The Best Chiropractic Care for Hip Problems

Hip problems are often associated with aging and accidents, but they can happen to anyone and at any age. Your hips are made up of several joints, so it can cause severe discomfort and immobility when pain strikes. There are several causes of hip problems.

A Chiropractor or a Doctor of Chiropractic is one of the best healthcare providers to consult when hip pain happens. They can provide efficient methods for eliminating or reducing hip pain. They can determine what is causing hip pain by looking closely at your body's movement patterns and imaging. Chiropractic treatments use non-invasive techniques, reducing the possibility of dangerous side effects typically associated with medications and surgery. These methods help increase the patient's ability to move and reduce hip pain. 

· Chiropractic Adjustment After Hip Replacement

What is a hip replacement?

This is a surgical procedure performed by a surgeon who replaces the painful hip joint with an artificial implant fabricated from plastic or metal. This option is taken if all efforts to treat hip pain have failed and the joint is severely damaged or deteriorated due to injury or arthritis. It is expected that hip replacement will make walking easier with significant relief from pain.

After surgery, some lower back muscles along the kinematic chain or pelvis may experience pain. Thousands of people suffering from defective hip implant systems experience difficulties such as serious pain, loosening, swelling, and even dislocation of the implant.

With a new hip or knee, abnormal motor patterns are created, triggering pain each time the body moves. Chiropractic care is a vital option to take post-surgery, for it helps the body adjust to its new patterns of movement. 

A Chiropractor's assessment and treatment can help in reducing the stress and tension on the lower back muscles, helps improve the lumbopelvic biomechanics, and helps in the pain management of neurogenic inflammation of the nearby superficial peripheral nerves aggravated by the compensating movement patterns caused by the restorative joint or surgical process. After the pain is controlled, the next step would be to improve the quadriceps' control and strengthen and activate the glutes.

According to research, patients who were given chiropractic care after their hip replacement operation needed fewer pain medications, recovered faster, and felt better than patients who did not receive postoperative chiropractic treatment.

· Alternatives to Hip Replacement Surgery

The standard treatments for hip pain are Chiropractic Adjustments (such as hip joint adjustments and spinal adjustments) and stretching exercises.

Chiropractic adjustments can safely help reduce pain and improve mobility. 

A Chiropractor can also provide a customized set of exercises based on your body's requirements. This long-term solution strengthens the hip muscles and will make the patients stronger so their bodies can support their hips throughout the day.

Other methods for treating hip pain include yoga, resistance exercise, hip stabilization, deep-tissue massage, heat packs, nutritional counseling, and intake of joint supplements such as chondroitin and glucosamine.

· Chiropractic treatments that prevent hip pain

Getting regular Chiropractic treatment will help decrease soreness, relax existing muscle cramps, improve debilitated muscles, and increase joint mobility.

For people with arthritis and autoimmune disorders such as RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis), joint pain and damage may be an eventuality. However, with regular Chiropractic treatments, the progression or incidence of hip pain may be slowed down.

For patients with Sciatica, Chiropractic treatment options help eliminate the pressure on the sciatic nerve, thereby lessening the pain.

Chiropractic methods improve biomechanics in people with overuse injuries. This method promotes better muscle balance, mobility, and nerve integrity. It prevents the symptoms of this condition from becoming chronic and severe.

Why it's better to see your Chiropractor than have Hip Replacement Surgery.

It has always been said that prevention is always better than the cure. At the onset of hip pain, have yourself checked by a Chiropractor. Before they perform or recommend any treatments, they conduct a thorough examination. By providing the right assessments and treatments, hip replacement surgery may be avoided, and the pain can be successfully managed or eliminated using a customized treatment plan that addresses the patient's specific medical needs.

Even with chronic joint conditions such as hip osteoporosis and other conditions such as hip injuries, sprains, strains, bursitis, and tendinitis, a trip to the Chiropractor's clinic may help restore or maintain your flexibility, reduce the swelling or pain, strengthen your hip joints and muscles, and restore stability and alignment of the joints.

5 Telehealth Trends to Look out for in 2020

Have you ever gone to a doctor's appointment virtually?

If not, odds are you will have a virtual appointment in the future. 

Telehealth is one of the new technological trends in healthcare. Now, you can get an expert opinion and see just about any healthcare professional without having to leave your home and sit in a waiting room. 

Keep reading to learn more about what telehealth is and some other significant trends that are transforming the lives the doctors and patients. 

Technological Trends In Healthcare to Watch For This Year 

Telehealth has been around for a while, but you should expect to see it more widely adopted this year. The COVID-19 crisis accelerated telemedicine and other technological advances in healthcare. During this virus outbreak, doctors needed a way to see a lot of patients quickly, without putting their health at risk.

So, many doctors started doing virtual patient consultations, and countries like Italy began using robotics to tend to patients. 

As telehealth becomes more widely adopted, other technological advancements and trends start to emerge as well. Here are five healthcare technology trends you might already be seeing or you will see this year: 

1. More Doctors Will Adopt Telehealth 

Right now, it is mostly general practitioners that use telehealth to diagnose illnesses. However, as more and more patients start to demand in-home services, doctors of all specialties will have to adapt and start offering telehealth services. 

Even chiropractors, who are used to hands-on services, can start offering telehealth in the form of consultations or patient check-ins. 

2. Artificial Intelligence 

Telemedicine isn't the only technological advancement that is changing healthcare. Artificial intelligence (AI) will also change how people receive a diagnosis and medical treatment. AI is already being used to analyze a patient's symptoms and medical history to provide a more accurate diagnosis. 

3. Health-Tracking Apps

You probably already have a health-tracking app built into your smartphone. Whether you use this app to gain insights into your health or not, it is tracking your habits every single day. As the capabilities on these apps become more advanced, chiropractors can use them to understand how healthy you are. 

4. Robotic Doctors and Nurses 

Just like we've already seen in Italy, hospitals around the world are using robots to tend to patients, so doctor's lives don't have to be put at risk. Robotics combines machinery with AI to provide constant care to patients. 

5. Smart Hospitals

Smart technology is already at work in most of our lives. Smart tools like thermostats, refrigerators, and televisions, for example, learn our habits and make suggestions that improve our lives. The same technology works in a hospital as well. Smart tools can learn about illness and doctor's routines and make the routine of treating patients much more streamlined and effective. For instance, according to Harvard, over 3 million people visit emergency rooms each year for low back issues. Here's the kicker- 99% of these issues can (and should be addressed) conservatively, with care such as chiropractic. As hospitals get "smarter," they will better be able to triage patients to the most appropriate providers proactively. 

Learn More About the Latest Chiropractic Trends 

As more and more patients start to demand virtual doctor's office visits, telehealth is something all chiropractors should consider incorporating into their practice. 

Make sure you check out the rest of our free tools that will help you keep up with the latest technological trends in healthcare and so much more. You can also become a member to unlock even more helpful resources that will take your practice to the next level. 

Chiropractic Clinical Series: 4 Keys to Reading a Spine MRI

Welcome to a new clinical series designed for practicing chiropractors! Today we are talking about the four essential tools that you need to have command knowledge of within your imaging software. We'll go through them one by one.

The four essential tools are- measurement, contrast, magnification, and scout lines. The four tools will get you 98 percent of the information that you need when looking at a spine MRI. I highly encourage working with your radiologist for the complete read. But knowing your way around an MRI will save you from getting super anxious, and you could eliminate a lot of that anxiety by doing a few simple things.

Number one; make sure that you are opening up in your software. Do NOT use "whatever" software comes on the disc. That is a recipe for disaster because all the software is slightly different. Two software packages make viewing images really easy. If you are a PC person, then check out Radiant Viewer. If you are a Mac person than OSIRX is the best tool on the market. They have a free version and a paid version. If you're not a radiologist, then the free version is going to be absolutely perfect for you.

When you open up, you're software you should anticipate seeing, on the left-hand side of the screen, all of the different images that you have lined up in your queue. So whatever's on that disk will show up on the left-hand side.

You should already see the scout lines. Most imaging software including OSIRX WILL allow those scout lens to come up automatically. They just rectify one image or plane against the other. As you scroll the scout lines will then move following where you are. So scout lines are essential only to understanding and rectifying left versus right, up versus down,n and what segment you're at.

The other three measurement contrast in magnification are all located in the same area in almost every software package you open up. All you have to do is go to the middle at the top, and you will see the cluster of tools that you are looking for. And typically, they're pretty obvious. Your magnification is usually the little magnifying glass. Measurement seems like a bit of measuring tape, and then your contrast.

The measurement tool allows you to drag and drop to measure the distance between two items. Very important when you're measuring canal space. You can see how that happens right there.

The magnification tool is the little magnifying glass. This allows you to get in really detailed or pull back out of the picture can be used in conjunction with your measurement tool.

Contrast allows you to brighten or darken the images on the screen. Thankfully we no longer are at the whim of a single "hard" film but can manipulate the contrast from the comfort of our own home.

So, wrapping up. Be sure to download your own software package. OSIRX is a great MRI viewer for Mac and Radiant Viewer for PC. Make sure that you are not at the whim of different software for every disk that you put in or it will be inefficient and confusing.

Don't just rely on the report. I know we can do better. I think we all should be looking at the imaging because we have the luxury of seeing the patient. The radiologist does not typically see the patient. We, as chiropractors, are able to see the functional aspects of what they're going through and correlating that with the images. It's our job to delineate what matters, what doesn't matter and give our patients the best course of action.

Can a Chiropractic Adjustment Make You Stronger?

Did you know that a chiropractic adjustment doesn’t just help reduce your pain levels it enables you to get stronger? It’s true.

Researchers measured the electrical activity in the arms and legs before, during and after a chiropractic adjustment. What did they find? An increase in cortical drive post chiropractic adjustment. That’s science-speak for more strength.

Why it Matters:

Stronger is Better¦ better stamina, better balance, better coordination, better performance in every area of your life. What will you do with more strength?

• Your brain powers your movements and your strength through your nervous system
• Adjustments have been shown to increase your cortical drive, which helps make your stronger
• While one adjustment may not make you a champion powerlifter, this exciting new research is important for all of us who want to live an active lifestyle

Next Steps:

Pay attention. That’s right, consider being more mindful of where having more strength can be more positive in your life.

Science Source:

Impact of Spinal Manipulation on Cortical Drive to Upper and Lower Limb Muscles. Brain Sciences. 2017. 7,2

The 10 Best Chiropractic Website Tips

Our chiropractic website tips are here to make your website stand-out and attract more new patients. 

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Click Here to Download a PDF Version of These Tips!

1) Consistent Blogging- content is KING

At this point EVERY chiropractic website should contain an active blog.  On the internet (and with search engines), content is KING.  Keeping an up-to-date blog filled with relevant content is absolutely essential to having a website that is working for you and your practice. I recommend updating your blog at least 2x month with a medium length piece of content.

2) Be Smart With Your Web Address- use the right keywords so people can find you on Google

Your URL, or web address, is a surprisingly overlooked component of your SEO. The best URL’s are brief and contain your business name. Think apple.com or facebook.com. In other words, you want to avoid anything that resembles www.JonesFamilyChiropracticandRehab.com/home-1-2-4-gck Keep it simple and as easy to remember as possible!

3) CTA- have a CLEAR call to action or next step for your visitor

Have you noticed anything when you visit Google, Yelp, and many of the other most popular website in the world. How many actions can you take a google.com? One! There is one clear call to action. When someone arrives at your website, make the ONE action you want them to take very apparent. Pro-tip- “wellness awaits you” is not a compelling call to action. 

4) Practice Information- this may sound obvious, but make sure your phone/address/email are easily accessible

If someone goes to your website on their smartphone are they able to press a button and call your office immediately? If not, you may be missing out on a tremendous amount of new patients. You would be shocked at how many chiropractic websites don't have this simple functionality. 

5) Email Opt-In- build an on-going list of potential new patients with a pop-up box or welcome mat

You have probably heard of “funnels” or email sequences. But before you start turning prospects into patients with these tools you need something…their email! Be sure to have a solid email collection tool on your website such as sumo.com 

Click Here to Download a PDF Version of These Tips!

6) Install Google analytics- as Nike says, “Just Do It”

You can only improve what you measure. Google analytics is completely free and gives all of the statistics you need to refine and improve your website. It’s simply the best free tool available to check the performance of your website. 

7) Load a Facebook Pixel- essential for re-targeting and having high converting FB ads

A facebook pixel is an invisible piece of code on your website that you can use to improve the response of your ads. And if you are spending any money on ads, you want them to work! To learn more about re-targeting click here. 

8) Mobile Friendly- over 50% of people will view on their phones, make sure it’s looking good

Duh. Is your website look great on an tablet or smartphone? Or is half the content hanging off the side of the screen? If your website isn't mobile responsive, then you are losing a ton of traffic and may even be being penalized by Google in the search engine rankings. 

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9) Social Media Account- link your social account to your website and vice-versa

Don’t forget to link your social media accounts to your website. If someone visits your website they should easily be able to check out your presence on social media. This will help build your audience and establish rapport. 

10) Speed- check your speed using a tool like Google PageSpeed. This helps with SEO

For many potential patients your chiropractic website is their first contact to your brand. Simply having a website is no longer enough. But, having a great website does not require $1,000 per month or your own web developer. 

There you have it. Ten of best steps you can take to ensure your website stands out front the crowd and attracts more new patients. 

Click Here to Download a PDF Version of These Tips!