Chiropractic Adjustments
The basic principle of the chiropractic profession is that the body has an amazing, innate ability to heal itself when it is free of factors that interfere with this process.
Chiropractic adjustments are one of a chiropractor’s main tools to restore proper motion and function to joints in the body. When these joints aren’t moving properly, this puts stress on the surrounding nerves, joints, and muscles. These type of dysfunctions prevent our bodies from achieving its desired homeostatic state and can result in pain and other health problems. Chiropractic adjustments are effective treatments at removing joint dysfunctions which allows the body to heal and reach its full potential.
There are multiple techniques that Dr. Falkner specializes in to achieve these adjustments including more traditional manual techniques as well as gentle, low-force techniques. On your initial visit, Dr. Falkner will work with you to find the techniques that will get the job done while keeping you as comfortable as possible.
Chiropractic adjustments can be delivered by hand or utilizing hand-held instruments. Often times (though not always) an audible “pop” or “crack” can be heard during an adjustment, especially with more traditional chiropractic techniques. This harmless sound occurs when gas is released from the joint, decreasing the pressure in the joint. Adjustments using the instruments or low force techniques typically won’t have the audible “pops” as the joints are being mobilized using a different mechanism.
Chiropractic adjustments are effective at treating:
- Neck pain
- Headaches
- Low Back Pain
- Sciatica
- Disc Bulges or Herniations (slipped discs)
- SI Joint Dysfunction or Sacroiliitis
- Mid Back Pain
- Joint Stiffness
- Facet Syndrome
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Pre-Natal Back Pain
Massage Therapy
Therapeutic massage is an excellent way to help relieve pain, reduce stress, and address specific problems like sciatica or frozen shoulder. Massage therapy is used to treat chronic muscle tension, acute muscle pain, sports injuries, and chronic pain while promoting relaxation and recovery.
There are several different types of massage used to treat a variety of conditions. Some patients may require more a relaxing massage to relieve pain from hyperactive nerves. Other patients may require more of a deep massage technique to dig into the muscles to release tough “knots” from the muscles. Our therapist is trained in multiple therapeutic techniques and has experience in treating a variety of medical conditions.
Cold Laser Therapy
Cold laser therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses specific wavelengths of light to interact with the tissues in your body to treat both acute and chronic pain. This relatively new form of treatment has gained popularity with several professional and collegiate sports teams due to its incredible ability to speed up healing times.
The therapy works by decreasing inflammation, releasing pain-relieving endorphins, and speeding up the repair of connective tissue (ligaments, tendons, muscle, etc). While patients may feel some warmth during their treatment session, the laser works through a process called photobiomodulation. This is a process where light rays interact with mitochondria in the cells to accelerate cellular processes – speeding up your body’s natural healing processes. Treatment times typically range from about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the treatment area.
Cold Laser Therapy is effective in treating:
- Muscle Strains
- Rotator Cuff Tears
- Tennis Elbow
- Sprained Ankles
- Sciatica
- Post-surgical Pain
- Low Back Pain
- Neck Pain
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Achilles Tendinopathy
Guided Exercises
The goal of any rehab program for a patient is to reduce pain while helping that patient to regain function. Therapeutic exercises are an essential part of overall recovery as they help to restore your strength, endurance, and range of motion following an injury. The goal of these exercises is to return a patient to their previous activity levels and strength while also preventing future injuries.
While getting moving after an injury is important, it can also be difficult to know what stretches or exercises are safe to perform and which ones will be most effective at a given time during recovery. At our office, we’ll help guide you through appropriate stretches and exercises that are geared to alleviate pain and strengthen specific muscle groups that have been contributing to you complaint. As you progress, so will your rehab plan so that we can ensure your continued improvement.
FAKTR Treatment
Sometimes referred to as the “scraping technique,” FAKTR treatments utilize a hand-held tool to stimulate rapid healing following muscle strains, sprains, and other soft tissue injuries. FAKTR stands for “Functional and Kinetic Treatment with Rehabilitation.” FAKTR is a soft tissue concept to be utilized with a number of soft tissue techniques to speed the healing time of acute and chronic injuries of the musculoskeletal and fascial systems.
FAKTR combines soft tissue treatments with resistance training, functional activities, and proprioceptive (balance and coordination) exercises to produce faster results than conventional treatment methods. FAKTR is designed to reduce pain and restore function. Most patients notice improvements in their pain, ROM, or ability to perform sports on their first treatment.
FAKTR works in three major methods:
- Neurologically: By stimulating certain pathways in the nervous system we are able to normalize the muscle tone of over active or under active muscles. Through sensory, motor and proprioceptive stimulation, we are able to bombard the central nervous system with a tremendous amount of afferent (from the periphery to the central nervous system) nerve signals. This bombardment is like hitting control-alt-delete on your computer effectively rebooting your nervous system and restoring proper muscle tone to the tissue.
- Structurally: Through specific local treatments, Dr. Falkner able to influence the healing process on injured and degenerating tissues. Through these specific types of treatment, it is possible to increase the reproduction of healing cells and remodel injured tissue into a healthy state. In this way, FAKTR acts as a catalyst to push your body’s healing response into high gear.
- Vascular/Microcirculatory: By changing the type of treatment intensity, it is possible to turn soft tissue treatments into an anti-inflammatory treatment. Through light very gentile treatments, Dr. Falkner is able to effect superficial blood flow to a region assisting in the reduction of swelling, bruising, bursitis, post-surgical pain, and areas of heightened sensitivity.
FAKTR is an effective treatment for the following:
- Carpal Tunnel
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Sprained Wrists or Ankles
- Knee Pain
- Pulled Hamstrings
- Achilles Tendonitis
- Tennis Elbow
- Post-Surgical Pain
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Ligament Sprains
- Muscle Strains
High Quality Supplements
Proper nutrition is an essential key to any healing process and overall well-being. In our office, we promote meeting most of your nutritional needs from your diet with an emphasis on fresh, whole foods from natural sources. However, despite our best efforts in eating healthy, sometimes we can benefit from the use of nutritional supplements to help fill in the gaps in our regular diets.
In our office, we can help you to identify the weak links in your diet and provide recommendations for how you can restore your nutrient levels back to a healthy range. The supplements we carry are from one of the nation’s top-tier supplement companies – meaning you receive therapeutic doses of nutrients made from natural sources and without harmful fillers. Ask to see how specific supplementation can improve your health today!
Health Classes
Part of the mission of Falkner Family Chiropractic is to help improve the health of our community through education – empowering people to make lasting changes in their lives. To achieve this goal, we offer several free classes both in the office and out in the community. Dr. Falkner has taught classes on healthy eating, improving posture at school, work ergonomics, mobility classes, and more. Occasionally, guest speakers who are experts in other health areas are invited to speak as well.
If you’re interested in attending one of our in-office classes, please check the upcoming schedule on Facebook or in the office. Or, if you are interested in having Dr. Falkner speak at your work, school, church, or other organization, please contact us and let us know what topic you’d like covered.