Recent Posts

Therapeutic massage has been used for many thousands of years as a natural pain relief approach. We use massage therapy in our Juneau, AK office, as it works great in conjunction with the chiropractic care that Dr. Messerschmidt provides. Therapeutic massage does much more than just feel great. It also offers many health benefits as well. Some are physical and others are psychological, and here are just a few of each:

• Pain reduction (back, neck, shoulder, legs, arm, and headache pain)
• Increased range of motion and flexibility
• Improved blood flow
• Enhanced sports performance
• Decreased depression or anxiety
• Increased levels of energy
• Decreased levels of fatigue
• Improved sleep
• Easier labor and delivery for expecting mothers
• Fewer stretch marks
• Less scar tissue

We Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Neck Pain and Headaches with Massage Therapy

Benefits like these have been found to be particularly helpful for individuals who suffer with chronic conditions such as arthritis and asthma. Massage therapy has also proven advantageous for burn injury patients, people with higher than healthy blood pressure, and women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome. Even preterm infants have shown benefits with massage therapy as they have better levels of weight gain.

To learn more about the massage therapy services we offer in Juneau, AK, give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344.

Knee pain is a frequent problem for patients in our Juneau, AK chiropractic practice, and Dr. Messerschmidt has successfully provided many of these folks relief. This is largely because chiropractic care has been found to help with many forms of knee pain.

For instance, some patients encounter pain in and around the knee area due to degenerative arthritis. Research has demonstrated that this ailment responds very well to chiropractic--and rather quickly, too. In fact, one paper published in The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association found that men and women with osteoarthritis in their knees felt considerable pain relief and improved function after just two weeks of chiropractic care.

If your knee pain is caused by a medial meniscus tear, chiropractic could likely help with that as well. One article reported that combining chiropractic with soft tissue therapy, rest, ice, and compression on the affected knee helped lower the intensity of the pain.

Of course, sometimes a knee replacement surgery is required in order to rectify the issue, and if that's the case, chiropractic care can also help improve the outcome. How?

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Knee Pain

Medical research has found that people with low back pain often have less positive outcomes after knee surgery. Therefore, dealing with your back pain through chiropractic before having a total knee arthroplasty can assist with your post-surgery recovery.

No matter what your knee issue, Dr. Messerschmidt can likely help. Call our Juneau, AK office today and find out what we can do for you!

Resources

• Pollard H et al. (2008, December). The effect of a manual therapy knee protocol on osteoarthritic knee pain: a randomised controlled trial. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association;52(4):229-42
  Boyle J et al. (2014, March). Influence of low back pain on total knee arthroplasty outcome. Knee;21(2):410-4
• Jarosz B & Ames R. (2010, December). Chiropractic management of a medial meniscus tear in a patient with tibiofemoral degeneration: a case report. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine;9(4):200-8

We see a large number of people with headaches in our Juneau, AK office, and Dr. Messerschmidt has been able to assist many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that one half of all adults have a problem with some manner of headache problem, so this actually isn’t shocking. One of the most prevalent kinds of headaches which our patients suffer from is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can usually help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from an issue in the cervical spine. It could be as a result of a problem with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine brings about compression or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can bring about headache pain.

How do you recognize if the headache you are experiencing is a cervicogenic headache? Besides receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is triggering them is corrected, it is essential to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that can provide a great deal of headache pain relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists studied 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. One-half got chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic offered the most beneficial effects.

Specifically, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments offered patients greater pain relief and diminished the frequency of headaches that occurred. On top of that, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Messerschmidt can do for you and your headaches, call our office today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

References

• Haas M, Schneider M, Vavrek D. Illustrating risk difference and number needed to treat from a randomized controlled trial of spinal manipulation for cervicogenic headache. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010 18(9).
• World Health Organization. (2012, October). Headache disorders. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs277/en/

We see quite a few patients in our Juneau, AK office with ankle sprains but Dr. Messerschmidt has had a lot of success helping them heal more quickly. Why are ankle sprains so common and how can chiropractic help?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), approximately 25,000 people in the US sprain their ankles daily. As a matter of fact, these injuries make up almost half of all sports injuries, causing people to spend time away from the activities they enjoy most.

Like any injury, there are many causes of ankle sprains. The most common is inversion, or when the ankle rolls inward. This injury can take place due to one forceful movement, or it can develop over a period of time, and activities that increase the risk for this type of ankle sprain include running and jumping. You're also at risk if you have past ankle injuries, poor posture or balance, weak muscles, and reduced range of motion.

How Can Chiropractic Treatments and Dr. Messerschmidt Help?

A study printed in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics set out to discover chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. The authors enrolled 33 men and women between the ages of 18 and 45 who had a history of ankle inversion sprains, who were experiencing tenderness and/or pain, and had not re-injured the ankle in the previous six weeks.

Eighteen of the participants were assigned to participate in rehabilitation and the other 15 patients received chiropractic in addition to rehabilitation. Each individual had five full weeks of treatments, with the rehabilitation group receiving therapy seven days a week and the rehabilitation plus chiropractic group receiving therapy six out of the seven days.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Ankle Sprains

Researchers found that the people who participated in both rehabilitation and chiropractic fared the best at the 4-week mark when it came to pain and joint restriction. Additionally, no negative effects were reported, showing that chiropractic is safe.

If you're near our location in Juneau, AK and you're struggling with an ankle injury, give us a call. We'll do what we can to keep you up and moving... literally!

Sources

• American College of Sports Medicine. (n.d.). Ankle sprains and the athlete. Retrieved from https://www.acsm.org/docs/current-comments/anklesprainstemp.pdf
• Lubbe, D et al. (2015, January). Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation for recurrent ankle sprain with functional instability: a short-term, assessor-blind, parallel-group randomized trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 38(1), 22-34, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.10.001

If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you are not alone, as Dr. Messerschmidt sees many people with this particular syndrome in our Juneau, AK chiropractic practice. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that roughly two percent of all adults in the US have fibromyalgia. Fortunately, chiropractic care is one treatment option that can provide positive results.

Research Proves Chiropractic Eases Fibromyalgia

In a medical study released in mid-2015, 215 adults with fibromyalgia were assessed based on factors ranging from pain to quality of sleep to the levels of depression symptoms and anxiety they felt. Then they were divided into two groups with one group receiving a multi-modal therapy program for three months and the second group receiving the same approach plus chiropractic adjustments (specifically, to the upper neck area) for the same length of time.

The subjects who received chiropractic care in conjunction with the multi-modal therapy program reported greater results in all areas (pain, sleep, depression, and anxiety) at 12 weeks post-treatment when compared to the study participants who received multi-modal therapy without chiropractic care. In addition, those positive benefits were long-lasting as the individuals reported continued improvement one full year later.

Fibromyalgia can greatly reduce your quality of life, both mentally and physically. If you're suffering from fibromyalgia, we might be able to help.

You don't have to suffer! To see what Dr. Messerschmidt can do for your fibromyalgia pain, call our Juneau, AK chiropractic office today.

Sources

• Fibromyalgia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm on November 2, 2015.
• Moustafa I & Diab A. (2015, July). The addition of upper cervical manipulative therapy in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial. Rheumatology International;35(7):1163-74.

Regrettably, quite a few of our Juneau, AK patients know the pain associated with a herniated disc all too well. Fortunately, Dr. Messerschmidt has helped many people with disc pain, and a number of research studies have confirmed that chiropractic can help patients recover from this kind of problem.

Research on Herniated Discs and Chiropractic

In one report, researchers from Switzerland selected 148 patients who were coping with pain in their lower back and legs due to a herniated disc (which was confirmed through magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI). Each person then received chiropractic adjustments that focused on the location of his or her disc herniation.

Results were gathered after the initial treatment session at set intervals--namely, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year--to find out what type of short-term and long-term effects, if any, chiropractic care offers when it comes to resolving this particular problem. Among the data obtained was the individual's self-reported changes in both low back and leg pain.

The authors found that, as a whole, the patients reported "significant improvement" for both types of pain every time the results were collected. In fact, over 90% of the individuals reported that their pain "improved" within the first three months, with 88% still citing improvement one year after their first treatment session.

Even those patients who were defined as "chronic" still reported an improvement in pain at a rate of 89% one year beyond when treatment first began. This is the same positive effect that was found in the following case study.

Disc Herniation and Chiropractic: A Case Study

In this paper, a 26-year-old man had presented with disc herniation symptoms such as pain in the low back, left leg, and left groin area, along with left foot drop and muscle weakness. He had endured these problems for more than two years after sustaining an athletic injury, and his herniated disc was confirmed via MRI.

After receiving chiropractic, "The patient responded favorably and his multi-symptom complex resolved within 90 days of treatment." Furthermore, the patient was still experiencing relief one year after the chiropractic intervention.

Studies like these show how useful chiropractic can be when it comes to alleviating herniated disc pain and treating the symptoms they cause. So, if you are suffering from back pain caused by a herniated disc and want to find some relief, chiropractic might be an effective solution.

Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our Juneau, AK office a call today at (907) 789-1344 for a consultation or appointment.

References

• Leemann S, Peterson CK, Schmid C, Anklin B, Humphreys BK. Outcomes of acute and chronic patients with magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed symptomatic lumbar disc herniations receiving high-velocity, low-amplitude, spinal manipulative therapy: a prospective observational cohort study with one-year follow-up. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;37(3):155-163.
• Polkinghorn BS, Colloca CJ. Treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation using activator methods chiropractic technique. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1998;21(3):187-196.
  

We see quite a few people with back pain in our Juneau, AK practice, and Dr. Messerschmidt has been able to help many of them get relief through various chiropractic techniques. At the same time, recovering from back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical treatment, as many individuals use both types of care with great outcomes.

Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Treatment Work Well with Each Other

In a report published by the medical journal Spine investigators¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who claimed both acute pain and limited function due to back symptoms. Some of the study participants received treatment via standard medical care, while the remainder were given chiropractic adjustments in addition to standard medical care, as the authors wanted to see which group fared better.

Researchers determined that the patients who got standard medical care along with chiropractic care scored "significantly better" than the group that got medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits in comparison to just 17 percent of the medical treatment only group who reported the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two- and four-week marks.

Therefore, integrating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering advantages when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medicine can work together, chiropractic offers some distinct advantages over medical treatment.

Where Chiropractic Care Pulls Ahead

Although it may seem as if each method plays a 50/50 role, there is one major benefit that chiropractic has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a study done at UCLA² that was published in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical care.

According to the experts, the main aspects that patients liked over medical treatment were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors tend to spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as explaining more thoroughly what to expect from chiropractic care.

Chiropractic Care Is a Natural Approach to Wellness

Certainly, the techniques associated with chiropractic are quite different than those offered with medical care, but a great deal of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a holistic approach to health and well-being. Instead of focusing on only relieving the symptoms, chiropractic involves tracking down the root cause of your pain, which often results in greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

Furthermore, while medication is sometimes helpful for treating certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment such as chiropractic care. This means fewer negative side effects from drugs and longer-lasting results.

You don't have to deal with back pain or other health problems. Give our Juneau, AK office a call today at (907) 789-1344. We'll do our best to help you get and remain free from back pain.

References

1. Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
2. Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.

If you live in Juneau, AK and you've been in a car crash, you have to know that you don't have to suffer from chronic problems.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Pain after an Auto Injury

We see a lot of auto injury patients in our Juneau, AK office, and several of these men and women are struggling with chronic pain caused by an old collision. As a matter of fact, research shows that a significant percentage of rear-end accidents lead to pain and disability even ten years after the initial injury.

Dr. Messerschmidt is here to help you avoid developing chronic pain by helping to restore the natural function of your spine soon after a collision.

The most frequent causes of chronic problems are reduced mobility of your spine and the development of scar tissue in your spine. The ligaments of your spine can easily be damaged during a collision, and chiropractic works by minimizing inflammation and restoring normal mobility.

We Can Help With Chronic Pain and Auto Injury Recovery

If you're nearby our Juneau, AK office, and you've been hurt in a car wreck, don't wait to get treatment. Dr. Messerschmidt is here for you. Give us a call today at (907) 789-1344 for an appointment or for more information.

Each year, there are millions of car crashes in the world, and a substantial number of men and women end up getting hurt in a car wreck. While most collisions are "minor," chronic neck and back pain are still frequent health issues. The good news is that chiropractic care is a very good way to address these kinds of injuries.

We have treated many auto collision patients in our Juneau, AK office, and Dr. Messerschmidt has been treating people with these types of problems since 1983. During a car accident, your body is exposed to violent forces that it simply wasn't built to handle. These forces place stress and strain on your neck, shoulder, and back, and can cause injury to the ligaments that hold your spinal column together. A collision can trigger a vast array of pain symptoms.

A ligament tear in the neck can trigger pain, swelling, and radicular pain in the arm and hand. Chiropractic works well for these types of injuries, because chiropractic concentrates on restoring the healthy function and mobility of the injured structures.

Dr. Messerschmidt Can Help Clients Recover From an Auto Accident

Dr. Messerschmidt, your Juneau, AK chiropractor, can assist by decreasing irritation in the damaged area and can help minimize the creation of scar tissue that can cause chronic pain and disability.

You don't have to suffer from auto injury pain. Learn more about how we can help you recover or call Dr. Messerschmidt today at (907) 789-1344.

Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly typical problem reported by people after a car wreck, and it can be hard for some doctors to find the cause of the problem. Complicating the issue, oftentimes you won't experience TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the incident.

Dr. Messerschmidt has treated many individuals with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific research explains what causes these types of problems. During a crash, the tissues in your neck are oftentimes stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve damage. This can obviously cause pain in the neck and back, but since your nervous system is one functioning unit, irritation of the nerves can cause pain in other parts of your body.

For instance, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause prickling or numbness in the arm or hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured area, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a crash are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Messerschmidt sees this very commonly in our Juneau, AK office.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps TMJ Pain After an Auto Accident

Research indicates that the root of many jaw or TMJ symptoms starts in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Messerschmidt will work to restore your spinal column back to health, alleviating the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

Dr. Messerschmidt has found that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy condition.

If you live in Juneau, AK and you've been injured in a crash, Dr. Messerschmidt can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 1983, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344 for an appointment or consultation.

Ciancaglini R, Testa M, Radaelli G. Association of neck pain with symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction in the general adult population. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 1999;31:17-22.

Brantingham JW, Cassa TK, Bonnefin D, Pribicevic M, Robb A, et al. Manipulative and multimodal therapy for upper extremity and temporomandibular disorders: a system review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2013;36(3):143-201.