Spinal Decompression Therapy

Here at Carolina Chiropractic Center, we utilize spinal decompression therapy, a non-surgical technique that involves stretching the spine, using a traction table or similar motorized device, with the goal of relieving back pain and/or leg pain. This type of therapy is used to treat disc injuries in these areas using FDA cleared equipment to apply distraction forces to spinal structures in a precise and controlled manner.

The theory of spinal decompression therapy is that this process creates pressure within the disc itself, which is thought to have two potential benefits: pulls the herniated or bulging disc material back into the disc, and promotes the passage of healing nutrients, into the disc and fosters a better healing environment. The patient should never feel never during or after the decompression therapy although they should feel a stretch in the spine. While spinal decompression therapy may be recommended as a potential treatment for a variety of lower back pain conditions, as with all lower back pain treatments, it is the patient’s decision on whether or not to have the treatment.

If you have questions about spinal decompression therapy, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at our office, visit www.carolinachirocenter.com. To schedule an appointment with Dr. James Huggins, Jr. at Carolina Chiropractic Center in Florence, SC, call 843-665-9192. 

Cold Laser Therapy: Explained

At Carolina Chiropractic Center, Dr. James Huggins, Jr. harnesses Cold Laser Therapy to reduce inflammatory pain in his patients. Cold Laser Therapy or Low-Level Therapy is a treatment that utilizes specific wavelengths of light to interact with tissue and is thought to help accelerate the healing process and we’d like to explain it here.

Cold Laser Therapy is one option among a variety of treatment approaches that can potentially provide pain relief or pain reduction, especially for patients seeking non-invasive treatment. It can be used for patients who suffer from a variety of acute and chronic conditions in order to help eliminate pain, swelling, reduce spasms and increase functionality. The goal of laser therapy is to deliver light energy units from red and infrared laser radiation, called photons, to damaged cells. Photons absorbed by the cells through laser therapy stimulate the mitochondria to accelerate production of ATP. This biochemical increase in cell energy is used to transform live cells from a state of illness to a stable, healthy state.

If you wish to inquire about cold laser therapy, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at our office, visit www.carolinachirocenter.com. To schedule an appointment with Dr. James Huggins, Jr. at Carolina Chiropractic Center in Florence, SC, call 843-665-9192. 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

One of the common ailments we treat at the Carolina Chiropractic Center is carpal tunnel syndrome. Highly debilitating if left untreated, carpal tunnel syndrome requires lots of rest to heal from, but people who work with their hands are often in need of pain relief and therapy to regain function and feeling in their fingers.

The carpal tunnel is a passage in the wrist through which the nerves, tendons, and ligaments connecting to the thumb and first three fingers pass. Though these nerves branch out into the separate fingers, they bundle together before separating again in the neck. A pinch on these nerves can result in pain, tingling, numbness, and shocks along the arm.

Inflammation is usually to blame for pressure on the carpal tunnel nerves. Dr. Huggins uses ultrasounds, electric muscle stimulation, and cold lasers to reduce inflammation and help patients manage their pain while healing. However, diagnostics are still necessary to confirm that carpal tunnel syndrome is indeed the cause of a patient’s symptoms, and patients may have to make changes in their lifestyle, or at least, their posture while doing certain tasks, to prevent a relapse.

Dr. James Huggins operates the Carolina Chiropractic Center at 1627 Suite C, South Irby, Florence, South Carolina, 29505. To set up an appointment, call 843-665-9192 or visit CarolinaChiroCenter.com and fill out a contact form.

 

Pinched Nerves

While people commonly think of chiropractors as specialists of the spine, it is more accurate to say chiropractors are concerned with the nervous system, and the spine is a location which affects nerves throughout the body. At the Carolina Chiropractic Center in Florence, we have a number of therapies available for relieving pain from pinched nerves and helping the body rebuild itself.

A pinched nerve is quite simply a nerve which is being pressured by other parts of the body. This could be the result of inflammation or of soft tissues wearing away and allowing bones to push against nerves. Though pinched nerves are sometimes painful, they can also be numb or tingly, and often interfere with the functioning of whichever part of the body branches away from them. Sciatica is one example of a pinched nerve which people are commonly familiar with.

Which treatment Dr. Huggins will use depends on the cause of the pinch. To reduce inflammation, our office utilizes cold lasers, ultrasounds, and electrical muscle stimulation. For cases of wear, rest is essential, but patients still commonly benefit from EMT as a form of pain relief.

Dr. James Huggins operates the Carolina Chiropractic Center at 1627 Suite C, South Irby, Florence, South Carolina, 29505. To set up an appointment, call 843-665-9192 or visit CarolinaChiroCenter.com and fill out a contact form.

 

Electrical Muscle Stimulation Therapy

At Carolina Chiropractic Center, we utilize electrical muscle stimulation as an exceptional way to help the body in the healing process. If you have a spasm in your back or neck muscle, this type of therapy works well in relaxing the muscle and allowing it to return to its normal state rather quickly. Electrical muscle stimulation devices (EMS) have been shown to increase muscle strength, to decrease body weight and body fat, and to improve muscle firmness and tone in healthy individuals.

Short therapy sessions are excellent at facilitating healing from acute and chronic pain. This is accomplished by sending a very small electrical current into the affected soft tissue injury or muscle spasm. The therapy itself utilizes this current in an effort to help reduce swelling and release trigger points that may have tightened the muscle. It does this by guiding the body to release endorphins.

If you think you might benefit from electrical muscle stimulation, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at our office, visit www.carolinachirocenter.com. To schedule an appointment with Dr. James Huggins, Jr. at Carolina Chiropractic Center in Florence, SC, call 843-665-9192.