Recent Posts

We see quite a few patients in our Tumwater office with ankle sprains but Dr. Harrell has had a lot of success helping them recover more quickly. Why are ankle sprains so common and how can chiropractic care help?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), approximately 25,000 men and women in the US sprain their ankles every day. 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 happen due to one forceful movement, or it can develop over time, and exercises that increase the risk for this type of ankle sprain include running and jumping. You're also at risk if you have previous 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 identify chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. Researchers recruited 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 area in the previous six weeks.

Eighteen of the participants were assigned to receive rehabilitation and the other 15 individuals received chiropractic adjustments in addition to rehabilitation. Each person had five full weeks of therapy, with the rehabilitation group receiving therapies seven days a week and the rehabilitation plus chiropractic group receiving care six out of the seven days.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Ankle Sprains

The study found that the individuals who participated in both rehabilitation and chiropractic fared the best at the 4-week mark when it came to pain and joint restriction. Also, 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 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. Harrell sees many patients with this particular problem 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. Thankfully, chiropractic care is one treatment option that can provide positive results.

Research Shows Chiropractic Eases Fibromyalgia

In a study published in mid-2015, 215 women and men with fibromyalgia were evaluated 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 treatment plan for three months and the second group receiving the same program plus chiropractic adjustments (specifically, to the upper neck area) for the same length of time.

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

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

You don't have to suffer! To find out 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.

Regrettably, many of our Tumwater patients know the pain caused by a herniated disc all too well. Fortunately, Dr. Harrell has helped many people with disc pain, and a number of medical studies have confirmed that chiropractic can help patients recover from this kind of problem.

Research on Herniated Discs and Chiropractic

In one study, a group of doctors from Switzerland selected 148 patients who were suffering with pain in their low back and legs due to a disc herniation (which was confirmed through magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI). Each individual then received chiropractic adjustments that focused on the location of his or her disc herniation.

Data was collected after the preliminary treatment session at set intervals--namely, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year--to ascertain what kind of short-term and long-term effects, if any, chiropractic care offers when it comes to resolving this particular condition. Among the data gathered was the person's self-reported changes in both back and leg pain.

Investigators found that, overall, 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 people who were defined as "chronic" still claimed 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 study, a 26-year-old male 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 suffered with these symptoms for more than two years after sustaining a sports injury, and his herniated disc was confirmed via MRI.

After receiving chiropractic care, "The patient responded favorably and his multi-symptom complex resolved within 90 days of treatment." In addition, the patient was still enjoying 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 ache caused by a herniated disc and want to find some relief, chiropractic may well be an effective solution.

Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our Tumwater office a call today at (360) 489-0635 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.
  

Dr. Harrell sees a lot of patients struggling with carpal tunnel syndrome in our busy Tumwater chiropractic office. While some people think that the origin of this wrist-related pain is muscular, it's really a syndrome that arises from the nerves--and not just the nerves in your hands.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

A recent study printed in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy assessed 71 women between the ages of 35 and 59 who were diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Upon studying the subjects' neck range of motion, the researchers discovered that the patients had reduced cervical mobility when compared to a healthy control group.

Furthermore, they also discovered that the degree of the women's reported carpal tunnel pain was related to the lateral flexion of the cervical spine. In short, the less flexibility in the neck, the greater the level of pain.

This study is extremely important, as you can't effectively treat a condition until you fully understand its cause. By understanding that the root of carpal tunnel symptoms is in the neck, this means that all-natural approaches such as chiropractic can often restore normal function, reducing the need for risky surgery.

We Can Help Patients Find Relief From Carpal Tunnel

If you have carpal tunnel pain, call our Tumwater office and ask how Dr. Harrell can help you get relief!

Research Studies

De-la-Llave-Rincon A et al. (2011, May). Women with carpal tunnel syndrome show restricted cervical range of motion. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy;41(5):305-10.
Simon H. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. University of Maryland Medical Center. Updated May 6, 2012. Retrieved from https://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/carpal-tunnel-syndrome on November 2, 2015.

We see quite a few back pain patients in our Tumwater practice, and Dr. Harrell has been able to help a lot of them find relief with chiropractic. However, dealing with back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical therapy, as many people use both types of care with great results.

Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Treatment Work Well with One Another

In a report published by the medical journal Spine researchers¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who claimed both acute discomfort and restricted function due to back pain. Some of the patients engaged in treatment via standard medical therapy, while the rest received chiropractic adjustments as well as regular medical care, as the authors wanted to see which group fared better.

Researchers determined that the group that received standard medical care along with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the group that got medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits compared 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 two and four weeks.

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

Where Chiropractic Care Pulls Ahead

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

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

Chiropractic Offers a Holistic Approach

Without a doubt, the strategies associated with chiropractic are very different than those offered with medical treatment, but a large amount of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. Instead of focusing on only relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means finding the root cause of your pain, which often translates to greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

In addition, while medication is sometimes helpful for managing certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment such as chiropractic care. This means fewer negative responses to drugs and more permanent recovery.

You don't have to suffer from back pain or other health issues. Give our Tumwater clinic a call today at (360) 489-0635. 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 Tumwater and you've been in a motor vehicle accident, you need to know that you don't have to suffer from chronic injuries.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Pain after an Auto Injury

We deal with lots of auto injury patients in our Tumwater office, and many of these folks are struggling with chronic pain caused by an old accident. In fact, research shows that a significant proportion of rear-end accidents can cause pain and disability even ten years after the initial trauma.

Dr. Harrell is here to help you avoid developing chronic pain by helping to restore the healthy function of your spine soon after a motor vehicle accident.

The most frequent causes of chronic problems 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 damaged during a crash, and chiropractic care works by minimizing inflammation and restoring normal motion.

We Can Help With Chronic Pain and Auto Injury Recovery

If you're near our Tumwater office, and you've been hurt in a car wreck, don't wait to get attention. Dr. Harrell is here for you. Give us a call today at (360) 489-0635 for an appointment or for more information.

Every year, there are millions of auto collisions in the world, and a substantial number of men and women get injured in a crash. While most crashes are "minor," chronic neck and back pain are still frequent health problems. The good news is that chiropractic care is a fantastic way to help these kinds of injuries.

We've helped many auto accident patients in our Tumwater office, and Dr. Harrell has been treating people with these types of injuries since 2009. During a collision, your body is subjected to large forces that it simply wasn't built to handle. These forces place strain and stress on your neck, shoulder, and back, and can cause damage to the ligaments that hold your neck and back together. A crash can trigger a vast array of pain symptoms.

A ligament sprain in the neck can trigger pain, swelling, and radicular pain in the arm and hand. Chiropractic care works well for these types of problems, because chiropractic focuses on restoring the healthy function and mobility of the injured tissues.

Dr. Harrell Can Help Clients Recover From an Auto Injury

Dr. Harrell, your Tumwater chiropractor, can assist by reducing inflammation 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. Learn more about how we can help you recover or call Dr. Harrell today at (360) 489-0635.

Most of us suffer from 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. Harrell and our talented staff see many back pain cases in our Tumwater office, and we've found that chiropractic care is an effective way to not only help you heal from back pain, it's also a great way to avoid future issues.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Back Pain

A recent paper from the University of Utah verifies what our Tumwater patients have reported: your Tumwater chiropractor is the best first choice for an episode of back pain.

In this study, 747 participants were treated for low back pain. Each person was evaluated 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 subjects who first saw a chiropractor had fewer advanced imaging tests and fewer surgical procedures.

Other papers have found the same results. A 2012 study found 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. Harrell and our team help your body heal with gentle chiropractic adjustments that don't use drugs or risky surgical procedures.

Dr. Harrell Can Help Patients Find Relief From Back Pain

If you live near our Tumwater office and would like to get out of pain, give our office a call today at (360) 489-0635 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.

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

Dr. Harrell has treated many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific literature explains what causes these types of problems. During a crash, the tissues in your neck are frequently stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. This can clearly cause pain in the neck and back, but since your central nervous system is one functioning unit, inflammation of the nerves can cause issues in other parts of your body.

For instance, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause tingling or pins and needles in the arm or 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. Harrell sees this very commonly in our Tumwater office.

Research Proves Chiropractic Lessens TMJ Pain After an Auto Accident

Research shows that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems begins in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The trick to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Harrell will work to restore your spinal column back to health, reducing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured areas, and eliminating the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

Dr. Harrell has found that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.

If you live in Tumwater and you've been hurt in a car crash, Dr. Harrell can help. We've been treating auto injury patients since 2009, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (360) 489-0635 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.

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

Dr. Harrell is here to make sure that patients in Tumwater have a natural, non-surgical option for back pain. We've helped many people 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 a desirable scenario. Luckily, as one study has found, chiropractic adjustments may actually keep you out of the operating room completely.

Research Shows Chiropractic Care Helps Avoid Back Surgery

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

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

If you live in the Tumwater area, Dr. Harrell can probably help you with your back pain. Give our office a call today at (360) 489-0635 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.