Mr. Eric Miller, DC

Absolutely. Chiropractic manipulation often works well as a standalone treatment, but it works even better in conjunction with other therapies such as physical therapy, massage or even medications such as anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants. The medications do not fix the problem, but they do ease the symptoms while you try to correct the problem with chiropractic.
Good luck. I hope you find this info helpful.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Yes. Chiropractic can help chronic neck pain. First, a thorough examination should be performed to determine the actual cause of the pain and arrive at an accurate diagnosis. Then a treatment plan should be made and agreed upon. Neck pain may be coming from the facet joints, the discs or the surrounding musculature. Sometimes the nerves may be affected as well. Manipulation, stretching and muscle therapy may help to correct the problems causing your chronic neck pain.
I hope this information is helpful.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Most back pain can be originating from either the muscle, facet joint or disc or a combination of all. Poor posture can have an adverse effect on all 3 elements. An examination with a physician such as a Chiropractor or an Orthopedic doctor should be able to determine the cause of pain and the physician should be able to give you advice on how to properly treat the
cause once an accurate diagnosis is made. In the meantime, try stretching and strengthening the core muscles.
I hope you find this information helpful.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Hello,

Good question. It really depends on what condition your spine is in. If the symptoms came on quickly after overuse or a strain or something uncomplicated, you may be able to stop when "feel better." However, if there are issues like unbalanced pelvis or disc issues, you may be better served with corrective treatment, rather than just symptoms treatment. Your doctor should have taken X-rays, made an accurate diagnosis and ordered a plan of care based on your healthcare goals.
I hope you find this info helpful.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

It depends on how long you have had the pain. If the pain began 1-3 days ago, I would suggest ice, ibuprofen and gentle stretching of the affected musculature. If the pain continues after a week, have a good Chiropractor or Orthopedic doctor do an exam to determine if the pain is coming from the joint, nerve or muscle or a combination. If the spinal joints are involved causing the muscle spasm or tension, then manipulation or mobilization may be appropriate. If the pain is strictly muscular, then stretching and massage may help to alleviate the pain. I hope this information is helpful.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

The chiropractor should perform an examination to determine the exact cause of your pain. The pain may be coming from muscle, joint or nerve or some combination. During exam, the doctor should be able to replicate the pain by finding a tender point or some motion that produces the pain. After determining the cause, advise and/or treatment to correct the problem
should begin.

Take care and be well.

Dr. Eric Miller

Good question. Stretching and strengthening is a very important component of posture and spinal well-being. Below are a few links that contain great stretches and some yoga poses that can be performed regularly to ease back pain. I hope you find them helpful:

https://www.h-wave.com/blog/4-stretches-to-ease-lower-back-painrelieve-back-pain/

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/yoga-for-back-pain

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Hip pain can present for a variety of reasons. At your age, I would not expect arthritis, but more of a biomechanical problem related to alignment or muscular imbalance of the hips. You should have an exam that includes X-rays to make sure there is no bony pathology and functional testing to find the reason for your pain. In the mean time, try stretching, ibuprofen and ice if you can take ibu.
I hope you find relief soon.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

There is no reason not to work out after an adjustment unless you have a condition that you should avoid exercise for a while to begin with. Your doctor should let you know if there is a reason avoid exercise.
Hope this info is helpful. Take care and be well.

Spinal manipulation and stretching can be a very effective treatment for sciatica. First, the physician must find the actual cause of the sciatica. Sciatica is caused by pressure somewhere along the path of the sciatic nerve, which starts at the spinal nerve roots and traverses throughout the buttocks to the legs and to the feet. The nerve may be pinched by the vertebrae, the disc, inflammation around those structures or any tight muscle along the nerve path, especially the gluteus or the piriformis muscles. Manipulation to the lower lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints along with stretching of the affected muscles can provide great relief.
I hope you find this info helpful.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Generally, the chiropractor will do an examination to determine an accurate diagnosis and find the areas of the spine that are not moving correctly due to misalignment or muscle tension. After orthopedic and neurologic examination have been performed, X-rays may be necessary. A treatment protocol would then be made and therapy such as stretching, mobilization, and spinal manipulation may be performed to correct the issues.
I hope this helps.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Many children receive scoliosis screens at school physicals. If a curvature is detected visually, either by a rib hump or a curvature in the spine with muscular imbalance, an examination by a spinal specialist is warranted. Unfortunately, many primary care physicians do not adequately examine the spine for curvature or scoliosis. If the curve is visible to the eye, X-rays should be performed to evaluate and measure the severity of the curvature. The X-ray should also give diagnostic information about the cause of the curvature and possible treatment options. Scoliosis is defined as a curvature in the coronal plane that measures 15 degrees or greater. Usually, surgery is not warranted unless the curvature is at least 50 degrees and causing issues with the cardiovascular system or the respiratory system. A combination of chiropractic manipulation and physical therapy has been found to be the most effective treatment for reducing the severity of the curvature. Without treatment, the curvature will usually worsen about 1-2 degrees per year. Unfortunately, the greater the severity of curvature, the more the abnormal stress to the spinal joints that can cause disc problems and arthritic changes over time. Scoliosis and even curvatures of the spine should be actively treated to prevent problems in the future.
I hope you find this information useful. Good luck with your daughter.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Thank you for your question. Spinal manipulation provided by a chiropractor or an osteopath is very similar. D.C.s usually use a high velocity low amplitude thrust to manipulate most joints depending on the need. Most D.O.s use a more low velocity mobilization to accomplish the release. Both are effective.

The cause of the leg pain needs to be accurately diagnosed. Leg pain can come from vascular issues such as blood clots or varicosities, neurological issues such as sciatica or neurologic claudication from stenosis in the spine or even muscular issues. Start by stretching your legs, increasing your water intake if you don't drink at least 4 glasses per day and try to get more potassium and vitamin B6 into your diet. More importantly, you should see a physician to get an accurate diagnosis of the cause of your symptoms.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Yes. Usually ,the hunch comes from an exaggerated thoracic curve (kyphosis), forward shoulders and a forward head position. Start by stretching your chest and the front of your shoulders, then strengthen the muscles between your shoulder blades (trapezius and rhomboids). Next, do extension exercises for your neck like looking up at the ceiling 30 times 3x/day. You should start seeing postural changes. If you want faster changes, consult a chiropractic physician or physical therapist.

I hope this helps,

Dr. Eric Miller

Weight gain can add stress to your hips and knees, but usually that pain comes on a little more gradual and it's not the weight causing pain, it is the damage to the joint from the weight causing the pain. Hip pain can come from a variety of reasons including arthritis, capsular issues and muscular strains or sprains. Try stretching the hip, ice and ibuprofen if you can take it. If the pain persists for more than a week, you should consult a physician that specializes in joint issues such as a chiropractor, physiatrist, or an orthopedic.

Take care and be well.

It really depends on what's causing the pain. Is it your hip or is it your sacroiliac joint referring pain down to the hip? It is common for women to have pelvis or SI joint pain after giving birth. Congrats by the way! Yoga is very useful for stretching muscles that may be tight or out of balance, but usually a combination of stretching, joint mobilization and manipulation works the best. Try yoga and see if it helps. If not, seek a good physician like a chiropractor to diagnose and treat the problem.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Find the cause of the Sciatica. It could be as simple as a tight muscle compressing the nerve along its path to the leg or it could be a space occupying lesion like a disc herniation compressing the nerve root. There are many other causes as well. But, with the leg symptom of sciatica, you know the nerve is being irritated somewhere. The source needs to be found and corrected. If it has not healed, you should consult a physician to help identify the cause. You can try a chiropractor, orthopedic or physical therapist. These poviders should be able to accurately diagnose the condition.
Take care and be well.
Dr. Eric Miller

If you are sitting for prolonged periods, you should get up and walk around for a few minutes every 45 minutes. You can also try an ergonomic office chair. Stretch your legs and lower back. I hope this helps.
Take care and be well.
Dr. Eric Miller

Most people with arthritic conditions find heat helpful. Try to keep the joint mobile without increasing the inflammation too much. Stretching and joint mobilization usually helps to ease the pain. You can also look into joint replacement or restoration with stem cells.
I hope she feels better.
Take care and be well.
Dr. Eric Miller