Conditions Treated
Auto Accidents
If you have been involved in a car accident, whiplash injuries need to be taken very seriously. Because symptoms of a whiplash injury can take weeks or months to manifest, it is easy to be fooled into thinking that you are not as injured as you really are.
Too often people don’t seek treatment following a car accident because they don’t feel hurt. By far, the most common injury to the neck is a whiplash injury. Whiplash is caused by a sudden movement of the head, backward, forward, or sideways, that results in the damage to the supporting muscles, ligaments and other connective tissues in the neck and upper back.
Unfortunately, by the time more serious complications develop, some of the damage from the injury may have become permanent. Numerous studies have shown that years after whiplash victims settle their insurance claims; roughly half of them state that they still suffer with symptoms from their injuries.
If you have been in an accident, please don’t assume a lack of pain means you have escaped injury. Contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a pain-free life.
Low Back Pain
Eighty percent of people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. In fact, it is estimated that low back pain affects more than half of the adult population each year and more than 10% of all people experience frequent bouts of low back pain.
Until recently, researchers believed that back pain would heal on its own. We have learned, however, that this is not true. Recent studies showed that when back pain is not treated, it may go away temporarily, but will most likely return. It is important to take low back pain seriously and seek professional chiropractic care.
If you suffer from any back pain or have been in an accident, please don’t wait to get treated. Contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a pain-free life.
Pinched Nerve
The term “pinched nerve” is somewhat of a catch-all phrase that is commonly used to describe the pain associated with a variety of conditions from subluxations, to tunnel syndromes to the referred pain from trigger points.
Most of the time, what is called a pinched nerve is actually an irritated, or inflamed nerve where the nerve itself is not actually pinched. In most cases, nerves become irritated and inflamed when the bones, joints or muscles of the spine are not in their proper position, or are not moving properly. This condition is called a “subluxation”, the treatment of which is the specialty of the doctor of chiropractic.
It is very important that the cause of any form of pain be properly diagnosed. This is especially important when nerves are affected as severe or long term irritation, or compression, of a nerve can lead to permanent nerve damage.
If you suffer from “pinched nerve” please don’t wait to get treated. Contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a pain-free life.
Neck Pain
Most neck and upper back pain is caused by a combination of factors, including injury, poor posture, subluxations, stress, and in some instances, disc problems.
The degree of flexibility of the neck, coupled with the fact that it has the least amount of muscular stabilization to support and move your 14 to 16 pound head, means that the neck is very susceptible to injury. You can picture your neck and head much like a bowling ball being held on top of a stick by small, thin, elastic bands. It doesn’t take much force to disrupt that delicate balance. For this reason, neck injuries are common.
Because the spinal chord sends so many nerve endings down each arm, neck injuries often manifests as arm pain, numbness, tingling, cold, aching, and “pins and needles.” Problems in the neck can also contribute to headaches, muscle spasms in the shoulders and upper back, ringing in the ears, otitis media (inflammation in the middle ear, often mistaken for an ear infection in children), temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), restricted range of motion and chronic tightness in the neck and upper back.
If you suffer from any of these symptoms, or have been in an accident, please don’t wait to get treated. Contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a pain-free life.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) has become one of the most widespread occupational health problems we face today. It affects millions of people a year, and with our growing reliance on computers there seems to be no end in sight. The syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve just above the wrist. Pressure on this nerve can be caused by an injury or sustained use from common activities like typing, chopping, hammering, or pushing. Symptoms of CTS range from wrist pain, numbness, tingling, burning, weakness or loss of grip strength, and loss of sleep due to discomfort.
There are a number of different ways to treat this condition. In most cases, a chiropractic adjustment to the affected area is an extremely effective solution. In some cases, a misalignment in either the back or neck can cause this condition, and chiropractic manipulation of the neck and/or spine can also serve as an effective treatment option. These treatments, along with physical therapy, stretching, and strengthening exercises, can in most cases effectively alleviate and eventually eliminate the symptoms associated with CTS.
If you suffer from any of these symptoms, or have been in an accident, please don’t wait to get treated. Contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a pain-free life.
Fibromyalgia
According to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), fibromyalgia is defined as a history of pain in all four quadrants of the body lasting more than 3 months. Pain in all four quadrants means that you have pain in both your right and left sides, as well as above and below the waist. In addition to pain and fatigue, people who have fibromyalgia may experience: sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, painful menstrual periods, numbness or tingling of the extremities, restless legs syndrome, temperature sensitivity, cognitive and memory problems.
Chiropractic care is critical for those who suffer from fibromyalgia in order to keep the spine and muscles from losing too much movement. Continually adjusting the spine and keeping it moving is the patient’s best solution. Lack of movement is the most hazardous side effect of fibromyalgia.
If you suffer from any of these symptoms, or have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, please don’t wait to get treated. Contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a pain-free life.
Headaches
Headaches affect just about everyone at some point and they can present themselves in many different ways. Some people only experience pain in one part of their head or behind their eyes, some people experience a pounding sensation inside their whole head, and some people even experience nausea, while others do not. The pain itself may be dull or sharp and may last for anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Fortunately, very few headaches have serious underlying causes, but those that do require urgent medical attention.
Although headaches can be due to a wide variety of causes such as drug reactions, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), tightness in the neck muscles, low blood sugar, high blood pressure, stress and fatigue, the majority of recurrent headaches are of two types: tension headaches and migraine headaches. Chiropractic care has been proven to alleviate the nerve pressure responsible for headaches, and reducing the symptoms of migraines significantly or completely getting rid of them for good.
If you suffer from headaches or migraines, please don’t wait to get treated. Contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a pain-free life.
Ear Infections
Almost half of all children will suffer from at least one middle ear infection (otitis media) before they’re a year old, and two-thirds of them will have had at least one episode by age three. The symptoms of Otitis media include ear pain, fever, and irritability. Otitis media is caused by either a bacterial or viral infection and frequently results from another illness such as a cold. For many children, it can become a chronic problem, requiring treatment year after year, and putting the child at risk of permanent hearing damage and associated speech and developmental problems. Most often antibiotics are given, although statistics show that the majority of ear infections are viral and not bacterial so antibiotics are unnecessary.
Otitis media commonly emerges when there is improper drainage of the lymph system in the neck, or when the muscle that is supposed to keep bacteria or viruses from entering the eustacean tubes (the tubes in the back of the throat that lead to the inner ear) doesn’t work correctly.
The underlying root cause of otitis media is usually a mechanical problem. There is either a reduced or blocked drainage of the lymph vessels in the neck lymphatic chains that causes a build-up of fluid in the inner ear, or a loss of normal function of the small muscle at the opening of the eustacean tube in the throat that allows bacteria and viruses from the mouth to enter the inner ear. Instead of treatment that tries to kill the bacteria or virus, a more natural approach would be to restore normal drainage of the ears and neck lymphatics. This is most effectively done through a certified pediatric chiropractor.
If your child suffers from ear infections, please don’t wait. Contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment to help get your child back to living a better life, without pair and discomfort.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy, a woman’s center of gravity shifts forward to the front of her pelvis. This additional weight in front, causes stress to the joints of the pelvis and low back. As the baby grows in size, the added weight causes the curvature of her lower back to increase, placing extra stress on the fragile facet joints on the back side of the spine. Any pre-existing problems in a woman’s spine tend to be exacerbated as the spine and pelvis become overtaxed, often leading to pain and difficulty performing normal daily activities.
If you are pregnant and are concerned about your health, contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a more comfortable and pain-free pregnancy.
Sciatica
Sciatica is actually a sign that you have an underlying problem putting pressure on a nerve in your lower back. The most common cause of this nerve compression is a bulging or herniated lumbar disc. Piriformis syndrome is another common cause of sciatica. The piriformis is a muscle that lies directly over the sciatic nerve. If this muscle becomes tight or if you have a spasm in this muscle, it puts pressure directly on the sciatic nerve. Occasionally, sciatic pain in men is inflamed by sitting on a wallet. The real cause is the position of the lumbar spine. If you have lost the curve in your lumbar spine or are out of alignment sciatica is just one of the symptoms you may have. The loss of your lumbar curve is also shutting down the energy to all he vital organs in that area.
If you are suffering from symptoms related so sciatica, contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a pain-free life.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine that often causes the spine to look like the letter “S” or the letter “C”. These abnormal curves in the spine affect the middle of the back (the thoracic region), and the lower back (the lumbar region). The neck is also likely to lack its natural curve, affecting the balance and posture of the entire body.
Scoliosis is not always associated with pain, although it commonly may be. Even in people without pain, however, the function of the heart & lungs is compromised. According to the National Scoliosis Foundation, scoliosis is associated with reduced life expectancy. On the average, people with scoliosis suffer a 14-year reduction in their life expectancy due to the strain upon the heart & the reduced amount of oxygen supplied to the body. Scoliosis is also associated with headaches, shortness of breath, digestive problems, chronic disease, and hip, knee, & leg pain.
If you are suffering from scoliosis, contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get your spinal curvature corrected without the need for costly and painful surgery.
Herniated Disc
A herniation is a displaced fragment of the center part or nucleus of the disc that is pushed through a tear in the outer layer or annulus of the disc. Pain results when irritating substances are released from this tear and also if the fragment touches or compresses a nearby nerve. Disc herniation has some similarities to degenerative disc disease and discs that herniate are often in an early stage of degeneration. Herniated discs are common in the low back or lumbar spine.
Disc herniation may be present without causing pain. The most common symptom will be pain in the area of the herniation that may radiate across the hips or into the buttocks. You may also experience numbness or pain radiating down your leg to the ankle or foot. If the herniation is large enough, you may notice weakness with extension of your big toe and you may be unable to walk on your toes or heels.
If you are suffering from a herniated disc, contact Dr. T. Foster Bryant immediately for a thorough examination and treatment plan to help get you back to living a pain-free life.