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True health comes from within, and Chiropractic works in harnessing the natural healing power of the body. Chiropractic is recognized as a holistic, safe, natural and drug-free therapy that works mainly with the spine, which is connected to the central nervous system that regulates body functions. The goal of our Chiropractic practice is to restore and maintain the integrity of your nervous system by correcting any disturbances or interference.
Whether you suffer from sudden or chronic pain, back pain, neck pain or have sustained sports injury; Your Las Cruces chiropractor Dr. Wilson can help you get back on your feet and back to living an active life!
Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. At Heritage Chiropractic, we strive to offer the best in care. There have been research studies showing the multitude of benefits of spinal manipulation for certain conditions, and along with the studies comes many opinions on why chiropractic therapy works. In one sense, it does not matter why it works, although knowing the exact mechanisms would help allow us to determine the best candidates for chiropractic adjustments.
Disc Herniation is a condition which refers to a problem with a rubbery disc between the spinal bones. This condition occurs when the soft center of a spinal disc pushes through a crack in the tougher exterior casing. Some herniated discs cause no symptoms. Others can irritate nearby nerves and result in pain, numbness, or weakness in an arm or leg. Not every disc needs intervention. When needed, treatment includes medication, physical therapy, and possibly surgery.
A disc herniation can be frustrating for a person as symptoms can be severe and fluctuate from good to worse at any second. The severe pain that can accompany this condition in no friend and can be downright depressing and worrying. Although the thoughts of surgery are always present when such severe pain is experienced, hope is there as discs can heal with the right conditions. Surgery is usually not the best option for managing disc herniations, but may be necessary, depending on how severe your injury is and the specific type of symptoms you are experiencing.
First off, this is no substitute for an encounter with your chiropractor as there is personalization with each person in managing a disc herniation. Not all disc herniations behave the same, and thus will need a custom treatment approach. Second, it is important to understand how you injured your disc, as this is the primary cause and it will need to be addressed in order to not repeat the same mistake. Our approach is multifaceted and unique in successfully treating a disc herniation.
Massage therapy in medical settings is growing because the practice of combining traditional and alternative medicine is increasing. More hospitals and medical centers are offering these types of treatments.
Medical massage therapy is performed as part of a healthcare provider’s overall treatment plan, so the massage therapy is typically concentrated on a specific medical diagnosis. The exact techniques and procedures that are used during this type of massage will vary from each patient. However, the massage will typically be centralized on the parts of the body that have been identified as an area of concern. Instead of massaging the entire body, medical massage therapy tends to focus on a particular area.
What kinds of conditions can be treated with medical massage therapy?
Medical massage therapy can be an effective treatment for many different conditions. Just a few of the most common ailments include carpal tunnel syndrome, migraines, sciatica, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), plantar fasciitis, neck pain, back pain, strained muscles, and more.
The massage techniques that are used will depend on a patient’s condition. Some of the common approaches include trigger point therapy, myofascial release, and neuromuscular therapy.
In medicine, decompression refers to the removal or repositioning of any structure compressing any other structure. Common examples include decompressive craniectomy, and spinal decompression to relieve pressure on nerve roots.
Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression can help treat and relieve pain through a gentle pulling motion to the spine. By creating repetitive elongation and traction to the spine, the disc height is lengthened and pressure is relieved from the effected area. This decompression creates a vacuum effect and draws in fluids which brings elasticity back to the spine and re-hydrates the discs. The entire process takes the pressure off the nerves in the spine, reduces pain, and restores motion to the spine.
Injuries from auto accidents are varied in every case. Obtaining a chiropractic evaluation following any accident should be considered as routine care and can be useful in diagnostics as further treatments may be needed.
Why Chiropractic Care for an Auto Injury?
When an individual sustains injuries from a motor vehicle crash, spasm and muscle splinting develop unequally on either side of the spine. This asymmetric injury(s) prevents the normal range of motion of the spine and misalignments occur throughout the vertebral column. These misalignments need to be evaluated and addressed via hands on manipulation or gentle low force instrument assisted manipulation.
If you have been hurt in an auto accident in Las Cruces, we have special training to work with these types of injuries. We give you the best and most targeted of all therapies. You will be managed by our Dr. Joseph Wilson, utilizing chiropractic, physical therapy, massage and acupuncture as he has been treating thousands of patients for the last 40 years. We offer the best care and treatments available to help you fully recover.
Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg.
Sciatica is a lower back condition that causes the sciatic nerve to produce a range of symptoms from the lower back to the bottom of the feet.
Most people associate sciatica with pain that radiates down the right or left leg. In extreme cases, both legs might be affected. In mild cases, there might be no pain present, but a sensitivity that feels like pressure, burning, or numbness on the lower back, hip, and leg. The symptoms vary from patient to patient and range from excruciating pain to mild tingling. Treatment may range from hands-on chiropractic care to non-surgical spinal decompression. Our focus is always on helping you overcome pain but also to prevent the recurrence of sciatica through a proactive- preventative approach to care.
Sports Chiropractic care treat sports-related injuries, and work to optimize athletic function, through non-invasive joint manipulation. Often, the goal is to improve muscle tone, balance, and performance for a specific sport or movement.
Sports chiropractors can help athletes recover from injuries, prevent further damage, and recover faster. Even if certain parts of the body don’t currently cause pain, small issues can create larger functional problems when stressed by repetitive movements. Areas that are often treated include the neck, back, knee, hip, shoulder and foot. Our goal it to get you back on track to being at your competitive best as quickly as possible.
Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. Whiplash is commonly caused by auto accidents but can also result from sports accidents, falls, physical abuse and other types of traumas.
We have specific training to diagnose, treat, and manage care related to whiplash injuries.
Effective Treatment To Get You Better Faster
Whiplash related injuries usually respond the best with a multi-faceted team approach. Our professionals offer a variety of therapies, rather than only using one type of therapy, we offer a comprehensive well rounded treatment plan. It is this multidisciplinary approach that differentiates our clinic from other chiropractic clinics in Las Cruces. Our all in one clinic approach also helps protect your medical-legal situation as they can attempt to dismiss ‘chiropractic only’ care.
Timely Treatment Increases the Chance of Avoiding Chronic Pain
Waiting weeks or months, or even years is the worst thing you could do to facilitate the healing process of your injuries. Early intervention is paramount to getting the best results. Don’t make the mistake that your pains will go away, because more often than not, your pain will stay the same or get worse. Whiplash injuries also have a knack for popping up later, this is due to spinal ligaments being damaged which creates an unstable spine that slowly manifests into other injuries. Getting assessed is key to protecting your well being.
Dry needling, also known as trigger point needling and intramuscular stimulation is a technique used by various healthcare practitioners, including physical therapists, physicians, and chiropractors to address the pain response in the body.
There have been numerous studies showing the efficacy of pain reduction and improved function through the use of Dry Needling. Research shows that areas with trigger points are dysfunctional in a variety of ways, such as:
How is Dry Needling Performed?
Dry needling utilizes very small diameter metal filament form needles. Dr. Wilson will thoroughly examine you to determine if trigger points may be a source of your pain or dysfunction. Usually 2 or 3 muscles will contain trigger points in a region. The technique is aimed at achieving what is called a “latent twitch response”. This is seen as a twitch of the muscle, that deactivates the trigger point. The latent twitch response in the trigger point will then feel achy and cramping. The area will usually feel sore for an hour, or possibly up to 1 – 2 days. When Dry Needling is used on you, there is usually not much pain involved, but you may feel a very small ache or slight sting with the procedure. The needles used for the trigger points are very small and most people do not even feel the needle inter the skin.
How is Dry Needling Different than Acupuncture?
This is a common question as the two techniques have separate histories, yet utilize a common tool, the metal filament needle. Similar to all tools, they can be used quite different, and for different purposes. A person that receives an acupuncture treatment and a Dry Needling treatment will both experience the feeling of the needle, but as to how the needle was inserted, where the needle is inserted, and as to how the practitioner came to the conclusion of why to needle are are different.
What is a Trigger Point?
A trigger point can develop in a muscle that is overused or traumatically injured, such as auto accidents or sports injuries. The actual trigger point is essentially a knot in a muscle. This is a taut muscular band that is painful when external pressure is applied. The muscle is in a shortened phase and is stuck in that position. There is a local biochemical imbalance and a bioelectrical local dysfunction which Dry Needling helps restore to the points back to normal.