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We know how difficult long-term headache pain can be. Dr. Messerschmidt and our staff have worked with many men and women in our Juneau, AK chiropractic office, and we've had great success in helping people eliminate their headache pain.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Cervicogenic Headaches

A 2016 research study verifies what we see in our office. In this paper, the authors started with 110 people who were suffering with headaches that originated in the cervical spine. 58 of these patients were given a series of neck adjustments; 52 were given some stretches and exercises. The treatment period for both groups was four weeks.

The study found that the individuals who received cervical and thoracic spinal adjustments "experienced significantly greater reductions in headache intensity, disability, headache frequency, headache duration, and medication intake as compared to the group that received mobilization and exercise."

The study also found that these outcomes were maintained at the three-month follow-up exam.

Chiropractic is a safe and effective way to treat headache, back pain, neck pain, and many other health conditions. If you're tired of suffering, give Dr. Messerschmidt a call today at our Juneau, AK office at (907) 789-1344. We're here to help get you relief.

Research

Dunning JR, Butts R, Mourad F, Young I, et al. Upper cervical and upper thoracic manipulation versus mobilization and exercise in patients with cervicogenic headache: a multi-center randomized clinical trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2016;17(1):64.

Chiropractic is centered on the concept of enabling your body to heal naturally through spinal adjustments and lifestyle changes that encourage overall health. For Dr. Messerschmidt, this involves working to restore your body's natural functioning to prevent the need for medications or surgery. We see that many of our Juneau, AK patients are relieved to find a natural answer for their health issues.

One advantage of chiropractic is that it helps people decrease or even eliminate the use of drugs. Prescriptions are commonly supplied to individuals who have back soreness. This is such a significant concern that the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) issued a press release stating that opioid (painkiller) dangers outweigh the advantages when administered for back pain.

Some of the most common narcotics, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin and Percocet), morphine, and codeine. Figures provided by the AAN mention the fact that about half of the people taking these types of substances for a period of three months are still dependent on them five years later. This can further complicate the difficulty of back pain and recovery, especially if an opiate addiction occurs.

Compare that to chiropractic which engages natural healing and the advantages are obvious. While a pill might be helpful at briefly relieving the discomfort of a health condition, it's not a long-term solution to the problem. Drugs can't mend your injured spine; it will only cover up the pain.

Dr. Messerschmidt will first examine you to get to the root of your back pain and then work with you to eliminate the spinal interference -- without risky drugs.

If you're ready for relief, naturally, give our Juneau, AK office a call at (907) 789-1344 to make an appointment with Dr. Messerschmidt.

References

• Risk of opioids outweigh benefits for headache, low back pain, other conditions. American Academy of Neurology;September 29, 2014.
• What are opioids? National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-drugs/opioids/what-are-opioids

We work with many car accident cases in in our Juneau, AK office, and a common symptom we see in our patients is back pain. Chiropractic is an effective way to treat back pain. Let's look at how back pain is caused by a crash and how Dr. Messerschmidt can help you.

During a rear-end motor vehicle accident, your car and car seat are quickly accelerated forward against your body. Since car seats don't perfectly align with the curve of your spinal column, the car seat can put uneven force on your lower back. This can cause some of your spinal vertebrae to move in one direction while an adjacent vertebrae might move in another direction. This differential motion can sprain or strain the structures that hold your spine together. This kind of injury can cause chronic back pain if not treated promptly. Thankfully, chiropractic is one of the most effective ways to treat back pain.

Let us help you recover from back pain. Dr. Messerschmidt has helped many people with the same condition, and we can probably help you, too. Dr. Messerschmidt will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344 to make an appointment.

When playing sports activities that require a lot of lower body movement, like football, soccer, and basketball, it's common to sustain some type of injury to your lower extremities. Between pulled hamstrings, sprained ankles, knee injuries, and more, many athletes have found themselves out of commission. Dr. Messerschmidt has seen all of these problems in our Juneau, AK patients. The good news is, chiropractic adjustments can help prevent some of these injuries from occurring and research proves it.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Sports Injuries & Recovery

Dr. Messerschmidt keeps up-to-date with all of the recent scientific research, and in a report published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, researchers from Macquarie University in Australia studied 59 semi-elite Australian Rules football players. Roughly half were placed in a control group and the other half were put in a treatment group that received sports chiropractic care at regular intervals. During the first six weeks, this meant getting care once a week. The following three months consisted of an adjustment every two weeks before decreasing those to one visit monthly for the final three months of the study.

The authors noted that there was a "significant" decrease in the number of leg strains the players received in the treatment group when compared to the control. Furthermore, they noticed that the subjects who engaged in chiropractic also had fewer weeks of missed practice and games as a result of non-contact knee injuries. This led them to determine that sports chiropractic intervention should be added to "the current best practice management."

Every major sports team in the United States and the US Olympic Team has chiropractors on staff for their players, because they know that chiropractic works. If you live near our office in Juneau, AK and would like to see if Dr. Messerschmidt can help you boost your performance or reduce sports injuries, give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344 for an appointment.

Dr. Messerschmidt Can Help Clients Find Relief From Sports Injuries and Recover Faster

If you're suffering with severe pain, Dr. Messerschmidt and our staff are here to help you recover. Give our Juneau, AK office a call today at (907) 789-1344 for an appointment today.

Original Study

Hoskins W, Pollard H. The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian rules footballers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2010;11(64).

We work with many back pain patients in our Juneau, AK chiropractic office, and Dr. Messerschmidt and our staff uses an assortment of techniques to help get you out of pain and restore your spine's normal, healthy function. We find spinal decompression to be a highly effective approach.

Understanding Spinal Decompression Therapy

To help you better understand spinal decompression therapy, think of the discs in your spine like small balloons filled with jelly. When you compress them (which occurs due to normal living, sustaining an injury, or other medical conditions), they can protrude, placing pressure on the nerves in your spine. This affects your brain's ability to communicate with tissues in the rest of your body.

If the force on the discs becomes too high, the discs can herniate or protrude. This reduces the cushion between your vertebrae and can cause pain. The purpose of spinal decompression therapy is to reduce this pressure to help improve your body's function and also reduce your level of pain.

Can Spinal Decompression Therapy Help Me?

Spinal decompression therapy relieves disc pressure through the use of a specially designed table that carefully elongates your spinal column through slow and controlled movements. This decreases the pressure placed on your discs. Some studies report an increase in disc height by as much as 1.3 millimeters after just six weeks of this treatment.

If you're wondering if spinal decompression therapy could help you feel and function better, simply call our Juneau, AK office and schedule an appointment with Dr. Messerschmidt today. Your optimal health is our number one goal!

Resources

Apfel CC, Cakmakkaya OS, Richmond C, et al. Restoration of disk height through non-surgical spinal decompression is associated with decreased discogenic low back pain: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2010;11(155). doi:10.1186/1471-2474-11-155

In our Juneau, AK office, it isn't uncommon for us to see patients suffering with sciatic nerve pain, and Dr. Messerschmidt has helped many of these people improve with chiropractic. What makes chiropractic so helpful to those who suffer with this condition? First, it shortens their healing time and a Norwegian research study confirms it.

In the study, which took place in a Norwegian hospital's orthopedic division, researchers looked at 44 patients who had abrupt low back pain that was clinically diagnosed as acute sciatic nerve pain. The individuals were all treated by a chiropractor, with the average follow-up being two years after treatment.

The authors discovered that all but two patients returned to their jobs after receiving chiropractic treatment, which is a 95% success rate. Moreover, the average amount of time that the patients spent off work "was reduced by two thirds as compared with that associated with conventional medical treatment."

Considering that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over 170,000 workdays were missed in 2013 due to employees dealing with back or spine-related issues, that is almost 112,500 work days that could potentially be recovered each and every year solely by receiving chiropractic care. Not only would that increase productivity, but it would also reduce costs to businesses and employees from lost work.

If you live in Juneau, AK and you suffer from sciatic pain, Dr. Messerschmidt is here to help. Give us a call at (907) 789-1344 and we'll work with you to find the source of your sciatica and get you back on the road to recovery.

Orlin JR, Didriksen A. Results of chiropractic treatment of lumbopelvic fixation in 44 patients admitted to an orthopedic department. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2007;30(2):135-139.

Neck and headache pain are common problems that affect millions of people around the world. If you suffer from this type of problem, you're not alone. The good news is that chiropractic care is a great way to not only treat these common problems, but also help avoid future episodes.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Neck Pain and Headaches

For many years, people with neck and headache pain in Juneau, AK have been helped by the chiropractic care of Dr. Messerschmidt. Our success is backed up by a recent review done in Canada that found that non-invasive, non-drug treatments are the best choice for neck and headache pain.

The report looked at 15 studies from 1990 to 2015 and found that conservative treatment comprised of chiropractic adjustments, exercises, and stretches was recommended before turning to drugs or more invasive procedures.

Previous scientific studies have shown that chiropractic is effective and safe for neck pain and many other health conditions.

We Can Help Patients Find Comfort From Neck Pain and Headaches

If you're troubled with neck pain or headaches, Dr. Messerschmidt and our staff are here to help you recover. Give our Juneau, AK office a call today at (907) 789-1344 for an appointment today.

Reference

Varatharajan S, Ferguson B, Chrobak K, et al. Are non-invasive interventions effective for the management of headaches associated with neck pain? An update of the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. European Spine Journal 2016; February 6:1-29.

Many people experience headache pain, and tension headaches are a frequent problem in our busy lives. Postural problems and stress are common sources of tension headaches, and ones that Dr. Messerschmidt and the team here in our Juneau, AK chiropractic office have a lot of experience in treating.

Research Shows Chiropractic Eases Tension Headaches

The scientific literature confirms our findings: A 2016 study from Spain managed a group of 76 patients with chronic tension headaches. The participants were divided into four treatment groups: 19 patients were treated with suboccipital inhibition (the doctor presses on the tight tissues at the top of the spine); 19 with chiropractic adjustments; 19 with both adjustments and suboccipital inhibition; and 19 received no treatment.

The researchers found that the spinal adjustments were effective at relieving pain, and that the best results were found when adjustments were coupled with the suboccipital inhibition.

When we get stressed out, the nerves and tissues in the neck can be disrupted, resulting in pain. Chiropractic works by eliminating these stresses and restoring the normal nerve function to the tissues.

We're Here to Help People Find Comfort From Tension Headaches

If you live in Juneau, AK and are dealing with any kind of headache, we're here to help you get relief. Call Dr. Messerschmidt today at (907) 789-1344 for an appointment or more information.

Source

Espi-Lopez GV, Rodriguez-Blanco C, Oliva-Pascual-Vaca A, et al. Do manual therapy techniques have a positive effect on quality of life in people with tension-type headache? A randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Physical Rehabilitation Medicine 2016; February 29.

Dr. Messerschmidt sees many people weekly in our busy Juneau, AK chiropractic office who are searching for relief from the pain and suffering they feel due to herniated discs. Our experience isn't unique; the scientific literature verifies that chiropractic care is a great way to treat herniated disc problems.

Don't Suffer! Dr. Messerschmidt and Chiropractic Care Helps With Disc Herniation

One particular research study involved 27 people, 8 male and 19 female, who had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirming a disc herniation in either their neck or lower back. The patients reported that they were experiencing pain, limited range of motion, and sensory issues bad enough to keep them off work.

During the course of the research period, the participants were treated using one of two common chiropractic methods: traction for herniated discs in the cervical area or flexion distraction for the people who had herniation issues in the lumbar area.

Each person was seen four or five times per week for the first two weeks, then three times each week, and then as needed for the remainder of the study. Depending on the seriousness of the disc herniation, treatment varied anywhere from six weeks to six months, with MRIs being performed at a variety of stages to determine what effect, if any, the chiropractic care was having in regard to the disc herniation.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Herniated Disc

The investigators reported that 80 percent of the patients obtained a "good clinical outcome," meaning reduced pain and a reduction in other issues, such as numbness. Furthermore, 77 percent of these men and women also showed MRI evidence that their disc herniation was either reduced or resolved completely. This resulted in 78 percent of the study participants being able to return to their place of work and led the authors to conclude that chiropractic care is both "safe and helpful" for disc herniations.

If you have a herniated disc and suffer from chronic back pain and are near Dr. Messerschmidt in Juneau, AK, contact our office today to see what chiropractic can do for you!

Reference
BenEliyahu, DJ. Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical follow-up: study of 27 patients receiving chiropractic care for cervical and lumbar disc herniations. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1996;19(9):597-606.

In our Juneau, AK office, we see plenty of people who are suffering from back pain, and a few of these folks have been told they might need surgery to recover. Fortunately, Dr. Messerschmidt has helped many people get pain relief without the need for any type of operation. The science confirms the success we see in our office. One medical study published in the academic journal Spine found that consulting with a chiropractor as your first step in overcoming with your back issues may literally keep you off of the operating table.

In this report, medical experts from Dartmouth reviewed data from 1,885 workers from the state of Washington who first saw either an orthopedic surgeon or a chiropractic doctor for their back pain issues. They then used three years' worth of follow-up medical data to ascertain whether the individuals wound up having back surgery in an effort to correct the problem.

What the authors observed was that 42.7% of the people who first consulted with a surgeon for their back issues ended up with surgery in that 3-year time span, whereas only 1.5 percent of those who first consulted with a chiropractor had the same fate. The authors wrote:

"Even after controlling for injury severity and other measures, workers with an initial visit for the injury to a surgeon had almost nine times the odds of receiving lumbar spine surgery compared to those seeing primary care providers, whereas workers whose first visit was to a chiropractor had significantly lower odds of surgery."

These are impressive outcomes. Consulting with a chiropractor dramatically reduces your odds of getting back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this report "had lower odds of chronic work disability" and they also had fewer expensive MRI tests.

Let's also take note this important point: this study was carried out by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and published in the world's most distinguished medical publication on spinal injuries.

The Problems with Surgery

Any surgical procedure has risks, but a serious downside linked to spinal surgery is that there's a very high rate of failure. In an important analysis in the European Spine Journal, researchers wrote:

"Failed back surgery is a problem that has become sufficiently widespread to even warrant its own special conferences, with recent reviews reporting failure rates ranging from 5 to 50%."

The authors of this same study concluded:

"It is extremely difficult to identify unequivocal predictor factors that can be used to accurately predict the outcome of surgery."

As a chiropractor, Dr. Messerschmidt believes that surgery should be the absolute last resort for treating back pain. Chiropractic care works to restore your spine to its normal function--without the need of high-risk surgery or drugs--and many studies have documented the usefulness of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in Juneau, AK and you need relief for your back pain, give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344 for a consultation or an appointment. We'll help get you back on the road to a pain-free life!

Studies

• Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, Wickizer TM, Chan KC, Franklin GM. Early predictors of lumbar spine surgery after occupational back injury: results from a prospective study of workers in Washington State. Spine 2013;38(11):953-964.
• Mannion AF, Elfering A. Predictors of surgical outcome and their assessment. European Spine Journal 2006;15(Suppl 1):S93-S108.