sponsored by Cornerstone Family Chiropractic
What do people think when they hear the word “trauma?” Most lean towards something very stressful, notably emotional, psychological, or a life-or-death event. In the moment, it can be devastating, but it can also be hidden in some respects.
A friend and I were hiking up in the Smoky Mountains along the Appalachian Trial about ten years back. Two days in, an unexpected blizzard hit the region, and I ended up getting hypothermia and nearly dying. Fortunately, my friend helped me get to a shelter and treated me accordingly. It was one of those moments to be thankful for a fellow healthcare professionals. After a few days of rest and warming up, I started feeling okay again, and we headed home, cutting the trip short. About five years following the event, this friend was getting married, and I was asked to say a few words at the reception. I told his bride about the event, expressing my appreciation for such a reliable friend, but choked up in tears about halfway through, remembering the extreme weather and how scared I was. I hadn’t felt that way about it once before then.
In our office, many practice members come in with complaints from pain in different areas to headaches, anxiety, and more and are unsure of the cause or source. Interestingly, we initially ask each new practice member about past traumas, one of the more common instigators of physical problems, and they often fail to mention a car crash, a slip or fall, and even a blow to the head until later into the care plan.
“I didn’t feel any pain then” or “The pain eventually went away” are common dismissals of a possible problem. Your pain is significant, but it is not always a reliable indicator of an early problem.
A neck MRI study by Nakashima reported that of 1211 asymptomatic individuals, ages 20-70, 87.6% presented with a disc bulge, with more findings, including spinal cord compression, found as age increased. A low-back MRI study by Jensen reported that of 98 asymptomatic subjects, ages 20-80, 52% had a disc bulge at one level minimum, and 27% had a protrusion. Several reviews further confirm that abnormalities often exist in the absence of pain, especially in a history of past trauma.
Chiropractors are trained to evaluate physical imbalances that can affect the body in multiple ways. For example, our office evaluates each member with static electromyography (sEMG) regularly to detect neural imbalances, same as NASA uses with their astronauts. Each active member additionally has a leg check performed at every visit to see if there is evidence of functional muscular imbalance.
These are a couple of ways to look for those hidden body stressors.
Not every problem is solely a chiropractic solution. Sometimes, it may just be a piece of the puzzle, but it has measures that can be weighed to show if a positive change is happening in the body with treatment. Because we don’t always catch traumas on our own, having a chiropractor in your healthcare plan is certainly worthwhile.
Dr. Jordan Jensen earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences at Auburn University in 2013 and earned his Doctor of Chiropractic at Palmer College of Chiropractic in 2018. Following graduation, Dr. Jensen was accepted into the International Chiropractic Association’s Diplomate of Craniocervical Procedures postgraduate program, where his research encompasses Chiropractic’s application of advanced imaging and patient outcomes.
