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In our Massillon, OH practice, we see many people who are dealing with back pain, and some of these folks have been told they might need surgery to recover. Fortunately, Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller has helped many people get pain relief without the need for any type of operation. The scientific literature agrees with the success we see in our practice. One research study published in the medical journal Spine found that seeing a chiropractor as your first move in dealing with your back problems may actually keep you off of the operating table.

In this research study, medical experts from Dartmouth reviewed data from about 1,900 workers from the state of Washington who first saw either an orthopedic surgeon or a chiropractic doctor for their back pain issues. They then examined three years' worth of follow-up medical information to ascertain whether the subjects wound up having back surgery in an effort to treat the issue.

What the authors discovered was that about 43% of the individuals who first saw a surgeon for their back issues ended up having a surgical procedure in that 3-year time span, whereas only 1.5% of those who first saw a chiropractor had the same fate. The authors wrote:

"Even after controlling for injury severity and other measures, workers with an initial visit for the injury to a surgeon had almost nine times the odds of receiving lumbar spine surgery compared to those seeing primary care providers, whereas workers whose first visit was to a chiropractor had significantly lower odds of surgery."

These are remarkable findings. Seeing a chiropractor significantly reduces your odds of having back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this report "had lower odds of chronic work disability" and they also had fewer expensive MRI tests.

Let's also take into consideration this important point: this study was carried out by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and printed in the world's most distinguished medical journal on spinal injury.

Surgery: The Last Resort

Any surgical procedure has risks, but a serious downside associated with spine surgery is that there is a very high rate of failure. In an important review in the European Spine Journal, researchers wrote:

"Failed back surgery is a problem that has become sufficiently widespread to even warrant its own special conferences, with recent reviews reporting failure rates ranging from 5 to 50%."

The authors of this same study concluded:

"It is extremely difficult to identify unequivocal predictor factors that can be used to accurately predict the outcome of surgery."

As a chiropractor, Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller is convinced that surgery should be the absolute last choice for treating back pain. Chiropractic works to restore your spine to its normal function--without risky surgery or drugs--and many research studies have demonstrated the usefulness of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in Massillon, OH and you need relief for your back pain, give our office a call today at (330) 833-2085 for a consultation or an appointment. We'll help get you back on the road to a pain-free life!

Studies

• Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, Wickizer TM, Chan KC, Franklin GM. 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.
• Mannion AF, Elfering A. Predictors of surgical outcome and their assessment. European Spine Journal 2006;15(Suppl 1):S93-S108.
  

Approximately 2.3 million people are injured each year in automobile accidents in the U.S. While most people are able to recover from their injuries fairly easily, others are left to deal with chronic pain and impairment. We see many of these patients here in our Massillon, OH office. Thankfully, Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller is here to help you recover from your auto injury.

The science confirms what we see in our office: A British study was conducted on 28 men and women diagnosed with chronic whiplash pain. Each participant received chiropractic treatment and 93 percent of them experienced pain relief following their adjustments, even though 43 percent of whiplash sufferers overall usually never find relief. This confirms that chiropractic care 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 treatment after a car crash can adversely affect recovery time, so getting in to see Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller as soon as possible is key to having a speedier recovery.

Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller has worked with many auto injury patients, and we're here to help you, too. Call our Massillon, OH 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.

When you're trying to support your family, take care of your home, and pay all of your bills on time, every day at your job counts. Work injuries can be a huge problem for many folks, and we see many of these types of injuries in our Massillon, OH office. Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller understands your situation and is here to help.

The advantages of chiropractic care for work injuries are well-documented. A 2013 survey involving over 600 adults who were troubled with either back or neck pain found that the people who didn't see a chiropractor missed work at twice the rate of those who were seeing a chiropractor.

So, why don't more people use chiropractic?

According to the participants in this study, two of the primary factors were that they thought they needed a referral for chiropractic care (which is typically no longer true) and they overestimated the costs associated with chiropractic treatment sessions by almost 70 percent.

The reality is, chiropractic patients actually spend less on care than medical patients, plus they are less likely to use drugs for their symptoms.

If you live in Massillon, OH and you've been injured at work, we can help. Give our office a call today at (330) 833-2085 for an appointment.

Resources

"Thousands of Minnesotans with Back and Neck Pain Don't Seek Treatment." (2013, June 12). ChiroCare.

When performing sports activities that demand a lot of lower body motion, like football, soccer, and basketball, it's common to sustain some type of injury to your hips or legs. Between pulled hamstrings, sprained ankles, knee injuries, and more, many athletes have found themselves sidelined. Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller has seen all of these problems in our Massillon, OH patients. Fortunately, chiropractic care can help prevent some of these injuries from developing and research proves it.

Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller keeps current with all of the latest scientific research, and in a report published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, researchers from Macquarie University in Australia studied 59 semi-elite Australian Rules footballers. Roughly one-half were placed in a control group and the others were put in a treatment group that received sports chiropractic care at regular intervals. During the first six weeks, this meant engaging in care once per week. The following three months consisted of an adjustment every two weeks before reducing those to one visit monthly for the final three months of the study.

The authors noted that there was a "significant" decrease in the number of lower limb strains the players received in the treatment group when compared to the control. In addition, they noticed that the subjects who received chiropractic also had fewer weeks of missed practice and games as a result of non-contact knee injuries. This led them to conclude that sports chiropractic treatment should be added to "the current best practice management."

Every major sports team in the US and the US Olympic Team has chiropractors on staff for their athletes, because they know that chiropractic really works. If you live near our office in Massillon, OH and would like to see if Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller can help you boost your performance or reduce sports injuries, give our office a call today at (330) 833-2085 for an appointment.

Study Information

Hoskins W, Pollard H. 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 2010;11(64).

We see a good deal of sports injuries in our Massillon, OH office, and Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller is generally able to assist these athletes. Stanford Children’s Hospital reports that over 3.5 million children aged 14 and below are injured each year when playing sports. Add that to the almost 2 million adults hurt each year while engaged in sports-related activities, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and you can start to see the importance of minimizing these sorts of widespread injuries. One way to potentially realize that goal, as reported by a study published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, is to receive routine chiropractic treatments.

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

For this study specifically, every one of the participants was given medical treatment. Furthermore, half of them also received chiropractic sessions at the rate of 1 session each week for the first six weeks, biweekly sessions for the next three months, and one treatment each month for the final 3 months of the study. The other half were given no chiropractic intervention whatsoever and were used as the control group to assess the benefits of chiropractic adjustments.

After twenty-four matches, specialists reported a diminished number of lower limb muscle strains in the group that had been given chiropractic care. Additionally, that same group also missed fewer matches connected to non-contact knee injuries. This lead the researchers to come to the conclusion that chiropractic should be made an addition to sports training programs to dramatically reduce the number of leg injuries.

If you or your child plays sports and you want to make sure more time is spent on the field as opposed to on the sidelines, call our Massillon, OH office at (330) 833-2085 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 experts, approximately 5 percent of the population will experience painful disorders like frozen shoulder syndrome at some time in their lives. That makes shoulder-related pain a common problem and one that Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller sees in our Massillon, OH practice on a regular basis.

By and large, this ailment is more common for people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and it tends to affect women more often than men. While ice, heat, and gentle stretches can often times help relieve the pain, so too can chiropractic care.

For example, one 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 researchers found that nearly all of the study participants fared very well with chiropractic care. Here are the results:

• 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 studies like this show just how beneficial chiropractic care can be when it comes to decreasing shoulder pain and improving quality of life.

Let Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller help you relieve your suffering by contacting our Massillon, OH 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

Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller works with countless sciatica patients here in our Massillon, OH office, and quite a few of these patients were concerned that they might need surgery to relieve their pain. The latest research indicates that many people don't need surgery for this prevalent problem, and that chiropractic is more effective at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.

A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists examined 80 patients 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 was given chiropractic care.

Both groups improved; however, no noticeable difference in outcome was recorded one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. In addition, about 60 percent of the participating patients 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 provided the same positive advantages as surgery without needing to go through the increased amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often affiliated with that particular treatment choice. Plus, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, such as nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Massillon, OH and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller a call today at (330) 833-2085. We'll help pinpoint 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 headache.

Of course, a lot of patients come to our Massillon, OH office looking for neck pain treatment, and Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller 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.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic Works

A report published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy included 64 men and women who were suffering with neck problems. Approximately 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 plan, while the experimental group also received thoracic spine adjustments.

Information was collected before treatment began and one week post-treatment. 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, illustrating that thinking about the entire spinal column is a critical part of restoring the body's normal function.

One more study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 adults who were dealing with neck pain. Each individual 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 participants who received the thrust manipulations (the same manipulations that offered 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 technique offers many benefits.

Chiropractic Even Offers Benefits After Failed Neck Surgery

One study even found the same type of positive results 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 reported neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.

The woman reported decreased pain in her neck and lower headache intensity, immediately after the first chiropractic treatment session. 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 improved as well, with a rating score that represented that it was a "great deal better."

It is studies like these that substantiate the effectiveness of chiropractic techniques, even if you've already attempted medical procedures that didn't provide relief. So, if you are suffering with neck discomfort 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 Massillon, OH and Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (330) 833-2085.

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.
  

We see a considerable number of men and women with headaches in our Massillon, OH office, and Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller has been able to aid many of them. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all adults have difficulties with some kind of headache problems, so this certainly isn’t surprising. One of the most typical varieties of headaches which our patients have problems with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily for us, chiropractic can often help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from issues in the cervical spine. It can be due to a condition with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine can cause compression or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can contribute to headache pain.

How can you identify if the headache you are feeling is a cervicogenic headache? Other than being given a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is occasionally coupled 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 problem is causing them is remedied, it is crucial to get treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that can provide a great deal of headache pain relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers followed 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent received chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the optimum results.

In particular, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments offered patients more pain relief and reduced the number of headaches that occurred. Moreover, it also diminished the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller can do for you and your headaches, call our office 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/

Regrettably, quite a few of our Massillon, OH patients know the pain caused by a herniated disc all too well. On a positive note, Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller has helped many people with disc pain, and a number of scientific studies have confirmed that chiropractic can help patients recover from this kind of condition.

Research on Herniated Discs and Chiropractic

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

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

Researchers 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 stated that their pain "improved" within the first three months, with 88% still citing improvement one year after their first treatment session.

Even those patients who were defined as "chronic" still reported an improvement in pain at a rate of 89 percent one year beyond when treatment first began. This is the same positive effect that was found in the following case study.

Case Study Results

In this study, a 26-year-old man 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 issues for more than two years after sustaining an athletic injury, and his herniated disc was confirmed via MRI.

After receiving chiropractic, "The patient responded favorably and his multi-symptom complex resolved within 90 days of treatment." Furthermore, 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 relieving the symptoms they bring about. So, if you are suffering from back ache caused by a herniated disc and want to find some relief, chiropractic can be an effective solution.

Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our Massillon, OH office a call today at (330) 833-2085 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.