Dr. Justin Letzt

Areas We Treat

Car Accidents & Whiplash Injuries

After a car accident, you may have pain or you may not. Many people without pain (if not treated) tend to get worse over time, even with a minor whiplash injury. It’s common after a car accident to feel some minor stiffness, but this could develop into severe neck or back pain along with headaches and shoulder pain.

Research shows that impacts between the speeds of 8-20 mph exert enough force on the head and neck to cause brain stem injuries (that could manifest as neck pain and headaches). This force was actually found to be worse for children 3-4ft tall because the seatbelt provides a fulcrum that increases the impact forces on the child’s head and neck exponentially.

Unlike other injuries, car accident injuries can get worse over time and can eventually become completely debilitating for a person.

We will take x-rays of your spine to assess injuries and specialize in adjustments to the neck and rest of the spine that will treat the cause of the injury.

Many times people are concerned that they will have to pay out of pocket for their treatment after a car accident but in 90% of cases, this is not true because chiropractic is covered by their auto insurance and it doesn’t even raise their insurance premiums.

Patients can be assured that chiropractic care is safe and effective after a car accident. It is wise to see a chiropractor immediately after a car accident to get checked out and assessed for injuries that could severely affect your life in the future.

Back Pain & Sciatica

Back pain often develops as you engage in daily activities. You may lift something too heavy, fall and twist your back, perform repetitive movements that stress your back muscles or suffer a sports injury. As you get older, ongoing back pain may occur due to problems such as:

These conditions often pinch one or more spinal nerves, a condition known as radiculopathy. The most common example is Sciatica where pain or numbness/tingling could travel all the way down your leg.

We will perform a comprehensive history, set of physical exams, and Digital X-rays (if needed) to properly diagnose the cause of your problem and see if chiropractic is the right treatment for you.

Neck Pain

Neck pain could be caused suddenly by an accident or slowly get worse throughout the years with no apparent cause.  When you have neck pain, chances are you experience one or more of these symptoms:

These symptoms are typically caused by pinched nerves in your neck. We will perform a thorough history, and a series of Neurological, Orthopedic, and Chiropractic exams to find the cause of your problem. Digital X-rays may also be needed.

Headaches & Migraines

Headaches or migraines can be absolute torture to deal with!  They can be caused by a variety of issues.  Many headaches start at the base of the skull due to misalignment of the first few Cervical Vertebrae.  If the bones in your upper neck are misaligned, they could be pinching your nerves and could be the source of your headaches or migraines.  

We are trained to figure out what the cause of your headaches or migraines may be, and if it is a chiropractic issue most patients experience immense relief.  We have helped so many people with headaches or migraines by removing the source of the pressure that causes them. 

TMJ- Jaw Pain

Sometimes it is difficult to chew because of jaw pain, or you may even have popping or clicking when doing so. It is usually due to a misalignment of the temporomandibular joint or TMJ. A disc between the temporal bone and mandible can be shifted forward or back. When either occurs, the TMJ becomes painful and it becomes difficult to open your mouth and chew. This issue is treatable by gently realigning the TMJ with gentle adjustments to restore proper function and make life much more enjoyable.

Shoulder Pain

Your shoulder is one of the most unstable joints in your entire body, so shoulder pain is a common problem for many people.  The shoulder is held together by a complex system of muscles and connective tissues called the rotator cuff.       

Unfortunately, injuries to the rotator cuff are a frequent cause of shoulder pain. A common cause of rotator cuff tears is the dislocation of the shoulder joint, where the ball-shaped end of your upper arm bone comes partially or completely away from the socket in your shoulder blade.

Shoulder pain can be due to wear-and-tear damage from overuse or repetitive strain. Tendonitis is a typical example of this type of shoulder pain, in which tiny tears in the tendon build up over time.  Another cause is arthritis. This develops when the cartilage on your bones wears down, causing inflammation, stiffness, and pain.

Chiropractic care works by realigning your shoulder joint so it can function properly.  This can help increase your range of motion and decrease pain and discomfort. 

Knee Pain

You may develop knee pain if you have misalignments in your feet, hips, or lower back that alter your body mechanics. Imbalances in the natural alignment of your musculoskeletal system place excessive stress on your knees. Even having one of your hips higher than the other can put a lot more strain and weight on one particular knee. Unbalanced muscle tension on one side of your knee could pull the knee cap to the tighter side, causing increased wear and pain.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition where your median nerve, which runs from your forearm into your hand, becomes compressed at the wrist causing a pinched nerve. Your median nerve is responsible for providing feeling to the palm side of your thumb, pointer, middle, and part of your ring finger. It can cause pain and numbness or tingling in the fingers, loss of grip strength, swelling, or even losing the ability to feel hot or cold. This is very common for people who sit at a computer all day using their hands to type and use the mouse or any other job where there is a repetitive motion that causes overuse of the wrist muscles. Luckily we are very good at diagnosing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and releasing the pressure from your wrist by adjusting the wrist bones and even the elbow if needed.

Pain When Breathing

You may be working out at the gym or working around the house and all of a sudden it hurts to take a deep breath.  Sometimes pain can wrap around your chest to the front and cause you to experience chest pain. This is most likely due to a displaced rib that begins to pinch a nerve.

This is usually an easy problem to fix. The displaced rib head is adjusted where it connects to your thoracic spine (mid-back), and it goes back in place taking the pressure off the nerve which allows you to feel better.

Plantar Fasciitis

This usually happens to people who are very active such as runners or hikers.  The tissue at the bottom of your foot, under the skin, is called fascia.  Due to repetitive micro trauma your fascia can accumulate adhesions (or knots) that begin to tighten the fascia and pull on your heel (sometimes causing heel spurs).  This tissue can become inflamed and very painful. By realigning the bones in the foot and breaking up the adhesions, Plantar Fasciitis is usually easy to treat and gets you feeling pain-free.

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is caused by an abnormal curvature in the spine, which puts increased pressure on your muscles and nerves.  This can cause a tremendous amount of pain and if not treated usually gets worse over time.  Luckily there is no one better than a Chiropractor to help straighten your spine and help you feel better.  We will take Digital X-rays to determine where the worst spinal curvature is and then use precise adjustments to help straighten and correct your misalignments. We find the root cause of your scoliosis and work to correct it.  

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