You First!

We understand that healthcare choices are critical decisions and that you have many different options in Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities. If you have back pain, neck pain, tingling or numbness in your hands and feet, or sciatica in Ann Arbor, it’s time to see a chiropractor. To schedule a complimentary consultation, where a conversation is never a commitment, contact us at 734-221-0362.

Sciatica Stretches to Relieve Pain

Just as there is more than one way to cook an egg, there is more than one way to treat sciatica. Most people begin with over-the-counter medications to help reduce pain.

If those don’t work, other options are available, such as:

•    Massage therapy and physical therapy, which involve stretching and strengthening muscles.
•    More invasive options like injections or surgery.

Stretches to Relieve Pain

While you’re seeking treatment or in between chiropractic adjustments, relieve pain that starts in your lower back and moves down your legs with these stretches:

1. Standing hamstring stretch: You can do this anywhere, including outdoors. This is a very common stretch for runners and joggers, and helps ease pain and tightness in the hamstring. Place your right foot at or below your hip level on an elevated surface like a chair, short wall, or even a log or bench if you’re outdoors. Flex your foot so your toes and leg are straight. Keep a slight bend in your knee if you’re prone to hyper-extending it. Bend your body slightly toward your foot. The further you go, the deeper the stretch, but don’t push so far that you feel pain. Some people can bring their upper body flush with their leg, and some will only be able to bend a few inches.

2. Seated spinal stretch: This stretch helps create space in the spine, which helps relieve pain due to spine compression. Sit on the ground with your legs extended out straight, and feet flexed upward. Bend your right knee and place your foot flat on the floor on the outside of your opposite knee. Place your left elbow on the outside of your right knee to help you gently turn your body. Don’t force this twist! Only go as far as you’re able. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides.

If the cause of the sciatica pain is misalignments of the vertebra and/ or bulges in the spinal discs, then safe, gentle spinal corrections along with disc reducing exercises are used to correct the problem.

Read more on our website!

Come to Pivotal Chiropractic in Ann Arbor for a Chiropractor Who Puts You First!

We understand that healthcare choices are critical decisions and that you have many different options for pain relief due to sciatica in Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities. If you have back pain, neck pain, or tingling or numbness in your hands and feet, it’s time to see a chiropractor. To schedule a complimentary consultation, where a conversation is never a commitment, contact us at 734-221-0362.

How to Relieve Sciatica Pain

Do you suffer from sciatic nerve pain?

Do you find it hard to get out of bed or off the couch some days?

Sciatic nerve pain can be debilitating, but there are ways you can find relief and manage your symptoms.

Seeing a chiropractor to assess potential nerve damage is one of the best ways you can keep your pain to a minimum.

Sciatica treatment

Just as there is more than one way to cook an egg, there is more than one way to treat sciatica. Most people begin with over-the-counter medications to help reduce pain.

If those don’t work, other options are available, such as:

1. Massage therapy and physical therapy, which involve stretching and strengthening muscles.
2. More invasive options like injections or surgery.

An assessment by a specific structural chiropractor to determine the cause and source of the sciatic pain is crucial in the treatment process.

If the cause of the sciatica pain is misalignments of the vertebra and/ or bulges in the spinal discs, then safe, gentle spinal corrections along with disc reducing exercises are used to correct the problem.

Read more on our website!

Come to Pivotal Chiropractic in Ann Arbor for a Chiropractor Who Puts You First!

We understand that healthcare choices are critical decisions and that you have many different options to relieve pain from sciatica in Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities. If you have back pain, neck pain, or tingling or numbness in your hands and feet, it’s time to see a chiropractor. To schedule a complimentary consultation, where a conversation is never a commitment, contact us at 734-221-0362.

Car Accident Aftermath: Get Pain Relief from Whiplash

Did you know the average driver will be in a car crash once every 18 years? 

The odds are high that one of these accidents will result in whiplash or other bodily injury.

Even a minor fender bender can result in whiplash, and symptoms can linger, making day-to-day life difficult. Whiplash is a neck injury due to a rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. According to the Mayo Clinic, “most people with whiplash get better within a few weeks by following a treatment plan that includes medication and exercise.”

How can the Chiropractor Help with Neck Pain Due to Whiplash?

According to the Insurance Research Council, “nearly one third of all claimants injured in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) seek treatment from doctors of chiropractic.” 

According to a 2012 study on the Epidemiology of Whiplash, “manual therapy (i.e., cervical mobilization and or manipulation), together with exercise appear to be the most effective noninvasive treatments for patients with acute whiplash related neck pain.” 

After a whiplash injury, you may not feel immediate pain. Sometimes, symptoms don’t show up for days or even years after an accident has occurred. Typical symptoms of whiplash are neck pain, back pain, vertigo, nausea, weakness, headaches, and numbness and tingling in the extremities.

Find out how a chiropractor can help with whiplash neck pain after a car accident on our website.

Get Relief for Neck Pain Today!

The sooner neck pain is treated, the better. Don’t wait to get relief – contact Dr. Gessert today! You don’t have to live your life in pain. We can help you get back to the activities you love.

Contact Dr. Gessert for a complimentary consultation today to see if chiropractic care is the right solution for your neck pain.

How can the Chiropractor Help with Neck Pain Due to Whiplash?

According to the Insurance Research Council, “nearly one third of all claimants injured in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) seek treatment from doctors of chiropractic.” 

According to a 2012 study on the Epidemiology of Whiplash, “manual therapy (i.e., cervical mobilization and or manipulation), together with exercise appear to be the most effective noninvasive treatments for patients with acute whiplash related neck pain.” 

After a whiplash injury, you may not feel immediate pain. Sometimes, symptoms don’t show up for days or even years after an accident has occurred. Typical symptoms of whiplash are neck pain, back pain, vertigo, nausea, weakness, headaches, and numbness and tingling in the extremities.

Providing no fractures have occurred from your accident, Dr. Gessert will do an examination to see the extent of damage or any change in your spine. By doing orthopedic and neurologic tests, a range of motion test, posture and palpation check, and x-rays, Dr. Gessert can determine if an MRI is needed, and refer you out to one if necessary.

After this exam, a treatment plan will be created for you. This plan could include passive and active exercises, chiropractic spinal and extremity adjustments, and therapies such as traction to correct the spinal position.

Find out how a chiropractor can help with whiplash neck pain after a car accident on our website.

Get Relief for Neck Pain Today!

The sooner neck pain is treated, the better. Don’t wait to get relief – contact Dr. Gessert today! You don’t have to live your life in pain. We can help you get back to the activities you love.

Contact Dr. Gessert for a complimentary consultation today to see if chiropractic care is the right solution for your neck pain.