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We work with many back pain patients in our Rutland chiropractic office, and Dr. Cyr and our staff uses an assortment of techniques to help get you out of pain and restore your spine's normal, healthy function. We find spinal decompression to be an effective approach.

Understanding Spinal Decompression Therapy

To help you better understand spinal decompression therapy, think of the discs in your spine like small balloons filled with jelly. When you compress them (which occurs due to normal living, sustaining an injury, or other medical conditions), they can protrude, placing pressure on the nerves in your spinal column. This affects your brain's ability to communicate with tissues in the rest of your body.

If the pressure on the discs becomes too high, they can herniate or bulge. This reduces the cushion between your vertebrae and can cause pain. The purpose of spinal decompression therapy is to alleviate this pressure to help restore your body's function and also reduce your level of pain.

Can Spinal Decompression Therapy Help Me?

Spinal decompression therapy relieves disc pressure through the use of a specially designed table that carefully elongates your spinal column through slow and controlled movements. This lessens the pressure placed on your discs. Some studies show an increase in disc height by as much as 1.3 millimeters after just six weeks of spinal decompression therapy.

If you're wondering if spinal decompression therapy could help you feel and perform better, simply call our Rutland office and schedule an appointment with Dr. Cyr today. Your optimal health is our number one priority!

Resources

Apfel CC, Cakmakkaya OS, Richmond C, et al. Restoration of disk height through non-surgical spinal decompression is associated with decreased discogenic low back pain: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2010;11(155). doi:10.1186/1471-2474-11-155

In our Rutland practice, it isn't uncommon for us to see patients suffering with sciatica, and Dr. Cyr has helped many of these people improve with chiropractic. What makes chiropractic care so beneficial to those who suffer with sciatica? First, it reduces their time of recovery and a Norwegian research study confirms it.

In the article, which took place in a Norwegian hospital's orthopedic division, researchers looked at 44 patients who had abrupt low back pain that was diagnosed as acute sciatic nerve pain. The participants were all treated by a chiropractor, with the mean follow-up being two years after treatment.

The authors discovered that all but two patients went back to their jobs after receiving chiropractic care, which is a 95% success rate. Furthermore, the average amount of time that the individuals spent off work "was reduced by two thirds as compared with that associated with conventional medical treatment."

Given the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 170,450 days of work were lost in 2013 due to employees dealing with back or spine-related issues, that is about 112,500 work days that could potentially be recovered each and every year solely by receiving chiropractic care. Not only could that increase productivity, but it might also decrease costs to businesses and employees from lost work.

If you live in Rutland and you suffer from sciatica pain, Dr. Cyr is here to assist. Give us a call at (802) 775-6961 and we'll work with you to find the root cause of your sciatic pain and get you back on the road to health.

Orlin JR, Didriksen A. Results of chiropractic treatment of lumbopelvic fixation in 44 patients admitted to an orthopedic department. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2007;30(2):135-139.

There are many different kinds of headache, but one of the most common types is known as "cervicogenic headache," or headaches that originate in your neck.

Dr. Cyr sees a lot of patients in our Rutland office who are suffering with recurring headaches. Thankfully, chiropractic can often help, potentially reducing these types of headaches by 50 percent, and research confirms it.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Cervicogenic Headaches

A study was conducted involving 80 participants who reported experiencing at least five cervicogenic headaches during the prior three months. The goal was to see how effective chiropractic was for this type of head pain, as well as to determine the number of treatment sessions necessary to achieve a positive effect.

The patients were divided into four separate groups, so that each group was similar in age, gender, number of cervicogenic headaches, and their intensity. Of the four groups, two engaged in chiropractic treatments and two received light massage. Furthermore, one group assigned to each treatment received eight sessions and the other patients received double that amount.

Each person was assessed based on head pain, neck pain, and disability prior to the study and 12 and 24 weeks after treatment was complete. The researchers found that those who received chiropractic as opposed to massage reported fewer headaches at the conclusion of the study. Furthermore, improvements were maintained when checked six months after treatment ended.

Additionally, patients who were taking medications for their headaches were able to lower their intake after completing the study. Those who received chiropractic care had lower drug usage 24 weeks post-study.

We Can Help People Find Relief From Head Pain

Dr. Cyr has helped many patients who were suffering from headache pain in our Rutland office. Call us today at (802) 775-6961 for more information or for an appointment.

Reference

Haas M, Spegman A, Peterson D, Aickin M, Vavrek D. Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The Spine Journal 2010; 10: 117-128.

Dr. Cyr sees many patients weekly in our busy Rutland chiropractic office who are searching for relief from the pain and agony they feel due to herniated discs. Our experience isn't unique; the medical literature verifies that chiropractic is a great way to treat herniated disc pain.

Don't Suffer! Dr. Cyr and Chiropractic Care Helps With Disc Herniation

One particular research study involved 27 people, 8 male and 19 female, who had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirming a disc herniation in either their neck or lower back. The individuals documented that they were experiencing pain, limited range of motion, and sensory issues bad enough to keep them off work.

During the course of the research study, the subjects were treated using one of two common chiropractic practices: traction for herniated discs in the cervical area or flexion distraction for the people who had herniation issues in the low back.

Each individual was treated four or five times per week for the first two weeks, then three times weekly, and then as needed for the rest of the study. Depending on the seriousness of the disc herniation, therapy ranged anywhere from six weeks to six months, with MRIs being carried out at a variety of stages to identify what impact, if any, the chiropractic care was having in regard to the disc herniation.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Herniated Disc

The authors reported that 80 percent of the subjects experienced a "good clinical outcome," meaning reduced pain and a reduction in other symptoms, such as numbness. Furthermore, 77 percent of these subjects also showed MRI evidence that their disc herniation was either reduced or resolved completely. This resulted in 78 percent of the study participants being able to return to their place of employment and led the authors to conclude that chiropractic adjustments is both "safe and helpful" for disc herniations.

If you have a herniated disc and suffer from chronic back pain and are near Dr. Cyr in Rutland, contact our office today to see what chiropractic can do for you!

Reference
BenEliyahu, DJ. Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical follow-up: study of 27 patients receiving chiropractic care for cervical and lumbar disc herniations. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1996;19(9):597-606.

In our Rutland practice, we see many patients who are suffering from back pain, and a few of these people have been advised they might need surgery to recover. Thankfully, Dr. Cyr has helped many people get pain relief without the need for any type of surgical treatment. The scientific research agrees with the results we see in our practice. One study published in the journal Spine found that consulting with a chiropractor as your first move in dealing with your back problems may literally keep you out of the operating room.

In this report, medical researchers from Dartmouth reviewed data from about 1,900 workers from Washington state who first saw either a surgeon or a chiropractor for their back-related issues. They then used three years' worth of follow-up medical information to ascertain whether the subjects wound up having back surgery in an effort to treat the problem.

What the authors discovered was that 42.7% of the patients who first saw a surgeon for their back pain ended up in surgery in that 3-year time frame, whereas only 1.5 percent of those who first saw a chiropractor had the same fate. The authors wrote:

"Even after controlling for injury severity and other measures, workers with an initial visit for the injury to a surgeon had almost nine times the odds of receiving lumbar spine surgery compared to those seeing primary care providers, whereas workers whose first visit was to a chiropractor had significantly lower odds of surgery."

These are remarkable outcomes. Seeing a chiropractor considerably decreases your odds of getting back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this scientific study "had lower odds of chronic work disability" and they also had fewer expensive MRI tests.

Let's also consider this important detail: this study was conducted by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and published in the world's most influential medical journal on spinal injuries.

Surgery: The Last Resort

Any surgery has risks, but a serious problem linked to spinal surgery is that there is a very high failure rate. In an important analysis in the European Spine Journal, researchers wrote:

"Failed back surgery is a problem that has become sufficiently widespread to even warrant its own special conferences, with recent reviews reporting failure rates ranging from 5 to 50%."

The experts in this same study concluded:

"It is extremely difficult to identify unequivocal predictor factors that can be used to accurately predict the outcome of surgery."

As a chiropractor, Dr. Cyr believes that surgery should be the absolute last choice for treating back pain. Chiropractic care works to restore your spine to its normal function--without the need of risky surgery or drugs--and many studies have documented the usefulness of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in Rutland and you need care for your back pain, give our office a call today at (802) 775-6961 for a consultation or an appointment. We'll help get you back on the road to a pain-free life!

Studies

• Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, Wickizer TM, Chan KC, Franklin GM. Early predictors of lumbar spine surgery after occupational back injury: results from a prospective study of workers in Washington State. Spine 2013;38(11):953-964.
• Mannion AF, Elfering A. Predictors of surgical outcome and their assessment. European Spine Journal 2006;15(Suppl 1):S93-S108.
  

Back Pain is a common problem after a car accident, and it's something that Dr. Cyr sees frequently in our Rutland office. Let's take a look at why back pain is commonly experienced after an auto collision and see how chiropractic can help you recover.

During a rear-end motor vehicle accident, your car and car seat are rapidly accelerated forward against your body. Since car seats don't perfectly align with the curve of your spine, the car seat can put uneven pressure on your back. This can cause some of your spinal vertebrae to move in one direction while an adjacent vertebrae might move in another direction. This differential motion can sprain or strain the tissues that hold your spine together. These types of injuries can cause chronic back pain if not treated right away. Thankfully, chiropractic is one of the most effective ways to treat back pain.

If you've been injured in a car crash and you're experiencing back pain, Dr. Cyr is here to help. The first step is to get an accurate diagnosis to determine what's causing your pain and then we will determine an appropriate treatment approach. Call us today at (802) 775-6961 if you have questions or would like to make an appointment.

When you're trying to support your family, take care of your household, and pay all of your bills on time, every day at work counts. Work injuries can be a huge problem for many people, and we see many of these types of injuries in our Rutland office. Dr. Cyr understands your situation and is here to help.

The advantages of chiropractic for work injuries are well-documented. A 2013 survey involving 651 adults who were troubled with either back or neck pain found that the men and women who didn't see a chiropractor missed work at twice the rate of those who were seeing a chiropractor.

So, why don't more people use Chiropractic Care?

According to the respondents in this report, two of the primary reasons were that they thought they needed a referral for chiropractic care (which is typically no longer true) and they overestimated the costs associated with chiropractic treatment sessions by almost 70 percent.

The fact is, chiropractic patients actually spend less on care than medical patients, plus they are less likely to use drugs for their symptoms.

Dr. Cyr Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Chronic Pain

If you live in Rutland and you've been injured at work, we can help. Give our office a call today at (802) 775-6961 for an appointment.

References

"Thousands of Minnesotans with Back and Neck Pain Don't Seek Treatment." (2013, June 12). ChiroCare.

Since injury to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is frequently quite painful, we do our best to help our Rutland patients find relief as quickly and effectively as possible. In fact, Dr. Cyr will tell you that the medical literature shows just how much chiropractic care can help ease pain in the jaw.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With TMJ Pain and Discomfort

For example, one study published in Physiotherapy Theory and Practice involved 15 participants with jaw pain who were managed with neck adjustments, middle-back manipulation, and trigger point therapy via dry needling. Patients were examined prior to these methods and at two weeks and two months post-treatment. The clinicians reported positive outcomes such as reduced discomfort, greater jaw mobility, and lower disability at both follow-ups.

Another group of researchers conducted an analysis of almost 800 studies involving manual and manipulative therapy for disorders such as TMJ and discovered similar findings. The authors concluded that there is a "fair...level of evidence" that chiropractic care can help ease symptoms associated with TMJ and other upper extremity disorders.

This is great news since the causes of TMJ are largely unknown. While trauma to the jaw or neck can cause pain symptoms, there are other sources to consider as well, such as bruxism, osteoarthritis, and clenching of the jaw due to tension.

Dr. Cyr Can Help Patients Find Relief From TMJ Pain

No matter what is making your jaw hurt, call Dr. Cyr now and make an appointment to come into our Rutland practice. We'll do our best to help you smile pain-free!

Studies

• Gonzalez-Iglesias J et al. (2013, November). Mobilization with movement, thoracic spine manipulation, and dry needling for the management of temporomandibular disorder: a prospective case series. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice;29(8):586-95
• Brantingham J et al. (2013, March-April). Manipulative and multimodal therapy for upper extremity and temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;36(3):143-201
• Oral Care. WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders-tmd on November 2, 2015

We encounter a large number of sports injuries in our Rutland office, and Dr. Cyr is generally able to assist these athletes. Stanford Children’s Hospital states that over 3.5 million children of the ages 14 and below are hurt each year while playing sports. Add that to the almost 2 million adults hurt every year while engaged in sports-related activities, as reported by statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and you can begin to see the importance of minimizing these types of common injuries. One approach to potentially achieve that goal, according to a study published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, is to receive routine chiropractic treatments.

In Australian Rules football, hamstring and other leg injuries are commonplace, often sidelining the players and affecting their team's odds of winning. One specific study was administered using 59 semi-elite Australian Rules footballers to see if chiropractic could cut down on these injuries and help keep them playing.

For this study in particular, every one of the participants got medical treatment. Additionally, half of them also received chiropractic treatments at the rate of one session each week for the first 6 weeks, biweekly sessions for the next three months, and one treatment per month for the last three months of the study. The remaining participants had no chiropractic intervention at all and were used as the control group to assess the benefits of chiropractic.

After 24 matches, scientists reported a diminished number of lower limb muscle strains in the group that had been given chiropractic care. Furthermore, that same group also missed fewer matches correlated to non-contact knee injuries. This lead the researchers to come to the conclusion that chiropractic should be added to sports training programs to dramatically lessen the quantity of leg injuries.

If you or your child are active in sports and you want to ensure more time is spent on the field versus on the sidelines, call our Rutland office at (802) 775-6961 and schedule an appointment today. We will do our best to keep you in the game!

References

• Hoskins, W, & Pollard, H. (2010, April 8). The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian Rules footballers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 11(64), doi:10.1186/1471-2474-11-64
• Misra, A. (2014, March 17). Common sports injuries: Incidence and average charges. Department of Health & Human Services.
• Stanford Children’s Hospital. (n.d.). Sports injury statistics.

Dr. Cyr sees a lot of back pain patients in our busy Rutland chiropractic office. Many of these people have some type of spinal issue that is causing them pain and distress. Fortunately, Dr. Cyr finds that spinal decompression therapy is an effective way to help these individuals.

What is Spinal Decompression and How Can it Help Me?

Non-surgical spinal decompression is a treatment method that takes all of the positive benefits that one normally gets from chiropractic, traction, physical therapy, exercise therapy, and myofascial therapy and integrates them all into one.

The objective of this technique is to keep you off the operating table, and that is exactly what it's accomplished for a number of folks, as it has a documented 85% success rate.

Some of the problems spinal decompression helps with include generalized back pain, sciatica, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, compression fractures, and joint pain.

Spinal decompression works by reversing the effects of wear, tear, and the force of gravity that compresses the intervertebral discs in your neck and back. The video below shows how it works to relieve stress on your back and helps lessen pain and disability.

Dr. Cyr Can Help Patients Find Comfort From Chronic Back Pain

If you live in Rutland and you're struggling with back pain, spinal decompression therapy might be the solution. Call Dr. Cyr today at (802) 775-6961 for a consultation or appointment.