Helena Chiropractor

Dr. Pardis is a Helena chiropractor who has been providing treatment of back pain in his chiropractic clinic for over 25 years. In addition to treating back pain, as a trained chiropractic doctor he treats patients for neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, hip and leg pain, and neck, shoulder and arm pain.

Neck Pain
Neck pain is very common and can be excruciating. There are many causes of neck pain, and chiropractors use many treatment techniques to alleviate the pain. Common causes include:

* Car accidents
* Sports injuries
* Degenerative disorders as a result of getting older
* Poor posture
* Stress

If you experience neck pain for extended periods of time, you should visit a chiropractic doctor. During your visit, the chiropractor will find the source of your neck pain and discuss your symptoms to determine the best method of treatment.

The chiropractor will perform a series of physical and neurological tests to gain a comprehensive understanding of your neck pain:

• Observe your posture and ability to move your neck through a full range of motion
• Assess the alignment and curvature of your spine
• Check for muscle spasms
• Evaluate your muscle strength, reflexes, and extent of nerve compression
• Take an x-ray to see if there is evidence of arthritis, fractures, bone spurs, and narrowed disc space
• Perform a CAT scan or MRI to see if there is evidence of herniation or bulging discs

Following these tests, the chiropractor's course of treatment may be to perform precise neck adjustments to ease your neck pain. Neck pain can be lessened by neck adjustments that improve spine mobility, increase the movement of adjoining muscles, and restore your range of motion.

A proper neck adjustment will typically enable you to turn and tilt your head without experiencing the same high levels of neck pain. The chiropractor may also massage your neck and recommend exercises to reduce pain between treatments.

Headaches
Tension in the neck muscles is the primary cause of the most common types of headaches. Other common headaches include:

• Migraine headaches-caused by changes in the blood vessels in your skull
• Cluster headaches-headaches that are grouped together over several weeks or months at a time
• Sinus headaches-typically caused by allergies or sinus infections
• Headaches resulting from poor vision

A chiropractor can use many different techniques to help manage pain resulting from common headaches. Your chiropractic will likely:

* Manipulate your spine and perform chiropractic adjustments to reduce any stress and nerve compression on your spine
* Give you nutritional advice to improve your diet-poor diet has been shown to have an affect on the type, frequency, and intensity of headaches
* Show you how to maintain good posture at work and at home
* Provide you with relaxation techniques and exercises you can do to prevent the onset of headaches

You can help prevent headaches resulting from muscle tension in the neck by:

* Maintaining good posture
* Making slow, natural neck movements during daily activities
* Keeping your computer screen at eye level
* Not bending your neck forward when you read
* Taking frequent breaks if your work involves long period of staring at a computer screen

Carpal Tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs as a result of the median nerve-a nerve that extends from the forearm to the hand-becoming compressed in the carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel is a narrow tunnel in the wrist that consists of bones, nerves, ligaments, tendons, and blood vessels. The compression of the carpal tunnel typically results in pain, numbness, and weakness in the hand, wrist, and forearm.

A chiropractor will advise a patient with carpal tunnel syndrome to rest the hand and wrist, to apply ice packs to reduce swelling, and to avoid activities that will exacerbate the symptoms. Chiropractic doctors help treat carpal tunnel syndrome by:

* Joint manipulation
* Mobilizing the wrist and hand
* Stretching exercises to strengthen the hand and wrist
* Using techniques to mobilize soft tissue
* Surgery, in some cases, to release the ligament that covers the carpal tunnel

You can help prevent carpal tunnel by:

* Doing light exercises and stretching on a daily basis
* Taking breaks throughout the day to rest the hand and wrist
* Paying attention to your posture and position of your wrist when working
* Wearing splints to keep your wrist straight

So When Should You Visit Your Helena Chiropractor?
Whenever you experience neck pain, headaches, problems with carpal tunnel, and other areas of pain throughout your body, Dr. Pardis, your Helena chiropractor is always available to provide the most effective chiropractic treatment.