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Dr. Ramsey works with countless sciatica patients here in our Gresham, OR office, and quite a few of these individuals were concerned that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research indicates that many people don't require surgery for this prevalent issue, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at solving sciatic nerve pain.

A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, researchers examined 80 women and men with sciatica who were referred for this procedure.

Forty patients were then randomly sorted into one of two groups. The first group received surgical microdiscectomy and the second group was given chiropractic care.

Both groups got better; however, no apparent difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Additionally, around 60 percent of the participating subjects who could not find relief from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

Put another way, chiropractic delivered the same positive advantages as surgery without having to endure the greater amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often affiliated with that particular treatment option. Plus, you also don't run the risks affiliated with surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Gresham, OR and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Ramsey a call today at (503) 667-6744. We'll help identify the origin of your pain and work hard to get you relief.

References

• McMorland, G et al. Manipulation or microdiskectomy for sciatica? A prospective randomized clinical study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2010;33(8):576-584.
• Solberg TK, Nygaard OP, Sjaavik K, Hofoss D, Ingebrigtsen T. The risk of "getting worse" after lumbar microdiscectomy. European Spine Journal 2005;14(1):49-54.
  

According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more people in the US suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. On top of that, neck pain is the third most documented type of pain, beat out only by back pain and headaches.

Not surprisingly, many people come to our Gresham, OR office looking for neck pain treatment, and Dr. Ramsey has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart choice, as some research shows that over 90% of neck pain patients benefit from chiropractic care.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic Works

A report published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy involved 64 people who were suffering with neck problems. Around half were placed in an experimental group and the other half were assigned to a comparison group. Both received chiropractic adjustments of the neck as well as a home exercise program, while the experimental group also received adjustments of the thoracic spine.

Data was gathered before treatment began and one week after the adjustments. Researchers found that 94 percent of the experimental group claimed "significantly greater improvements" in regard to pain and disability in their neck symptoms. Just 35% of the patients who received neck adjustments showed the same level of improvement, showing that looking at the entire spinal column is an important part of restoring the body's normal function.

Another study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 who were suffering with neck pain. Each man or woman was randomly allocated to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with follow-up exams occurring two and four days after the adjustments.

Researchers found that the study patients who received the thrust manipulations (the same adjustments that provided such positive results in the first report) "experienced greater reductions in disability" than the group that received the non-thrust manipulations. Their pain was lower as well, which shows that this type of approach offers many benefits.

Help After Failed Neck Surgery

One study also found the same sort of positive outcomes after thoracic adjustments in a woman who had a failed neck surgical procedure. This particular case involved a 46-year-old patient who had recently had neck surgery but still endured neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.

The woman reported reduced pain in her neck and lower headache intensity, right after the first chiropractic adjustments. After six weeks of care, which involved chiropractic, exercise, and patient education, the patient still placed her pain at a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. Her neck disability improved as well, with a rating score that represented that it was a "great deal better."

It is scientific studies like these that substantiate the effectiveness of chiropractic care, even if you've already attempted medical procedures that didn't provide relief. So, if you are dealing with neck pain and would like to find a solution that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the help you're looking for.

We're located in Gresham, OR and Dr. Ramsey can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (503) 667-6744.

References

• AAPM facts and figures on pain. The American Academy of Pain Medicine.
• Masaracchio M, Cleland JA, Hellman M, Hagins M. Short-term combined effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation and cervical spine nonthrust manipulation in individuals with mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2013;43(3):118-127.
• Cleland JA, Glynn P, Whitman JM, Eberhart SL, MacDonald C, Childs JD. Short-term effects of thrust versus nonthrust mobilization/manipulation directed at the thoracic spine in patients with neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Physical Therapy 2007;87(4):431-440.
• Salvatori R, Rowe RH, Osborne R, Beneciuk JM. Use of thoracic spine thrust manipulation for neck pain and headache in a patient following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a case report. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2014;44(6):440-449.
  

Knee pain is a common issue for patients in our Gresham, OR chiropractic office, and Dr. Ramsey has happily provided many of these folks relief. This is largely because chiropractic care has been found to help with many forms of knee pain.

For example, some people experience pain in and around the knee area due to degenerative arthritis. Research has shown that this condition responds very well to chiropractic--and rather quickly, too. In fact, one article published in The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association found that individuals with osteoarthritis in their knees felt considerable pain relief and improved function after just two weeks of chiropractic care.

If your knee pain is due to a medial meniscus sprain, chiropractic could likely help with that as well. One study reported that integrating 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 necessary in order to rectify the issue, and if that's the case, chiropractic can also help improve the outcome. How?

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Knee Pain

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

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

Sources

• 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 lot of men and women with headaches in our Gresham, OR office, and Dr. Ramsey has been able to help many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that half of all adults have difficulties with some manner of headache disorder, so this certainly isn’t surprising. One of the most prevalent kinds of headaches that our patients deal with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily for us, chiropractic can generally help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from issues in the cervical spine. It could be because of an issue with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine creates squeezing or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can generate headache pain.

How can you find out if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from being given a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Since cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever issue is generating them is corrected, it is essential to get treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that provides a considerable amount of pain relief.

In one study released in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts followed 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. One-half were given chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic delivered the best outcomes.

Specifically, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments gave patients better pain relief and reduced the frequency of headaches that occurred. What's more, it also lessened the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Ramsey can do for you and your headache pain, call us 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 many back pain patients in our Gresham, OR practice, and Dr. Ramsey has been able to help a lot of them get relief with chiropractic. However, dealing with back problems doesn't necessarily mean having to decide between chiropractic care and medical treatment, as many people utilize both types of care with great results.

Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Treatment Work Well with Each Other

In a study published by the medical journal Spine researchers¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who reported both acute pain and limited function due to back symptoms. Some of the patients engaged in treatment via standard medical therapy, while the remainder were given chiropractic care together with regular medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which group fared better.

Researchers found that the patients who received standard medical care combined with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the group that got medical care alone; 73 percent reported positive benefits in comparison to just 17% 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.

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

Where Chiropractic Care Wins

Although it might seem as if each approach plays a 50/50 role, there is one major benefit that chiropractic care has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a piece of research from UCLA² that was printed in the American Journal of Public Health reports that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical care.

According to the researchers, the main aspects that patients favored over medical care were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't surprising, as chiropractors commonly 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 Offers a Non-Invasive Approach

Certainly, the techniques associated with chiropractic are very different than those available with medical therapy, but a large amount of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. In contrast to focusing on only relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means searching for the primary cause of your pain, which often results in greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

Additionally, while medication is sometimes helpful for managing certain conditions, many health issues respond well to a natural approach like chiropractic. This means fewer negative side effects from prescriptions and more permanent recovery.

You don't have to endure back pain or other health issues. Give our Gresham, OR office a call today at (503) 667-6744. 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.

Shoulder Pain is a common problem after an auto injury, and it's something that Dr. Robert Ramsey sees often in our Gresham, OR office. The key to recovering from shoulder pain caused by a crash is to understand the root cause of the problem and how chiropractic care can help.

There are at least two ways that you can develop shoulder pain after an accident: by direct injury to the shoulder or by referred pain from the neck.

Direct trauma can be caused by striking your shoulder on a hard surface in the car during the impact, or can occur if you have a tight grip on the steering wheel during a rear end collision. With this type of injury, you'll often be aware of the pain shortly after the crash.

More frequently, Dr. Robert Ramsey finds that shoulder or arm pain does not immediately appear after a collision, but starts a few days or weeks after the injury. This type of shoulder discomfort actually starts in the cervical spine. Injured soft tissue in your spine can tweak nerves in your neck, causing numbness, tingling, or soreness in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

We've worked with both kinds of shoulder pain in our Gresham, OR office. This approach involves chiropractic adjustments to restore your spine's natural flexibility and home exercises that strengthen your neck and shoulder.

Dr. Robert Ramsey is here in Gresham, OR to help you recover from shoulder pain. We've been helping patients since 1997 and we can probably help you, too. Dr. Robert Ramsey will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Ready to make an appointment? Give us a call at (503) 667-6744 and we'll get you back on the road to health.

If you live in Gresham, OR and you've been in a car wreck, you need to know that you don't have to suffer from chronic symptoms.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Pain after an Auto Injury

We see a lot of auto injury patients in our Gresham, OR office, and a lot of these people are suffering from chronic pain caused by an old accident. As a matter of fact, research shows that a significant proportion of rear-end accidents lead to pain and disability even ten years after the original trauma.

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

The most common causes of chronic issues are reduced mobility of your spine and the formation of scar tissue in your spine. The ligaments of your neck and back can easily be injured during a crash, and chiropractic care works by decreasing inflammation and restoring normal movement.

We Can Help With Chronic Pain and Auto Injury Recovery

If you're near our Gresham, OR office, and you've been hurt in a crash, don't wait to get care. Dr. Robert Ramsey is here for you. Give us a call today at (503) 667-6744 for an appointment or for more information.

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

We've treated many auto accident patients in our Gresham, OR office, and Dr. Robert Ramsey has been treating people with these types of injuries since 1997. During a car wreck, your body is exposed to large forces that it simply wasn't built to deal with. These forces place stress and strain on your neck, shoulder, and back, and can result in injury to the ligaments that hold your neck and back together. A crash can cause a wide variety of pain issues.

A ligament sprain in the neck can result in pain, swelling, and radicular problems 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 tissues.

Dr. Robert Ramsey Can Help Patients Recover From an Auto Injury

Dr. Robert Ramsey, your Gresham, OR chiropractor, can assist by decreasing irritation in the damaged area and can help decrease the formation of scar tissue that can cause chronic pain and disability.

You don't have to suffer from auto injury pain. Discover more about how we can help you get well or call Dr. Robert Ramsey today at (503) 667-6744.

Jaw pain is a fairly common problem experienced by people after a car wreck, and it can be tough for some doctors to find the cause of the problem. Complicating the issue, very often you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after a crash.

Dr. Robert Ramsey has helped 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 clearly cause pain in the neck and back, but since your central nervous system is one functioning unit, irritation of the nerves can cause issues in other parts of your body.

For instance, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause prickling or pins and needles in the arm and hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured tissues, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Robert Ramsey sees this very often in our Gresham, OR office.

Research Proves Chiropractic Lessens TMJ Pain After an Auto Injury

Studies have shown that the root of many jaw or TMJ symptoms begins in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Robert Ramsey will work to return your spine back to health, decreasing the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and eliminating the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

Dr. Robert Ramsey finds that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.

If you reside in Gresham, OR and you've been injured in a crash, Dr. Robert Ramsey can help. We've been treating auto injury patients since 1997, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (503) 667-6744 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.

Approximately 2.3 million people are hurt every year in motor vehicle collisions in the U.S. While some people are able to recover from their injuries relatively easily, others are left to deal with chronic pain and disability. We see many of these patients here in our Gresham, OR office. Thankfully, Dr. Robert Ramsey is here to help you heal 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 individuals 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 is a great way to avoid long-term pain after an auto injury.

It's important to note that studies have also found that putting off care after a car crash can adversely affect recovery time, so getting in to see Dr. Robert Ramsey as soon as possible is key to having a speedier recovery.

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

Dr. Robert Ramsey has worked with many auto injury sufferers, and we're here to help you, too. Call our Gresham, OR office today for more information or an appointment.

Sources

• 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.