RIGHTSPINE Chiropractic Neurology Associates

What is Chiropractic Neurology?

As in medicine and dentistry, the chiropractic profession has individual specialists. Through education, training and board certification, these doctors choose to limit their practice to a certain specialty to assist members of their profession and allopathic physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions.

Within the chiropractic profession, there are specialists in radiology, orthopaedics, neurology, and physical rehabilitation. The training to become a board certified neurologist in the chiropractic profession is an additional three years after the doctor's degree, which is conducted under the auspices of an accredited university or college that is recognized by the U.S. Office of Education. During that training, there is a didactic and residency - based/clinically based training. After completing those requirements, the chiropractor will sit for a board examination in neurology, which is held once per year by our independent examining board. The areas that are examined are specific to the field of neurology and include clinical and diagnostic techniques and knowledge of neurophysiology. The certification examination includes oral and practical portions as well as a battery of psychometric testing.

Typically, a chiropractic neurologist serves in the same consulting manner as a medical neurologist. The difference is that the therapies or applications of a chiropractic neurologist do not include drugs or surgery. As a result, certain conditions are more customarily seen by a chiropractic neurologist as opposed to a medical neurologist, and vice versa. Chiropractic neurologists see patients with a variety of disorders including, dystonia, post-stroke rehabilitation, and radiculopathy (or nerve entrapment syndromes). Chiropractic neurologists can provide therapies and treatments as well as counsel when there is a diagnostic dilemma or a question of appropriateness of care.

The central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system consists of nerves found in the head and body and your brain is designed to receive and send information to your body. Your body is controlled by receptors, specialized nerve cells, that respond to different sensations. The sensation of touch is controlled by various receptors in the body that respond to compression and stretch. Receptors associated with touch have a greater effect on the central nervous system than the receptors related to vision, taste, hearing and temperature. Mechanoreceptors are receptors of touch that are found in the joints of the body and especially our spine and are very sensitive to motion. If the joints of the spine do not move freely, the activity of these nerve receptors is suppressed. A consequence of this is a change in muscle tone, coordination and increase in pain.

What is Active Release Technique?

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

How do overuse conditions occur?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:

acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc),
accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia).

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

What is Oriental Medicine/Acupuncture?

Oriental medicine is a comprehensive system of health care with a clinical history of more than 3000 years. Oriental medicine includes acupuncture, Chinese herbology and bodywork, dietary therapy and exercise based on traditional Oriental medicine principles. These therapies work with the natural vital energy inherent within all living things to promote the body's ability to heal itself. This system of health care is used extensively in Asia and is rapidly growing in popularity in the West.

What's so special about Integrated Care?

Integrated care includes different types of practitioners working together to bring their particular abilities and treatments under one facility. Dr. Friedman works directly with an Interventional Pain Management Specialist, Neurosurgeon, Anesthesiologist, Clinical Psychologist, Nurse Practitioners, Physical Therapists, Massage Therapist and Acupuncturist at Pain and Wellness Center in Peabody. Your care can be coordinated by direct consultation between the different practitioners allowing us to arrive at the best course of care for you.

A patient may present to Pain and Wellness, or to RightSPINE in Swampscott, and depending on the problem, will have access to the expertise of all of the practioners. In order to see all practioners in one location, you will have to be seen in the Peabody office, as only chiropractic services are available in the Swampscott location. We feel that with this staff of physicians we are in the unique position to care for most, if not all, problems related to spinal pain.