Pain Relief
We understand that when you are in pain, nothing else matters. If affects what you do and how you do it. It affects your relationships and changes the way you look at everything. Often, pain causes you to change the way you do your work, or worse, takes you out of work completely. For many of us the worse thing about pain is that it takes away from our recreation, play time or sports competition.
Pain comes in several phases. There is “acute” pain which means that it is new. Acute pain causes immediate distress and can critically affect your life in the short term. “Sub-acute” pain is a crucial stage wherein the patient can either move toward healing or progress to “chronic” pain. Chronic pain, a very common presentation, just seems to be there day after day. Chronic pain causes a person to fundamentally change their life. A person with chronic pain will often think that it will never go away and they accept an attitude of disability. Then there is “permanent” pain, meaning it will never go away. Most people we see don’t have permanent pain. They have an acute manifestation of a chronic process. That means that something new occurred and made an old problem worse. The important thing to know is that the vast majority of people we see get better under our care.
When you present to our office the first thing that we do is find out what’s causing your pain and set out to help you with relief and stabilization of the problem. Our unique pain relief approach is custom designed for you. In some cases you will be out of pain quickly and get back to more important parts of your life. We emphasize cost effective, natural approaches to pain relief using the most up to date and proven methods.
Chiropractic
Chiropractors are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of the whole body. Your visit in our office begins with a complete examination including physical, orthopedic and neurologic testing to find the cause of your pain. A chiropractic examination also looks specifically how your spine is moving (or not.) This is done by gently checking the movement of specific joints in the back using a technique called motion palpation. We also use a range of other physical tests that help us determine if there are problems with the function of your spine and extremities. We have an x-ray facility right here in the office in the event that your injury requires further diagnostic imaging. All x-rays are read by a board certified radiologist to insure that a complete, scientific explanation of your films is used to help you in your recovery.
In our office, there is an emphasis on examination of the spine and evaluation of the nervous system. Our staff is also skilled at evaluation and treatment of a variety or sports injuries including shoulder pain, elbow and wrist pain, hip and knee pain, as well as common wrist and ankle problems. The chiropractic approach to pain relief does not use drugs or surgery.
All treatment that you receive at Tahoe City Chiropractic is 100% natural and seeks to assist the body’s natural healing potential. Often the problem that is causing the pain in your body only needs a little assistance to heal. We utilize gentle mobilization, adjustment or soft tissue physiologic therapeutics in order to give you the help that you need to heal and become pain free. In some cases we will recommend natural supplements that you can take to help decrease pain and regain health.
We encourage you to ask questions about your condition and pride ourselves on giving you an honest answer to any question that you have. In the event that your condition requires a specialist outside of our scope of practice, we have a network of medical and allied health professionals that we can refer you to with confidence. Many patients use us as a primary care “portal of entry” into the healthcare system. This allows a cost effective assessment of your problem with the assurance that you will get the best possible care in our area.
Cold Laser Therapy
Cold Laser Therapy or Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is a treatment that uses specific wavelengths of light to interact with tissues in the body and is thought to help accelerate the healing process.
Cold Lasers produce light that affects tissues of the body in order to get positive clinical outcomes. When the right wavelength and intensity is used at the affected anatomical location for the right amount of time, lasers can stimulate repair, decrease inflammation and reduce pain. When cells absorb this light energy, they initiate a series of events in the cell that results in helping damaged tissues heal, are reducing pain, inflammation, and swelling.
Clinical evidence published in peer reviewed medical journals confirms that Low Level Laser Therapy can effectively and consistently relieve pain in musculoskeletal disorders.
One of the main effects of laser light is when cytochrome c oxidase frees nitric oxide and releases ATP. This leads to leads to better cellular function. Anti-inflammatory effects occur with a reduction in PGE2, TNF Alpha and IL-6 in the synovial tissues around damaged tendons. Using lasers with the correct frequencies and wavelengths over nerves that supply painful areas can inhibit the speed of axonal flow allowing pain relief even after the laser treatment is complete.
Radial Pressure Wave Therapy for Pain Relief
Radial Pressure Wave therapy (RPWT), sometimes called shockwave therapy, can help relieve pain from past musculoskeletal injuries, chronic pain conditions, and inflammation. RPWT uses high-energy sound waves to stimulate healing and regeneration in damaged tissues.
Here are some benefits of Radial Pressure Wave Therapy:
- Pain relief: RPWT can help reduce muscle pain and aches with chronic musculoskeletal problems
- Improved circulation: RPWT can increase blood flow in the treated area and promote healing.
- Faster recovery: RPWT can help speed up the healing process, and reduce recovery time.
- Increased mobility: In cases where mobility is compromised by chronic muscular dysfunction, RPWT can help beginning with the first treatment and progressing with each
- Reduced inflammation: RPWT has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body.
- Non-invasive: RPWT is a non-invasive technique, and in some cases, prevents the need for surgery or other invasive procedures.
During Radial Pressure Wave Therapy, after determining a course of care, Dr Schroeder applies a gel to the skin and places a handheld applicator on the injured area. The applicator delivers pressure waves through the skin to the injured tissue.
Patients may experience some discomfort during RPW therapy, but they shouldn’t be in pain. It’s normal for irritation and swelling to occur in the affected area after the treatment because we are making a change in chronically injured tissue. This discomfort should feel like the type of soreness that you might have after a workout or high-level physical activity. It lets you know that we are getting to the cause of the pain. We ask you to take it a bit easy for 24-48 hours to let the tissues heal appropriately. Most cases take 3- 6 visits and we sometimes recommend Cold Laser Therapy following RPWT to improve the body’s response to treatment.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6857735/
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-is-shockwave-therapy
Exercise
Chiropractors have led the healthcare professions in the belief that exercise is essential for health and the reduction of pain. Although exercise is often impossible in the acute stage of severe back pain, it is necessary to introduce it, when appropriate, in order to have a complete recovery. “Taking it easy” can actually cause your pain to increase and stay around for a lot longer than anybody wants. Our skilled professionals are trained in methods to get you moving again while decreasing your pain and taking the utmost care to not aggravate your condition. You don’t have to sweat or get sore from an exercise program. The goal is to rehabilitate your body with specific movements aimed at improving motion and decreasing pain.
Depending on your diagnosis, your exercises will be custom made to benefit only you. Therapeutic exercises are intended to help you rehabilitate your body and only trained professionals like the staff at Tahoe City Chiropractic should design your program.
An effective program works your whole body, not just your back or injured extremity. A complete exercise program includes aerobic exercise, stretching and strengthening. In other words, you need to breathe and move in ways that makes your body better. The most current research is very clear, in order to have lasting relief from pain you must be sure that your joints are free to move and then use your body properly. Our professional staff can lead you in that direction and support you in your desire for a pain free life.
