Chiropractic BioPhysics

At Pike Creek Chiropractic, we want to get rid of pain as fast as possible, but the main focus of our care is to address the underlying issue causing the low back pain, the segmental or regional subluxation complex. To restore posture, spinal structure, and function, we use the Chiropractic BioPhysics three-pronged approach.

1. Chiropractic Adjustments

Segmental adjusting, meaning adjusting one vertebra at a time, is combined with mirror image adjustments. This adjustment applies the inverse of a misalignment to realign the spine without affecting the adjacent vertebrae. By inversing the positioning of the misalignment, we can restore the spine to neutral.

2. Traction

Traction improves a person’s posture and reduces abnormal spinal curvatures. Sustained pressure remodels the spine’s curves into their appropriate positions.

3. Exercises

Follow-up exercises help stabilize and support any spinal correction for long-term success.

All three prongs work together to make the correction and help the body hold it.

Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan

It is critical to support the musculature to stabilize the spine and prevent future injury. The skeletal system is controlled by the muscles, which are controlled by the nervous system, and we have to strengthen the musculature so that if you are putting yourself into bending, twisting, or reaching motion, you’re not further injuring yourself and repeating the same problem over and over again. We recommend at-home exercises based on each patient’s specific situation to strengthen weak muscles and improve flexibility in tight muscles.

Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan

A spinal disc is like a jelly doughnut with a soft center called the nucleus and an outer covering called the annulus fibrosis. When normal pressure is exerted on the disc, the nucleus stays where it should. Abnormal pressure, or an extended period of wear and tear, can cause the nucleus to push against the outer layer. This bulging irritates the nerves causing pain, numbness, inflammation, and muscle and organ dysfunction.

Traction uses sustained pressure on a patient’s gross body mechanics to reduce disc injury and correct normal posture. We put a harness around the lower thoracic spine to raise the patient up and provide a constant pull on their spine. Using cabling, we can reduce lateral or sideways curves. The process is quite comfortable, relieving pressure on the injured discs and misaligned spine and allowing the disc to rehydrate and heal.

Subluxation

Subluxation is the misalignment of the spinal bones. When the vertebrae shift out of alignment, it causes nerve inflammation and pressure. This pressure can affect muscle and ligament function and decrease nerve flow to surrounding organs. Subluxations don’t just cause low back pain. In fact, you’d have a subluxation long before you started experiencing any low back pain. That’s because pain is the last symptom to show up and the first to go away.

Subluxations are corrected using traction and spinal adjustments. At Pike Creek Chiropractic, a drop table is our primary adjustment tool. This approach allows us to be specific and efficient with the actual adjustments. We don’t need to twist the body around; we can adjust one vertebra at a time in a neutral posture. We also use traction to re-establish normal spinal curves when a subluxation affects an entire spinal region, altering the spine’s natural curves.

The lower back and legs are the most common parts of the body to be affected by lumbar subluxation. It’s also possible to experience sciatica and radicular pain through the thigh, knees, and into the feet. Misalignments in the low back can also lead to constipation, diarrhea, erectile dysfunction, infertility, and painful menstrual cycles.

Disc Bulge and Disc Herniation

During the day, a person can lose up to half an inch because of the pressure placed on our spinal discs as we walk, bend, twist, and reach. A disc is like a jelly donut, with a soft, gel-like center surrounded by a fibrous outer layer. There is a disc between each vertebra to absorb shock and help the spine move normally. The body can deal with this daily pressure, healing itself at night, but over time, with an abnormal amount of pressure and compensated healing abilities, the discs begin to wear down.

As it wears down, the disc’s outer layer begins to rip, and the inner gel-like nucleus pushes on its exterior, causing it to bulge. A bulging disc causes inflammation and can irritate the adjacent nerves. When the disc’s outer layer tears completely, the nucleus herniates from the disc and puts direct pressure on the nerve root. This pain is more intense than a bulge and can affect muscle and organ function.

Most primary care providers give inflammatory meds or muscle relaxers to deal with the pain, but that doesn’t address the underlying structural issues or the disc’s inability to heal. If the situation worsens, a PCP might refer the patient to a neurosurgeon. Chiropractic works to improve the body’s natural healing capabilities and correct the disc’s structural issues to avoid surgery and prolonged medication use.

Spinal Stenosis

Stenosis is a bony growth where the lumbar spine has started to degenerate. The growth decreases the space around the spinal nerve as it exits the spinal column to innervate the body. The growth compresses the nerve root, causing pain, muscle weakness, and organ malfunction.

If the issue is caught early enough, conservative chiropractic care works to get rid of the problem, eliminate pain, and improve a person’s quality of life. If left untreated, surgical intervention may become necessary. Surgery is never ideal because of its inherent risk and the scar tissue it leaves behind. The inelasticity of scar tissue can lead to further nerve compression down the road

Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative joint disease, DJD, is osteoarthritis caused by the abnormal position of the vertebral bodies in the lumbar vertebra causing irregular bone growth. The bone actually starts to deform along with the discs. This condition cannot be reversed, but we can prevent and stop it from progressing with regular chiropractic screenings. Decreasing the amount of abnormal stress on the joint helps it regain as much normal function as possible.

Muscle Strain

If you bend at your waist to pick up a 10 lbs box, you are actually putting 100 lbs of stress on your back muscles. Turning 10 lbs into 100 lbs is not the best way to keep your spine healthy, but it is a good way to tear muscle fibers. A muscle strain is tearing muscle fibers, causing an inflammatory process that creates pain and scar tissue.

Muscle strains can happen from an acute, sudden injury but can also result from weak core muscles. We see a lot of weekend warriors who are not active during the week or are sedentary all winter and want to be active outside during the summer. Their muscles aren’t used to being used this way and begin to tear.

Strains can also be a symptom of subluxation. A misaligned vertebra alters nervous system function, further complicating muscle function in a negative feedback cycle. If left untreated, the body will adapt to this new altered state.