Treatment for Joint Pain

Joints form the connections between bones. They provide support and help you move. Unfortunately, due to all of the strenuous activities we humans endure on a daily basis, our joints can sometimes become strained and inflamed. At Carolina Chiropractic Center, Dr. James Huggins, Jr. utilizes therapeutic exercise to strengthen the muscles around the problematic joint, stabilize the joint, and improve your range of motion. 

Many different conditions can lead to painful joints, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, gout, strains, sprains, and other injuries. In fact, knee pain is typically the most common complaint from patients in addition to shoulder and hip pain. However, joint pain can affect any part of your body, from your ankles and feet to your shoulders and hands. Dr. James Huggins at Carolina Chiropractic Center can develop an individualized treatment plan to reduce your joint pain and stiffness, as well as help manipulate damaged joints to make them more mobile – and therefore help you become more active.

If you are suffering from joint pain, give us a call to discuss your treatment options. 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. 

Chiropractic X-ray: When is it Necessary?

At Carolina Chiropractic Center, our staff wants patients to know that when Dr. James Huggins, Jr. determines the need for an X-ray, it is always for your safety, benefit, and diagnosis. X-rays are often completed to give the doctor an inside look as to what is going on with the bone structure of the entire spine and surrounding skeletal structure. An X-ray allows Dr. James Huggins, Jr. to view your current spine angles and develop a more individualized treatment plan.

Many patients do not require X-rays, however, as a general guideline X-rays are recommended if the patient has sustained a significant traumatic injury, as a bone may be broken or a joint may be dislocated. They may also be suggested when an infection is causing the patient’s pain and/or if any significant joint disease is suspected (arthritis). Because X-rays expose patients to radiation, unless there is a valid reason to have one, we only recommended them as needed.

If you think you may benefit from chiropractic care, 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. 

Benefits of a Chiropractic Adjustment

Chiropractic is a natural method of health care with the proven ability to relieve back pain, increase vitality, and promote well-being. At Carolina Chiropractic Center, Dr. James Huggins, Jr. specializes in gentle, non-cracking chiropractic treatments, because you don’t need to twist and pop your joints to achieve outstanding relief from pain and injuries. Chiropractic adjustments are only one of our many services we offer that will leave you feeling brand new, so allow us to tell you a little bit about them.

Adjustments, or manipulation as they are sometimes referred to, are the minor movement of vertebrae in the spine. The objective of this movement is to realign vertebrae that have moved out of place for a number of reasons ranging from normal daily activity to serious trauma from a car accident. These adjustments restore movement to areas that have “locked up” and may be impinging nerves. When Dr. James Huggins, Jr. performs an adjustment, it can help coax the muscles surrounding stiff joints to relax, which is important to restoring your overall ability to move efficiently. In addition to helping your body function at its fullest potential, adjustments speed pain relief to the point where you will notice a difference after walking out the door. 

If you think you may benefit from a chiropractic adjustment, 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. 

Headaches and Chiropractic Care

There are many different types of headaches with a multitude of symptoms including achy, throbbing, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, numbness, blinding, noise, light and/or odor sensitivity, and more. Thankfully, Dr. James Huggins, Jr. at Carolina Chiropractic Center can alleviate your symptoms through non-surgical techniques such as spinal adjustments and manipulation.

Headaches have many causes, or “triggers.” These may include foods, environmental stimuli (noises, lights, stress, etc.) and/or behaviors (insomnia, excessive exercise, blood sugar changes, etc.). If you suffer from constant headaches, Dr. James Huggins, Jr. may suggest one or all of the following as a treatment option:

• Spinal manipulation or chiropractic adjustments to improve spinal function and alleviate the stress on your system.


• Nutritional advice, recommending a change in diet and perhaps the addition of B complex vitamins.


• Improve posture, ergonomics (work postures), exercises and relaxation techniques. This advice should help to relieve the recurring joint irritation and tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back.

If you experience severe headaches and think you may benefit from chiropractic care, 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. 

What is a Subluxation?

The term “subluxation” is used by doctors of chiropractic to depict the altered position of the vertebrae and subsequent functional loss, which determines the location for the spinal manipulation. Subluxations can be caused by a wide range of issues ranging from a minor slip to something as serious as a car accident or sudden trauma. At Carolina Chiropractic Center in Florence, SC, we believe the body is an amazing machine. Therefore, if yours is causing you pain, coming to visit us can only help improve it.

In very basic terms, a subluxation is when one or more of the bones in a person’s spine move out of position creating pressure on or irritating the nerves in their spine. As time goes by and subluxation remains untreated, the spine and surrounding features such as discs can begin to degenerate. This degeneration becomes more difficult to reverse as time goes by as the surrounding muscles, nerves and bones begin to adjust to the new shape. Subluxation symptoms can vary depending on the person, but if you are experiencing any type of spine or nerve pain, please give us a call.  

If you think you may benefit from chiropractic care, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. 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. 

Spinal Decompression Basics

Nonsurgical spinal decompression therapy involves stretching the spine, using a traction table or similar motorized device, with the goal of relieving back pain and/or leg pain. Here at Carolina Chiropractic Center, our spinal decompression devices use the same basic principle of spinal traction. Both traction and decompression therapy are applied with the goals of relieving pain and promoting an optimal healing environment for bulging, degenerating, or herniated disks.

When the spine is gently stretched, this takes pressure off the spinal disks, which are gel-like cushions between the bones in your spine, by creating a negative pressure in the disc. As a result, bulging or herniated disks may retract, taking pressure off nerves and other structures in your spine. This, in turn, helps promote movement of water, oxygen, and nutrient-rich fluids into the disk so they can heal.

If you have back pain that you can’t seem to find relief for, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. 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. 

Degenerative Disc Disease

Also known as DDD, degenerative disc disease is not really a disease but a term used to describe the normal changes in your spinal discs as you age. As we age, our spinal discs break down, or degenerate, which may result in degenerative disc disease in some people. DDD is typically diagnosed with a medical history and a physical exam, so if you are experiencing any aches and pains out of the ordinary, visit Dr. James Huggins, Jr. at Carolina Chiropractic Center, today.

Spinal discs are soft, compressible discs that separate the vertebrae that make up the spine. The discs act as shock absorbers for the spine, allowing it to flex, bend, and twist. Symptoms of DDD are most commonly concentrated in the low back or neck, depending on where the degenerated discs are. Where the pain occurs depends on the location of the affected disc. Common symptoms include pain that ranges from nagging to severe and disabling and periods of severe pain that come and go, lasting from a few days to a few months. Treatments that Dr. James Huggins, Jr. may recommend include physical therapy and exercises for strengthening and stretching the back.

If this condition sounds all too familiar, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. 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.