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Surgery or Chiropractic for Chronic Sciatica Sufferers?

March 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Sciatica is one of the more frequent conditions that will bring people into my office, Stover Chiropractic, P.C.  Pain coming from compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve is called sciatica. Sciatica – which can include pain, tingling, numbness and muscle weakness – is really a symptom indicating an underlying problem, not a diagnosis in and of itself. This article will explore in detail the findings of a recent controlled study comparing spinal manipulation (chiropractic) and surgery for people whose sciatica did not respond to traditional medical treatment approaches.

The study discussed here was conducted by the National Spine Center in Alberta Canada and published in October of 2010 in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics[1]. The 40 study participants all had sciatica lasting over 3 months which had not responded to treatment with pain medications, lifestyle modifications, physical therapy, massage therapy or acupuncture. They had all been referred by their primary care physicians to spinal surgeons who had deemed them appropriate surgery candidates.
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Stover Chiropractic, P.C.
9097 Atlee Station Road, Suite 118 Mechanicsville, VA, 23116 USA 
 • (804) 559-1100
Filed Under: Sciatica Tagged With: ,

Some Surprising Statistics About Back Pain

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Back pain relief is just one component of chiropractic care at Stover Chiropractic, P.C., but it is often a patient’s first introduction. Back pain is horribly debilitating affecting all aspects of work and personal life. If you are suffering from back pain, you are not alone. Here are a few facts about back pain that may (or may not) surprise you.

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Filed Under: Back Pain, Chiropractic Tagged With: , , ,

Chronic Childhood Ear Infections – Take Control!

February 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It often surprises my practice members, at Stover Chiropractic, to know chiropractic has a good reputation for helping children with ear aches.  I can not tell you how many parents have gut wrenching stories about how miserable their children are (and they are) or have been, due to ear infections and aches.  Does the following sound familiar?

It’s 2 am and the crying has only gotten progressively worse across the past hour. You are pacing the downstairs hallway trying anything to soothe your inconsolable 10-month old so that your 5 and 8 year old kids can get some sleep upstairs. Your plan is to call the doctor’s office the moment they open – seven hours from now!
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Filed Under: Children, Immunity, Wellness

An Adjustment In Your Golf Game

February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Warm weather is on the way at Stover Chiropractic.  That means our patients are anticipating more time on the golf course (if they have let the weather slow them down).  Chiropractic care is standard for many pro golfers and increasingly for many Senior Golfers as well. Professional golfer Lori West attributes the reason she’s playing today to chiropractic. Nearly two decades ago, she began visiting a chiropractor for pain in her shoulders and neck. According to West, the care has infinitely improved her golf game.

The problem is that the golf swing, in and of itself, isn’t conducive to having a healthy back. To have a good swing you create tension in your spine. (This enables you to get good distance). The tension comes from the hips stopping and the shoulders continuing to rotate. Basically, you make a coil. You’re uncoiling when you start your downswing. Since that’s an awkward movement for your back, many golfers end up with lower back problems.
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Filed Under: Chiropractic, Fitness, Wellness

The Role of Antioxidants in Good Health

February 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Everyone has heard about the importance of a balanced diet for maintaining good health. Similarly, everyone knows that they should be getting exercise – or at the very least adding more activity into their days. Getting a good night’s sleep is essential – without it, you’ll find that your immune system starts to slack off a bit and you put yourself at a greater risk for catching a cold or coming down with the flu.

We all know what we should be doing, but let’s be honest: very few of us eat a balanced diet all of the time. Many of us make the choice to take the elevator rather than the stairs and we try to find a parking place that’s as close as possible to our destination rather than taking the opportunity to walk a little further. We also tend to let stress, work, social gatherings and more interfere with the amount of sleep that we’re able to get each night.

When we don’t go the extra mile to take care of ourselves, and when our immune systems start to falter because of it, we may not feel it right away. Soon, sluggishness starts creeping in. This sluggishness not only slows us down, it also ages us prematurely.
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Filed Under: Vitamins, Wellness

Fibromyalgia and “the other stuff”

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mechanicsville, Virginia — At Stover Chiropractic we see many people who have been diagnosed, or could be diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  Chiropractic has been shown to very helpful for people seeking relief from fibromyalgia symptoms.  In my experience it is not just muscle pain that patients will present with in our office.  There is all the “other stuff.” Sleeping problems, fatigue, digestive issues, “fibro fog”, TMJ, and so on.  All of the above are related to regulatory problems that have developed in one’s nervous system. In other words, due to the constant pain input into the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, the central nervous system becomes overly senstive to certain stimulus that previously would not have bothered anything in the past for fibromyalgia patients.

This is explained very well in an article on about.com from 12/31/11 called: “Illness Clusters: The Reason Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ‘Bring Friends.’”  Adrienne Dellwo explains central sensitisation:
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Filed Under: Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia Tagged With: , , , ,

Healthcare Must Include Wellness

January 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mechanicsville, Virginia — At Stover Chiropractic we are uncertain just how much or if Obamacare legislation will impact our healthcare delivery or ability to take advantage of it.  But most people would certainly want it to actually help us improve our health.  In other words we don’t want just sicka are care and symptom treatment.  Novel idea right?
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Filed Under: Chiropractic Research, Wellness

Yoga and Your Spine

December 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mechanicsville, Virginia — At Stover Chiropractic I’m often asked by patients about yoga. Is it a good idea? Should I do it? I’m not familiar with yoga as a practitioner of the art. But I’m very aware of some moves. I don’t think it is any better to start into yoga as a solution for back pain or any health problem if one has spinal problems (especially chiropractic subluxations) with out first seeing your chiropractor or normal doctor. However if you have been told you are OK entry level yoga can be great. Here is a link to a video clip which demonstrates 5 simple, entry level movements and “stretches.”. Check it out.

Yoga“>Yoga video

Filed Under: Back Pain, Subluxation, Wellness

Santa and Adjustments

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mechanicsville, Virginia — It’s a stressful time of year. I wanted to take a second to remind you that adjustments can help reduce the negative effect of stress on our bodies. Santa seems to already know this…

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Filed Under: Humor

What Is Head Forward Posture?

December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

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Mechanicsville, Virginia — Subluxations Impact health in many ways. Posture is one of the most obvious changes that can be seen if a subluxation has been present for more than a couple of years. In particular “head forward posture” is common. Common does not mean benign. Check out these extra-chiropractic references that shed light on the problems it causes.

DID YOU KNOW? 

The effects of long term forward neck posture leads to “long term muscle strain, disc herniations and pinched nerves.” Mayo Clinic Health Letter Vol. 18, #3 March 2000



It was noted in regard to Respiratory Dysfunction in Chronic Neck Pain Patients; …”the study demonstrated a strong association between an increased forward head posture and decreased respiratory muscle strength in neck patients.” – The journal Cephalalgia, 2009 Feb 2



“For every inch of forward head posture, it can increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds.” – Kapandji, Physiology of Joints, Vol 3. 



Forward head posture (FHP) can add up to thirty (30) pounds of abnormal leverage on the cervical spine. This can pull the entire spine out of alignment. –Rene Cailliet, M.D., Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Southern California 



FHP has been shown to flatten the normal neck curve, resulting in disc compression, damage, and early arthritis. – Gore DR, Sepic SB, Gardner GM.

Roentgenographic findings of the cervical spine in asymptomatic people. Spine 1986; 6:591-694 

FHP results in loss of vital capacity of the lungs by as much as 30%. This shortness of breath can lead to heart and blood vascular disease. –Rene Cailliet, M.D., Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Southern California 



The entire gastrointestinal system is affected; particularly the large intestine. Loss of good bowel peristaltic function and evacuation is a common effect of FHP. –Rene Cailliet, M.D, Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Southern California



Filed Under: Chiropractic, Posture
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