Conditions We Treat

Research shows that over 80% of Americans will experience low back pain at some point in life making this condition one of the costliest in healthcare.

The lower back is the area from the bottom of your rib cage to your hip level and everything in between. Because there are so many different tissues and structures in the lower back, it is often difficult to pinpoint the direct source of where the pain originates.  A simple muscle strain may cause lower back pain, but more often it is derived from a disc herniation, disc bulge, postural syndrome, facet syndrome (irritation to the joints in the back of the vertebra), ligament sprain or sacroiliac/pelvic joint dysfunction.

The good news is for the majority of our patients our treatment recommendations are often short term (6 visits or less), which is very short when compared to other modalities like physical therapy.

For patients with persistent lower back and leg with an origin of 3 months or longer, more specific diagnosis and plan of action are warranted.

In younger people who are between 20-60, the origin of back and leg pain may include:

• degenerated disc disease
• lumbar disc herniation
• Isthmic spondylolisthesis

In older adults, those over 60, the pain is often caused by:

• Facet joint osteoarthritis
• Degenerative spondylolisthesis
• Stenosis (a closing off of where the nerves pass through the holes in the spine)

At East Sacramento Chiropractic we have studied the latest evidence-based information to diagnose your lower back pain correctly. We use specific movement and joint testing to determine the best way to treat your problem. Additionally, the movement testing helps us to determine which therapeutic exercises to prescribe you so you can hasten your recovery with self-treatment.

Signs that Chiropractic may help you:

• Pain with sitting
• Pain with bending and lifting
• Pain with standing for long periods
• Pain when rolling over in bed

CHIROPRACTIC

Chiropractic manipulation is an extensively researched modality and shown to be beneficial for lower back pain. Given the safety of spinal manipulation, Chiropractors use it as the first line of defense against low back pain.  Our clinic also uses nonmanipulative (“noncracking”) soft tissue and flexion-distraction techniques to be sure your lower back treatment is thorough. It is not uncommon for our patients to walk out feeling better after their first visit.

If you have been fighting lower back pain, call our office at 916-469-9235 or request an appointment here.

HERNIATED DISC

Many people have been told they have a “bulging disc”, “Herniated disc”, “Prolapsed disc” or “Pinched nerve”. All these different terms can be confusing and frustrating to patients when trying to determine

what is wrong with the back or neck and what to do about it.

There has been widespread disagreement amongst different doctors and disciplines about the proper usage of the terminology, but fortunately healing your back or neck pain is about much more than knowing the exact terminology. What’s more important is to know is if the structural problem seen on your imaging is actually causing your pain and how best to approach your problem conservatively.

Rather than try to figure out what the terminology means the most critical factor in your recovery is determining your exact medical diagnosis and what is the cause of your upper back, lower back, neck, leg or arm pain.

Chiropractic Care

At East Sacramento Chiropractic we strive to take the necessary steps to find the precise cause of your neck, back, arm or leg pain so that we can tailor a custom treatment plan for your needs. We incorporate specific movements that make you back pain better. While these movements may seem counter-intuitive, once identified, you are on your way to controlling your pain yourself.

We also incorporate therapeutic modalities and flexion-distraction technique to help take the pressure out of your back and get your pain under control as quickly as possible.

NECK PAIN             

Millions of Americans face neck pain on a daily basis, but the question is why do we suffer from neck pain for seemingly no reason.

The answer can be in a proper and thorough diagnosis. Neck pain can have many causes including disc bulges, disc herniations, facet irritation, myofascial syndrome, poor posture, sprain/strain, and other reasons.

It is essential you are evaluated if your neck pain is persistent to determine the specific cause of your problem. Once a diagnosis is reached an active treatment plan can be established to get you pain-free as soon as possible.

The good news is if your neck pain is less than three months old and you do not have arm pain, treatment is likely to be short term (6 visits or less), which compared to other treatments like physical therapy is very short without a lot of time out of your day.

If the pain is persistent (longer than three months), there is arm pain, tingling or numbness a more specific diagnosis and plan of action will be needed.

The common causes of pain lasting longer than three months with or without arm pain:

• Facet joint osteoarthritis
• Cervical disc herniation or bulge
• Cervical sprain/strain (whiplash)
• Cervical spine stenosis

CHIROPRACTIC

In our clinic at East Sacramento, we have our patient perform specific movements and test the joints in precise directions to determine the best way to treat the problem and to give the patient the best advice on what to do outside of the clinic.

Evidence-based Chiropractic is a well-researched modality of treatment for neck pain and has been established as a treatment to relieve the symptoms of neck pain quickly. Gentle manipulation in the proper direction is a very safe and effective way to become pain-free. We also incorporate stretching, exercises, and movement based massage to resolve the pain quickly.

If you are suffering from neck pain, call our office now at 916-469-9235 or request an appointment here.

HEADACHES

Experts report that 157 million workdays are lost each year in the United States due to headaches at the cost of about $50 billion in work absenteeism and medical expenses. According to current estimates, about 18% of chronic headache patients are believed to have cervicogenic headaches (CGH), or headaches that originate from dysfunction in the neck.

Many CGH sufferers utilize complementary and integrative health treatment approaches for neck pain and headaches, of which spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) is the most common. While past studies have demonstrated SMT to be a superior form of treatment for CGH, no one has investigated how many treatments are needed to achieve the maximum clinical benefit for CGH patients – at least not until recently!

To determine what dose of SMT may best benefit patients with headaches originating from the neck, researchers randomized 256 CGH patients into four treatment groups that received 0, 6, 12, or 18 SMT treatments over the course of six weeks. The researchers found a dose-dependent relationship between SMT and days without CGH over the following year with patients in the 18 visit group experiencing 16 fewer days with CGH over the next twelve months than those in the zero treatment group.

The chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy treatment used in the study consisted of high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust manipulation in the neck and upper back regions (specifically, occiput to T3) aimed at sites with detected joint dysfunction (fixation or pain), which is typically the method most chiropractors determine where to apply spinal manipulation.

This study is significant for a few reasons: 1) it proves SMT helps patients with CGH; 2) it provides doctors of chiropractic with an idea of how many visits it may take to obtain optimum results; and 3) it can be used as a guideline when managing CGH patients, stressing the vital point that EACH patient is UNIQUE and modifications may be appropriate depending on each case.

SHOULDER PAIN

Shoulder pain is a prevalent condition we see in the clinic. Whether the pain is caused by a sport or by merely sleeping people are often perplexed as to why the symptoms from shoulder pain linger.

The shoulder is a complex, mostly muscular joint that can have many different causes and many different diagnoses. The most critical factor in a shoulder injury is having the joint evaluated as soon as possible for the correct diagnosis and treatment as most shoulder injuries will recover without surgery or other invasive means. Like many other conditions, the sooner the shoulder is treated, the sooner the pain will go away.

If you are unsure of what is causing your shoulder pain, a doctor of Chiropractic can evaluate your condition and give you a clear path to getting better.

SOME SIGNS THAT YOU SHOULD SEEK CHIROPRACTIC CARE

• You have pain when lifting overhead
• You have pain in your shoulder at night
• Shoulder pain that persists beyond a few days
• There is a pain in the shoulder when turning your steering wheel
• There is a pinching sensation in the shoulder
• You feel warmth, swelling or pain in the area of the joint (especially the front)

What are the best treatments for shoulder pain

The shoulder is a complicated joint made of many muscles that must work together for pain-free, healthy function.  A conservative approach using muscle therapy, joint manipulation/mobilization, and therapeutic exercise is best fit for most patients. At East Sacramento Chiropractic, we use the latest in muscle and joint manipulation as well as thoroughly researched therapeutic activities to provide lasting results.

What causes shoulder pain?

Here is a list of the many causes:

• REFERRED PAIN FROM THE NECK

When there are irritated structures in the neck, the pain will often be felt in the area of the shoulder, particularly at the top and side of the shoulder and around the shoulder blade. Chiropractors take the time to evaluate the neck structures to determine if this is the cause of pain.

• IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME/SHOULDER TENDONITIS

Impingement is a catch-all diagnosis in which there is a dysfunction within the shoulder or shoulder blade that causes sore tendons or bursa to become irritated, thus causing pain.

• ROTATOR CUFF STRAIN

An injury (slight tear) to one of the four muscles of the rotator cuff that can be quite painful for a couple of weeks, but often responds very quickly to chiropractic care. This injury will generally fully resolve within a short period if appropriately treated.

• ROTATOR CUFF TEAR

An injury to the rotator cuff in which some or all of a muscle tendon is torn, like a rope that’s pulled apart. The tear can be a partial or complete tear meaning the tissue has been torn all the way through. In the past surgery was often used for rotator cuff tears, but unless you are a throwing athlete, conservative care will be recommended.

• SHOULDER BURSITIS

Shoulder bursitis is a condition caused by the painful bursa, a fluid-filled sac between the bones that make up the shoulder to prevent the tendons in the shoulder from friction. The bursa sac becomes compressed between the two bones leading to inflammation and pain at the tip of the joint.

• Frozen Shoulder

 A condition where the ligaments that stabilize your shoulder and create what is known as your shoulder capsule (like a cocoon around your shoulder joint) becomes very stiff and rigid, severely restricting your motion. Often this can be from an unknown origin.

• Shoulder Instability

Quite the opposite from frozen shoulder. The shoulder joint is too loose causing overworking of the rotator cuff. Recurrent shoulder injuries often occur due to shoulder instability.

• Biceps Tendon Tear

The upper part of the biceps can rupture and cause pain.

• Shoulder dislocation

The shoulder can become dislodged from its ball and socket joint causing severe pain requiring immediate attention.

• Labral Tear

The labrum is the lining of the shoulder socket which serves to protect the arm bone or humeral head and stabilize it within the cavity. When injured pain and pinching will occur deep within the shoulder.

• Shoulder (AC joint) separation

The shoulder is separated when the acromial clavicular ligaments are torn often causing a deformity at the tip of the shoulder where the clavicle is elevated higher than the tip of the shoulder. The AC joint is where the clavicle meets the highest point of the shoulder blade or scapula.

• Arthritis

A typical condition of aging, however, if bone spurs are projected downward toward the rotator cuff tendons, pain is likely, especially with overhead movements.

This information is not to be considered, use as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please talk to your health care provider for anything related to your health including but not limited to diagnosis and treatment advice and/ or care. None of the information offered through this website represents or warrants that any particular doctor, care, products or services is safe, effective, or appropriate for you. Always seek the advice of a health care professional. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911 or call for emergency medical help on the nearest telephone.