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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.

Most of us suffer from lower back pain at some point in our lives. Researchers estimate that nearly 1 out of 3 adults deal with some kind of regular spinal pain. Dr. Messerschmidt and our talented staff see many back pain cases in our Juneau, AK office, and we've found that chiropractic care is a great way to not only help you recover from back pain, it's also an excellent way to protect against future issues.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Back Pain

A recent paper from the University of Utah confirms what our Juneau, AK patients have reported: your Juneau, AK chiropractor is the best first choice for an event of back pain.

In this paper, 747 patients were treated for low back pain. Each person was assessed based on the first person they sought treatment with, whether it was a primary care physician, a chiropractor, or a physiotherapist.

What the researchers found is that the individuals who first saw a chiropractor had fewer advanced imaging tests and fewer surgeries.

Other papers have found the same results. A 2012 study reported that chiropractic patients had the best functional recovery and pain relief for chronic back pain.

Chiropractic works by restoring the natural, pain-free function of your spine. Dr. Messerschmidt and our team help your body heal with gentle chiropractic adjustments that don't use drugs or risky surgical procedures.

Dr. Messerschmidt Can Help Patients Find Relief From Back Pain

If you live near our Juneau, AK office and would like to get out of pain, give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344 for an appointment.

Reference

Fritz JM, Kim J, Dorius J. Importance of the type of provider seen to begin health care for a new episode of low back pain: associations with future utilization and costs. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. 2015(Sep 29).

Cecchi F, et al. Predictors of functional outcome in patients with chronic low back pain undergoing back school, individual physiotherapy or spinal manipulation. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine 2012;48:371-8.

Over 2 million people are hurt each year in motor vehicle collisions in the U.S. While some people are able to heal from their injuries relatively easily, many folks are left to deal with chronic pain and disability. We see many of these patients here in our Juneau, AK office. Thankfully, Dr. Messerschmidt is here to help you recover from your auto injury.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps Prevent Chronic Pain After an Auto Accident

The science confirms what we see in our office: A British study was carried out on 28 individuals diagnosed with chronic whiplash syndrome. Each participant received chiropractic care and 93 percent of them experienced improvements following their adjustments, even though 43 percent of whiplash sufferers overall usually never find relief. This confirms that chiropractic care is a great way to avoid long-term pain after a crash.

It's important to note that research has also found that putting off care after a car crash can negatively affect healing time, so getting in to see Dr. Messerschmidt as soon as possible is key to having a speedier recovery.

We Can Help People Find Relief From Pain After a Car Accident

Dr. Messerschmidt has helped many auto injury sufferers, and we're here to help you, too. Call our Juneau, AK office today for more information or an appointment.

Resources

• Association for Safe International Road Travel. Retrieved from http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics
• Dies S & Strapp J. (1992, September). Chiropractic treatment of patients in motor vehicle accidents: a statistical analysis. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 36(3), 139-145.
• Woodward M et al. (1996, November). Chiropractic treatment of chronic 'whiplash' injuries. Injury, 27(9), 643-645.

The latest numbers show that there are over 500,000 spinal surgeries each year in the US. Although in some cases it's necessary to have back surgery, the fact is that if you can prevent this type of invasive procedure, you're often better off.

Dr. Messerschmidt is here to make sure that patients in Juneau, AK have a healthy, non-surgical option for back pain. We've helped many patients recover from back pain without the need for surgery.

There are many reasons to avoid unnecessary medical procedures: Surgeries often result in a longer recovery time and complications, neither of which is an acceptable scenario. Luckily, as one medical study has found, chiropractic may actually keep you off the surgeon's table altogether.

Research Proves Chiropractic Care Helps Avoid Back Surgery

In this study, 1,885 workers with back injuries were assessed over a three year period. When the workers first sought treatment with a surgeon, over 42 percent wound up having surgery for their pain. For patients who saw only a chiropractor, only 1.5 percent had surgery!

These findings indicate that chiropractic care can help you recover from back pain without surgical treatments.

If you live in the Juneau, AK area, Dr. Messerschmidt can probably help you with your back pain. Give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344 for more information or an appointment.

Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, et al. 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.

Approximately 2.3 million people are injured each year in motor vehicle collisions in the U.S. While some people are able to recover from their injuries relatively easily, many folks are left to deal with chronic pain and disability. We see many of these patients here in our Juneau, AK office. Thankfully, Dr. Messerschmidt is here to help you recover from your auto injury.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps Prevent Chronic Pain After an Auto Accident

The science confirms what we see in our office: A British study was conducted on 28 people diagnosed with chronic whiplash syndrome. Each participant received chiropractic treatment and 93 percent of them experienced improvements following their adjustments, even though 43 percent of whiplash sufferers overall usually never find relief. This confirms that chiropractic care is a great way to avoid long-term pain after a crash.

It's important to remember that research has also found that putting off care after a car crash can negatively affect recovery time, so getting in to see Dr. Messerschmidt immediately is key to having a quicker recovery.

We Can Help People Find Comfort From Pain After a Car crash

Dr. Messerschmidt has helped many auto injury patients, and we're here to help you, too. Call our Juneau, AK office today for more information or an appointment.

Resources

• Association for Safe International Road Travel. Retrieved from http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics
• Dies S & Strapp J. (1992, September). Chiropractic treatment of patients in motor vehicle accidents: a statistical analysis. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 36(3), 139-145.
• Woodward M et al. (1996, November). Chiropractic treatment of chronic 'whiplash' injuries. Injury, 27(9), 643-645.

We see a good number of men and women with back pain in our Juneau, AK office, and Dr. Messerschmidt has noticed that quite a few cases of back pain originate in the sacroiliac (SI) joint. Investigation has revealed that around one quarter of all back pain begins in the SI joint, and now fresh research corroborates what we see in our office: chiropractic is an effective way to treat this problem.

Research Supports Chiropractic Treatment Helps Increase Movement in the SI Joint

In the study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, thirty-two women who suffered from sacroiliac joint dysfunction were split into two groups and asked to engage in one of two treatment methods. The first group was given a chiropractic adjustment only at the sacroiliac joint, and the alternate group received an adjustment to the sacroiliac joint and the lumbar spine.

Scientists found significantly more improvements in both pain and movement immediately following treatment, two days later, and 30 days after for the patients who had been given high-velocity low-amplitude manipulation to both the sacroiliac joint and the lumbar spine. This suggests that chiropractic therapy applied to these two areas offers both prompt and long term benefits for sacroiliac joint pain sufferers even with just one treatment session.

So, if you are having trouble with sacroiliac joint pain, or have back and leg pain and would like to find out if your sacroiliac joint is the source, a visit to our Juneau, AK office may be the first and best step towards feeling better. Give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344.

Kamali F, Shokri E. The effect of two manipulative therapy techniques and their outcome in patients with sacroiliac joint syndrome. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 2012;16(1):29-35.

We manage many car accident cases in our Juneau, AK office, and a widespread symptom our patients report is neck pain. If you suffer from neck pain after a car accident, don't despair. Dr. Messerschmidt sees this type of condition very often in our Juneau, AK office. Neck pain is a common symptom after a car crash, and it's something that Dr. Messerschmidt sees often in our Juneau, AK office. What causes neck pain after a car crash? How can a chiropractor help? Why is neck pain such a common problem after a car crash? How can chiropractic care help you get better? Let's see why neck pain is frequently experienced after a car crash and see how chiropractic care can help you heal. Let's look at the root cause of neck pain after an auto collision and see how chiropractic can help. The key to recovering from neck pain caused by a crash is to understand the root cause of the problem and how chiropractic care can help. Chiropractic care can be very helpful for neck pain symptoms after a crash. Let's examine what causes neck pain and why chiropractic works. Chiropractic care is a great way to treat neck pain. Let's look at how neck pain is caused by a crash and how Dr. Messerschmidt can help you.

It's not surprising that neck pain is the most common problem experienced after a crash. Even in a car wreck, your head is rapidly thrown back and forth, so it's not surprising that neck pain is the most common symptom from this type of injury. The neck is subjected to very high stresses and strains during a collision, so it's not surprising that neck pain is so common from this type of injury. During even a low velocity car crash, your head is exposed to extremely rapid acceleration. In such accidents, a head that normally weighs about 10 pounds can instantly weigh 80 or more pounds. This force exerts a serious strain on the tissues of the cervical spine. The bones of your neck are held together with strong bands of tissue called ligaments, and these ligaments provide stability for your neck. These ligaments can be sprained during a wreck, just as the ligaments in your ankle can be sprained. A sprain means that the ligament is stretched or torn.

When you experience a sprained ligament, the injured tissues become inflamed and sore, and that's what takes place after a car crash. Your chiropractor helps by increasing movement in the injured area, which helps the tissues heal and helps lessen scar tissue.

Dr. Messerschmidt Can Help People Find Relief From Neck Pain & Help You Recover Quicker

You don't have to suffer from neck pain. Dr. Messerschmidt is conveniently located in Juneau, AK to help you heal, whether you've been in an auto collision or not. If you've been injured in a car crash and you're suffering from neck pain, Dr. Messerschmidt is here to help. Dr. Messerschmidt has been helping patients in Juneau, AK since 1983, so we know what you're living with. We're here to help you, too. Let us help you recover from neck pain. The first step is to get an accurate diagnosis to determine what's causing your pain and then we will determine an appropriate treatment strategy. Next, we'll do a careful examination to figure out the root cause of your problem, and then decide how to restore your body's natural functioning. Dr. Messerschmidt will determine what's causing your pain and then will work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344 to make an appointment.