| Joint
Manipulative Therapies | Soft
Tissue Manipulation | Electrical
Muscle Stimulation | Ultrasound | Traction | Ice Therapy | Heat Therapy | Myofascial
Release | Orthotics | Types
of Care | Intial Care | Rehabilitative
Care | Preventative / Maintenance care | Supportive
Care |
 Chiropractors
diagnose conditions using the same approach
as other health care providers. On your
first visit, Dr. Levine obtains both
your past medical history and the history
of your current condition.
- Performs a physical examination
which includes (as appropriate)
your vital signs, observation, ranges
of motion of the appropriate area(s),
neurological and muscle function
tests, orthopedic tests to help
identify your specific problem(s),
and palpation (examination by touch)
paying special attention to the
mobility of your joints.
- Performs or orders, if required,
additional diagnostic studies to
help rule-out or rule-in certain
conditions which may influence the
diagnosis or proposed treatment.
X-rays are the most commonly used
additional test.
- If required, you are referred
to another health care provider
for specialized tests or treatment
beyond the scope of chiropractic.
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After
diagnosing your problem, Dr. Levine
uses a combination of the following
natural treatment tools to return you
to optimum function as soon as possible.
See also Types and phases of care.
• Joint manipulative therapies
• Soft tissue manipulation
• Associated therapies
• Patient
education |
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Joint
manipulative therapies help restore
normal motion to your spinal joints
and other joints of your body. Normal
joint movement is critical to the health
of your joints. Abnormal joint movement
many times leads to pain, dysfunction
and premature joint degeneration.
Years of practice allow Dr. Levine to
fully understand your problem, determine
specifically which of your joints needs
to be gently manipulated, and then perform
the treatment to restore proper joint
movement. The major benefits of joint
manipulation include rapid pain relief,
better mobility and decreased muscle
tension.
Depending on the condition, joint mobilization
therapy may be used to also help restore
normal joint motion.
Mobilization is another type of joint
manipulative therapy in which Dr. Levine
gently guides the joints in specific
directions and depths with, or without,
the patient's assistance, to stretch
the joint and its surrounding tissues.
The choice between joint manipulation
and mobilization depends will vary depending
on the patient. |
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| Soft
tissue (muscle, tendon, and ligament)
manipulation includes stretching, various
forms of massage, and gentle pressure
techniques similar to adjustments. This
therapy helps reduce muscle spasm, fluid
accumulation, and adhesions formed as
a result of your injury or degenerative
condition. |
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Often referred to as "muscle stim,"
the therapy involves low levels of electrical
impulses delivered to the injured, painful
tissues to reduce pain and speed healing.
Often described by patients as a pleasant,
"tingling" sensation, or "electrical
massage," these impulses stimulate
the body to release natural pain relievers,
called endorphins.
These endorphins reduce pain and inflammation,
thereby promoting faster healing of
the injured tissues. This therapy is
often used to treat acute or chronic
pain, as well as strains or sprains
of the muscles, joints, and soft tissues
of the spine and extremities.
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| This treatment should not be confused
with diagnostic ultrasound, often used
in prenatal screening, but is instead
a therapeutic procedure that utilizes
sound waves to treat injured muscles,
joints, and soft tissues. The sound
waves vibrate the tissues back and forth,
creating a deep, micro-massage effect.
In the case of a recent injury, this
helps to decrease scar tissue and adhesion
formation, which would otherwise interfere
with the body's healing process.
The
sound waves also decrease inflammation
by destroying unwanted inflammatory
cells. The sound waves also accelerate
healing by stimulating the activity
of the cells responsible for cellular
and tissue repair. In chronic cases,
special settings are used to create
a deep-heating effect, heating the
tissues far below the skin's surface.
This heat, along with the vibrations
that are caused by the ultrasound,
help to "melt away" the
muscle spasms and "knots"
felt in our muscles.
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| Applied manually, the benefits of traction
reduce pressure on cervical (neck) or
lumbar (lower back) discs. Traction
effectively reduces joint and nerve
pain, pressure, and inflammation, caused
by bulging or herniated discs. This
procedure is quite comfortable, and
lasts several minutes.
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Ice therapy or cryotherapy is often
thought of as the therapy of choice
for acute injuries. Actually, the application
of ice over any painful tissue is usually
effective at any stage of an injury.
It works by constricting blood flow
to the tissue, thereby reducing swelling,
pain, and muscular spasms. It is very
important to use ice correctly.
It should be used for a maximum of 20
minutes, but may be applied each hour.
Also, it is important that you do not
apply the ice directly to the skin.
Instead, wrap the ice pack in a paper
towel or thin damp cloth prior to applying
to the injured area.
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The use of heat is effective in treating
conditions that are more chronic in
nature. It is not recommended that heat
be used within the First few days or
weeks of a new injury, especially when
any signs of swelling are present. The
best forms of heat are in the form of
a warm bath/shower or a moist heating
pad. Avoid "dry" heating pads,
as they can promote additional swelling
and inflammation.
As with ice therapy, apply the heat
for a maximum of 20 minutes per hour.
Never go to sleep with a heating pad,
as this can result in increased pain
and tissue damage.
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Myofascial release refers to the manual
massage technique for stretching the
fascia and releasing bonds between fascia,
muscles and bones, with the goal of
eliminating pain, increasing range of
motion and balancing the body. The fascia
is manipulated, directly or indirectly,
allowing the connective tissue fibers
to reorganize themselves in a more flexible,
functional fashion.
Fascia is located between the skin and
the underlying structure of muscle and
bone, it is a seamless web of connective
tissue that covers and connects the
muscles, organs, and skeletal structures
in our body. Muscle and fascia are united
forming the myofascia system.
Injuries, stress, inflammation, trauma,
and poor posture can cause restriction
to fascia. Since fascia is an interconnected
web, the restriction or tightness to
fascia at a place, with time can spread
to other places in the body like a pull
in a sweater. The goal of myofascial
release is to release fascia restriction
and restore its tissue health for quicker
recovery.
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| Orthotics is a field concerned with
the application and manufacture of orthoses,
devices which support or correct the
function of the limbs and spinal column.
The term is derived from the Greek "ortho",
to straighten. Sciences such as materials
engineering, gait analysis, anatomy
and physiology contribute to the work
done by orthotists, the professionals
engaged in the field of orthotics.
Foot
orthotics allow the muscles, tendons
and bones of the feet and lower legs
to function at their highest potential.
When appropriately prescribed and
casted in our office, orthotics can
decrease pain, not only in the foot,
but in other parts of the body such
as the knee, hip and lower back. They
can also increase stability in an
unstable joint, prevent a deformed
foot from developing additional problems
and improve a person's quality of
life. |
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Education
is perhaps the most important tool Dr.
Levine uses to treat and prevent pain,
reduce stress and promote a healthy
lifestyle.
Dr. Levine can show you how to take
care of yourself at home and on the
job to ensure a healthier way of living.
Depending on the problem being treated,
you will learn how to properly stretch,
exercise, eat, work, and reduce your
stress. By taking an active role in
your health you will continue on the
road to healthy living. |
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People
come to our office for a variety of
reasons, usually because they are in
pain. Some go for symptomatic relief
of pain or discomfort only. Others are
more interested in having the cause
of the problem, as well as the symptoms,
corrected and relieved.
We respect your needs and desires when
recommending your treatment program.
Our goals are to improve your health
and improve your quality of life.It
is important to understand that patient
cases fall into two categories: uncomplicated
and complicated. Complicated cases usually
require more treatment to obtain the
maximum therapeutic benefit. |
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uncomplicated case is one in which the
patient recovers faster, or at the same
rate, as could be expected if left to
heal without any assistance. |
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A
complicated case is one in which the
patient, because of one or more factors,
exhibits regression or delayed recovery
compared to the rate expected if left
to heal unassisted.Examples of complicating
factors include· pain for more than
8 days prior to treatment
- severe pain
- four or more previous episodes
of pain
- underlying structural changes
(for example degenerative joint
disease or osteoarthritis)
- reinjury during the course of
treatment
Examples of general risk factors for
delayed healing include a poor level
of fitness, demands of daily activities
at work, smoking, diabetes, previous
injury to the area or medication for
an unrelated disorder. |
Phases
of careThere are four general phases
of chiropractic care. The first two
generally apply to everyone while the
last two depend on your condition and
what level of chiropractic care you
require.
- Initial care
- Rehabilitative care
- Preventative/Maintenance care
- Supportive care
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| Your
first goal while under treatment is
to start to feel better; therefore,
your office visits are more frequent
and composed of therapies designed to
help offer relief of your symptoms and
to show you ways to prevent it from
reoccurring.
Depending
on your age, condition, lifestyle,
and response to treatment repeated
visits over weeks may be needed to
reduce or eliminate your symptoms.
The goal is to move through this phase
as quickly as possible to stabilize
the situation. Although your symptoms
may be largely gone at the end of
this phase of treatment, it is very
important to continue your care into
the next phase to completely heal
and prevent any reoccurrence of your
problem. |
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| Underlying
tissue dysfunction and degeneration
often remain after your original symptoms
have improved. Rehabilitative care stabilizes
your condition and promotes complete
healing. During this time your visit
frequency is reduced and advanced strengthening
and flexibility exercises are given.
You learn how to take care of yourself
for life to avoid reinjury and understand
how to minimize problems should they
arise again. |
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After
maximum therapeutic benefit has been
gained, you may elect to see us on a
phone-in basis or you may visit us on
a periodic visit basis. Because many
problems are due to chronically poor
posture and overuse syndromes, occasional
visits can help catch problems before
they become serious.
The spine and other related joints and
tissues are generally strong and resilient
structures; however, the demands of
daily living can make us susceptible
to injury. By identifying and treating
problems early on, often when the symptoms
are mild, progressive dysfunction is
limited and escalading problems can
be stopped or minimized.
Our office creates mutually agreed upon
visits that include treatments as well
as reevaluations, specific self-help
activities, and exercise plans. As your
life situation changes (for example,
your job stresses) your treatment needs
change and so will your care plan. Our
goals are to improve your health and
improve your quality of life. |
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| After
maximum therapeutic benefit has been
attained, some patients over time fail
to sustain this benefit and regress
after their treatment has stopped. Typical
reasons may include chronic injuries,
ongoing stress at work or other activities
of daily living. These patients are
put on a supportive care plan to help
them manage their conditions and prevent
their initial problems from reoccurring. |
