Workplace Ergonomics: Set Up a Body-Friendly Space

Have you thought about how your workspace affects your spine?

If you spend hours at a time sitting at your desk, small changes to your setup can make a big difference in how your body feels. 

Set up your chair and desk to support your body

• Choose a chair that supports the natural curves of your spine. Adjust the height so your feet rest flat on the floor, or use a footrest if you need one.
• Keep everyday items like your phone, printed materials, and pens close to you so you're not constantly reaching. If something is out of arm's reach, stand up to get it instead of straining your muscles.
• Position your mouse within easy reach and on the same surface as your keyboard. When you type, keep your wrists straight and your hands at or slightly below elbow level.
• If you often talk on the phone while typing, avoid cradling it between your head and neck — that can cause real strain. Use a headset or the speakerphone instead.
• Place your monitor directly in front of you, about an arm's length away, with the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level.

Learn more in our latest article.

Relieve Workplace Pains – Visit an Ann Arbor Chiropractor

If you live in Ann Arbor, Dr. Gessert is your local chiropractor! Schedule a complimentary consultation to find out whether specific structural chiropractic care and/or extracorporeal shockwave therapy could make a difference for you. Call 734-221-0362 or click here to submit a contact form.

The Connection Between Chiropractic and Blood Pressure

Looking for holistic solutions to go with your blood pressure medication?

Chiropractic care isn't a treatment for hypertension itself, but research suggests it may support healthy blood pressure by helping the nervous system function more smoothly.

One widely cited study from researchers at the University of Chicago and Rush University Medical Center looked at 50 people with a misaligned atlas vertebra (the top bone in the neck, or C1) and high blood pressure. After a specific adjustment to that area, participants saw a significant drop in blood pressure, comparable to taking two blood-pressure medications at once. A broader review of chiropractic therapy and hypertension found promising results across many studies, while noting the evidence is still developing.

There's also a more straightforward connection: chronic pain raises blood pressure. When you're in constant pain, your body stays in a stress state. For people whose neck or back pain is driving that response, relieving the pain can help take the pressure off.

Our Approach

As a specific structural correction practice, our focus is finding and correcting the root cause rather than just managing symptoms. If misalignment in your neck or upper back is contributing to tension in your body, correcting that structure may help your nervous system regulate more effectively.

Every care plan is customized to you. We start with a complimentary to talk about your health history, your goals, and whether our approach is a good fit for your needs.

Learn more in our latest article.

Talk with an Ann Arbor Chiropractor

If you've been managing high blood pressure and you're curious whether spinal health could be part of your plan, call your local Ann Arbor Chiropractor at 734-221-0362 or click here to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The Nervous System's Role in Blood Pressure

Are you managing high blood pressure?

If you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension, you've heard the standard advice: watch your salt, move more, manage stress, and take your medication as prescribed. All of those things matter. But many people are surprised to learn there's another piece of the puzzle: the health of your spine and nervous system.

Your blood pressure is controlled by your brain and nervous system. Your autonomic nervous system constantly adjusts your heart rate and blood vessel width to keep pressure in a healthy range.

When your body is under stress, it releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These constrict your blood vessels and speed up your heart, driving blood pressure up. That's a normal, short-term response. The problem comes when the system stays "on" and never settles back down.

This is where the spine comes in. The spinal cord is the main highway for signals between your brain and body. When the vertebrae in your neck and upper back are misaligned, they can interfere with the nerve signals that help regulate your heart and blood vessels, keeping your body in a state of heightened tension.

Learn more in our latest article.

Talk with an Ann Arbor Chiropractor

If you've been managing high blood pressure and you're curious whether spinal health could be part of your plan, call your local Ann Arbor Chiropractor at 734-221-0362 or click here to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

How Specific Structural Chiropractic Helps Trigeminal Neuralgia

In our last blog, we talked about what trigeminal neuralgia is. Here, we’ll discuss how specific
structural chiropractic can help treat TN: 

How can specific structural chiropractic help?

Instead of just masking the pain, we focus on specific structural correction — a precise method of analyzing and correcting misalignments in the spine, particularly in the upper neck.

Here’s why that matters for trigeminal neuralgia:

• The trigeminal nerve originates in the brainstem, which sits right at the top of the spine. If the upper neck bones are misaligned, they can create tension, irritation, or altered fluid dynamics around the brainstem. This can directly affect how the trigeminal nerve functions.
• By gently and specifically correcting the alignment of the upper cervical spine, we can reduce the mechanical tension on the brainstem and the surrounding nerve roots. This allows the nervous system to function more normally and can reduce the frequency and intensity of TN episodes.
• Unlike general chiropractic adjustments, specific structural correction is tailored to your unique spinal structure. It's precise, low-force, and designed to hold the correction over time, not just provide temporary relief.

Learn more in our latest article.

Go to your local Ann Arbor chiropractor for a combined approach

By pairing specific structural correction with shockwave therapy, your local Ann Arbor chiropractor can offer a comprehensive, non-invasive, drug-free path forward.

If you're tired of living with the unpredictable, shocking pain of trigeminal neuralgia, you don't have to settle for "managing" it. You deserve a real look at the cause.

A consultation with us is always a conversation, never a commitment. We'll listen to your story, review any imaging you have, and explain exactly what we see and how we might be able to help. 

Call us today at 734.221.0362 or schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more.

How Specific Structural Correction Helps Trigeminal Neuralgia

Do you struggle with shooting pain in your face?

If you have TN, you know it's not just a simple headache or toothache. It feels like sudden, severe, electric-shock-like or stabbing pain in the jaw, cheek, teeth, gums, or lips. 

Instead of just masking the pain, we focus on specific structural correction — a precise method of analyzing and correcting misalignments in the spine, particularly in the upper neck.

Here’s why that matters for trigeminal neuralgia:

• The trigeminal nerve originates in the brainstem, which sits right at the top of the spine. If the upper neck bones are misaligned, they can create tension, irritation, or altered fluid dynamics around the brainstem. This can directly affect how the trigeminal nerve functions.
• By gently and specifically correcting the alignment of the upper cervical spine, we can reduce the mechanical tension on the brainstem and the surrounding nerve roots. This allows the nervous system to function more normally and can reduce the frequency and intensity of TN episodes.
• Unlike general chiropractic adjustments, specific structural correction is tailored to your unique spinal structure. It's precise, low-force, and designed to hold the correction over time, not just provide temporary relief.

Learn more in our latest article.

Go to your local Ann Arbor chiropractor for a combined approach

By pairing specific structural correction with shockwave therapy, your local Ann Arbor chiropractor can offer a comprehensive, non-invasive, drug-free path forward.

If you're tired of living with the unpredictable, shocking pain of trigeminal neuralgia, you don't have to settle for "managing" it. You deserve a real look at the cause.

A consultation with us is always a conversation, never a commitment. We'll listen to your story, review any imaging you have, and explain exactly what we see and how we might be able to help. 

Call us today at 734.221.0362 or schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more.

How Can ESWT Help with Chronic Pain?

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy, or ESWT, is a non-invasive treatment that uses high-energy sound
waves to stimulate healing in damaged soft tissues. It's particularly effective for chronic conditions that haven't responded to other treatments — things like plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, chronic muscle pain, and joint pain.

Here's how it works: the sound waves trigger your body's natural healing response, increasing blood flow and breaking down scar tissue in the affected area. This helps reduce pain, improve mobility, and speed up recovery, all without surgery or medication.

We often use ESWT alongside specific structural correction. While chiropractic adjustments address the structural shifts in your spine, ESWT targets the soft tissue damage that can develop as a result of those shifts. Together, they provide a more complete path to relief.

Learn more in our latest article.

Discuss Treatment Options with an Ann Arbor Chiropractor

Chronic pain doesn't have to be your new normal. Whether you're dealing with back pain, neck pain, numbness in your hands or feet, or a nagging injury that won't heal, we're here to help.

Schedule a complimentary consultation at our Ann Arbor chiropractor’s office — no pressure, just a conversation about what's possible for you. Call 734-221-0362 or submit a contact form here.

How Does Specific Structural Correction Help Chronic Pain?

Most people think of chiropractic care as a quick adjustment to pop things back into place. Specific
structural correction is different. It's a targeted, science-based approach designed to correct the actual structural shifts in your spine — the kind that put pressure on your nerves, throw your body out of alignment, and lead to chronic pain over time.

Think of your spine as the foundation of your home. If the foundation is off, everything else is affected — the walls, the doors, the windows. Your body works the same way. When your spine is out of alignment, it can lead to pain in your back, neck, shoulders, hips, and even your hands and feet.

Specific structural correction focuses on making lasting, measurable corrections to your spine's structure. It's not about quick fixes, it's about restoring your body's foundation so you can move, sleep, and live without pain.

Why Treating the Cause Matters

Chronic pain is stubborn because it's usually not caused by one thing. It's often the result of a cycle: for example, a structural shift in your spine leads to poor posture or uneven movement, which puts extra stress on certain muscles and joints, which leads to inflammation and pain, which makes you move differently, which reinforces the original problem. Breaking that cycle means addressing both the structural issue and the soft tissue damage it created. 

Learn more in our latest article.

Discuss Treatment Options with an Ann Arbor Chiropractor

Chronic pain doesn't have to be your new normal. Whether you're dealing with back pain, neck pain, numbness in your hands or feet, or a nagging injury that won't heal, we're here to help.

Schedule a complimentary consultation at our Ann Arbor chiropractor’s office — no pressure, just a conversation about what's possible for you. Call 734-221-0362 or submit a contact form here.