ClickCease
NOW CONTRACTED WITH MOST INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Pay My Bill
Visit Us
516 SW 13th St, Ste 102, Bend OR 97702
Give us a Call
(541) 728-0689
Send us a Message
Opening Hours
Mon - Friday: 8AM - 6PM

Category: Chiropractic Care

By Bend Total Body Chiropractic Chiropractic Care

Treating Elbow Pain with Chiropractic Care and Massage Therapy

If you’ve never experienced persistent elbow pain, then you might not realize just how often you rely on your elbows to perform everyday tasks. Even the slightest elbow discomfort can become a constant annoyance from the moment you hit snooze on your alarm to when you’re brushing your teeth before bed.

Tennis elbow, another term for lateral epicondylitis, occurs when forearm tendons become inflamed from repeated activities that put strain on the elbow. It can progress from a nagging ache to excruciating and debilitating pain. Keep reading to learn about the symptoms of tennis elbow and the activities—besides the obvious one—that can lead to it. If you suspect that you may be suffering from tennis elbow, we can help you with chiropractic care and massage therapy.

Symptoms To Look Out For

The first sign of tennis elbow is pain on the outside of the elbow or forearm, but symptoms can also manifest as a burning sensation or tenderness in the elbow area. People suffering from tennis elbow may experience discomfort when performing simple everyday tasks that require grip strength, such as turning a door knob or shaking hands after a hard-fought tennis match. Making a fist, straightening the wrist or raising your hand can also result in pain.

Chiropractic and massage treatment can lessen these symptoms. After assessing the conditions of the tendons in your elbow, we can suggest specific wrist stretches and grip strengthening exercises to alleviate pain.

One factor to be aware of is that tennis elbow is usually not the result of an isolated event. It is a form of tendonitis that stems from the joint being overworked over a period of time. So, even if you can’t point to the cause of your elbow pain, if you are experiencing these symptoms, don’t hesitate to seek treatment.

Activities That Can Lead To Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is caused by repetitive strain on the elbow joint that eventually leads to inflammation. For instance, the hinging of the elbow joint that is required to hit a tennis serve or a forehand causes strain on the outer elbow. But, don’t let the name fool you—tennis elbow can be caused by many activities besides playing tennis.

Other repeated athletic movements, like shooting a basketball or throwing a football, can result in tennis elbow. As can playing guitar, swinging a hammer, raking the yard and typing on a keyboard. Basically, anyone who uses their hands to perform repeated actions on a regular basis may be at risk of developing tennis elbow.

So, even if you’ve never held a tennis racquet in your life, your elbow pain could very well be tennis elbow. We can help you pinpoint the cause of your inflammation so that you can modify your activity.

Chiropractic And Massage Treatment

Chiropractic and massage treatments have shown to be successful alternatives to anti-inflammatory drugs for treating tennis elbow. After an assessment of the elbow inflammation, we can suggest a treatment plan that usually includes bracing, icing, rehabilitative exercises and massage therapy.

We utilize the Graston Technique, an instrument-assisted practice that treats the muscles and fascia that work in conjunction with the tendons of the elbow. Again, the goal is to get your elbow to feel better faster, and also to help you avoid pain in the future so that you can stay on the court, whichever court that may be.

 

By Bend Total Body Chiropractic Allergies, Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic Care for Spring Allergies

While most relish the warm weather and blooming flowers of spring, it’s a miserable time for allergy sufferers. With pollen from flowers, trees, grasses and weeds rising into the air and allergen-bearing insects such as dust mites and cockroaches becoming more active, allergic reactions can become quite frequent. Many who reach for over-the-counter remedies and prescription drugs to relieve their symptoms may be disappointed by their lack of efficacy and cost. However, there is a drug-free answer to reduce the sneezing, coughing and swelling related to allergic reactions: Chiropractic care. In order to understand how chiropractic care works on allergies, it is necessary to first understand how allergens affect the body.

Why Do People Suffer from Allergies?


Allergic reactions, such as coughing, sneezing and a runny nose are the body’s way of expelling irritants and removing harmful substances. For those who suffer from allergies, these responses are greatly magnified. It doesn’t matter if the allergen was ingested, inhaled or came in contact with the skin. The immune system goes into overdrive, activating mast cells, which are central to the body’s response. These mast cells produce histamine, which the body uses to combat allergens. However, an overabundance of histamines in the body, which is part of the body’s allergic response, can lead to a dilation of blood vessels, drop in blood pressure and swelling as fluids fill the space between cells. As a result, a plethora of symptoms begin to overwhelm the individual, either localized at the point of contact or in severe reactions, the entire body. Itching, sneezing, coughing, hives, vomiting and even death can occur in a major reaction.

At this point, allergy sufferers usually reach for antihistamines and other chemical compositions to alleviate their symptoms. Most over-the-counter medications are not able to relieve the patient’s sufferings and prescription drugs often have dangerous side effects such as sleepiness, contraindications to drive, and can often exacerbate the problems by over-drying the body, leading to bloody noses, dehydration and persistent coughing. 

Chiropractic Care and Allergy Relief


While no scientific research concludes that chiropractic therapies lessen the symptoms or causes of allergies, many patients report that regular chiropractic sessions lead to a reduction in allergic response. There are several reasons why this makes sense.

Chiropractic care takes a holistic approach to the body. The focus of chiropractic procedures isn’t simply to alleviate pain in one part of the body. Adjustments performed on the entire body help improve blood flow, open and improve respiratory performance, quiet nervous system response, regulate the immune system, and yes, eliminate pain where needed. Together, these results allow the body to lessen unnecessary histamine production, open nasal passages and reduce overall swelling. Additionally, stress on the body, while not a result of allergic reactions, can weaken the immune system. Chiropractic care is known to decrease stress, which allows the immune system to function regularly, resulting in a lessening of aggravated allergic response. Discuss how your chiropractor can help treat your allergies holistically this spring and summer, before they make you miserable.

By Bend Total Body Chiropractic Chiropractic Care

Preventing Heel and Foot Pain This Running Season

As winter gives way to spring and the temperatures warm, we find ourselves itching to get outside for a long run. While hitting the pavement or trails might be all we want to do, sometimes the initial push off the couch can have some undesired consequences – in your feet. Plantar Fasciitis is a condition that can affect anyone at any time, and if it has been an especially long winter with less activity, you might be more prone to heel and arch pain.

Plantar Fasciitis is caused by inflammation or tears in the connective tissue that connects the toes to the heel. This tissue is what forms the arch of the foot and is called the plantar fascia. When this tissue becomes inflamed or damaged, it can often make many daily activities painful and can become a more chronic issue if left untreated. Plantar Fasciitis can be caused by a number of factors. Having poorly fitted shoes as well as walking, running and standing for long periods of time can make you more likely to develop the condition. There are also certain muscle groups that if they become too tight are believed to promote the condition, including your calves, Achilles tendons and glutes.

Luckily, there are several ways to prevent this condition from occurring. One of the best ways to prevent or treat Plantar Fasciitis is through chiropractic care.  A chiropractic professional will be able to pinpoint the areas of your body that are creating the problems for certain muscle groups.  With assisted stretching and massage that target the root of the inflammation or pain, you can eliminate certain problem spots that may have been a nuisance for years and treat and prevent Plantar Fasciitis.

Other options for treating Plantar Fasciitis are as simple as the shoes we wear. Having well-fitted shoes can be a great step taken to prevent pain from occurring in our feet from standing, walking or running. Signs that your shoes might not be fitting right could be blisters on your heels, toes or balls of the feet. Those blisters could be telling you your shoes are too large or small depending on their location and they could lead to Plantar Fasciitis if left untreated. Making sure your shoes fit properly if you are going to be running or walking for extended periods is an important way to keep your feet and legs healthy.

Following these and other preventative and treatment options for Plantar Fasciitis can help you to remain active and healthy throughout the spring and summer. If your pain persists, consult a medical professional to discuss additional surgical and non-surgical treatment options that will get you back on your feet again.

By Bend Total Body Chiropractic Chiropractic Care, Sciatica , ,

What Can a Chiropractor Do for My Leg Pain?

Leg pain affects many people on a daily basis. Depending on the cause and everyone’s situation, symptoms of leg pain may present in various ways. For some, the pain begins in the lower back and travels down one or both legs. Some experience pain down the back of the legs (sciatica), some on the front of the thighs, and others down the side of the legs. Then there are others who experience pain only below the knee or solely in the feet or toes.

Pain can be associated with different parts of the body, like the hip, ankle, thigh, knees and feet but they would not be categorized as leg pain, and as such receive specific treatment in these areas. Doctors must perform an in-depth analysis or evaluation to deduce the specific cause of the leg pain. They will want to rule out that it isn’t caused by a fall or some other traumatic injury. It is important they rule out strains, disc issues and/or broken bones that might be creating the leg pain.

One of the more common leg pain issues is sciatica, an irritation of the sciatic nerve, which begins at the base of your spine. It is the largest nerve in the body and is joined to the lower lumbar and sacral regions. Pain associated with this nerve can be felt in regions of the lower leg, thigh, buttocks and calves. This ailment makes performing normal daily functions next to impossible, and relief is difficult when patients try to find a comfortable position. The location of the pain varies depending on the anatomical or neurological structures involved. The pain may be described in a variety of ways, including sharp, dull, heavy, aching, burning, numbness, and/or tingling.

During your initial consultation, the chiropractor will perform an evaluation to determine what abnormalities in your spine may be contributing to chronic pain in the leg. The doctor will utilize a physical exam, as well as X-rays, to assess the problem. Then prescribe a comprehensive, holistic regimen that includes dietary change suggestions, regular exercise and spinal adjustments, to help you get better as quickly as possible.