Chiropractor Gaithersburg, MD

What Can a Gaithersburg, Maryland Chiropractor Do for Your Body That Exercise Cannot

Exercise is good for your body and your overall well being. No reputable health care provider would suggest otherwise.

However, while exercise can help you accomplish many desirable objectives (weight loss, strengthening, improved balance and flexibility, etc.) it is not a cure-all. Furthermore, if there is an underlying problem or issue in your body, particularly in your musculoskeletal system, exercise may actually make it worse. To address the underlying problem and help you get back into a condition where exercise can benefit you, you may require chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractic care involves manual manipulation and adjustment of joints, particularly those of the spine. It works in a unique way that exercise cannot accomplish alone. Here are some examples of what chiropractic adjustment can do for you that you cannot accomplish with exercise alone.

Mobilization of Specific Vertebrae

Your vertebrae are the bones of your spine. They are mobile, and you can move them voluntarily. This voluntary movement of your spine allows you to sit, stand, bend over, nod your head, etc. However, when you move your spine, a group of your vertebrae move all at the same time. You cannot single out one particular vertebra and move it alone.

Back pain often arises from one or more vertebrae that are no longer in proper alignment. During an adjustment, a Gaithersburg, MD chiropractor uses a manual tool or his/her hands to mobilize the problem vertebra with the goal of gradually guiding it back into alignment. This is rarely, if ever, accomplished with a single adjustment. Usually a treatment course over several months is needed.

Control Over Individual Vertebrae

You have voluntary muscle control over your entire spine, meaning that you can control its movement with your conscious thought. Nevertheless, you do not have voluntary muscle control over any one individual vertebra. This means that if one of your vertebrae is out of proper alignment, you cannot will it individually back into place.

Most of the joints in your body have a range of motion, i.e., a predetermined space through which they can move. You usually cannot force your joints to move beyond their normal range of motion. However, during an adjustment, a Gaithersburg, MD chiropractor does just that for therapeutic purposes.

In other words, while exercise is undeniably good for you, it lacks specificity. Even if you can identify the general area where your pain is located, you do not have the level of control you would need to move your body in such a way that it would produce the same effect as a chiropractic adjustment.

To find out more about what chiropractic in Gaithersburg, MD can do for you, contact our office for an initial consultation.

If you suffer from sleepless nights, are awake for hours in bed trying to get comfortable but never seem to fall asleep, then we suggest talking with a Chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD at AmeriWell Clinics for advice. Although everyone suffers from loss of sleep sometimes, having consistent nights with little sleep can force you to make lifestyle changes. A recent study in the Journal of Sleep Medicine & Disorders suggests that subluxation could be one of the causes of insomnia, leading many to turn to chiropractors for adjustments to help with insomnia.

Unexpected Potential Benefits of Chiropractic Care

Most people are aware of chiropractors. They probably know someone who sees one at least semi-regularly. Many of those people would describe a chiropractor as a doctor who fixes bad backs. That is indeed something chiropractors can do, but there are other potential benefits you may not be aware of. Not everyone experiences all of these benefits, but many do and it’s worth finding out for yourself.

Caring for Joints

In addition to adjusting subluxations and other problems in the back, a chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD, can do the same for the joints. Knees, shoulders, elbows, even ankles, and wrists can develop problems that cause pain and limit range of motion. Chiropractors such as those at Ameriwell can also make adjustments to the joints that can correct these problems. This often relieves the pain and can restore full range of motion, helping you stay active and pain-free. Joints need as much care as the back.

Better Sleep

This may seem surprising, but there are chiropractic patients who report that they sleep better when receiving regular treatment. Sleep is one of the most important elements of good health. When seeing a chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD, you may find that any pain or joint pain is significantly reduced. This can help your body relax, allowing you to fall asleep more easily and sleep throughout the night. A good night’s sleep every day can significantly lower your incidence of pain as well as improve your overall health.

Better Stress Management

Chronic stress can have a negative impact on both mental and physical health. There will always be some stress in life, but when it’s constant, it can cause you to tense up, bringing pain. Chronic stress can impact your ability to focus, sleep, and eat well. As the chiropractors at Ameriwell are aware, some patients find that they are better able to manage stress as a result of seeing a chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD. A properly adjusted spine and joints can make good posture easier to maintain. This can prevent tensing up and help you feel more relaxed. Stress may be more manageable. Less stress leads to less pain, less anxiety, and better health.

Chiropractors have been around for decades now and have taken their place in the field of healthcare. But they can do much more than just adjust an ailing back. Paying a visit to a chiropractor can show you many benefits you may not have been aware of.

Frequently Asked Questions About Chiropractic Care

When you suffer from various aches and pains, you may be tempted to pop a few pills from your local grocery store or even go in to see your doctor. If the pain is severe enough to see a doctor, you might consider various treatments like prescription pain medication or even surgery, depending on the type of pain.

However, you may not wish to go this route because you prefer a more natural form of treatment. When this is the case, chiropractic care may be the right solution for you. If you have never visited a chiropractor before, we can set you up with an initial consultation and go over your symptoms.

It is very important that the chiropractor you visit is one you feel comfortable going to. Before settling on a Maryland Chiropractor in Gaithersburg, you should ensure that you are looking at trained and licensed chiropractors and develop a list of questions that will make you feel more comfortable during the course of your treatment. You may want to ask:

• How long have you been practicing?
• How long do sessions typically last?
• What do you commonly use chiropractic care to treat?
• Do you have recommendations?

The Intention of Chiropractics

A chiropractor may have patients in all age ranges with different types of health conditions. Some people may visit our clinic for a short period of time because they are looking for help after a personal injury. Others may suffer from a lifetime of chronic neck pain and back pain. When this is the case, a chiropractor can help treat them with different manipulations or adjustments. Many different conditions and injuries can negatively impact a person’s nervous system.

Adjustments Are Safe

Many people tout the safety of chiropractors, especially as doctors who prefer to treat patients in a non-invasive and drug-free environment. While chiropractors are generally considered to be safe, any medical treatment has some form of potential risk. Especially immediately following an appointment, the patient may feel:

• Stiffness
• Soreness
• Aching
• Tingling

This mild discomfort should usually subside after the first 24 hours of your chiropractic appointment and are often not serious.

Insomnia and Chiropractics

Each Gaithersburg, MD Chiropractor from AmeriWell Clinics has extensive experience helping treat people with insomnia regain sleep, and in doing so, can help them lead healthier and safer lives. Our patients are important to us, and we not only want to help treat their sleepless nights but determine why they aren’t sleeping well in the first place.

If you suffer from sleepless nights, this can seriously affect daily activities. Because every patient is different, your chiropractor will need to determine the source of your insomnia so that they can create a treatment plan specific to your needs. At your first visit, you should be prepared to discuss your diet, daily stress levels, and your sleeping habits. All of this can inform your chiropractor as to why you might not be getting the sleep you need.

You could put yourself at risk for injuries with:

• Driving
• Work-related injuries
• Cardiovascular health
• Weight gain
• Memory Function

Other Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor

Those who are dealing with other health symptoms such as stress, back pain, headaches, and neck tension can benefit from seeing a chiropractor from our clinic on a routine basis. Many people turn to taking medication entirely to ease the discomfort, but this tends to only mask the symptoms temporarily without addressing the root of the problem. Many chiropractors work together with their patients’ doctors to treat them in a way that is best for them and their unique problems. This may even mean there is a mixture of chiropractic care and prescription medication in their treatment plan. This will vary from patient to patient.

Here are other potential health benefits from receiving chiropractic adjustments:

Neutralizes High Blood Pressure

Studies show that chiropractic adjustments could help those suffering from high blood pressure, to the same effect as if they were taking medications for this condition. Prescription medications specifically for high blood pressure can cause significant side effects, including nausea, anxiety, weight loss, fatigue, and dizziness. If you have high blood pressure, a Chiropractor in Gaithersburg, Maryland at AmeriWell Clinics can assess your medical history to determine whether chiropractics can be a useful resource for you.

Eases Neck and Back Pain

The majority of Americans will experience some degree of back pain in their lifetime. Back pain often stems from injury, and many conventional doctors may prescribe anti-inflammatory and pain relief medication as the only method of treatment. Or, a patient may be told that there are other solutions to chronic back pain besides surgery. However, for some patients chiropractic adjustments can be a great alternative to surgery.

Helps Correct Scoliosis

Scoliosis occurs when there is an abnormal curve of the spine, which causes abnormal posture, reduced range of motion, pain, and even difficulty breathing too. As a MD Chiropractor in Gaithersburg may tell you, when combined with physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments can help prevent the continued progression of scoliosis.

Reduces Inflammation

Inflammation is a main contributor of tension, joint problems, and overall pain. Inflammation that becomes a long-term symptom can be a factor in diseases developing such as heart disease, cancer, and chronic pain. By adjusting the spine and other joints of the body, chiropractics can assist in reducing inflammation, decreasing muscle tension, alleviating joint pain, and providing relief for back pain.

Reduces Headache Frequency and Intensity

What many patients may not realize is that their migraine headaches could be caused from spine and back issues. When the spine becomes misaligned, muscle tension and pain combined can result in intense headaches developing. If you are someone that deals with persistent and frequently occurring migraines, then it may be time to see a chiropractor at AmeriWell Clinics for help.

Ways You Can Move Your Body

One of the best things that you can do for your body is to move it. Even if you work in an office building where you sit at a desk all day, or you work at a call center and are seated for hours on end or you’re sitting at school for hours during the day, your body needs to move, and, due to excessive sitting, you may need to even see a chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD. Though an easy and obvious solution to the issue might be to join a gym, there are several other ways that you can get moving without having to join a gym.

Walking

Taking a walk, whether around the neighborhood, around campus or simply around the parking lot for a few minutes during a quick break is a great way to get the heart rate up and also loosen up the muscles that have been cramped due to excessive sitting. Even if you don’t live in an area that is conducive for going on walks outdoors, investing in a treadmill may be a good option for you.

Chiropractic Care

If you have back and joint pain due to a lack of movement in your life, you might want to consider visiting a chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD, for an adjustment. If you are in a job where you are constantly sitting or are in school and don’t have time to move around too much, you should see a chiropractor from Ameriwell every couple of weeks so that they can help alleviate some of the discomfort.

Stretching

A great way to move your body and avoid tightness and cramping is to stretch. Even a brief yoga routine right after getting out of bed is a great way to start your day, and a great way to warm up tight muscles after being in bed for several hours. Someone from Ameriwell may be able to teach you some proper stretching routines for when you feel the need to warm your muscles up.

If you currently live a sedentary lifestyle, whether you have a job that requires a lot of sitting, or if you are in school, it is still imperative that you get your body moving at some point during the day. Whether by wawlking, seeing a chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD, or doing some simple stretches, these simple acts of movement can help improve your quality of life and range of motion in the long run.

How We Can Help You

One way a Gaithersburg, Maryland Chiropractor can help is by asking if there is pain keeping you up at night. If so, a chiropractic adjustment could be what you need to improve relaxation and stimulate blood flow to the afflicted area. Your chiropractor can also suggest sleep positions that are optimal for getting a full night’s sleep, and what type of pillow or mattress will best support different areas of your body as you rest. Additionally, HVLA (also known as high-velocity, low-amplitude) manipulation can be applied to areas with joint problems. This can help to reduce your pain and help your muscles relax, allowing for a more comfortable time sleeping.

If you suffer from a subluxation in your spine (a dislocation), your nerves can become compressed and stop communicating the way they are supposed to with your brain. When this happens, your body can react with stress and a lack of sleep.

Taking the Next Steps

If you are suffering from a lack of sleep, your night is not the only thing that can be ruined. You could be allowing other potential injuries to creep into your life due to your insomnia. The chiropractors at AmeriWell Clinics are here to help you fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer. Because there are many possible causes of insomnia, our chiropractors can give you the care and attention you deserve to diagnose what your problems are and how they can properly treat you. Call our office today to make your first appointment with a chiropractor from Gaithersburg, MD for help becoming a healthier and more restful you.

Chiropractic During Pregnancy

If you are pregnant and worried about receiving chiropractic care, rest assured you can absolutely go to a chiropractor while carrying a child. All chiropractors are certified to care for pregnant women, though there are some who have special certifications and additional training. These additional programs include CACCP, DACCP and ICPA with a special interest. The following are some potential benefits of chiropractics during pregnancy.

Restoring Pelvic Balance

It’s understandable the pelvis can become misaligned while you are pregnant. While this is common in many women, it sometimes restricts the amount of space the baby has to develop. It can also make it hard for the baby to flip in order to be born in the right position. Posterior and breech babies could be attributed to a misaligned pelvis. Chiropractic care can help the body realign and perform better.

Controlling Nausea Symptoms

Some women have reported feeling lessened symptoms of nausea and other side effects during pregnancy after they have had a chiropractic adjustment. Whether you are extremely sick or just slightly queasy, it might be worth a try to see what your chiropractor can do for it. Bringing the spine into alignment often does wonders for the overall health of the body.

Pain Relief

Any woman who has ever been pregnant before will let you know there’s pain that comes with being pregnant. That extra weight seems to pull on every last corner of the torso, often causing an unnaturally protruding abdomen and an increase in the curve of the back. Those are often the direct cause of a woman’s natural inclination to sit or stand differently while pregnant in order to relieve pain. Chiropractic care could relieve that pain, pull the spine back into alignment and take the pressure off the spinal nerves in order for the pregnant woman to find overall pain relief.

Easier Labor and Delivery

Many patients who have had chiropractic adjustments report their labor and delivery was easier. Chiropractic simply relaxes the body, improves posture, relieves muscle stiffness and helps to eliminate soreness. With these symptoms out of the way, a woman is able to relax more and enjoy her labor and delivery. By restoring the pelvis and giving the baby space to get into position, it often reduces the chance of a cesarean birth or other complications.

Five Misconceptions About Chiropractic Care

Chiropractors Are Not Real Doctors

While it’s true that chiropractors at Ameriwell aren’t MDs — medical doctors — they are DCs — doctors of chiropractic. They may have studied pre-med in college, just like MDs. Then, instead of going to medical school, they go to chiropractic college, where they’re required to take a minimum of 4,200 hours of training in the classroom, in the lab and on actual patients. Any chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD, will have this training and experience.

Chiropractic Adjustments Are Dangerous

According to The Chiropractic Resource Organization, there are approximately 40-50 chiropractic-related deaths every year in the U.S. That’s one-half to two incidents per 1 million adjustments. To put these numbers in perspective, you may have as much as more than 100 times the risk of dying from an ulcer you got from taking NSAIDs like Motrin or Aspirin. If your drive to your chiropractor’s office is eight miles each way, you have more of a chance of being killed or seriously injured in a car accident than you do from a chiropractic adjustment. Your Ameriwell chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD, has been thoroughly trained to make her treatment of you safe.

Medical Doctors Don’t Like Chiropractors

This may have been true in the past, and there still may be a few MDs holding on to old-fashioned beliefs, but the fact is that more and more medical doctors are seeing chiropractors themselves, as are nurses, physician’s assistants and physical therapists. Chiropractors are on the staff of many major hospitals and work side-by-side with MDs in private clinics.

People Can Adjust Themselves by “Cracking” Their Neck or Back

The biggest part of successful chiropractic adjustments by a chiropractor in Gaithersburg, MD, is proper positioning of the body. People who aren’t chiropractors don’t know how to properly position themselves for treatment of the underlying condition. Cracking your neck or back may make it feel better in the short-term, but in the long run, you need an actual chiropractor to treat the cause of your pain.

Chiropractors Can Only Adjust Adults

This is simply untrue. Chiropractors can treat teens, children and even babies. Kids run hard, play hard and are hard on their bodies. Chiropractic adjustments can realign their spine after all the energy has worn off, helping to protect them from back pain down the road. As for babies, the birthing process is traumatic both for mother and infant. Your newborn can be gently adjusted to bring her spine back in line where it’s supposed to be.

Gaithersburg Chiropractor Infographic

Chiropractor Glossary

At AmeriWell Clinics, we know how important it is for patients to understand the chiropractic care they’re receiving. If you’re looking for a Gaithersburg, MD chiropractor, our glossary will help explain some common terms and treatments used in chiropractic care, so you can feel more confident and informed during your visits.

Manual Manipulation

Manual manipulation, often referred to as a spinal adjustment, is a fundamental chiropractic method where controlled pressure is applied to the spine or other joints. This technique helps to realign vertebrae, improve joint function, and reduce discomfort that results from misalignment. During this process, chiropractors use their hands or sometimes small tools to target the affected areas, guiding joints into proper alignment. This treatment can alleviate back pain, neck pain, and even headaches, as the adjustment relieves stress on the surrounding nerves and tissues, often providing a sense of relief and mobility for the patient.

Subluxation

Subluxation describes a partial dislocation or misalignment of the spine or other joints that disrupts regular function. When a joint is out of its normal position, it can put pressure on nerves and limit movement, often causing pain, inflammation, and discomfort. Chiropractors work to identify these subluxations during physical exams, and through adjustments, they aim to restore proper alignment and improve nerve function. By treating subluxations, chiropractors help relieve pain, enhance mobility, and support the body’s natural healing processes.

High-Velocity, Low-Amplitude (HVLA) Adjustment

High-Velocity, Low-Amplitude (HVLA) adjustment is a common chiropractic technique used to correct joint misalignments. HVLA involves a quick, precise thrust applied to a joint, typically in the spine, to realign it. Often characterized by a “popping” or “cracking” sound caused by the release of gas bubbles within the joint, HVLA adjustments can help reduce pain, tension, and stiffness, increasing the joint’s range of motion. This technique is particularly effective in addressing restrictions in the spine and is carefully executed to improve joint function without causing discomfort.

Range Of Motion (ROM)

Range of Motion (ROM) refers to the extent of movement a joint can achieve in various directions. Chiropractors assess a patient’s ROM to understand any restrictions or limitations caused by injury, pain, or other conditions. For example, a reduced ROM in the neck could indicate tension, misalignment, or even inflammation. Chiropractic treatments often aim to restore normal ROM, allowing patients to move more freely and comfortably. By improving ROM, chiropractic care can support daily activities and reduce discomfort associated with limited joint movement.

Chiropractic Adjustment For Insomnia

Chiropractic adjustments can sometimes be beneficial for individuals dealing with insomnia, as misalignments in the spine can interfere with sleep quality. When the spine is misaligned, it may create tension and discomfort, making it difficult to relax and sleep soundly. By addressing these misalignments, chiropractic care can promote relaxation and help ease nerve stress, encouraging a better night’s sleep. For many patients, regular adjustments contribute to a deeper, more restful sleep and overall improved well-being.

If you’re experiencing pain, tension, or discomfort that interferes with your quality of life, consider reaching out to a chiropractor at AmeriWell Clinics in Gaithersburg, MD, to discuss how chiropractic care may help. Contact us to learn more about how chiropractic treatment can benefit your health and well-being.

Scheduling An Appointment

You’ve probably already gone to multiple appointments for both you and baby, but now it’s time to see a chiropractor. Call yours today to schedule an appointment.

If you are ready to try chiropractics as a method of back pain and inflammation reduction, then we encourage you to contact us right away for more information. We are happy to answer any questions you have, so please reach out for a thorough consultation with a chiropractor Gaithersburg, MD patients recommend from AmeriWell Clinics today!

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