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Massage therapy has been used for thousands of years as a natural pain relief treatment. We use massage therapy in our Portland office, as it works great in conjunction with the chiropractic care that Dr. Helton provides. Therapeutic massage does much more than just feel good. It also offers many health benefits as well. Some are physical and others are psychological, and here are some of the proven benefits:

• Pain reduction (back, neck, shoulder, legs, arm, and headache pain)
• Improved range of motion and mobility
• Better circulation
• Greater immune system function
• Enhanced sports performance
• Reduced depression or anxiety
• Increased levels of energy
• Decreased levels of fatigue
• Easier time getting and staying asleep
• Easier labor and delivery for expecting mothers
• Fewer stretch marks
• Less scar tissue

We Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Neck Pain and Headaches with Massage Therapy

Advantages such as these have been discovered to be extremely helpful for individuals who suffer with chronic conditions such as arthritis and asthma. Massage has also proven advantageous for burn injury patients, people with hypertension, and women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome. Even preterm infants have shown benefits with massage therapy as they have increased levels of weight gain.

To learn more about the massage therapy services we offer in Portland, give our office a call today at (503) 771-1974.

Knee pain is a frequent problem for patients in our Portland chiropractic practice, and Dr. Helton has happily provided many of these folks relief. This is mostly because chiropractic care has been found to help with many types of knee pain.

For instance, some individuals experience pain in and around the knee tissues due to degenerative arthritis. Research has proven that this condition responds very well to chiropractic--and rather quickly, too. In fact, one article published in The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association found that individuals with osteoarthritis in their knees felt considerable pain relief and enhanced function after just two weeks of chiropractic care.

If your knee pain is due to a medial meniscus tear, chiropractic could likely help with that as well. One article found that combining chiropractic with soft tissue therapy, rest, ice, and compression on the affected knee helped lower the intensity of the pain.

Clearly, sometimes a knee replacement surgery is necessary in order to rectify the problem, and if that's the case, chiropractic can also help improve the outcome. How?

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Knee Injuries

Research has shown that patients with low back pain frequently have less positive outcomes after knee surgery. Thus, dealing with your back pain through chiropractic before having a total knee arthroplasty can assist with your post-surgery healing.

No matter what your knee issue, Dr. Helton can likely help. Call our Portland location today and find out what we can do for you!

Resources

• Pollard H et al. (2008, December). The effect of a manual therapy knee protocol on osteoarthritic knee pain: a randomised controlled trial. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association;52(4):229-42
  Boyle J et al. (2014, March). Influence of low back pain on total knee arthroplasty outcome. Knee;21(2):410-4
• Jarosz B & Ames R. (2010, December). Chiropractic management of a medial meniscus tear in a patient with tibiofemoral degeneration: a case report. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine;9(4):200-8

We know how difficult persistent headache pain can be. Dr. Helton and our staff have worked with many people in our Portland chiropractic clinic, and we've had great success in helping folks reduce their headache pain.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Cervicogenic Headaches

A 2016 research paper verifies what we see in our practice. In this study, the authors started with 110 individuals who were suffering from headache pain that originated in the cervical spine. 58 of these patients were given a series of neck adjustments; 52 were given some stretches and exercises. The treatment period for both groups was four weeks.

The report found that the individuals who received cervical and thoracic spinal adjustments "experienced significantly greater reductions in headache intensity, disability, headache frequency, headache duration, and medication intake as compared to the group that received mobilization and exercise."

The study also found that these outcomes were maintained at the three-month follow-up exam.

Chiropractic is a safe and effective way to treat chronic headache pain, back pain, neck pain, and many other health conditions. If you're tired of suffering, give Dr. Helton a call today at our Portland office at (503) 771-1974. We're here to help get you out of pain.

Citation

Dunning JR, Butts R, Mourad F, Young I, et al. Upper cervical and upper thoracic manipulation versus mobilization and exercise in patients with cervicogenic headache: a multi-center randomized clinical trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2016;17(1):64.

If you live in Portland and you've been in a car crash, you have to know that you don't have to suffer from chronic injuries.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Pain after an Auto Injury

We work with several auto injury sufferers in our Portland office, and several of these folks are suffering from chronic pain caused by an old crash. In fact, research shows that a significant percentage of rear-end collisions lead to pain and disability even ten years after the original injury.

Dr. Helton is here to help you avoid developing chronic symptoms by helping to restore the natural function of your spine soon after a collision.

The most common causes of chronic pain are reduced flexibility of your spinal column and the formation of scar tissue in your spine. The ligaments of your neck and back can easily be injured during a crash, and chiropractic care works by decreasing inflammation and restoring normal motion.

We Can Help With Chronic Pain and Auto Injury Recovery

If you're close to our Portland office, and you've been injured in a crash, don't wait to get care. Dr. Helton is here for you. Give us a call today at (503) 771-1974 for an appointment or for more information.

Many people suffer with headache pain, and tension headaches are a common problem in our busy world. Postural problems and stress are common sources of tension headache, and ones that Dr. Helton and the staff here in our Portland chiropractic office have a lot of experience in treating.

Research Shows Chiropractic Eases Tension Headaches

The scientific literature confirms our results: A 2016 study from Spain treated a group of 76 patients with chronic tension headaches. The participants were divided into four treatment groups: 19 patients were treated with suboccipital inhibition (the doctor presses on the tight tissues at the top of the spine); 19 with chiropractic adjustments; 19 with both adjustments and suboccipital inhibition; and 19 received no treatment.

The authors discovered that the spinal adjustments were beneficial at relieving pain, and that the best results were found when adjustments were coupled with the suboccipital inhibition.

When we get stressed out, the nerves and tissues in the neck can be disrupted, resulting in pain. Chiropractic works by getting rid of these strains and restoring the normal nerve function to the tissues.

We're Here to Help People Find Help From Tension Headaches

If you live in Portland and are suffering from any kind of headache, we're here to help you get relief. Call Dr. Helton today at (503) 771-1974 for an appointment or more information.

Source

Espi-Lopez GV, Rodriguez-Blanco C, Oliva-Pascual-Vaca A, et al. Do manual therapy techniques have a positive effect on quality of life in people with tension-type headache? A randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Physical Rehabilitation Medicine 2016; February 29.

Every year, there are millions of auto collisions in the world, and a significant number of people get injured in a car wreck. Although most collisions are "minor," chronic back and neck pain are still frequent health problems. The good news is that chiropractic is a great way to treat these kinds of injuries.

We have helped many auto collision patients in our Portland office, and Dr. Helton has been treating people with these types of injuries since 2005. During a car wreck, your body is subjected to violent forces that it simply wasn't built to deal with. These forces put strain and stress on your neck, shoulder, and back, and can result in injury to the ligaments that hold your spine together. A crash can result in a wide variety of pain symptoms.

A ligament sprain in the neck can cause pain, swelling, and radicular pain in the arm and hand. Chiropractic works well for these types of problems, because chiropractic focuses on restoring the healthy function and flexibility of the injured structures.

Dr. Helton Can Help Clients Recover From an Auto Accident

Dr. Helton, your Portland chiropractor, can help by reducing irritation in the injured area and can help decrease the creation of scar tissue that can cause chronic pain and disability.

You don't have to suffer from auto injury pain. Discover more about how we can help you recover or call Dr. Helton today at (503) 771-1974.

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

Dr. Helton sees a lot of people in our Portland office who are struggling with frequent, reoccurring headaches. Fortunately, chiropractic adjustments can often help, potentially reducing these types of headaches by 50%, and research confirms it.

A study was conducted involving 80 participants who reported experiencing at least five cervicogenic headaches during the prior three months. The goal was to discover 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 twice that amount.

Each person 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, individuals who were taking medications for their headaches were able to lower their intake after completing the study. Those who received chiropractic care had lower medication usage 24 weeks post-study.

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

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.

Every year, over 500,000 people have back surgery in the US. Although in some cases it's necessary to have surgery for back pain, the reality is that if you can prevent this type of invasive procedure, you're often better off.

Dr. Helton is here to make sure that patients in Portland have a natural, non-surgical option for back pain. We've helped many people heal from back pain without the need for surgery.

There are plenty of reasons to avoid unnecessary medical treatments: Surgeries often result in a longer recovery time and additional complications, neither of which is a desirable scenario. Luckily, as one study has found, chiropractic may actually keep you out of the operating room completely.

In this report, 1,885 workers with back injuries were examined over a three year period. When the workers first sought treatment with a surgeon, over 42 percent wound up having back surgery. For subjects who saw only a chiropractor, only 1.5 percent had surgery!

These findings indicate that chiropractic care can help you heal from back pain without surgical treatments.

If you live in the Portland area, Dr. Helton can probably help you with your back pain. Give our office a call today at (503) 771-1974 for more information or an appointment.

Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, et al. 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.

Of the over 2 million rear-end accidents in the US annually, a substantial number of men and women end up enduring long-term pain and disability. Some studies have shown that 1 out of 5 people are still in pain one year after a crash.

Dr. Helton sees many accident cases in our Portland office, and we regularly see people who have been suffering for many years and have not been able to find help. Dr. Helton has great success in helping these patients.

The Cause of Chronic Pain

During a crash, the ligaments of your neck and back can be stretched or torn. The damaged area becomes swollen and inflamed and transmits pain signals to the spinal cord and central nervous system.

Pain tells your central nervous system that something is wrong, which tells the muscle tissues in the injured area to contract to shield the area from further injury.

If the injury isn't addressed right away, a negative cycle develops. The hurt tissues keep sending pain signals and each time, your central nervous system reacts. This brings about a feedback loop in your nervous system that specialists refer to as "central sensitization." Your nervous system actually becomes hypersensitive to any kind of stimulus, leading to chronic pain.

Dr. Helton is able to help this kind of problem, as chiropractic is a proven way to restore the nervous system's healthy functioning. Research shows that adjustments are effective at relieving pain from car crashes and shows that chiropractic in fact has positive effects on the pain centers of the brain.

If you live in Portland and have been in a collision, you don't have to suffer with chronic pain. Give Dr. Helton a call today at (503) 771-1974 for a consultation or appointment.

• Ferrari R. A prospective study of the 1-year incidence of fibromyalgia after acute whiplash injury. Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Disease 2015; doi:10.1136/rmdopen-2014-000007.
• Stone AM, Vicenzino B, Lim EC, Sterling M. Measures of central hyperexcitability in chronic whiplash associated disorder - A systematic review and meta-analysis. Manual Therapy 2012;18(2):111-7.

The beauty of functional medicine is it puts your health journey in your hands. The curse of functional medicine is that, compared to popping a pill, eating healthy takes more time, which can feel stressful. Enter the Instant Pot, a relatively new kitchen appliance that is simple to use, makes it easy to stick to a whole foods diet, and takes a lot of stress out of cooking when your schedule is hectic.

What makes the Instant Pot a good functional medicine tool?

The Instant Pot’s success is in its multiple features and that it produces consistent results. The Instant Pot sautés, foolproof pressure cooks, slow cooks, makes yogurt, functions as a rice cooker, and quickly makes bone broths.

It is conducive to big batch meals that will create nutritious leftovers for a few days.

Here are some ways the Instant Pot can help you save time in the kitchen without sacrificing nutrition:

Cooks frozen meats. How many times have you forgotten to put the meat out to thaw for dinner? You can put your frozen meat in the Instant Pot and still have stew for dinner.

Cuts down on dishwashing. The Instant Pot allows you to do multiple things in one pot, cutting down on dirty pots and pans. For instance, you can sauté the onions and brown the meat in the same pot you cook your stew in. Additionally, you can cook in Pyrex bowls inside the Instant Pot, which can then be stored in the fridge and used as a lunch container.

Removes the stress of timing. Once you put your meal in the Instant Pot, you press a button for how long it needs to cook and then you can walk away. Not only will it shut itself off, it will also keep food warm for up to 10 hours. It makes reliable hard boiled eggs, and some people even crack their raw eggs into a bowl before cooking for a quick and easy egg salad that doesn’t require peeling egg shells.

Takes the complexity out of pressure cooking. The Instant Pot’s most popular feature is pressure cooking, which radically shortens cooking times. Best of all, it uses a foolproof design so you don’t have to worry about blowing up your kitchen.

It’s a great slow cooker. One of the most satisfying dinners is the one you make in the morning and it’s waiting hot for you in the evening. In addition to cooking quickly, the Instant Pot is a great slow cooker, and you can brown the meat in the same pot.

Makes dairy-free yogurt. Yogurt is a delicious and convenient snack that is hard to give up when you go dairy-free. Dairy-free yogurts are expensive and filled with thickening gums, which are irritating and immune reactive for many people. The Instant Pot is a great dairy-free yogurt maker, using gelatin or chia as a thickener. You will need to order a high-quality brand of coconut milk however, for a good end result.

Easy squash and root veggie cooking. Peeling and chopping squash and root veggies can be a real deterrent to including them in your diet. No worries, just toss them in the Instant Pot whole and then peel, seed, and chop them after they’re cooked. Cooking more fragile vegetables such as broccoli, however, is best left to the stove top steam basket to avoid overcooking.

These are just a few of the ways the Instant Pot can be a part of a functional medicine protocol to help you manage a chronic health disorder. Don't be intimidated by it — the learning curve is quick and you’ll soon be able to intuit how to use it. The internet abounds with tips, recipes, and general enthusiasm to get you up to speed.