This almost makes it sound like a chiropractic adjustment sets in motion some slippery process that loosens your joints setting you up for repetitive treatments or your entire skeleton will soon fall apart. It's almost like comparing chiropractic care to removing the lug nuts on your wheels so that your tires will fly off, mandating an immediate return to the body shop. So I have pondered this notion and searched the literature for any documentation on this phenomenon.

Perhaps it is the treatment schedule of coming to the clinic for several times a week or for a period of several weeks that supports this notion of compulsory repetitive care. It would seem that one chiropractic adjustment would be able to restore a vertebra to optimal position with one tap or thrust and all would be complete. However it is the tight muscles, ligaments, and tendons that create a rigid infrastructure necessitating several adjustments to restore proper alignment. Numerous factors can affect how many adjustments are required for restoration of proper alignment such as:

• length of current pain pattern
• congenital or acquired structural malformation
• occupational hazards of repetitive muscle strain
• stress levels and lifestyle choices
• inter-vertebral disc integrity

Actually, many patients elect to continue chiropractic care after their initial symptoms resolve, because periodic elective "maintenance care" makes them feel better. I guess the adage of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” could be applied here also. Once a patient has had to work diligently on recovery after a painful lingering back episode, they are often motivated to maintain their good alignment. Chiropractic treatment is an integral component to many healthy people's "health maintenance" plan; similar to diet, exercise and proper sleep.

Call us today at (479) 636-3021 to schedule your visit and experience the relief you deserve.

The Foot Levelers© company started in Dubuque, Iowa in the early 1960s and have been supporting chiropractic patients and their posture ever since. If ever there were a clear example of, “necessity is the mother of the invention”, it would be this company’s story. The company was started by a chiropractor expressly to help other chiropractors and their patients hold the correction to the spine long enough for “mother nature” to take over. It was observed in the early history of chiropractic that the adjustment was easily administered; however, the challenging part was maintaining these spinal corrections.

Nearly 60 years ago, Dr. Monte Greenawalt invented a technology to balance the body by balancing the feet, thereby enhancing his patients’ structural integrity. The custom-made orthotics, Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers®, provided structural support, yet allowed the foot to retain a full range of motion. Through independent research and testimonials, Stabilizers have proven the test of time and patients appreciate the added support.

Foot Levelers is now the leading provider of custom-made orthotics for the chiropractic profession. Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers were the original concept and today the company has expanded their product to be selective for dress shoes, athletic shoes, safety boots, western boots, and many other individual styles and demands. Foot levelers have also diversified into custom-made pillows, rehabilitation equipment, and a veritable plethora of literature used to educate the patients.

In the beginning the patient’s bare foot was placed in a casting box in a weight-bearing position one foot at a time. Then the patient’s postural analysis, orthopedic profile, and special instructions were placed in the casting box and shipped in the mail. The whole process of casting, mailing, and receiving the orthotic took about two weeks if the doctor or staff got to the post office in judicious time. Today, the whole process is all computerized. The orthotic is still customized using a laser scanner that scans the plantar surface of the patient’s foot and transfers that information via the internet. Now, the whole process takes days rather than weeks.

After the digital scan is sent to the foot levelers laboratory, skilled technicians build your custom-made stabilizers using 16 precise measurements based on the analysis of your feet. Your lifestyle, age, weight and activity level are all considered with your custom-made stabilizers created. These flexible orthotics are made from leather, synthetics, sorbothane for shock absorption, sorbocel for toe-off and lift.

Today, in Roanoke, VA, the company continues to have a positive influence on nearly every aspect of chiropractic including patient wellness and instruction, public awareness of the benefits of chiropractic care, philanthropic donations to numerous chiropractic colleges and research foundations, and substantial financial support to local, state, and national chiropractic associations. In its sixth decade of commitment to the chiropractic profession, Foot Levelers is a testament to the visionary and founder, Monte H. Greenawalt, DC, DABCO.

Call us today at (479) 636-3021 to schedule your visit and experience the relief you deserve.

LASER is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Cold laser or low-level laser therapy (LLLT) was first approved by the FDA for use in the United States in 2002. The theory was first introduced by Albert Einstein in 1917, and the Hughes Research Laboratories announced the first working laser in 1960. For medical purposes, laser was first used in 1963 to coagulate retinal lesions and was first used in wound healing studies on mice in 1967.

We grew up with laser beams in Star Trek and other science fiction movies which destroys matter. The reality today is that the military has developed a laser that will knock a man down from hundreds of yards without killing him, shoot drones out of the sky, and shoot down rockets in flight. There are lasers that can penetrate and cut steel in the automotive industry and there are medical lasers used in eye surgery. These types of lasers are considered hot lasers which can cut, burn, and destroy human tissue. We are talking today about cold lasers which act as a catalyst to speed up the healing processes in the human body. The absorption by the skin of these cold laser wavelengths is referred to as photobiomodulation and/or photobiostimulation.

Photobiostimulation or photobiomodualtion is the process where a chain of chemical reactions is triggered by exposure to light. This stimulation of light changes the oxidation status (speed) of the mitochondria which leads to enhance ATP synthesis (Krebs cycle). This stimulation of light also increases the cell membrane’s permeability by enhancing the sodium/potassium pump, and therefore, providing the cell with more energy and creating a conducive environment for the natural healing process to take place.

This natural healing process takes place in a variety of increased cellular effects including: cell growth stimulation, increased cell metabolism, improved cell regeneration, initiation of the anti-inflammatory response, reduction of swelling, reduction of scar tissue, nerve function stimulation, reduction of the production of substance P, decreased production of histamine, and the increased production of endorphins (the body’s own natural opiates). All of these processes aid in decreasing pain and inflammation and promoting cell regeneration by the body’s own natural healing response.

Cold laser or low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is administered by using an applicator or wand placed onto the surface of the skin at the point of pain (POP) or the injured/damaged tissue. Treatment times are variable from approximately 2min-10min. There is usually no patient awareness or pain from cold laser treatment. In over 3000 published papers on the treatment and utilization of cold laser therapy, there are no documented side effects. In fact, cold laser therapy has an accumulative and persistent effect on the treated tissues for days following treatment.

Since 2002, chiropractors, osteopaths, allopaths, podiatrists, veterinarians, and other health care professionals have used cold laser for the treatment of the following conditions, but not limited to: Soft tissue injuries such as carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, sprain/strain injuries. Degenerative joint conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Neurogenic pain such as shingles, fibromyalgia, and diabetic neuropathy

The first lasers suitable for treating pain became available in the late 1970’s and ever since then, laser therapy has been widely used in Western Europe. Today, after 2002 approval by the FDA, cold laser therapy has gained traction in the US.

Call us today at (479) 636-3021 to schedule your visit and experience the relief you deserve.

In 2002, the FDA approved the use of cold laser for treatment of acute and chronic applications for physiological (neuromusculoskeletal) disease processes. I have witnessed the progress of these clinical trials of treatment protocols and clinical outcomes since 2002 and beyond. It, therefore, became necessary for me to include this modality in my practice.

Since utilizing this modality in my practice we have seen the benefits for relief of osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel disorder, frozen shoulder, and sprain/strain injuries.

Unlike high-power medical lasers, which are widely used to cut and burn tissue, Low Level Lasers (LLLs) or cold lasers penetrate the surface of the skin with little or no heating effect and no potential tissue damage. The energy is directed deep into treatment area stimulating the body’s cells which convert the light energy into chemical energy to promote natural healing.

The chemical energy is called the photon. “Treatment with laser therapy is not based on heat development but on photochemical and photobiological effects in cells and tissues. [Lasers] cannot penetrate the tissue more than a fraction of a millimeter, so there is no other primary responding tissue other than the outer part of the dermis.”

Still, such irradiation has “secondary systemic effects.” Therefore, the light “leads in turn to a number of secondary effects (secondary responses), which have been studied and measured in various contexts: increased cell metabolism and collagen synthesis in fibroblasts, increased action potential of nerve cells, stimulation of the formation of DNA and RNA in the cell nucleus, local effects on the immune system, increased formation of capillaries by the release of growth factors, increased activity of leukocytes, transformation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts, and a great number of other measured effects.”

Therefore, “deep light penetration is not a necessity per se in biostimulation. The possible reason for this is that cells in the tissues subjected to the light produce substances that then spread and circulate in blood vessels and lymphatic systems.”

Cold laser therapy or Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been proposed for a wide variety of uses including pain relief, wound healing, tuberculosis, and musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other neurological dysfunctions. There is sufficient anecdotal evidence in the peer-reviewed literature to conclude that LLLT is effective for these conditions, however, large, well-designed clinical trials are required to demonstrate the effectiveness of LLLT for the proposed conditions.

At this time, the use of LLLT for all conditions remains experimental, investigational, and unproven. Nevertheless, there are over 3000 peer-reviewed studies to suggest the benefits of cold laser therapy without adverse side-effects.

Call us today at (479) 636-3021 to schedule your visit and experience the relief you deserve.

As a Chiropractor in Rogers, Arkansas I am often asked what the differences are between the traditional bone popping style of chiropractic treatment (which I will refer to as Manual Manipulation) and my method of choice which is called the Activator Method. My first thought is to say that the end result is the same while the methodology or style is different. Although both methods utilize the doctor’s hands for treatment of “bone out of place” there are some significant differences in delivery.

The ultimate goal of a chiropractic adjustment is the restoration of nerve flow so the body can resume it’s optimal performance. It is the removal of nerve interference by repositioning bones which we refer to as a chiropractic adjustment. Most of us are familiar with the manual adjustment that produces a popping sound as the bones are realigned.

In contrast the Activator Method utilizes a hand held instrument that delivers a precise adjustment with only a light clicking sound from the instrument. Another significant difference between these two styles of treatment is the body position of the patient. In the manual manipulation the patient is repositioned frequently while the Activator Method allows the patient to remain face down and the instrument does the repositioning to change the line of drive of the adjustment. Some patients find the latter method to be preferable due to differing physical restrictions.

I was raised on manual manipulation as a child, when my family would go to our family Chiropractor for monthly preventive care. Since this was our family way I had no reason to doubt the efficacy or fear it’s methodology. However, I would often have a residual headache after a neck adjustment that would leave me uncomfortable for a day or so. As I explored these concerns with our chiropractor we were able to come up with some alternative methods for my spinal alignments and I realized that we each have unique needs and need to be evaluated individually.

I do not believe that one size fits all or that we each benefit equally from the same type of chiropractic care. I made it my goal in my Chiropractic Career to research the most popular, effective, and safest methods of chiropractic care available. So while the destination is the same for all chiropractic methods the journey is as unique as the individual.

Call us today at (479) 636-3021 to schedule your visit and experience the relief you deserve.

Pregnancy is like training for a marathon and chiropractic care is an excellent tool to have in your training bag for your ultimate health and vitality. Few things brighten my day more than seeing an obviously pregnant woman waddle into my clinic for back care.

This is such a transitional period in a woman’s life when her center of gravity clearly alters radically. Often resulting in low back discomfort due to shifts in weight bearing that can be painful and disruptive to this special time in a woman’s life. Frequently this is the first time a woman seeks chiropractic care, often times they are referred by:

• Other patients
• Midwife
• Obstetrician

It is my pleasure to reassure any expecting mother that I have the effective tools to assist in relieving her back pain and guide her towards a successful delivery. Not only does chiropractic care help ease back pain by realigning the spine and removing painful irritation to the nerves but it also prepares the pelvis for delivery by establishing it’s best position.

Pregnancy is definitely a time when it can be challenging to endure the repositioning of a traditional manual adjustment due to their current physique. That is what makes the Activator Method so ideal for this type of patient. To receive an Activator adjustment the patient lays face down, with an abdominal cushion providing a center hole for her belly bump. Since the Activator Technique only requires the patient to lay face down and not be repositioned frequently throughout the procedure, most patients find this be a comfortable arrangement.

It is my absolute joy to assist any mother during pregnancy, so she can feel her radiant best during this wonderful time of her life. Studies have shown that in addition to relieving low back pain and preparing for delivery Chiropractic care is very effective for reestablishing proper body alignment as the post pregnancy body is returning to stabilization.

If you are pregnant and experiencing low back pain (or know someone who is) call us today at (479) 636-3021 and experience relief with an Activator adjustment.