freehold chiropractic Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Hometown Family Wellness Center

May 11 2020

Avoid Back Surgery with Freehold Chiropractic

You can avoid back surgery by seeing a chiropractor! A new study in the journal Spine studies injured workers treated for back pain. About 2000 workers who had back injuries were researched and found to have less frequency of spinal surgery if they were treated by a chiropractor. Those

Chiropractic helps patients avoid back surgery.

workers who first visited medical doctors versus chiropractors had a lot higher frequency of getting back surgery. Those patients under medical care were 28 times more likely to get surgery. 43% of the patients under medical care received the costly and risky surgery, where only 1.5 % of chiropractic patients did.

This is a significant finding in that many more people can be helped to avoid back surgery. This can help a patient in many areas. Not only in outcome assessment, but allowing patients to once again enjoy their daily activities. Whether you like to be able to just walk, exercise, play sports, or spend more quality time with family, chiropractic has the highest success rates of all treatment options.

Also the more people that avoid back surgery cuts the costs and risks of treatment. Some studies show that spinal surgery has under a 50% success rate. What happens to the other 50%? They still have pain or more pain than before and also the high risk of paralysis or even death. On top of that, a successful surgery is considered a patient that gets 1 to 5 years of relief of their back pain. This leads to more expensive and risky surgeries.

What about the cost of surgery? Spinal surgery can average about $50,000! That’s an exorbitant amount of money for a very low successful procedure. On other hand, chiropractic can range for treatment in the $1000 to $3000 range to gain your life back. Therefore chiropractic is much more cost effective.

Dr. Russell Brokstein of Hometown Family Wellness Center in Freehold NJ explains, “Chiropractic improves the patients outcomes by addressing the actual cause of the pain rather than just covering up the symptoms with pain medications, muscle relaxers or dreaded spinal surgery. Yes there are times when spinal surgery can’t be avoided but it should be the last resort.”

Help anybody you know who suffers with neck or back pain avoid surgery by sharing this article with them. Chiropractic provides natural and effective relief of back or neck pain to help many people avoid back surgery. If you live in the Freehold, NJ area and would like to find out more click here

May 11 2020

Steps to Finally Get Sciatica Relief

You’ve had enough and need to get sciatica relief! That numbness and tingling going down your leg is not only annoying but

To get optimal sciatica relief we need to know the pattern of pain

is affecting many aspects of your life. The medications your doctor prescribes is only providing temporary relief because it just masks the symptoms and you are worried about the side effects.

It’s important to find a doctor that not only knows what sciatica is but also what is causing it and then takes steps to correct it. A thorough history and evaluation needs to be done. Some factors need to be ruled out first: Many people don’t realize drugs like cholesterol medications can be a cause of pain and numbness in the legs. So make sure if you are on these medications, the doctor is aware of this. It’s also important to make sure you aren’t suffering with diabetes. Most medical treatments do not find the cause, they just cover up the symptoms.

So the first step in getting the sciatica relief you want is to find a doctor that actually finds the cause! Doctors of chiropractic do a thorough orthopedic and chiropractic evaluation which isolate the cause. Once the cause is known it’s easier to correct it. We need to know is there a subluxation in the spine putting pressure on the branches of the sciatic nerve, is there

Chiropractors that use myovision scans have data that show the levels of imbalance

compression of the disc irritating the nerve, possibly the piriformis muscle is putting pressure on the nerve or there could possibly be imbalances in the ankle, feet or knees. There are many ways of examining this and an important part I believe is doing a myovision state of the art computerized scan which identify areas of concern. The severity of nerve and muscle problems are visual documented and then the examination can then concentrate on those areas.

Now that we know there is pressure in the nerves and muscle imbalances, analysis of range of motions will show which joints are misaligned. Along with palpation, leg length discrepancies and other evaluation techniques a chiropractor knows where and when to adjust.

But how do we know the severity of the cause of the sciatica? Basic orthopedic tests can show us if there are disc problems, sprain or strain injuries, and evaluating flexibility of the hamstrings, quads and piriformis muscles can lead to other avenues to provide the sciatica relief. It’s imperative that the doctor you go to not only do chiropractic adjustments but also therapeutic stretching to address these muscular imbalances. If the piriformis muscle is hypertonic it can put pressure on the sciatic nerve. Just adjusting the spinal vertebra will not correct the piriformis syndrome.

Finally, what about the feet, ankles and knees? Problems in these areas can be leading to low back strain, misalignments of the lumbo-pelvic region, disc problems and tight piriformis muscles. Some chiropractors evaluate the joints of the extremities and will adjust them. Some will even check your arches in your feet to make sure they are properly supported. If the arches are not supported it will cause the feet to pronate or supinate which will then cause all the other problems. It’s like driving a car with misaligned tires… the tires wear out and if you just put new tires on them without doing a realignment, the new tires will wear out more quickly.

When seeking sciatica relief it is very important to find a chiropractor that takes this full body approach of finding the causes of the problem. In our Freehold Chiropractic office, Dr. Russell Brokstein takes this approach of a thorough examination, using gentle chiropractic adjusting, extremity work, therapeutic stretching, exercise and orthotics to support the feet. Dr. Brokstein has been providing sciatica relief to local residents for the last 16 years.

May 11 2020

Natural Treatment for Sacroiliac Pain

Do you experience back pain? Did you know many times the pain is coming from dysfunction of the sacroiliac joint? This joint is at the base of

the spine on either side of the sacrum where it connects to the ilium. These joints can become misaligned. Trauma to the joints, difference in leg length, altered mechanics of the ankles, feet, knees and hips and even pregnancy can be the cause. Arthritis and conditions like Ankylosing Spondylitis, and even dropped arches leading to pronation can cause the sacroliac joints to misalign resulting in your low back pain. Natural treatment for sacroiliac pain addresses these underlying causes.

The Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation published a new study:

Manipulation and selective exercises decrease pelvic anteversion and low-back pain: a pilot study.

The study tested how a combination of spinal adjustments along with exercise affected the pelvic instability in providing natural treatment for sacroiliac pain. Seven patients with low back pain and forward tilting pelvis were put under a treatment plan of 3 times per week for 8 weeks using adjustments at the sacroiliac joints along with exercise of the hamstrings and quadriceps.

Different forms of assessment were used before and after treatment to show success of this natural treatment for sacroiliac pain. All categories tested showed improvement. The study concluded: “The eight-week manipulation/exercise protocol was effective for these subjects’ needs. Further research should include a greater sample size to confirm the results and to determine the lead factors of pelvic stability.”

In our Freehold Chiropractic office, Hometown Family Wellness Center, Dr. Russell Brokstein uses this protocol of treating patients. Natural treatment of sacroiliac pain addresses the cause of the pain, not just covering up symptoms with harmful medications. Dr. Russell performs gentle chiropractic techniques to adjust the misaligned joints. This removes pressure from the ligaments, muscles, nerves and joint. Then using therapeutic stretching he further balances the musculoskeletal system to strengthen and maintain the spine. This helps prevent future problems and allows patients to enjoy normal daily activities.

For further information on natural treatment for sacroiliac pain, read our other blog that discusses treatment of pregnant women experiencing pain and chiropractic getting better results than steroid injections and Physical Therapy by clicking here: Sacroiliac Joint Pain Helped Best by Chiropractic.

If you or somebody you know suffer with low back pain or sciatica, share this article with them as it can help them correct the problem.

May 11 2020

Spinal Degeneration Risk Factors

Spinal degeneration occurs naturally as we age with the normal grind of daily living. The discs naturally break down forming arthritic type changes. The joints start to decay, calcification builds up, and the discs lose their ability to absorb shock. Sounds very similar to tooth decay right? Well you know if you don’t continually take care of your teeth with brushing, flossing, rinsing and periodically seeing a dentist, the process occurs more rapidly.

Spinal Degeneration progresses unless you address the risk factors

Spinal degeneration can occur at every level of the spine: the neck or cervical spine, mid back and lower or lumbar spine. You might not notice the pain at first but as it progresses more pain is felt. You can also notice restricted motion and reduced ability to perform normal activities. Almost half of the population aged 40 years or older experiences pain from spinal degeneration. After 80 years old about 80 percent of the population suffers with this condition.

Studies have shown risk factors of spinal degeneration. By limiting these factors and promoting spinal hygiene, we can reduce degeneration and improve quality of life, especially as we age.

From 1997 to 2007, 197 individuals were studied every 2 years using xrays to measure disc heights in the lumbar spine. It was found disc heights decreased at each level gradually over the years on average of 5.8%. The likelihood of disc degeneration increased more in females, those who had knee osteoarthritis and those who had back pain at the start of the study.

Another study shows that smoking cigarettes increases disc degeneration, weakening of spinal ligaments and spinal instability. Evidence suggests that the severity of degeneration is worse in smokers than non smokers. Smoking causes physiological changes that increases the spinal decay.

A study in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association shows the benefit of manual therapy on osteoarthritic knee pain. After just 2 weeks, those receiving manual therapy for 3 times per week for 2 weeks experienced less pain, improved movement and ability to perform general activities which were previously more difficult.

Other risk factors that increase spinal degeneration and back pain are:

Occupation hazards: If you do a lot of bending, lifting or long periods of sitting and standing without breaks.
Genetics: There is some evidence that there is some inherited component
Sedentary lifestyle: Those not active without regular exercise have higher risk of back pain and severity of pain.
Excessive weight: Weight increases stress on the joints, ligaments, tendons and discs
Poor posture: Slouching, sitting at a computer, texting and other modern technology, driving hunched, bad sleeping positions and lifting things improperly or just some things that increase stress to the spinal segments.
Hydration: 80% of your body is water. Most people are dehydrated which leads to tissues being “dried out”. Think of a sponge that you leave on the counter for an extended period without putting water on it, it will dry out and becomes brittle. Your muscles, tendons, ligaments and discs are similiar and become more fragile.

Spinal degeneration can be reduced and prevented with spinal hygiene. I describe it like dental hygiene as previously mentioned in this article. It’s very important to limit the risks listed above. Work on your posture, keep active with exercise, maintain a healthy weight, stop smoking, stretch regularly while at work, use proper form lifting and bending, and keep properly hydrated (drink half your body weight in water) and limit products that contain caffeine like coffee or energy drinks as caffeine leads to dehydration.

Most importantly go to a Chiropractor to help keep your joints moving and aligned. Chiropractic adjustments remove back pain and help reduce risk factors of spinal degeneration. Unlike tooth decay where you can replace your teeth, you are born with one spine that cannot be replaced!

In our Freehold chiropractic office, we use a combination of adjustments, therapeutic stretching and exercises to get you the full benefits of care in preventing spinal degeneration. Let us help you live a long, healthy, active lifestyle!

May 11 2020

6 Steps to Balance Hormones Naturally in Women

Millions of women are affected annually by imbalances of hormones and the situation keeps getting worse. There are many estrogen type chemicals that impact women more than men. Some of these include plastics, household cleaners and environmental toxins. Women normally experience hormonal changes as they get older but are experiencing imbalances earlier in life due to these chemicals. The changes that occur can be very stressful on the body. Some symptoms that can occur: depression and anxiety, digestive problems, hair loss, sleep problems, excessive sweating, food cravings, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, weight gain, low libido, PMS, and menopause. It’s important to balance hormones naturally.

The effects women are experiencing have caused them to seek medical help. Unfortunately like everything else the doctors take drastic measures. Women experiencing symptoms from hormonal imbalance are being treated with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Doctors that prescribe HRT state the benefits outweigh the risks. Current research proves the opposite showing it is much more hazardous than doctors are stating. One particular Hormone Replacement Therapy study of over 1 million women showed fatal breast cancer drastically increased with this form of treatment.

Knowing how harmful treatments like HRT can be, it’s time you know there are natural ways to help balance

It's Important to Balance Hormones Naturally to avoid risks of Medical Treatment — It’s Important to Balance Hormones Naturally to avoid risks of Medical Treatment

hormones. I recommend Six Steps in Achieving Hormonal Balance. These include reduction of pain and inflammation, reduce toxic substances, nutritional cleansing, correcting adrenal dysfunction, optimal supplementation, and stress reduction techniques.

Pain and Inflammation can impact your adrenal glands. These glands help balance your adrenaline, norepenephrine, cortisol and DHEA. The adrenal glands are also called the stress glands. They help balance the stress incurred on the body. By reducing pain and inflammation it takes the impact off these glands. Also, Chiropractic removes the cause of pain and inflammation. Even better is that chiropractic doesn’t involve toxic medications.
Reduce toxicity in the body. A toxic body has a low pH level which is acidic. The body is unhealthy when it is acidic. Studies show that cancer, viruses and many harmful bacteria thrive in an acidic environment. First you should avoid fast food and processed items. Next, you should eliminate refined vegetable oils, refined sugars and harmful additives that are in many foods. Many household cleaners and plastic food containers contain estrogen like substances so they should be removed from your house. These small changes can make a huge difference in your health.
A build up of chemicals and toxins has occurred over time. I recommend my patients to complete a nutritional cleanse program. This involves different supplements that help remove the toxins while putting optimal nutrition into the body to help it heal naturally. After our nutritional cleanse, most people already start to feel better with improved energy, better sleep, improved mental clarity and further reduction in pain.
Reduction of stress is another important step to balance hormones naturally. Chronic stress causes the adrenal glands to produce excessive cortisol. This causes a suppression of production of estrogen. Meditation, exercise, breathing activities are some calming activities. Getting proper amount of sleep between 7 and 9 hours helps to reduce stress. In our Freehold chiropractic office we also use biofeedback stress reduction therapy. This helps find sensitivities that stress your entire body, including organs and cells. We are one of only 4 offices in all of NJ that utilize this form of therapy.
Nutrition is a key component to balance hormones naturally. It’s important to eat bright colored vegetables and dark leafy greens. Eat fish, chicken, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grain rice and quinoa. Many of these foods have the precursor nutrients the body needs to make hormones on its own. Make sure the fish and chicken are organic so they are not injected with hormones, steroids and antibiotics. Yams, peas, cucumbers, papaya as well as other fruit and vegetables have micro-nutrients that help the body to synthesize hormones. Providing the body with healthy nutrition aides the body in correcting hormonal imbalances without the use of harmful synthetic drugs and replacement therapies. Avoid simple starches, refined foods and sugars as well as caffeine (coffee, sodas and energy drinks) as these destroy your adrenal glands. Soy is another substance to avoid as it’s known to cause hormonal imbalances and increase in cancer.
Supplementation can additionally help in balance hormones naturally. A combination of herbs and vitamins are important to bring the body to balance. We use Ragland’s test to check to see if your adrenal glands are functioning normally. If they are insufficient the body’s hormones will be out of balance. If you test positive for adrenal dysfunction we recommend an adrenal and stress support supplement that helps get the gland to function normally.

When our patients follow these 6 steps they receive extraordinary results. The symptoms you experience with imbalanced hormones is not normal. You will be pleasantly surprised how you feel when you balance hormones naturally. You deserve to be healthy and enjoy life without the harmful effects of treatments like HRT.

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