The word “chiropractic” means “to be done by hand.” Chiropractic is a health-care profession that focuses on the spine and other joints of the body, collectively the musculoskeletal system, and its intimate connection to the nervous system. The chiropractic adjustment is a safe, effective, drug and surgery free, hands on alternate to maintaining optimal health. The purpose of the adjustment is to restore joint function through a specific and controlled force to ultimately reduce joint restrictions and improve function, movement and performance.  

Tissue injuries such as traumas from an accident or fall, or less obvious insults from improper lifting of a heavy object, overexertion, poor posture for an extended period of time and other stressors can negatively impact the spine and other joints and can cause joint restrictions (also referred to as “subluxations.”). These injured tissues undergo physical and chemical changes that can cause inflammation, pain, and reduced function. Adjustment of the affected joint and tissues, restores mobility, thereby alleviating pain and muscle tightness, allowing tissues to heal.

In addition to focusing on the prevention, diagnosis and conservative care of spine-related disorders chiropractors have broad training in therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, soft tissue therapies as well as provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling.

Chiropractic care can help with:

• Back pain and injuries
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Disc Problems
• Ear Infections
• Headaches and Migraines
• Hip, Knee and Ankle Problems
• Neck Pain
• Posture
• Sciatica 
• Scoliosis
• Shoulder, Arm and Hand Problems
• Sports Performance and Injuries
• Stress
• TMJD 
• And much more…..

*Chiropractors will readily refer patients to the appropriate health care provider when chiropractic care is not suitable for the patient’s condition, or the condition warrants co-management in conjunction with other health care providers.

Chiropractic care is safe for children. A child’s health is undoubtedly of the utmost importance to any parent. Pediatric chiropractic adjustments are gentle and adapted to the patient’s age and needs. Parents often want their children to experience the benefits of chiropractic care beginning early in life due to “micro-traumas” during their day to day activities. Micro-traumas can occur:-

• After birth, as birthing procedures can put tremendous pressures on a child’s spine. 
• At regular milestone intervals during the first year of life, such as learning to hold the head up, sit up, crawl, stand and walk. 
• When your child takes a fall. Children take numerous tumbles while jumping or running around, when learning to ride a bike, and during their activities of daily living at home, school and on the playground. 
• When your child participates in athletic activities – such as a tackle on the football or a header during soccer practice 

In children, chiropractic care can help with:

• Colic 
• Constipation 
• Fever 
• Ear ache 
• Coughs and colds 
• Back and neck pain 
• Growing pains 
• Bed wetting 
• Headaches 
• Poor posture 
• Scoliosis 
• Allergies
• Asthma 

Just as cavities develop in your child’s teeth without symptoms, joint restrictions can be present without causing pain. It is important to visit your chiropractor for a check-up even when they are no symptoms. With regular adjustments and nutritional counseling on diet and exercise, your child will also learn good health habits that will be of benefit for a lifetime. 

Cranial Adjusting

There are twenty-two bones in the cranium. Eight of these bones protect and encircle the brain and fourteen make the bones of the face. The cranial bones do not fuse and remain separate throughout our lives. Where two bones meet is called a suture, and is a complex joint that provides sliding between bones and contain numerous blood vessels, nerve fibers, and connective tissue.  At birth, these cranial bones are not fully formed so as to allow a child to pass through the birthing canal. As the infant passes through the birth canal, the bones slide over one another and re-expand afterwards to resume their normal positions. This physiologic compressibility minimizes brain damage and allows for maximum brain capacity. 

During the first year of life, the brain undergoes a rapid rate of growth approximating these bones closer together but remaining in constant motion. Inhalation and exhalation cause rhythmic movement between each of the cranial bones and fluctuates the underlying cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF). This pumping mechanisms of CSF nourishes the brain and spinal cord. 

When the bones of the skull are moved out of their proper alignment it causes the CSF underneath to become stagnant. Furthermore, the membranes that line the skull, the meninges, may become twisted and compressed. This in turn puts unnecessary tension on certain areas of the brain depending on which cranial bone is affected. 

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https://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/doernbecher/programs-services/unicoronal-synostosis.cfm

Cranial adjusting techniques can restore alignment to the bones of the head and face through precise pressure applied by the doctor’s hands or an adjusting instrument over or near the junctions (sutures) of the bones. It is very safe and gentle for children, in fact, pressure can be as gentle as touching an avocado to see if its ripe!

Cranial adjusting therapy can also benefit those with:

• Headaches
• Migraines
• Post-Concussion Syndrome
• Learning disabilities
• Learning difficulties
• Behavior issues

Some other causes of cranial dysfunction area: 

• Concussions or a violent blow to the head
• Whiplash injuries during an auto accident 
• Heading a soccer ball or repetitive impacts in football and other sports