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Over 2 million people are injured each year in auto accidents in the U.S. While most people are able to recover from their injuries fairly quickly, others are left to deal with chronic pain and disability. We see many of these patients here in our Portland office. Thankfully, Dr. Helton is here to help you heal from your auto injury.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps Prevent Chronic Pain After an Auto Accident

The science confirms what we see in our office: A British study was carried out on 28 men and women diagnosed with chronic whiplash syndrome. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments and 93 percent of them experienced pain relief following their adjustments, even though 43 percent of whiplash sufferers overall usually never find relief. This confirms that chiropractic is a great way to avoid long-term pain after a crash.

It's important to note that research has also found that putting off treatment after a car crash can negatively affect recovery time, so getting in to see Dr. Helton immediately is key to having a quicker recovery.

We Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Pain After a Car Collision

Dr. Helton has helped many auto injury patients, and we're here to help you, too. Call our Portland office today for more information or an appointment.

Sources

• Association for Safe International Road Travel. Retrieved from http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics
• Dies S & Strapp J. (1992, September). Chiropractic treatment of patients in motor vehicle accidents: a statistical analysis. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 36(3), 139-145.
• Woodward M et al. (1996, November). Chiropractic treatment of chronic 'whiplash' injuries. Injury, 27(9), 643-645.

There are many different kinds of headache, but one of the most common types is known as "cervicogenic headache," or headaches that start in your neck.

Dr. Helton sees a lot of patients in our Portland office who are suffering with recurring headaches. Thankfully, chiropractic adjustments can often help, potentially reducing these types of headaches by 50%, and research confirms it.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Cervicogenic Headaches

A study was conducted involving 80 participants who reported experiencing at least five cervicogenic headaches during the prior three months. The goal was to see how effective chiropractic was for this type of head pain, as well as to determine the number of treatment sessions necessary to achieve a positive effect.

The subjects were divided into four separate groups, so that each group was similar in age, gender, number of cervicogenic headaches, and their intensity. Of the four groups, two engaged in chiropractic treatments and two received light massage. Furthermore, one group assigned to each treatment received eight sessions and the other patients received double that amount.

Each patient was assessed based on head pain, neck pain, and disability prior to the study and 12 and 24 weeks after treatment was complete. The authors found that those who received chiropractic as opposed to massage reported fewer headaches at the conclusion of the study. Furthermore, improvements were maintained when checked six months after treatment ended.

Additionally, patients who were taking medications for their headaches were able to lower their intake after completing the study. Those who received chiropractic adjustments had lower drug usage 24 weeks post-study.

We Can Help Patients Find Comfort From Head Pain

Dr. Helton has helped many patients who were suffering from headaches in our Portland office. Call us today at (503) 771-1974 for more information or for an appointment.

Reference

Haas M, Spegman A, Peterson D, Aickin M, Vavrek D. Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The Spine Journal 2010; 10: 117-128.

Dr. Helton sees many people weekly in our busy Portland chiropractic office who are searching for relief from the pain and suffering they feel due to herniated discs. Our experience isn't unique; the medical literature verifies that chiropractic care is an effective way to treat herniated disc pain.

Don't Suffer! Dr. Helton and Chiropractic Care Helps With Disc Herniation

One particular research study involved 27 people, 8 male and 19 female, who had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirming a disc herniation in either their neck or lower back. The subjects reported that they were experiencing pain, reduced range of motion, and sensory issues bad enough to keep them off work.

Over the course of the research study, the participants were managed using one of two common chiropractic techniques: traction for herniated discs in the cervical area or flexion distraction for the patients who had herniation issues in the low back.

Each person was treated four or five times per week for the first two weeks, then three times weekly, and then as needed for the rest of the study. Based on the severity of the disc herniation, therapy varied anywhere from six weeks to six months, with MRIs being carried out at various stages to identify what effect, if any, the chiropractic care was having in regard to the disc herniation.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Herniated Disc

The researchers found that 80 percent of the participants enjoyed a "good clinical outcome," meaning reduced pain and a reduction in other symptoms, such as numbness. Furthermore, 77 percent of these individuals also showed MRI evidence that their disc herniation was either reduced or resolved completely. This resulted in 78 percent of the study subjects being able to return to their place of work and led the researchers to conclude that chiropractic adjustments is both "safe and helpful" for disc herniations.

If you have a herniated disc and suffer from chronic back pain and are near Dr. Helton in Portland, contact our office today to see what chiropractic can do for you!

Reference
BenEliyahu, DJ. Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical follow-up: study of 27 patients receiving chiropractic care for cervical and lumbar disc herniations. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1996;19(9):597-606.

In our Portland office, we see a lot of patients who are troubled with back pain, and some of these patients have been told they might need surgery to recover. Fortunately, Dr. Helton has helped many people get relief without the need for any type of surgery. The scientific research agrees with the success we see in our office. One research study published in the academic journal Spine found that consulting with a chiropractor as your first move in overcoming with your back pain may actually keep you out of the operating room.

In this study, medical professionals from Dartmouth reviewed statistics from 1,885 workers from Washington state who first saw either a surgeon or a chiropractic doctor for their low back issues. They then looked at three years' worth of follow-up medical information to find out whether the patients ended up having back surgery in an attempt to treat the problem.

What the researchers observed was that about 43% of the people who first saw a surgeon for their back pain ended up with surgery in that 3-year time span, whereas only 1.5% of those who first saw a chiropractor had the same fate. The authors wrote:

"Even after controlling for injury severity and other measures, workers with an initial visit for the injury to a surgeon had almost nine times the odds of receiving lumbar spine surgery compared to those seeing primary care providers, whereas workers whose first visit was to a chiropractor had significantly lower odds of surgery."

These are impressive outcomes. Visiting a chiropractor significantly reduces your odds of having back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this scientific study "had lower odds of chronic work disability" and they also had fewer expensive MRI tests.

Let's also keep in mind this important point: this study was performed by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and printed in the world's most influential medical publication on spinal injury.

The Risks of Surgery

Any surgical procedure has risks, but a major problem associated with spinal surgery is that there is a very high rate of failure. In an important review in the European Spine Journal, researchers wrote:

"Failed back surgery is a problem that has become sufficiently widespread to even warrant its own special conferences, with recent reviews reporting failure rates ranging from 5 to 50%."

The authors of this same study concluded:

"It is extremely difficult to identify unequivocal predictor factors that can be used to accurately predict the outcome of surgery."

As a chiropractor, Dr. Helton is convinced that surgery should be the absolute last resort for treating back pain. Chiropractic care works to restore your spine to its normal function--without the need of risky surgery or drugs--and many scientific studies have established the efficacy of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in Portland and you need care for your back pain, give our practice a call today at (503) 771-1974 for a consultation or an appointment. We'll help get you back on the road to a pain-free life!

Studies

• Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, Wickizer TM, Chan KC, Franklin GM. Early predictors of lumbar spine surgery after occupational back injury: results from a prospective study of workers in Washington State. Spine 2013;38(11):953-964.
• Mannion AF, Elfering A. Predictors of surgical outcome and their assessment. European Spine Journal 2006;15(Suppl 1):S93-S108.
  

We treat many car accident cases in our Portland office, and a common symptom our patients report is neck pain. If you are dealing with neck pain after a car crash, you're not alone. Dr. Helton sees this type of problem frequently in our Portland office. Neck pain is a common condition after an auto collision, and it's something that Dr. Helton sees frequently in our Portland office. What causes neck pain after an auto injury? How can a chiropractor help? Why is neck pain such a common symptom after an auto collision? How can chiropractic care help you get better? Let's look at why neck pain is commonly experienced after an auto injury and see how chiropractic can help you get better. Let's look at the root cause of neck pain after an accident and see how chiropractic care can help. The key to recovering from neck pain caused by a crash is to understand the root cause of the problem and how chiropractic care can help. Chiropractic can be very helpful for neck pain symptoms after a crash. Let's examine what causes neck pain and why chiropractic works. Chiropractic care is a great way to treat neck pain. Let's look at how neck pain is caused by a crash and how Dr. Helton can help you.

It's not surprising that neck pain is the most common problem experienced after a car crash. Even in a collision, your head is rapidly thrown back and forth, so it's not surprising that neck pain is the most common symptom from this type of injury. Your neck is subjected to very high stresses and strains during a car crash, so it's not surprising that neck pain is so common from this type of injury. During even a low speed crash, your head is exposed to extremely rapid acceleration. In such accidents, a head that normally weighs about 10 pounds can instantly weigh 80 or more pounds. This force exerts a severe strain on the tissues of the cervical spine. The bones of your spinal column are held together with strong bands of tissue called ligaments, and these ligaments provide stability for your neck. These ligaments can be sprained during a collision, just as your ankle ligaments can be sprained. A sprain means that the ligament is stretched or torn.

When you experience a sprained ligament, the injured area become swollen and tender, and that's what takes place after a car crash. Your chiropractor helps by increasing movement in the injured area, which helps the ligaments heal and helps lessen scar tissue.

Dr. Helton Can Help Patients Find Comfort From Neck Pain & Help You Recover Quicker

You don't have to suffer from neck pain. Dr. Helton is conveniently located in Portland to help you get better, whether you've been in a car crash or not. If you've been injured in a car crash and you're experiencing neck pain, Dr. Helton is here to help. Dr. Helton has been helping patients in Portland since 2005, so we know what you're experiencing. We're here to help you, too. Let us help you recover from neck pain. The first step is to get an accurate diagnosis to determine what's causing your symptoms and then we will determine an appropriate treatment strategy. Next, we'll do a careful assessment to figure out the root cause of your problem, and then decide how to restore your body's natural functioning. Dr. Helton will determine what's causing your pain and then will work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Give our office a call today at (503) 771-1974 to make an appointment.

When doing sports that demand a lot of lower body movement, like football, soccer, and basketball, it's not at all uncommon to suffer some type of injury to your lower extremities. Between pulled hamstrings, sprained ankles, knee injuries, and more, many players have found themselves out of commission. Dr. Helton has seen all of these problems in our Portland patients. Fortunately, chiropractic can help prevent some of these injuries from happening and research proves it.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Sports Injuries & Recovery

Dr. Helton keeps up-to-date with all of the recent scientific research, and in a report published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, researchers from Macquarie University in Australia studied 59 semi-elite Australian Rules footballers. Roughly half were placed in a control group and the others were put in a treatment group that received sports chiropractic care at regular intervals. During the first six weeks, this meant engaging in care once every week. The following three months consisted of an adjustment every two weeks before reducing those to one visit monthly for the final three months of the study.

The authors noted that there was a "significant" decrease in the number of leg strains the players received in the treatment group when compared to the control. Furthermore, they observed that the subjects who engaged in chiropractic also had fewer weeks of missed practice and games as a result of non-contact knee injuries. This led them to conclude that sports chiropractic intervention should be added to "the current best practice management."

Every major sports organization in the US and the US Olympic Team has chiropractors on staff for their players, because they know that chiropractic works. If you live near our practice in Portland and would like to see if Dr. Helton can help you boost your performance or reduce sports injuries, give our office a call today at (503) 771-1974 for an appointment.

Dr. Helton Can Help People Find Comfort From Sports Injuries and Recover Faster

If you're struggling with severe pain, Dr. Helton and our staff are here to help you recover. Give our Portland office a call today at (503) 771-1974 for an appointment today.

Bibliographic Reference

Hoskins W, Pollard H. The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian rules footballers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2010;11(64).

In our Portland practice, it isn't unusual for us to see people struggling with sciatic nerve pain, and Dr. Helton has helped many of these people heal with chiropractic. What makes chiropractic so useful to those who suffer with sciatica? First, it reduces their recovery time and a Norwegian medical study confirms it.

In the report, which took place in a Norwegian hospital's orthopedic division, researchers looked at 44 patients who had sudden low back pain that was diagnosed as acute sciatica. The participants were all treated by a chiropractor, with the mean follow-up being two years after treatment.

The researchers found that all but two patients went back to work after receiving chiropractic adjustments, which is a 95% success rate. What's more, the average amount of time that the individuals spent off work "was reduced by two thirds as compared with that associated with conventional medical treatment."

Considering that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over 170,000 workdays were lost in 2013 due to employees dealing with back or spine-related issues, that is nearly 112,500 work days that could potentially be recovered each and every year solely by receiving chiropractic care. Not only could that increase productivity, but it could also decrease costs to businesses and employees from lost work.

If you live in Portland and you suffer with sciatica pain, Dr. Helton is here to assist. Give us a call at (503) 771-1974 and we'll work with you to find the root cause of your sciatica and get you back on the road to recovery.

Orlin JR, Didriksen A. Results of chiropractic treatment of lumbopelvic fixation in 44 patients admitted to an orthopedic department. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2007;30(2):135-139.

Headache and neck pain are common problems that affect millions of people around the world. If you are dealing with this type of issue, you're not alone. The good news is that chiropractic is a great way to not only treat these common problems, but also help avoid future episodes.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Neck Pain and Headaches

For many years, patients with neck and headache pain in Portland have been helped by the chiropractic care of Dr. Helton. Our experience is supported by a recent review done in Canada that found that non-surgical, non-drug solutions are the best choice for neck and headache pain.

The review looked at 15 studies from 1990 to 2015 and found that conservative treatment comprised of chiropractic adjustments, exercises, and stretches was advisable before turning to drugs or more invasive treatments.

Earlier studies have shown that chiropractic is effective and safe for neck pain and many other health conditions.

We Can Help Patients Find Comfort From Neck Pain and Headaches

If you're struggling with neck pain or headaches, Dr. Helton and our staff are here to help you feel better. Give our Portland office a call today at (503) 771-1974 for an appointment today.

Reference

Varatharajan S, Ferguson B, Chrobak K, et al. Are non-invasive interventions effective for the management of headaches associated with neck pain? An update of the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. European Spine Journal 2016; February 6:1-29.

We see a large number of individuals with headaches in our Portland office, and Dr. Helton has been able to provide relief for many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50 percent of all adults have difficulty with some type of headache problem, so this really isn’t surprising. One of the most frequent sorts of headaches which our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, thankfully, chiropractic can generally help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from issues in the cervical spine. It can be due to a condition with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be because of a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine can cause compaction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

How can you tell if the headache you are experiencing is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is initiating them is remedied, it is important to get treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that offers a great deal of pain relief.

In one study released in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists studied 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent were given chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic delivered the best effects.

In particular, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments offered patients greater pain relief and lowered the frequency of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also lessened the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Helton can do for you and your headache pain, call our office today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

References

• Haas M, Schneider M, Vavrek D. Illustrating risk difference and number needed to treat from a randomized controlled trial of spinal manipulation for cervicogenic headache. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010 18(9).
• World Health Organization. (2012, October). Headache disorders. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs277/en/

We see a number of patients in our Portland office with ankle sprains but Dr. Helton has had a lot of success helping them heal more quickly. Why are ankle sprains so common and how can chiropractic help?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), an estimated 25,000 men and women in the US sprain their ankles every day. As a matter of fact, these injuries make up almost half of all sports injuries, causing people to spend time away from the activities they enjoy most.

Like any injury, there are many causes of ankle sprains. The most frequent is inversion, or when the ankle rolls inward. This injury can occur due to one forceful movement, or it can develop over a period of time, and exercises that increase the risk for this type of ankle sprain include running and jumping. You're also at risk if you have previous ankle injuries, poor posture or balance, weak muscles, and reduced range of motion.

How Can Chiropractic Treatments and Dr. Helton Help?

A paper published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics set out to discover chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. The authors enrolled 33 people between the ages of 18 and 45 who had a history of ankle inversion sprains, who were experiencing tenderness and/or pain, and had not re-injured the ankle in the previous six weeks.

18 of the subjects were assigned to receive rehabilitation and the other 15 individuals received chiropractic adjustments in addition to rehabilitation. Each person had five full weeks of treatments, with the rehabilitation group receiving therapies seven days a week and the rehab plus chiropractic group receiving care six out of the seven days.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Ankle Sprains

The study found that the individuals who had both rehab and chiropractic fared the best at the 4-week mark when it came to pain and joint restriction. Also, no undesirable effects were reported, showing that this treatment option is safe.

If you're near our location in Portland and you're struggling with an ankle injury, give us a call. We'll do what we can to keep you up and running... literally!

Studies

• American College of Sports Medicine. (n.d.). Ankle sprains and the athlete. Retrieved from https://www.acsm.org/docs/current-comments/anklesprainstemp.pdf
• Lubbe, D et al. (2015, January). Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation for recurrent ankle sprain with functional instability: a short-term, assessor-blind, parallel-group randomized trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 38(1), 22-34, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.10.001