Recent Posts

We encounter a lot of sports injuries in our Tumwater office, and Dr. Harrell is often able to assist these athletes. Stanford Children’s Hospital reports that over 3.5 million children of the ages 14 and below are injured each year when playing sports. Add that to the close to 2 million adults hurt every year while participating in sports-related activities, as reported by statistics collected by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and you can start to see the importance of minimizing these types of common injuries. One approach to possible realize that goal, according to a study published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, is to receive routine chiropractic treatments.

In Australian Rules football, hamstring and other leg injuries are common, often sidelining the players and impacting their team's likelihood of securing a win. One particular study was administered using 59 semi-elite Australian Rules footballers to see how well chiropractic could diminish these injuries and help keep them playing.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps in Treating Sports Injuries

For this study specifically, every one of the volunteers got medical treatment. Additionally, half of them also engaged in chiropractic sessions at the rate of 1 treatment per week for the first six weeks, biweekly treatments for the next three months, and one session each month for the final three months of the study. The other group were given no chiropractic intervention at all and were used as the control group to assess the benefits of chiropractic.

After twenty-four matches, scientists noted a reduced number of lower limb muscle strains in the group that had been given chiropractic care. Additionally, that same group also missed fewer matches related to non-contact knee injuries. This lead the researchers to come to the conclusion that chiropractic ought to be made an addition to sports training programs to dramatically lessen the quantity of leg injuries.

Dr. Harrell Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Sports Injuries & Help You Recover Quicker

If you or your child plays sports and you would like to make sure greater time is dedicated on the field versus on the sidelines, call our Tumwater office at (360) 489-0635 and make an appointment today. We will do our best to keep you in the game!

References

• Hoskins, W, & Pollard, H. (2010, April 8). 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, 11(64), doi:10.1186/1471-2474-11-64
• Misra, A. (2014, March 17). Common sports injuries: Incidence and average charges. Department of Health & Human Services.
• Stanford Children’s Hospital. (n.d.). Sports injury statistics.

According to research, approximately 2-5 percent of the population will suffer from painful ailments like frozen shoulder syndrome at some time in their lives. That makes shoulder-related pain a common problem and one that Dr. Harrell sees in our Tumwater office on a regular basis.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Shoulder Pain

Generally, this ailment is more prevalent for people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and it tends to affect women more often than men. While ice, heat, and gentle stretching can sometimes help relieve the pain, so too can chiropractic adjustments.

As an example, a study released in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine looked at 50 people with frozen shoulder who were given chiropractic care. The duration of care ranged from 11 days to 51 days, with 28 days being the average.

The authors found that nearly all of the patients fared very well with chiropractic care. The study found:

8 of the subjects reported 50-75 percent improvement
25 indicated improvement ranging from 75- 90 percent
1 participant had complete resolution of their frozen shoulder pain

Only one participant reported an improvement of 50 percent or less, so reports like this demonstrate just how effective chiropractic can be when it comes to decreasing shoulder pain and increasing quality of life.

We Can Help People Find Relief From Shoulder Pain

Let Dr. Harrell help you ease your suffering by contacting our Tumwater office and scheduling your appointment today.

Resources

Murphy F et al. (2012, December). Chiropractic management of frozen shoulder syndrome using a novel technique: a retrospective case series of 50 patients. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine;11(4):267-272

Dr. Harrell works with countless sciatica patients here in our Tumwater office, and quite a few of these individuals were concerned that they might require surgery to eliminate their pain. The most recent research shows that a large number of people don't require surgery for this prevalent issue, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at resolving sciatic nerve pain.

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

Forty patients were then randomly placed in one of two groups. The first group was to receive surgical microdiscectomy and the second group received 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, roughly 60 percent of the participating subjects who could not find relief from any other treatment method "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

Simply put, chiropractic delivered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to endure the increased amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often affiliated with that particular treatment option. Additionally, you also don't run the risks affiliated with surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery ought to be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Tumwater and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Harrell a call today at (360) 489-0635. We'll help identify the source 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.
  

While many women automatically assume that back pain and pregnancy go hand in hand, they are often surprised when they learn that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, chiropractic adjustments can often help relieve persistant back pain for pregnant women by as much as 85%.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Pregnancy

Dr. Harrell has helped many pregnant women with back pain in our Tumwater office.

A research study published in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies involved 115 women who were pregnant (most of which were in their third trimester) and reported pain in their low back, pelvic area, or both. Data was gathered prior to the study, as well as one week, one month, three months, and one year after treatment commenced. At each subsequent point in time, the participants were asked to rate their level of pain based on a 7-point scale to determine whether it was better, worse, or stayed the same. The results?

More than half reported that their pain was better after one week of chiropractic treatment. After one month, that amount jumped up to 70 percent, climbing even more to 85 percent showing improvement at the three month mark. Improvement was still reported at six months post-treatment, which was generally after childbirth, and continued to the final data collection one year after treatment commenced.

There are also many additional advantages of chiropractic care during pregnancy. Not only does it efficiently ease back pain, but it does it in a completely natural and non-invasive way. This means that you don't have to worry about taking any drugs or undergoing any type of treatment that could potentially harm your unborn child.

Dr. Harrell Can Help People Find Relief From Back Pain During Pregnancy

Additionally, it makes your time spent carrying your child more pleasant. When you're not distracted with aches and pains, you can enjoy the experience even more as you prepare your home and your life for all of the fun and exciting changes that lie ahead.

You don't have to suffer from back pain during pregnancy. We're here in Tumwater to help with natural chiropractic care. Give us a call today at (360) 489-0635 to make an appointment.

Peterson CK, Muhlemann D, & Humphreys BK. Outcomes of pregnant patients with low back pain undergoing chiropractic treatment: a prospective cohort study with short term, medium term and 1 year follow-up. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2014;22(15):doi:10.1186/2045-709X-22-15.

According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more Americans suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. What's more, neck pain is the third most documented type of pain, beat out only by lower back pain and headache.

Not surprisingly, many people come to our Tumwater office seeking neck pain care, and Dr. Harrell has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart decision, as some research indicates that over 90 percent of neck pain patients improve with chiropractic.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic Effective for Neck Pain

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

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

Yet another study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 who reported 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 examinations occurring two and four days after the adjustments.

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

Help After Failed Medical Procedures

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

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

It is studies like these that prove the advantages of chiropractic techniques, even if you've already attempted neck surgery that didn't provide relief. So, if you are dealing with neck problems and would like to find a remedy that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the relief you're looking for.

We're located in Tumwater and Dr. Harrell can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (360) 489-0635.

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.
  

With the Migraine Research Foundation reporting that migraine headaches affect 38 million adults and children in the United States (more than diabetes and asthma put together), it's not surprising that Dr. Harrell sees a lot of migraine patients in our Tumwater office. Although some folks choose to relieve migraine pain with drugs, chiropractic is a great, all-natural approach that usually provides positive results.

Research Shows Chiropractic Care Helps With Migraines

For example, one study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics involved 127 participants ranging in age from 10 to 70-years-old who struggled with regular (at least monthly) migraines. Each subject received up to 16 chiropractic sessions. The patients noted that their headache frequency, duration, and disability two months before the treatments began, during the duration of the sessions (which was two months), and two months post-treatment.

What the authors discovered is that chiropractic reduced the frequency, duration, and disability of the migraine headaches when compared with the control group who didn't receive chiropractic. Furthermore, this enabled them to take less medication for the pain, providing them an all-natural answer for a chronic condition.

Another study found that a combination of chiropractic and neck massage reduced migraine headaches almost 68%.

If you have migraine pain and are looking for relief, call Dr. Harrell today and request an appointment in our Tumwater chiropractic office. We'll do what we can to help you become pain-free!

Studies

Migraine Fact Sheet. Migraine Research Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/fact-sheet.html on November 2, 2015
Noudeh Y et al. (2012). Reduction of current migraine headache pain following neck massage and spinal manipulation. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork;5(1):5-13
Tuchin P et al. (2000, February). A randomized controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;23(2):91-5

Knee pain is a frequent issue for patients in our Tumwater chiropractic practice, and Dr. Harrell has successfully provided many of these men and women relief. This is mostly because chiropractic care has been found to help with many kinds of knee pain.

For example, some individuals experience pain in and around the knee area due to degenerative arthritis. Research has confirmed 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 people with osteoarthritis in their knees felt significant pain relief and enhanced function after just two weeks of chiropractic care.

If your knee pain is as a result of a medial meniscus sprain, chiropractic could likely help with that as well. One study reported that integrating chiropractic with soft tissue treatment, 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 repair 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 shown that people with low back pain often have less positive outcomes after knee surgery. So, dealing with your back pain through chiropractic prior to having a total knee arthroplasty can help with your post-surgery recovery.

No matter what your knee issue, Dr. Harrell can likely help. Call our Tumwater practice 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 men and women with headaches in our Tumwater office, and Dr. Harrell has been able to aid many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that one half of all adults have difficulties with some sort of headache problem, so this really isn’t a surprise. One of the most typical varieties of headaches that our patients have problems with is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can often help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from issues in the cervical spine. It can easily be attributable to an issue with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be attributable to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine can cause constriction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can result in headache pain.

How do you tell if the headache you are struggling with is a cervicogenic headache? Besides receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Because cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is generating them is remedied, it is vital to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that can provide a considerable amount of relief.

In one study released in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts studied 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent got chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the best effects.

Specifically, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments gave patients more significant pain relief and reduced the frequency of headaches that occurred. Moreover, it also diminished the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Harrell can do for you and your headache pain, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you need!

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 Tumwater office with ankle sprains but Dr. Harrell 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), an estimated 25,000 men and women in the US sprain their ankles daily. As a matter of fact, these injuries make up nearly 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 occur 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. Harrell Help?

A report published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics set out to discover chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. Researchers enrolled 33 individuals 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 remaining 15 individuals received chiropractic in addition to rehabilitation. Each person had five full weeks of treatments, with the rehabilitation group receiving therapy seven days a week and the rehabilitation plus chiropractic group receiving treatment six out of the seven days.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Ankle Sprains

Researchers found that the people who had both rehab and chiropractic fared the best at the 4-week mark when it came to pain and joint restriction. Furthermore, no undesirable effects were reported, showing that this treatment option is safe.

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

Bibliography

• 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 with fibromyalgia, you are not alone, as Dr. Harrell sees many people with this particular condition in our Tumwater chiropractic office. 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 Supports Chiropractic Eases Fibromyalgia

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

The subjects who received chiropractic adjustments in addition to the multi-modal therapy approach reported greater results in all areas (pain, sleep, depression, and anxiety) at three months post-treatment when compared to the study patients who received multi-modal treatment without chiropractic care. In addition, those positive outcomes were long-lasting as the people reported continued improvement one full year later.

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

You don't have to suffer! To see what Dr. Harrell can do for your fibromyalgia pain, call our Tumwater 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.