Chiropractic Care
Subluxations and Guarding
When we look at the spine on an X-ray, we should observe curves from the side. And when we view the spine from the front or back, it should be straight. Altogether, if you count both SI joints, you have 26 movable joints in the spine that move like any other joint in the body.
Throughout our lives, however, we experience various types of trauma, which can come from many things. These include a slip or fall, a car accident, a sports injury, a lifting injury, or a posture-related issue. What happens is the bones in the spine tend to shift out of place and adapt to the stress they’re under. Or they’ll rotate out of place, get stuck and not move properly.
In chiropractic, that’s called a subluxation: luxation is the medical term for dislocation, so subluxation is less than a dislocation. That’s what happens with the spine. So when we get subluxations in our spine, we’ll feel tightness and restriction, and we won’t move properly. The brain will detect that lack of motion, and the body will go into what’s called guarding.
These “systemic effects” could be an asthma symptom, a headache, irritable bowel syndrome, an irregular menstrual cycle or heartburn and many more. All of these issues can be aided if your nervous system is functioning at its peak.
Getting to the Root
While the Western medical model relies on medication, that merely masks the symptoms. We tend to take a pill for every illness in the United States. While we care about your symptoms (addressing your pain in particular), we’re more interested in the cause of those symptoms. We know that the cause of headaches, neck pain and back pain is often subluxations. By removing interference in the nervous system by correcting the subluxations with a chiropractic adjustment, you can find relief from your pain and feel your best.
Our Approach to Care
The care we offer consists of chiropractic adjustments, and soft tissue work either in the form of massage or our intersegmental traction tables, which create distraction in the spine and work like a mechanical massage. Both the massage and intersegmental traction aid in the reduction of tension in the soft tissue.
Chiropractic adjustments can reduce the guarding aspect and then restore movement of the spine, which is what the adjustment actually does. As the joints move better, the muscles will guard less. And then by getting pressure off the nerve, a patient can move better, feel better, and function better. That is the whole point of our practice.
NEW PATIENTS
We use the following methods and will tailor them to specifically address the particular needs of each patient:
- Activator Methods®
- Chiropractic BioPhysics
- Diversified
- Thompson
Based on his years of experience and wealth of knowledge, Dr. Pirmann will use the technique or methods that can best address the case in front of him and get the best results. He always provides specific chiropractic care, never cookie-cutter adjustments.
Here are some of the many issues that can be managed or resolved through chiropractic care:
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches & migraines
- Neck pain
- Sciatica
In addition to chiropractic care, we offer nutritional counseling. We’ve been able to help patients with weight loss and conditions like Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome. We even offer detox programs for optimal health and also to aid patients in better understanding how what they eat can directly affect their health in both a positive and negative way. We also carry high quality supplements!
Based on what’s going on with your health, Dr. Pirmann will provide you with a customized care plan that includes the recommended number of visits and the costs of your care. Once you’re out of pain and on the path to healing, we recommend maintenance care, which can help you enjoy optimal health.
Why are you adjusting my neck when my back hurts?
Dr. Pirmann tells patients that everything is connected, from the base of the skull to the tailbone. If there’s a segment in your spine that’s not functioning properly, you’re going to experience some type of effect. That can come in the form of pain, numbness or a systemic effect. You may get a headache, asthma symptoms, heartburn, irregular menstrual cycle, or irritable bowel syndrome.
“I tell people the neck could be a contributing factor in why someone could have low back pain, but not a causative factor. That’s why it is important to ensure that all the segments in your spine are moving properly for your body to function at its highest level,” he said.
How does chiropractic help my extremities?
If you’re having difficulty moving one of your extremities properly, Dr. Pirmann can adjust it. If there’s a segment in the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, or ankle that’s not moving properly, extremities adjusting can help reduce pain and improve body mechanics. Dr. Pirmann primarily adjusts wrists and ankles.
Will regular chiropractic care help me play golf better?
Yes! Imagine if you’re swinging a golf club, and you have all sorts of little hitches, bends, twists and turns in your swing that you’re not even aware of. That’s what happens when the segments in your spine aren’t moving properly.
The chiropractic adjustment is not about aligning your spine, but restoring motion to segments that are not moving properly. As we get your spine moving better, you will move better. We see it all the time-for people who have hitches in their swing, those tend to be gone when they get adjusted regularly.
Our Recipe for Better Health
I think everybody on the planet should be adjusted once a month, and not because they have a symptom, but because they’re improving their quality of life. Chiropractic may help you feel better, sleep better, have a stronger immune system, or perform better in your sport of choice.
In addition to getting adjusted, we also recommend other “ingredients” for optimal health. These include adequate rest, proper water intake, exercise, and a positive mental attitude.
Book an Appointment
Contact us today to schedule an appointment!
