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While many women automatically assume that pregnancy and back pain go hand in hand, they are often surprised when they discover that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, chiropractic can often help relieve persistant back pain for pregnant women by as much as 85 percent.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Pregnancy

Dr. Cyr has helped many pregnant women with back pain in our Rutland office.

One piece of research published in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies involved 115 women who were pregnant (most of which were in their third trimester) and presented with pain in their lower back region, pelvic area, or both. Data was gathered prior to the study, as well as one week, one month, three months, and one year after treatment commenced. At each subsequent point in time, the participants were asked to rate their level of pain based on a 7-point scale to determine whether it was better, worse, or stayed the same. The results?

52% reported that their pain was better after one week of chiropractic treatment. After one month, that amount jumped up to 70 percent, climbing even more to 85 percent showing improvement at the three month mark. Positive effects were still reported at six months post-treatment, which was generally after childbirth, and continued to the final data collection one year after treatment commenced.

There are also many additional advantages of chiropractic care during pregnancy. Not only does it effectively relieve back pain, but it does it in a completely natural and non-invasive way. This means that you don't have to worry about taking any medications or undergoing any type of treatment that could potentially harm your unborn child.

Dr. Cyr Can Help Patients Find Relief From Back Pain During Pregnancy

Furthermore, it makes your time spent carrying your child more pleasant. When you're not sidetracked with aches and pains, you can enjoy the experience even more as you prepare your home and your life for all of the fun and exciting changes that lie ahead.

We're here in Rutland to help you have a healthy, pain-free pregnancy. Give us a call today at (802) 775-6961 to make an appointment.

Peterson CK, Muhlemann D, & Humphreys BK. Outcomes of pregnant patients with low back pain undergoing chiropractic treatment: a prospective cohort study with short term, medium term and 1 year follow-up. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2014;22(15):doi:10.1186/2045-709X-22-15.

According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more people in the US suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. Furthermore, neck pain is the third most documented type of pain, beat out only by lower back pain and headache.

Of course, many patients come to our Rutland office seeking neck pain treatment, and Dr. Cyr has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart decision, as some research indicates that over 90% of neck pain patients benefit from chiropractic care.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic Works

A report published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy involved 64 men and women who were suffering with neck problems. Roughly half were placed in an experimental group and the other half were assigned to a comparison group. Both received chiropractic adjustments of the neck as well as a home exercise plan, while the experimental group also received adjustments of the thoracic spine.

Information was gathered before treatment began and one week after the adjustments. The authors found that 94% of the experimental group reported "significantly greater improvements" in regard to pain and disability in their neck symptoms. Just 35% of the patients who received neck adjustments showed the same level of improvement, illustrating that thinking about the entire spine is a critical part of restoring the body's normal function.

Yet another study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 adults who reported suffering with neck pain. Each man or woman was randomly assigned to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with examinations occurring two and four days after the adjustments.

The investigators found that the study participants who received the thrust manipulations (the same adjustments that offered such positive results in the first report) "experienced greater reductions in disability" than the group that received the non-thrust manipulations. Their pain was lower as well, which shows that this type of approach offers many benefits.

Help After Failed Neck Surgery

One study even found the same sort of positive results after thoracic adjustments in a woman who had a failed neck surgical treatment. This particular case involved a 46-year-old patient who had recently had neck surgery but still suffered with neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.

The woman reported reduced pain in her neck and lower headache intensity, immediately after the first chiropractic adjustments. After six weeks of care, which involved chiropractic, exercise, and patient education, the patient still placed her pain at a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. Her neck disability improved as well, with a rating score that represented that it was a "great deal better."

It is studies like these that substantiate the advantages of chiropractic adjustments, even if you've already attempted medical procedures that didn't provide relief. So, if you are suffering with neck problems and would like to find a solution that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the relief you're looking for.

Our office is in Rutland and Dr. Cyr can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (802) 775-6961.

References

• AAPM facts and figures on pain. The American Academy of Pain Medicine.
• Masaracchio M, Cleland JA, Hellman M, Hagins M. Short-term combined effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation and cervical spine nonthrust manipulation in individuals with mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2013;43(3):118-127.
• Cleland JA, Glynn P, Whitman JM, Eberhart SL, MacDonald C, Childs JD. Short-term effects of thrust versus nonthrust mobilization/manipulation directed at the thoracic spine in patients with neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Physical Therapy 2007;87(4):431-440.
• Salvatori R, Rowe RH, Osborne R, Beneciuk JM. Use of thoracic spine thrust manipulation for neck pain and headache in a patient following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a case report. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2014;44(6):440-449.
  

With the Migraine Research Foundation reporting that migraines affect 38 million people in the United States (more than asthma and diabetes put together), it's not surprising that Dr. Cyr sees a lot of migraine sufferers in our Rutland office. Eventhough some patients try to relieve migraine pain with medications, chiropractic care is a wonderful, all-natural choice that often provides positive results.

Research Supports Chiropractic Care Helps With Migraines

For example, one study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics involved 127 participants ranging in age from 10 to 70-years-old who struggled with frequent (at least monthly) migraines. Each subject received up to 16 chiropractic sessions. The subjects noted that their headache frequency, duration, and disability two months before the study began, during the duration of the sessions (which was two months), and two months post-treatment.

What the investigators discovered is that chiropractic adjustments reduced the frequency, duration, and disability of the migraine headaches when compared with the control group who didn't receive chiropractic. Furthermore, this enabled them to take less medication for the pain, offering them an all-natural answer for a chronic problem.

Another article found that a combination of chiropractic and neck massage reduced migraine headaches almost 68%.

If you have migraine headache pain and are looking for relief, call Dr. Cyr today and request an appointment in our Rutland chiropractic office. We'll do what we can to help you become pain-free!

Resources

Migraine Fact Sheet. Migraine Research Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/fact-sheet.html on November 2, 2015
Noudeh Y et al. (2012). Reduction of current migraine headache pain following neck massage and spinal manipulation. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork;5(1):5-13
Tuchin P et al. (2000, February). A randomized controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;23(2):91-5

Knee pain is a common problem for people in our Rutland chiropractic practice, and Dr. Cyr has successfully provided many of these folks relief. This is mostly because chiropractic care has been found to help with many types of knee pain.

For example, some individuals encounter pain in and around the knee area due to osteoarthritis. Research has proven that this ailment responds very well to chiropractic--and rather quickly, too. In fact, one paper published in The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association found that individuals with osteoarthritis in their knees felt significant pain relief and enhanced function after just two weeks of chiropractic care.

If your knee pain is because of a medial meniscus sprain, chiropractic could likely help with that as well. One study reported that combining chiropractic with soft tissue therapy, rest, ice, and compression on the affected knee helped lower the intensity of the pain.

Of course, sometimes a knee replacement surgery is necessary in order to fix the issue, and if that's the case, chiropractic can also help improve the outcome. How?

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Knee Injuries

Medical research has shown that people with low back pain often have less positive outcomes after knee surgery. So, dealing with your back pain through chiropractic before having a total knee arthroplasty can help with your post-surgery recovery.

No matter what your knee issue, Dr. Cyr can likely help. Call our Rutland clinic today and find out what we can do for you!

References

• Pollard H et al. (2008, December). The effect of a manual therapy knee protocol on osteoarthritic knee pain: a randomised controlled trial. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association;52(4):229-42
  Boyle J et al. (2014, March). Influence of low back pain on total knee arthroplasty outcome. Knee;21(2):410-4
• Jarosz B & Ames R. (2010, December). Chiropractic management of a medial meniscus tear in a patient with tibiofemoral degeneration: a case report. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine;9(4):200-8

We see a lot of individuals with headaches in our Rutland office, and Dr. Cyr has been able to provide relief for many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one half of all adults deal with some kind of headache problems, so this certainly isn’t unexpected. One of the most common kinds of headaches that our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can usually help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from problems in the cervical spine. It can easily be generated by a problem with either the spine itself (in particular, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it could be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine contributes to compression or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

How can you identify if the headache you are being affected by is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from getting a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is triggering them is corrected, it is critical to receive treatment rather than just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that provides a considerable amount of relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers followed 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent received chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic offered the optimum outcomes.

Specifically, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments gave patients better pain relief and decreased the number of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also lessened the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Cyr can do for you and your headache pain, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

References

• Haas M, Schneider M, Vavrek D. Illustrating risk difference and number needed to treat from a randomized controlled trial of spinal manipulation for cervicogenic headache. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010 18(9).
• World Health Organization. (2012, October). Headache disorders. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs277/en/

We see a number of patients in our Rutland office with ankle sprains but Dr. Cyr has had a lot of success helping them recover more quickly. Why are ankle sprains so common and how can your chiropractor help?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), approximately 25,000 men and women in the US sprain their ankles daily. As a matter of fact, these injuries make up almost half of all sports injuries, causing people to spend time away from the activities they enjoy most.

Like any injury, there are many causes of ankle sprains. The most frequent is inversion, or when the ankle rolls inward. This injury can occur due to one forceful movement, or it can develop over a period of time, and exercises that increase the risk for this type of ankle sprain include running and jumping. You're also at risk if you have pre-existing ankle injuries, poor posture or balance, weak muscles, and reduced range of motion.

How Can Chiropractic Treatments and Dr. Cyr Help?

A paper published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics set out to identify chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. The authors enrolled 33 men and women between the ages of 18 and 45 who had a history of ankle inversion sprains, who were experiencing tenderness and/or pain, and had not re-injured the area in the previous six weeks.

Eighteen of the participants were assigned to participate in rehabilitation and the other 15 subjects received chiropractic adjustments in addition to rehab. Each person had five full weeks of therapy, with the rehab group receiving therapy seven days a week and the rehabilitation plus chiropractic group receiving care six out of the seven days.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Ankle Sprains

The study found that the people who participated in both rehabilitation and chiropractic fared the best at the 4-week mark when it came to pain and joint restriction. Furthermore, no negative effects were reported, showing that chiropractic is safe.

If you're near our location in Rutland and you're recovering from an ankle injury, give us a call. We'll do what we can to keep you up and running... literally!

Citations

• American College of Sports Medicine. (n.d.). Ankle sprains and the athlete. Retrieved from https://www.acsm.org/docs/current-comments/anklesprainstemp.pdf
• Lubbe, D et al. (2015, January). Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation for recurrent ankle sprain with functional instability: a short-term, assessor-blind, parallel-group randomized trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 38(1), 22-34, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.10.001

If you are struggling with fibromyalgia, you are not alone, as Dr. Cyr sees many patients with this particular syndrome in our Rutland chiropractic office. As a matter of fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that roughly two percent of all adults in the US have fibromyalgia. Thankfully, chiropractic care is one treatment option that can provide positive results.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps Fibromyalgia

In a study published in mid-2015, 215 adults with fibromyalgia were assessed based on factors ranging from pain to quality of sleep to the levels of depression symptoms and anxiety they felt. Then they were divided into two groups with one group receiving a multi-modal therapy program for three months and the second group receiving the same approach plus chiropractic adjustments (specifically, to the upper neck area) for the same length of time.

The subjects who received chiropractic care combined with the multi-modal therapy approach reported greater benefits in all areas (pain, sleep, depression, and anxiety) at three months post-treatment when compared to the study participants who received multi-modal treatment without chiropractic care. In addition, those positive benefits were long-lasting as the subjects reported continued improvement one full year later.

Fibromyalgia can significantly decrease your quality of life, both psychologically and physically. If you're suffering from fibromyalgia, we might be able to help.

You don't have to suffer! To find out what Dr. Cyr can do for your fibromyalgia pain, call our Rutland chiropractic office today.

Resources

• Fibromyalgia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm on November 2, 2015.
• Moustafa I & Diab A. (2015, July). The addition of upper cervical manipulative therapy in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial. Rheumatology International;35(7):1163-74.

Regrettably, quite a few of our Rutland patients are familiar with the pain caused by a herniated disc all too well. On a positive note, Dr. Cyr has helped many people with disc pain, and a number of scientific studies have verified that chiropractic can help people recover from this kind of condition.

Research on Herniated Discs and Chiropractic

In one report, specialists from Switzerland recruited 148 patients who were coping with pain in their lower back and legs due to a disc herniation (which was confirmed through magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI). Each individual then received chiropractic adjustments that focused on the location of his or her disc problem.

Data was collected after the preliminary treatment session at set intervals--namely, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year--to ascertain what type of short-term and long-term effects, if any, chiropractic offers when it comes to treating this particular problem. Among the data collected was the individual's self-reported changes in both low back and leg pain.

Investigators found that, overall, the patients reported "significant improvement" for both types of pain every time the results were collected. In fact, over 90% of the study participants stated that their pain "improved" within the first three months, with 88% still citing improvement one year after their first treatment session.

Even those people who were defined as "chronic" still reported an improvement in pain at a rate of 89% one year beyond when treatment first began. This is the same positive result that was found in the following case study.

Case Study Shows that Chiropractic Benefits Chronic Disc Herniation Symptoms

In this paper, a 26-year-old male had presented with disc herniation symptoms such as pain in the lower back, left leg, and left groin area, along with left foot drop and muscle weakness. He had endured these symptoms for more than two years after sustaining an athletic injury, and his disc herniation was confirmed via MRI.

After receiving chiropractic, "The patient responded favorably and his multi-symptom complex resolved within 90 days of treatment." Furthermore, the patient was still experiencing relief one year after the chiropractic intervention.

Studies like these show how useful chiropractic can be when it comes to alleviating herniated disc pain and relieving the symptoms they cause. So, if you are suffering from back pain caused by a herniated disc and wish to find some relief, chiropractic might be an effective solution.

Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our Rutland office a call today at (802) 775-6961 for a consultation or appointment.

References

• Leemann S, Peterson CK, Schmid C, Anklin B, Humphreys BK. Outcomes of acute and chronic patients with magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed symptomatic lumbar disc herniations receiving high-velocity, low-amplitude, spinal manipulative therapy: a prospective observational cohort study with one-year follow-up. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;37(3):155-163.
• Polkinghorn BS, Colloca CJ. Treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation using activator methods chiropractic technique. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1998;21(3):187-196.
  

Dr. Cyr sees a lot of people struggling with carpal tunnel syndrome in our busy Rutland chiropractic office. While some people think that the source of this wrist-related pain is muscular, it's actually a syndrome that arises from the nerves--and not just the nerves in your hands.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Recent research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy assessed 71 women between the ages of 35 and 59 who were diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Upon investigating the subjects' neck range of motion, the authors discovered that the patients had reduced cervical flexibility when compared to a healthy control group.

In addition, it was also found that the level of the women's reported carpal tunnel pain was related to the lateral flexion of the cervical spine. In other words, the less flexibility in the neck area, the greater the level of pain.

This research is extremely important, as you can't successfully treat a condition until you fully understand its source. By realizing that the root of carpal tunnel symptoms is in the neck, this means that natural approaches like chiropractic can often restore normal function, eliminating the need for risky surgery.

If you have carpal tunnel pain, call our Rutland office and ask how Dr. Cyr can help you get relief!

Studies

De-la-Llave-Rincon A et al. (2011, May). Women with carpal tunnel syndrome show restricted cervical range of motion. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy;41(5):305-10.
Simon H. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. University of Maryland Medical Center. Updated May 6, 2012. Retrieved from https://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/carpal-tunnel-syndrome on November 2, 2015.

We see quite a few people with back pain in our Rutland office, and Dr. Cyr has been able to help a lot of them get relief through various chiropractic techniques. However, recovering from back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical treatment, as many individuals utilize both types of care with great success.

Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Care Work Well with One Another

In a study published by the medical journal Spine researchers¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who were suffering from both acute discomfort and restricted function due to back symptoms. Some of the patients engaged in treatment via standard medical care, while the rest were given chiropractic care in addition to regular medical care, as researchers wanted to see which group fared better.

The authors discovered that the group that received standard medical care in combination with chiropractic care scored "significantly better" than the patients who received medical care alone; 73 percent reported positive benefits compared to just 17 percent of the medical care only group who indicated the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at two and four weeks.

Therefore, integrating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medicine can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some distinct advantages over medical treatment.

Where Chiropractic Care Is Successful

Although it might seem as if each method plays a 50-50 role, there is one significant benefit that chiropractic has over medical care and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a study from UCLA² that was published in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than patients undergoing medical care.

According to the researchers, the main aspects that patients preferred over medical care were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't surprising, as chiropractors tend to spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as explaining more thoroughly what to expect from chiropractic care.

Chiropractic Care Is a Natural Approach to Wellness

Certainly, the strategies associated with chiropractic are quite different than those provided with medical treatment, but a large amount of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. Instead of focusing on just relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care involves searching for the root cause of your pain, which often means greater improvement as you are addressing the problem at its source.

In addition, while medication is sometimes helpful for treating certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment like chiropractic care. This means fewer negative side effects from drugs and longer-lasting recovery.

You don't have to deal with back pain or other health issues. Give our Rutland clinic a call today at (802) 775-6961. We'll do everything we can to help you get and remain free from back pain.

References

1. Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
2. Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.