Spinal Manipulation

If your body feels tense, or if your back feels like it needs to be cracked, you may be a candidate for spinal manipulation. Spinal manipulation is a gentle, hands-on technique used by Dr. James Huggins, Jr. at Carolina Chiropractic Center to remove subluxations. A subluxation occurs when the vertebrae become misaligned. Allow us to explain the benefits of spinal manipulation.

Spinal manipulation therapy combines moving and jolting joints back to their correct position. It’s designed to relieve pressure on joints, reduce inflammation, and to improve nerve function overall. To perform a spinal manipulation, Dr. James Huggins, Jr. will have the patient lay on a table and apply firm pressure on the vertebrae that is causing discomfort. This method is completely safe but is not recommended for those who suffer from severe osteoporosis or an unstable spine.

If you have questions or concerns about spinal manipulation, 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. 

Whiplash

Questions that run through a person’s head after a car accident are typical, “Who is going to fix my car,” and “What will I drive in the meantime?” A substantial amount of people who suffer from an auto accident are more concerned about their vehicle than they are about themselves. Dr. James Huggins Jr. of Carolina Chiropractic Center makes his patients a top priority even when they may not when it comes to auto injury.

One of the most common injuries from an auto accident is Whiplash. Whiplash is a relatively common injury that occurs to a person’s neck following a sudden acceleration-deceleration force that causes unrestrained, rapid forward and backward movement of the head and neck. Fortunately, whiplash is not a life-threatening injury but it can lead to a prolonged period of disability when not treated properly. Whiplash destabilizes the spine and causes severe pain as well as blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, neck stiffness and low back pain.

It is critical that chiropractic care is sought immediately after an automobile accident because allowing the effects of whiplash to go untreated can induce long-term pain. Any body part that is jarred or thrown forward unexpectedly and beyond normal limits can sustain stretched ligaments or even tears. Since Dr. James Huggins, Jr. specializes in the care of bones, muscles, nerves and connective tissue, he is essential to see after an auto injury has occurred.

If you have questions or concerns about spinal manipulation, 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. 

Cupping Therapy

Cupping is one of the oldest methods from traditional Chinese medicine that we utilize at Carolina Chiropractic Center.  Cupping therapy is performed by placing cups on the skin to create suction. The treatment can be used to treat respiratory conditions, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, and is recommended for sore muscles. The cups can be made of a variety of materials, and are most commonly glass.

During a cupping treatment, glass cups are warmed using a cotton ball or other flammable substance soaked in alcohol and placed inside the cup. Burning a substance inside the cup uses all the oxygen it contains, which creates a vacuum on the skin. The suction of the cups mobilizes blood flow to promote the healing of a broad range of medical ailments. Cupping therapy helps release rigid soft tissue, lifts connective tissue, and brings blood flow to skin and muscles.  Depending on the patient and their condition, cups can be left in place for between 5 and 10 minutes.

To learn more about cupping therapy and all the services we provide, visit www.carolinachirocenter.com. To schedule an appointment with Dr. James Huggins, Jr. at Carolina Chiropractic Center in Florence, SC, call 843-665-9192. 

Diapulse

Dr. James Huggins, Jr. at Carolina Chiropractic Center has a pain solution for everyone, and diapulse therapy could be the one that’s right for you.  Diapulse is a device that directs pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) to an area of injury.  Injuries interrupt a body’s natural electric current, and this treatment substitutes the electrical component a body needs to function at its best. The treatment improves blood flow, reduces pain and inflammation, and promotes overall healing.

Diapulse is recommended to treat soft tissue injuries because the short intense electromagnetic pulses penetrate into deep tissues.  We also use this therapy for postoperative edema and pain in superficial soft tissue and chronic wounds.  After spinal cord injuries, diapulse is used specifically to enhance blood flow and promote expedited healing.  For each patient, the reason diapulse is recommended may be different.  We understand that even patients with the same condition respond differently to treatments, which is why a plan of care will always be tailored to meet your needs, goals, and your medical and physical condition.

To learn more about diapulse therapy and all the services we provide, visit www.carolinachirocenter.com. To schedule an appointment with Dr. James Huggins, Jr. at Carolina Chiropractic Center in Florence, SC, call 843-665-9192. 

Tailbone Injuries

As part of our practice of providing natural solutions to pain and health problems at the Carolina Chiropractic Center, we’re prepared to help our patients with injured tailbones. Scientifically known as coccydynia, pain in the tailbone is rare but can be severe. In the worst cases, it interferes with patients’ bowel and sexual functions, which makes it all the more important to treat.

The tailbone is actually made up of five different bones. Their position prevents them from getting injured often, but they can suffer blunt force trauma from activities such as bike and horseback riding and childbirth. Of course, it is possible for the tailbone to be the location of spinal stenosis, meaning that the pain is the result of a pinched nerve. This is why our clinic will have to do a thorough diagnostic, possibly including x-rays, before developing a treatment plan.

Fortunately, there are therapeutic exercises for treating tailbone pain. These can involve relaxing the pelvic floor and strengthening the surrounding ligaments. If the tailbone is dislocated, an adjustment may be necessary. Ice is also commonly applied, and the patient may benefit from a specially-shaped cushion to sit on. It may take eight to twelve weeks for a broken tailbone to heal, but it’s more common for the tailbone to merely be bruised.

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.

 

Spinal Curvature in Older People

Since so many people look to chiropractors to help them manage back pain, at the Carolina Chiropractic Center, we get asked one question a lot: why do people stoop over as they age? Often, the answer is osteoporosis.

Once people are over the age of thirty, they usually begin to lose bone matter in their spines faster than they can replace it, which is what osteoporosis is. Women are especially susceptible to this. As the vertebrae lose matter, they become vulnerable to developing small compression fractures. These fractures can result from everyday activities and, while often painful, usually are not considered significant enough by the victim to be worth investigating. But people who get one compression fracture are at high risk of getting another, and as the spine breaks down, the patient stoops over. This is medically known as hyperkyphosis.

Osteoporosis can be prevented by maintaining a balanced diet, including sufficient calcium intake, and by regularly doing weight bearing exercises. If we suspect osteoporosis in a patient, we can test for it with x-rays and recommend therapeutic exercises, as well as spinal decompression and manipulations to improve the patient’s comfort.

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.

 

Plantar Fasciitis

As specialists in the musculoskeletal system, chiropractors are interested in the relationship between gait and overall health. When people have foot pain, they tend to walk in a manner that is not optimal for spinal alignment. Fortunately, the Carolina Chiropractic Center has a number of ways to help.

The most common form of foot pain is plantar fasciitis. It is the inflammation of the connective tissue on the bottom of the feet which stretches from the heel to the toes. Plantar fasciitis is the kind of wear-and-tear injury which builds up over years but which causes sudden pain, usually located in the heel. Patients most commonly feel it after they have been still for a long time.

People who have put an unusual amount of stress on their heels are more likely to develop plantar fasciitis, but most people’s feet will wear down over time. Plantar fasciitis is one of the ailments which responds best to electric muscle stimulation. To reduce their discomfort outside the office, patients can be fitted for custom orthotics.

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.