Car accidents are one of the leading causes of injuries in the United States. Cars and travel are a main staple in our daily life and how we function. The injuries caused by an accident however can leave us searching for ways to quickly heal, recover, and bounce back to our pre-accident condition. Just because you do not “think” you suffered any bodily damages does not mean that your body did not sustain trauma. Some injuries may be short term and quickly heal on their own. Others may be life altering injuries that can take months or years to recover from.
Some common injuries that you may sustain from an accident that Chiropractic care can help you recover from include:
Whiplash
Headaches
Neck and shoulder pain
Back pain
Herniated discs
Back and spinal cord injury
Strains and sprains
Just because you have been released from urgent care after an accident does not mean your spinal health after an accident is good. As Chiropractors we evaluate our motor vehicle accident patients differently, we do not look at just “fixing the pain.” We look at what has been structurally altered from the accident and is now causing the acute pain you feel and could potentially cause you lifelong changes in your overall health. Even mild symptoms like neck and back stiffness or tingling down the arm after an accident could be caused by a significant change in the structure of your spine. If the integrity of the spinal column is weakened by the trauma from the impact those mild symptoms can escalate to being major complications in your overall health later in life.
Chiropractic treatments can support and correct whiplash injuries, and reduce long-term pain, reduction of scar tissue, and restoration of joint mobility. Whether it was a minor crash or severe accident getting a Chiropractic evaluation as soon as possible can greatly increase your chances of discovering the trauma and getting it corrected before it becomes a lifelong condition.
Learn how one of our caring doctors can help you recover: https://www.eriksenchiropractic.com/scheduling/
For further reading:
Even low-speed impacts can have significant traumatic effects: Speed is “not a conclusive predictor for cervical spine injury in real-life motor vehicle accidents.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2657117/
Fractures of vertebrae and rupturing of ligaments in the neck have been documented in accidents where the change in speed was less than 10 MPH. https://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=54419
In fact, the health of the accident victim’s spine prior to the collision is perhaps more important than the speed of the collision itself. They have found “no statistically significant correlation between crash severity and long-term outcome”. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16192914/
Injuries and long-term suffering are not limited to back and neck pain: “Perhaps the most important aspect of this study was the association of various comorbidities with history of neck injury from MVC. The authors looked at allergies, breathing disorders, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, digestive disorders, and low back pain. They found higher comorbidities in all categories except hypertension; in many cases, the reported complaints were close to twice that seen in those with no history of neck injury.” https://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=31944
Learn how one of our caring doctors can help you recover: https://www.eriksenchiropractic.com/scheduling/
We have offices located around the state to serve you with your accident rehab. Get started with post-accident evaluation and treatment today!
Bardstown: https://www.eriksenchiropractic.com/location/bardstown/
Elizabethtown:https://www.eriksenchiropractic.com/location/elizabethtown/
Leitchfield:https://www.eriksenchiropractic.com/location/leitchfield/
Radcliff: https://www.eriksenchiropractic.com/location/radcliff/
Chiropractic and Pregnancy –
Deciding to have a baby is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your lifetime and with it can come a fear of the unknown. A pregnancy supported with regular chiropractic care does not have to be scary or difficult. Chiropractic care is safe and effective at treating many of the “fearful” reasons why you might question if your body is ready for pregnancy.
Most women focus on eating right, staying active, and letting go of unhealthy habits prior to becoming pregnant. However, many overlook the tremendous strain that pregnancy is on the body in particular the spine and pelvis. Most will suffer with the common pains and difficulties of pregnancy because “that’s just part of being pregnant.” The reality is that this does not have to be common, or part of the process! Regular chiropractic care during any stage of pregnancy can be safe and effective at giving you relief and an enjoyable pregnancy through any trimester.
All chiropractors are trained to treat pregnant women and the benefits can be exponential in giving the mother a happy healthy experience before and after the delivery. Some of the benefits of chiropractic care during your pregnancy may include:
• Reduced pregnancy nausea and reflux symptoms
• Alleviating sciatic nerve, low back, and hip pain
• Aligning the pelvis for an easier delivery
• Reducing your labor and delivery time
• Reducing a need for cesarian due to musculoskeletal issues
A woman’s body endures a lot of challenges during and after her pregnancy. Regular chiropractic care can ensure that you do not have to go through these challenges so that you can have the best pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum experience possible.
Interested in learning more from one of our doctors? Schedule an appointment online today: https://www.eriksenchiropractic.com/scheduling/
For further reading, consider checking out some of the relevant research which has shown significant benefits:
Shaw [10] reports the results of a chiropractic and medical collaborative study indicating that 75% of pregnant patients who received chiropractic care during their pregnancies stated that they found relief from pain. In addition, a retrospective chart review of 400 pregnancies and deliveries investigated the relationship between pregnancy and low back pain. [2] The results of this survey support the hypothesis that back pain, pregnancy, and labor are associated, and emphasize the need for further studies. Findings indicated relief from back pain during the pregnancy in 84% of the cases. The authors also noted that chiropractic manipulation may significantly decrease the incidence of “back labor.” The relative risk of experiencing back labor was almost 3 times greater if back pain was experienced during the pregnancy. [2]
It has also been reported that there may be a relationship between back pain throughout pregnancy and a longer duration of the labor and delivery process. [8, 11] A retrospective review of statistics reported that primigravida women who seek chiropractic care throughout gestation have, on average, a 25% shorter labor time whereas multiparous women who seek chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy have, on average, 31% shorter labor times. [8, 11]
Literature within the osteopathic profession also includes evidence of improved outcomes in labor and delivery for women who receive prenatal osteopathic manipulative treatment. [12] Although the literature in the chiropractic profession dates back several decades, evidence of osteopathic manipulative treatment being used in pregnancy and labor is documented in the osteopathic profession back to the early 1900s. [13–18] A more recent retrospective case-control study using outcomes of meconium-stained amniotic fluid, preterm delivery, use of forceps, and cesarean delivery found a strong relationship between women receiving prenatal osteopathic manipulative treatment and a reduction of the occurrence of these outcomes of pregnancy, labor, and delivery, especially for meconium-stained amniotic fluid and preterm delivery. [12] An increasing number of practitioners and obstetricians are realizing the benefits of manual therapy for their pregnant patients, [10] and inclusion of chiropractic or osteopathic care during patient’s pregnancies and labors is becoming more widely accepted. https://chiro.org/pediatrics/ABSTRACTS/Pregnancy_and_Chiropractic.shtml
Studies have also shown that chiropractic care produces a significantly greater reduction in back pain during pregnancy than a pharmacological (prescriptions / drugs) approach: https://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/digital/index.php?i=1278&a_id=58906&pn=21&r=t&Page=21
Interested in learning more from one of our doctors? Schedule an appointment online today: https://www.eriksenchiropractic.com/scheduling/
Team Eriksen was created by Doc’s involvement with the sport of racing and the need to to bring chiropractic health care to racers. After treating many of his fellow racers, another idea was brought to life by Team Eriksen, Racing for Chiropractic, a non profit organization to promote chiropractic health care for riders/racers.
Doc’s history of racing includes go-cart, GNCC ATV, Legends, Thunder Roadsters, Formula Mazdas, and recently Baja Class 1.
2010 GNCC Rd 9
Motorcycle-USA.com Snowshoe – Team Eriksen attended the race and was represented by William “Doc” Eriksen #305. Doc finished the race with a time of 02:21:53.093 and displayed the racing experience behind Team Eriksen by grabbing a 6th place finish!
2009 SCORE Baja 1000
In 2009 the Predator X-18, piloted by father-daughter team, Dr.William C. Eriksen and Dr. Teddi Eriksen, left the starting line in Ensenada a little before 3 pm on Friday November 20. Twenty-seven hours and thirty minutes later they crossed the finish line, completing the oldest and most well known of all desert races and won first place in their class!
Chiro the Bear made some new friends this past weekend at the Louisville Home Garden and Remodeling show! Check out our Facebook page to see all the bear hugs!!!
Continuing Education
Parker Seminar, Dallas: September 23-25
Dr. William C. Eriksen has been continuing his chiropractic education for almost 40 years with the Parker Seminars. However, this particular trip to the Dallas Seminar was even more special to him, as he was able to bring the next generation of Eriksen Doctors with him; Dr. Teddi M. Eriksen, Dr. Kelli Anne Eriksen, future son-in-law Dr. Nicklaus A. Schram, and son-in-law Dr. Thomas Jacques. Dr. William C. Eriksen has always made it a point to include his family in his chiropractic practice, traveling, and hobbies. Dr. Eriksen has been anticipating the time when he could include his youngest daughters in the tradition of attending Parker Seminars.
“There is a huge difference between knowing and thinking.” – Dr. William C. Eriksen
The car with a story
Dr. Eriksen has always wanted to show his appreciation to Parker Seminars for the quality of continuing education he has received attending their events and to honor the memory of the founder Dr. James Parker. Through a mutual friend, Jeff Gibbons of Pro Med Signs, of the late Dr. Parker and Dr. Eriksen, he discovered that the 1978 Rolls-Royce Dr. James Parker received from contributions by chiropractors from around the world, had been fully restored to mint condition. Through this contact he was able to obtain the vehicle during the Parker Seminar in Dallas, Texas and surprise the current Parker College President with a relic from his past.
Taking a drive down memory lane
Dr. Fabrizio Mancini is the president of Parker College, philanthropist, acclaimed bi-lingual speaker, author, speaker for Parker Seminars, and etc. After the Seminar he waited on a curb outside the building in anticipation and to his amazement he witnessed pulling up the Rolls-Royce that Dr. Mancini had driven during his young adulthood for Dr. James Parker. Instantly upon seeing the vehicle from his past a flush of memories could be seen on the face of Dr. Mancini along with an ear to ear smile. Fully restored to mint condition was the old baseball glove, cleats, or childhood team photo that we all keep in our closets, this was Dr. Mancini’s cherished memory of his mentor. This car truly is the connection to Dr. Mancini’s humble beginning and a current reflection of the man he is today. Still standing in utter disbelief that this was the same vehicle he drove for Dr. Parker while attending college all that Dr. Mancini could do was smile. Taking a tour around the outside of the vehicle shaking his head he was overwhelmed by the avalanche of memories that hit him upon seeing the different aspects of the newly restored vehicle. While taking the Rolls-Royce for a cruise around Dallas, Dr. Mancini commented on several intimate memories of driving this car during his young adulthood, including one that really captured the Eriksens’ attention.
“Dr. Parker let me use this car to pick up my parents from the airport so I could drive them to my graduation. It was their first time to the United States and on their first day here they got to see their son become a doctor.”, Dr. Fabrizio Mancini
Dr. William C. Eriksen has also seen his children rise to the challenge of becoming doctors of chiropractic with his youngest son Maxwell currently in school at Palmer College working towards his Doctorate of Chiropractic, all five Eriksen children have accomplished their goal of joining the chiropractic profession.
This was a truly special trip for the Eriksens’, Dr. Mancini, and the history that Dr. James Parker left to everyone that has come into contact with the organizations he established during his lifetime. To read more about the accomplishments of Dr. James Parker click here.
As we know in modern science the brain is the master control center for all of our bodily functions. This is how chiropractic helps patients of all types, but today we will focus on how chiropractic care is beneficial to pregnant women and those families wishing to become pregnant. Our spine is a system of 24 movable bones whose purpose is to support our bodies and to protect our vital central nervous system. When spinal bones, or vertebrae, are misaligned they can actually harm our bodies by stretching, pulling, twisting, irritating, or pinching nerves. Chiropractic is a healthcare field based on the knowledge that our bodies heal themselves, if and only if there is no irritation to their function. This irritation usually occurs in the nervous system, which is where a chiropractor will look to for the cause of the problem, rather than merely treating symptoms. This misalignment of vertebrae that irritates a nerve is referred to as subluxation. A chiropractor’s purpose is to find and correct subluxation, allowing the body to perform its functions at 100%. When a spine has subluxation, it no longer works at 100%, it works at less than 100%. When the body doesn’t work properly it starts to break down, and a disease process is on its way.
Pregnant women need chiropractic care to ensure the health of both the mother and the unborn child. Women wanting as healthy a baby as possible must first look to their own health and healthcare decisions. The baby gets its nutrition and information for growth and development from the mother. Chiropractic care helps the nerve supply of the mother to reach the unborn child with no restrictions, allowing the child to grow to their potential. Regular chiropractic care throughout the pregnancy will also ensure any restriction in the pelvis, low back, and birth canal to be released making it easier to deliver. Many women also will develop back pains due to the physical and chemical changes associated with pregnancy. Medications that a mother takes may be passed to the child and might cause certain birth defects. This is why many mothers are choosing chiropractic to help reduce the back pain they experience when carrying a child. It is common for some babies to present in a breech position, or upside down, in the mother’s womb. This is a problem that can make birthing difficult for the mother and the child. Often this complication will result in the need for a caesarian birth, or surgical birth. There is a specific chiropractic technique called, Webster Technique, that is very effective at turning a breech baby to a normal birthing position. In my office I have helped a mother to turn her baby using this technique and allow her to have the normal childbirth that she hoped to have. She was so happy with her care and for the help chiropractic gave her that she brought her one and a half week old newborn daughter into our office to make sure she was subluxation free after the delivery. As you will learn later from our other doctors, the delivery process is where many people develop their first subluxation from the trauma of pulling and twisting a baby’s head from childbirth.
Earlier it was mentioned that chiropractic care can and has helped many families with troubles getting pregnant. How chiropractic has helped is by correcting a subluxation that limited the nerve communication between the brain and female reproductive organs. This is also a problem that our office has been effective at helping out as well. We have a great case where a patient of ours was trying to get pregnant for around 5 years with no luck. Within 2 months of beginning chiropractic treatment there was the great news of an addition to the family. She had gotten pregnant through a cleared and properly functioning nervous system. The human body has the amazing ability to help itself heal, grow, and improve. Chiropractic has the ability to help the body function at it’s best. For any other information or comments please free to contact Eriksen Chiropractic Centers at 1-866-eriksen.
Most people don’t think chiropractic and children go together; when chiropractic is very beneficial for children. When children receive chiropractic adjustments it can help prevent: ear infections, colic, constipation, bed-wetting, eating difficulties, and many other health ailments. Scoliosis is often a concern for children and could affect them throughout their lives but with chiropractic adjustments they could see a decrease in the degree of scoliosis and in any related symptoms.
How can chiropractic help with all of this? When a vertebra in the spine has moved out of it’s normal position this is called a subluxation. A subluxation can irritate nerves at that vertebral level and create muscle spasms, if left untreated the problem can get worse. Constant pressure on a nerve will cause a breakdown of the organs, tissues, and cells and could end up in a disease process. For example, an irritated 5th thoracic nerve can cause an upset stomach, which then in turn can cause a child to not want to eat. We had one child in our office who was 3 months old, he came in with his mom after spending the night in the hospital because he would not stop crying and would spit up every time they tried to get him to eat. He received 1 adjustment and stopped crying instantly and drank 5 ounces of formula before he left the office. His mom then said he slept the rest of the day.
I grew up in a chiropractic family with 5 children including me and we all received chiropractic adjustments by our dad within minutes of being born. We grew up with regular chiropractic adjustments and all 5 of us never suffered from ear infections and never received any ear tubes. All 5 of us still have all of our tonsils and gallbladders and were rarely sick growing up. Chiropractic helps your body function the way it should whether you are young or old.
What is ADHD? Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a very commonly diagnosed childhood disorder. According to the National Institutes Health it is a problem with inattentiveness, impulsiveness, over-activity, or a combination of them.
What are the signs of ADHD? Easily distracted, fidgeting excessively, trouble maintaining attention, dislikes tasks that require mental effort, interrupts games or conversations frequently, always “on the go”, states answers before the questions are finished being asked, forgetful, excessive talker, difficulty following instructions, and fails to finish tasks. The preceding is just a partial list.
The American Psychiatric Association in (DSM-IV-TR) reports that 3%-7% of school aged children between the ages of 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. Parents reported in a survey that 9.5% of children within this age group have been diagnosed with it which equates to 5.4 million children. It is more prevalent in boys than girls. Parents also reported that children with ADHD had 3 times more problems with their peers versus children without ADHD. It has an estimated economic cost of $36 to $52 billion dollars annually.
Simple, or not so simple, neurology…
Frontal lobe- It filters, coordinates, and integrates the incoming sensory information from your various senses. In a patient with ADHD this lobe is functioning poorly. They are hit with a barrage of incoming information while not being able to properly filter the unimportant incoming information. They are, in turn, overstimulated and not effectively able to direct, i.e. focus, their attention appropriately.
Limbic system and Basal Ganglia- They produce chemicals in the brain that help us to maintain attention and body control. ADHD patients have been shown to have a reduction in their size thereby causing a chemical imbalance producing a lack of attention and body control.
Reticular Activating System- The base of the RAS is located at the top of the spinal cord. It is involved in whether or not a child is impulsive or exhibits self-control, learning, and motivation.
Chiropractically speaking…
Can chiropractic help? Yes! There have been case reports and small studies published by chiropractors in the field demonstrating behavioral improvements in children with ADHD. Dr. Melillo, a chiropractic neurologist, states “Anything affecting postural muscles will influence brain development. Musculoskeletal imbalance will create imbalance of brain activity, and one part of the brain will develop faster than the other, and that’s what’s happening in ADHD patients.”
As many as 68% of parents with children having behavioral disorders, like ADHD, are seeking complementary and alternative medical treatment like chiropractic.
When parents are seeking out a chiropractor to treat their child for ADHD they need to ask the practitioner if they have experience with treating children for ADHD. Care should also begin with a trial period to assess the efficacy of the treatment provided.
Dr. Simon Bitz, D.C.
Amazingly, 8 of 10 people in the USA will eventually suffer from low back pain. In fact, some studies have indicated that over 40% of the population is suffering from back pain at any given moment. In most of the cases the back pain is serious enough to interfere with many aspects of a person’s life. It can disrupt sleeping patterns, ability to work, social life, and the ability to effectively control weight.
Back pain can be chronic in nature, where as the person has been suffering for a long time or it can be acute from a more recent injury. Back pain can be a result of automobile collisions, sports injuries, strain, disease, normal wear and tear, and even bad posture. Pregnant woman, smokers, and individuals that lift heavy objects on a regular basis are more at risk to having back pain; but ultimately it can affect anyone.
Many people find relieve from their back pain through chiropractic care. So many, in fact, that chiropractors are often thought of as back pain doctors even though chiropractic can help many more conditions besides back pain. Chiropractic treatment has been shown to be more effective than other types of treatment options for the care of back pain. The success rate is twice as high when compared to typical medical treatment of the same condition. These same studies also demonstrated that chiropractic treatment of back pain results in a reduced number of absences from work due to back pain, as well as, reduced usage of analgesic (pain) medication. Individuals that have received chiropractic treatment for back pain report a very high level of satisfaction. According to the most recent surveys conducted by Consumer Reports, there are no treatments for back pain that patients are more satisfied with than chiropractic. It is almost double when compared with treatment received from family physicians. Lastly, chiropractic treatment for back pain has been shown in studies to be much more cost effective as compared to other treatments. Blue Cross/Blue Shield, one of the largest insurance companies in the country, determined through their own research that chiropractic care saves 40% on cost when compared with treatment initiated by a medical doctor (MD) for the same condition.
Chiropractic care is obviously the best to treatment for back pain. It is more effective, cheaper, and provides the patient with a greater level of satisfaction than any other treatment. Is there really any other choice to treat back pain other than chiropractic that makes sense?
Dr. Chirstopher A. Boni, B.S.D.C.
The modern world continues to place more demands on our time and attention. As a result, much of the population suffers from higher levels of stress. Stress has been shown to come from three major sources. These sources of stress are environmental, our own body, and mental factors. Environmental stress comes from noise, air pollution, crowding, traffic congestion, time pressures, work performance issues, terrorism, natural disasters and extremes of temperature. Body stress comes from diseases, physical injuries, lack of proper sleep, and poor nutrition. Mental stress deals with our inability to cope with our emotions and also how we deal with different environmental and physical stressors we are subjected to.
Stress can be defined as an imbalance of bodily systems due to excessive stimuli. This triggers the body’s fight or flight mechanism and eventually leads to an increase in the rate of wear and tear in the body. Some medical research suggests that up to eighty percent of all illnesses are stress related. Some of the most common symptoms resulting from stress include high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, digestive problems, ulcers, colitis, damage to muscle tissue, diabetes, infertility, damage to the immune response, and slowed healing from disease and injury.
Chiropractors are able to reduce the effects that stress has on the body through chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic adjustments to the spine releases muscle tension, and that helps the body return to a more balanced, relaxed state. Adjustments also reduce spinal nerve irritation, and improve blood circulation. These changes are able to convince the brain to turn off the fight or flight response and begin the process of healing. A healthy and balanced spine is one key to effectively managing stress.
Dr. Christopher Boni