Staker Chiropractic

A recent history of Staker Family Chiropractic

2012-02-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

Chiropractic care has a long history of dramatically improving the life of the patients who make the decision to "give it a try". There is a lot of dispute about this, but if there was nothing more to chiropractic than the placebo effect it would have gone the way of the early 20th century snake oil remedies. Today the preponderance of the scientific evidence is siding with chiropractic being effective for a wide range of spine related conditions. If what we were doing is this effective why add to it?

Dr. Staker has practice for over 40 years and in that time he has helped a lot of people, but he has also seen a lot of his patients continue to return for the same conditions time and time again. Dr. Staker has always been looking for something more for his patients. That brought him to Chiropractic Biophysics (CBP), a chiropractic technique that has critically analyzed the human spine, defined normal values, and care protocols to restore spines back to those values. With CBP we have been able to do a lot more for the long term health of our patients but there was still something missing.

While at a seminar Dr. Staker was introduced to the Power Plate whole body vibration platform. He was able to personally experience what it could do for increasing the flexibility of his hips and that translated to less stiffness in his lower back. He quickly realized that this was something that he could add perfectly to the care with our patients. This has proven to be a great tool for increasing flexibility and core support that so many of our patients require. Here is a short video testimonial from Dr. Cammisa.

In December 2010 we were invited to hear about this BStrong4Life program, which is basically a combination of the Power Plate with this bioDensity isometric strength training unit. We were skeptical that it was as beneficial as it was made out to be, we discovered that we were wrong. BStrong4Life has a huge potential to not only add to the care we give, but also fill a gap that exists today in the care of osteoporosis. Dr. Cammisa has opened a ton of doors in his area that were once locked shut to chiropractors because of the clear combined benefits his care can give patients of all types. Here is a short video of Dr. Cammisa discussing the benefits of the BStrong4Life program on osteoporosis.

Over the past several years we could have bought new computers, tables, or even a new digital x-ray system. Instead we invested in technologies that can help our patients experience a better life. We believe with CBP, Power Plate, and BStrong4Life we have hit on what should be the model for chiropractic today. In additional to innovative techniques and technologies we have a patient centered approach that puts your wants and needs first. Everything we do in the office is optional, none of our patients is on a care plan that they did not elect to do for themselves. For example we have patients that come in for just adjustments, others that come in only for BStrong4Life, and others that do everything in between.

If you interested in experiencing all we have to offer firsthand, give us a call. We give office tours that include doing a few exercises on the Power Plate and bioDensity unit, just call to make an appointment and mention taking an office tour.

FDA issues warning on osteoporosis drug

2011-09-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the article from the Wall Street Journal printed the first week of September this year.

By Jennifer Corbett Dooren

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Food and Drug Adminstration said doctors should screen patients for kidney problems before prescribing Novartis AG's (NVS) bone-building drug Reclast.

In a drug-safety communication posted to the agency's website Thursday, the FDA said it was updating an existing warning about the risk of kidney failure. The agency said kidney failure "was a rare but serious condition associated with the use of Reclast in patients with a history of or risk factors for [kidney] impairment."

Reclast is an infusion that's given once every one or two years to treat or prevent osteoporosis as well as treat Paget's disease of the bone.

FDA said doctors need to give patients a blood test to check kidney function as well as monitor patients already on Reclast. Patients with evidence of acute kidney impairment should not be prescribed Reclast, FDA said. Such instructions are being added to Reclast's drug label.

In 2009, FDA added a kidney-failure warning to Reclast's label after receiving about two dozen reports of kidney failure, some of which were fatal, following Reclast infusion.

Since then, FDA said it has received 11 reports of fatal kidney failure and nine reports of non-fatal kidney injury after Reclast infusion.

-By Jennifer Corbett Dooren, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9294; jennifer.corbett@dowjones.com

One thing this article did not include was that the warning was also aimed at those who are taking potentially kidney-damaging (nephrotoxic) medications or diuretics at the same time as Reclast. This is another example of a drug designed to treat osteoporosis that also has severe side effects. It started with Premarin, Provera, and PremPro. These drugs were first used for the prevention of hot flashes related to menopause but, soon their manufacturer was promoting the drug to stop osteoporosis. Today conservative estimates are that several hundred thousand women suffered unnecessary breast cancers while taking these drugs. After the Women's Health Initiative was released, the FDA intervened and harsh warnings went on the label.

Then came the “miracle” drug Fosamax. For a time it was the latest, greatest drug doctors could give to prevent osteoporosis until researchers started noticing that it rotted jaw bones. Teeth fell out, infections set in and women’s lives were ruined. The latest revelation about Fosamax is that instead of strengthening bones it actually makes them more brittle. Even more ironically, women are now suffering fractures of their legs and hips doing even the simplest tasks. Recently drug Bonevia was being investigated to determine if it may contribute to esophageal cancer.
Ultimately these drugs only barely increase bone density most of the time they are used to prevent further loss. An MD once told me that they are happy when there is a 0% difference in bone mineral density in a one year time span while taking these medications. Why?, because the patient is one year older and has not lost any more bone density. It is common to be only on these medications for 5 years at a time. After that 5 year mark the risk for severe side effects increase beyond the benefit of limiting bone loss.

The best option available is to engage in an effective strength training program. A program that will allow you to place a significant stress or load on your musculo-skeletal system and stimulates muscle and bone cell growth. This is part of our reason for getting involved with BStrong4Life. Not only has it made for great improvement in spine and spine related pain, but it will load the body in a way that stimulates bone growth.
The BStrong4Life program has made enough of an impact in the Naperville area Edward Hospital is involved in a study of its effects on bone density growth.

If you haven't already, or if you have but it was a long time ago, check out our BStrong4Life website at geneva.bstrong4life.com

Pain may be causing you to loose your mind.

2011-08-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

The picture will link you to the article where the data for this post comes from.

A few years ago in the office I posted on our bulletin board a series of articles that lay this out how chronic pain is affecting brain function. My data was from a number of years ago but, like this more recent data, show how chronic pain can have a serious negative affect on brain function.

Chronic pain is basically any pain that we may have that lasts longer than 6 months, although some clinicians say it is pain that lasts longer than 12 months. For a lot of us it is that little twinge of pain that persists over years that may progressively get worse with each exacerbation or aggravation. In practice most of the patients we see have chronic pains with phases of acute exacerbations. For some that chronic pain can last for years and, as this research points out, may negatively affect our brain function.

The good news is that the research notes that the loss or negative changes in brain function are all reversible. Treating to elminate the cause of chronic pain can restore and improve the loss of function. Do not ignore those signs and symptoms your body is giving you. Work to eliminate the causes of chronic pains instead of masking the signs and symptoms.

The care we are giving in the office is aimed at eliminating chronic pain, not just managing symptoms. Our care combined with the BStrong4Life program has been creating great results with patients who have been suffering from chronic aches and pains for years.

Child Car Seat Safety

2011-05-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Recently the American Academy of Pediatrics changed its position on car seats by increasing the age to two years old that we should keep our children in rear facing seats. Here is part of their statement on the subject:

A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body,” Dr. Durbin said. “For larger children, a forward-facing seat with a harness is safer than a booster, and a belt-positioning booster seat provides better protection than a seat belt alone until the seat belt fits correctly.”

While I am happy to see an organization in the USA make this recommendation they could have gone further. After reviewing the literature I firmly believe that we should keep our children in rear facing seats as long as possible. In a number of European countries it is commonplace to keep children in rear facing seats until they are 5 years old or up to 55lbs. Their standards are based on protecting the fragile neck and spine of children that are in greater risk in a forward facing seat than a rear facing one. In high speed collisions a child is more likely to suffer spinal injuries or even death in a forward facing seat than in a rear facing seat. Rear end collisions are not as big of a concern because in high speed rear end crashes the car should absorb most of the impact force and protect its occupants. Here is a video with animation that shows the difference between the two car seats.

You can say that this is just an animation and might not depict what would actually happen, but this animation is directly from impact tests done in Europe. Did you know that in the US side impact testing is not required of child safety seats? That fact alone shows that the US regulation of car seat safety is lacking far behind its European counterparts.

Most people who have reservations about this usually mention two things; first is that it can not be comfortable for a child to sit cross legged or with their knees in their chest, the second is the child might injure their legs or break a leg in a crash. This first concern might be true for an adult, but a child does not share our in flexibility in the hips so they should be comfortable facing rear especially if that is all they know. You might have a problem transitioning them to a rear facing seat after a year or more of forward facing. As for injuring or breaking a leg, there is little to no evidence of this occurring in a rear facing seat, but there is numerous evidence for severe neck and spinal injuries in forward facing seats. Even if your child might break a leg in a crash, wouldn't that be better than breaking their neck?

I bring this up on memorial day weekend, not to scare parents but to help them make informed decisions about their family's health. European safety standards are far better than ours and it is not a wonder why. In the US there are too many too powerful special interest groups that have control over regulation. It was a bold move for the AAP to change their recommendations but it has come long after parts of Europe and does not go far enough. If anything I hope that this article starts a little fire to get better informed on your child's safety as they travel in your cars. To be honest I wish I could say we kept our kids in rear facing until they were 5 years old but we did not, we did make it to about two years old though with each of them. Today we have them in booster seats that have backs to them, backless boosters are not safe but that is a topic for another day.

Here are a few other Internet sources to read to help you decide the best actions for your family.
American Academy Of Pediatrics 2011 Car seat release

This a a car safety website that has extensive info on rear facing car seats.

This link, and this other one are some blogs that have not been updated in a while but still have good personal information from people who keep their children in rear facing seats.

Chiropractic Manipulation as good as surgery for Sciatica

2011-05-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

In reviewing recent research on chiropractic care I came across this paper,Manipulation or microdiskectomy for sciatica? A prospective randomized clinical study., published in the October 2010 Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. This is a link to just the abstract, but even that is good enough to see what was accomplished with this study.
The researchers divided 40 participants who had failed nonoperative management including PT, massage, lifestyle modification, and acupuncture for the treatment of sciatica. Of the 40 some underwent microdiskectomy, which is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that involves removing a portion of the spinal disc that is placing pressure on either the spinal cord or spinal nerve root. The other participants underwent a course of care involving chiropractic spinal manipulation.
Ultimately both groups showed significant improvement to about the same degree, which shows that chiropractic spinal manipulation or adjustments can be just as effective as surgery for sciatica.

This study positively shows that in some cases of sciatica chiropractic care can be effective and in the few cases it is not the delay in surgery did not negatively effect outcomes. When you pair this study with a few other recent ones a picture starts to develop that a trial of chiropractic care for low back pain and sciatica may be the best place to start as opposed to "medical" care. The "medical" conservative management of low back and sciatica care that includes PT, lifestyle modification, pain medications, and home exercises have shown to not be as effective as chiropractic care in some very recent studies. A recent study on cost found that care for low back pain is less expensive when starting with a chiropractor than when you start in the ER, UC, or family doctor.

Sciatica is not always caused by a bulging disc although a bulging disc may be involved in these cases treating the bulging disc does not always eliminate the pain. What we do is work to stabilize the lower back that eliminates inflammation around the sciatic nerve and that eliminates the pain as well as helps to prevent it from returning. This has been made easier with our BStrong4Life system, if you have any questions about this give us a call or email me with them.

April 23

2011-04-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

There is still time to make your apointment for our Patient Appreciation Day on April 23rd. Call today to schedule your free visit.

2011 Spring Patient Appreciation Day is April 23rd.

2011-04-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

Why BStrong4Life?

2011-03-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

I had someone ask us why we get involved with BStrong4Life. He was questioning the value of a fitness machine or device in a traditional chiropractic practice. My answer to this question is really twofold and I hope that by posting it here helps others to understand the value this can bring to your care in our practice.

A big part of the BStrong4Life program is the Biodensity unit and traditionally Biodensity has marketed their unit for strength training and bone density increasing. For that reason alone the BStrong program can benefit many of our patients. We see a large number of older people in our office that have weakness across their entire muscular system and have decreased bone mineral density and some are even diagnosed as having osteoporosis. This program allows the patient to load their muscles and bones in a way that is safe and effective to cause a body response in muscle and bone density growth. This result will definitely help our patients overall health which is one of the goals for all of our patients.

As we all know our muscles work because they cross the joints in our bodies. If you have a history of neck or back pain you probably have a loss of the normal curves and possibly even spinal arthritis. In this case it is important to have strong muscles to better support this possibly unstable spine. What BStrong4Life helps us do is build stronger muscles to strengthen and support not just the joints in your spine, but the joints throughout your entire body. In this way BStrong4Life is a great tool to help to rehab your body to a stronger and more stable state than every before.

In our office we utilize BStrong4Life as a tool for spinal and whole body rehabilitation as well as a means to better your health through increasing bone mineral density. To find out how BStrong4Life can specifically help you give us a call and we can set up a free consultation to discuss it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2011-03-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a long time supporer of chiropractic. So much so that he has been the keynote speaker at the yearly chiropractic fitness symposium for many years. This year was different in that there are several videos of the former Governor of California going so far as to say that seeing a chiropractor is just as important as seeing your family doctor or dentist. Take a minute to watch this four minute video.

Jack LaLanne

2011-03-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

This news is a little past due, but on January 23rd Jack LaLanne died at the age of 96. A lot of us remember that Jack LaLanne was the first fitness personality. He had the longest running fitness TV show in the Jack LaLanne Show that started in 1951 and ended in 1985. He wrote several books including his last one Live Young Forever that he published on his 95th birthday.

Something a lot of us might not have known, I sure didn't, was Jack LaLanne was really Dr. Jack LaLanne. In the mid 1930's Jack LaLanne graduated from a Chiropractic College in California. As far as I can tell he might not have actually openly practiced instead he opened up what is widely considered the nations first health club in Oakland CA. In which he promoted fitness and exercise when practically no one else did. In fact doctors at that time thought vigorous exercise would cause a heart attack. Over the years he had up to 200 fitness centers which he eventually sold to the Bally company to become Bally Total Fitness.

Throughout his life he promoted the natural healthy lifestyle. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables and of course exercising, things that are right in line with what we do today. His legacy is living on in those of us that are striving to live as long and healthy as he did.

The year ahead

2011-02-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

This year is probably the first time in a long time that we have set an agenda for what we want to promote for the entire year. This year we are focused on improving the lifestyles of our patients through promoting healthy eating and exercise habits. The classes we have in the office and the new BStrong4Life program are the biggest additions to help us get you on a path for better health.

We continue to offer the same state of the art chiropractic care, but we have found that for most patients that is not enough. Attaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the only way to carry on after you are done with care in our office.

To help you get started in our office we will have three more new patient first visit opportunities. Look for our email newsletter for details on when these are being offered.

What does Staker Chiropractic, the Steelers, and the Packers have in common?

2011-02-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

We all three utilize the power plate in our training and rehab programs. I recently read an article in a men's fitness magazine about Pau Gasol and he utilizes the power plate in his training program as well.

The benefits of utilizing effective whole body vibration for training and rehab can not be adequately described in a blog they have to bee seen. Give us a call to come see what we might be able to add to your training or rehab program.

Healthy Living Classes

2011-01-31T16:49:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday we started a new series of our Healthy for Life healthy eating classes. If you missed it, fear not, it is a 12 week program that you can start anytime in the 12 weeks. It is based out of Dr. Ray Strand's book Healthy for Life and includes meals cooked out of the low-glycemic meals in minutes cookbook. Both books are available at the office for purchase. The class includes a workbook that we provide free of charge.

The class will not meet this Tuesday but will resume next Tuesday, February 8th. Let us know if you are planning to attend.

Winter Weater Advisory

2011-01-31T16:42:00.000-08:00

Due to the projected severe snowfall we are changing our schedule this week. It appears the worst of the snow will fall between Tuesday afternoon and Early Wednesday morning.

We will be OPEN Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 12:00pm and CLOSED Tuesday afternoon. We will be CLOSED Wednesday morning and OPEN Wednesday afternoon.

BStrong4Life

2011-01-25T14:31:00.000-08:00

On Friday January 14th we received the machines that make up the Be Strong For Life system.

We placed the BioDensity unit, part of the BStrong4Life system in what was the massage therapy room. We moved the massage therapy room up one to the consultation room, and moved the consultation room to another room in the front office.

The BStrong4Life system incorporates usage of the power plate to maximize strength training, as a result we felt like we needed a third power plate to ensure our patients would not see an increase in any idle time in our office. We made a slight re-arrangement of our treatment area to easily accommodate the new power plate.

BStrong4Life is a system to help improve whole body strength through isometric muscle action. Isometric resistance exercises are some of the oldest forms of resistance training and, as some research has found, tend to be more effective than other forms of resistance training. To learn more about this innovative system, give us a call to make an appointment 630-232-6616

BStrong4Life

2011-01-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

We are set to get our BStrong4Life system this week. Look for me to post some pictures with more information on this innovative system later this week.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

In January we will be continuing with our Healthy for Life program to teach our patients how to utilize the glycemic index and glycemic load of foods for healthier eating. Additionally we will be starting the BStrong4Life program at Staker Chiropractic. This innovative system utilizes simple resistance exercises to significantly improve your strength, stability, and bone density in as little as once a week. You can learn more about it at http://www.bstrong4life.com/

It is a great time to be a patient at Staker Chiropractic. To get started in our office take advantage of our New Year, Get Healthy in 2011 offer. When you make your next appointment mention the Get Healthy in 2011 offer to receive your first visit services, consultation, examination, and any necessary radiographs for $45. Unfortunately due to medicare law we can not extend this offer to patients with medicare as their primary insurance.

We look forward to see you in the New Year.

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

2010-12-20T12:54:00.001-08:00

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Get Healthy in 2011

2010-12-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

Join us in January to start on your road to a healthier 2011.

Staker Family Chiropractic has been the leader of chiropractic care in the Fox Valley region for 40 years and in 2011 what we have to offer just keeps getting better. We are developing systems to help our patients, not only achieve better spinal health, but better overall health and wellness. First off we have the Healthy for Life nutrition classes which we started late this year and will start again in January. Secondly we will be adding the Be Strong For Life system in 2011 to help our patients easily achieve greater strength for healthier bodies.

To help introduce you to our office so we can work with you to help you achieve you health goals in 2011 we have our Get Healthy in 2011 offer. First visit services for new and returning patients will cost only $45. The first visit services include consultation, examination, and any necessary radiographs.

We look forward to working with you in 2011.

Chiropractic care more cost effective for treating low back pain

2010-11-23T09:38:00.000-08:00

A recent study finds that starting with chiropractic saves 40% on low back pain care. This study, available online, will be published in the December 2010 volume of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT). The authors performed a claims analysis on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s intermediate and large group fully insured population between October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2006. They looked at all participants who had open access to both chiropractors and medical doctors without the need for a referral from their family physician.

They found that the cost of care of patients who first saw a chiropractor for the relief of low back pain was 40% less than care of patients who saw a medical doctor first. The authors estimate that allowing DC-initiated care would lead to an annual savings of $2.3 million for BCBS of Tennessee.

There have been similar studies like this one in the past, for example in 1999 BCBS of Arkansas found that chiropractic care was more cost effective than care in the medical model. This is not new information for us chiropractors, we have been seeing this and saying this for decades. This is not even new news for the insurance industry and something we think they might actually move on in this current economic climate. The struggle will be with the AMA, they lead the way in dictating health care policy at every level; private to public. Regardless of studies like this I believe that the AMA will continue to attempt to box us out of spinal care with their baseless claims on a perceived risk of chiropractic care that the evidence does not support.

Remember this article the next time you are talking to a family member, friend, or co-worker and they ask you about your chiropractic experience. Not only do we provide real relief, but also we do it at a less expense than medical care.

Getting Healthy 2010-2011

2010-11-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Our's is a Church going and Christ following family as many of our patients may know. Our families regularly attend Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin IL. This year our pastor is preaching on getting healthy. He is going at it not only from a spiritual level but also a mental, emotional, and physical level. Along those lines our family, Dr. Staker, Cindy and their children, as well as myself, Dr. Bryce, my wife Barb, and our children are motivated to get healthy. We are examining our lives and trying to apply what we are learning to live healthier for our physical and spiritual health.

We do not expect, nor can we do much, for your spiritual health, but we are going to be offering much more for our patients physical health. A big part of this has been our healthy eating classes on Tuesday evenings. Dave has been instrumental in running this for us, and we have learned a lot from him about paying attention to glycemic load and the glycemic index in choosing and preparing meals. These classes can be started at any time, even though we are a month into them. Feel free to join us Tuesday evening at 630 as we continue these classes into December.

Stay tuned in to learn more about what we will be doing and offering this winter to help our patients and community get healthy in 2010 and 2011.

The keys for spinal health

2010-10-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

I have been asked many times what the key to spinal health is, and really the answer is simple. To keep your spine healthy you need good flexibility, stability, and proper alignment.

Real simple, in theory, much harder in practice. This is why I add all this should be done under the supervision of a spinal health professional, chiropractor preferably. We can give you the resources you need to establish and maintain all of these key elements to good spinal health.

Structure Dictates Function

2010-10-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

We have a poster in the office that states Alignment improves Function, and every time I walk past it I think to myself how right that is. There was a time, not long ago, that this was used more of a catchphrase by chiropractors. Sure they believed it was true, but they never did much but adjust to influence alignment and just adjustments are not enough to make significant improvements. Today this is phrase has been proven to be fact, there are more people in different fields studying the importance of proper spinal structure and its influence of spinal pain and overall health.

If you have never had your spine checked, or if it has been years since the last time it was call today to get in for our Patient Appreciation Day on October 30th. On that day all first visit services; consultation, examinations, and any necessary radiographs will be FREE. Additionally for current patients all regular care visits will be FREE as well.

The longer you wait, the greater the potential for a minor mis-alignment to become a major problem.

Fall 2010 Newsletter

2010-09-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

If we have your email, I emailed our Fall Newsletter today to you. If we don't have it yet, head back to our website and add yourself to our email list.

Fall Newsletter

2010-09-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

Keep a lookout, we will be mailing and emailing our Fall newsletter soon. Our big Fall event is focused around National Chiropractic Healthcare Month in October. We will be hosting an evening where Dr. Staker and a guest will be teaching how to prepare low glycemic meals and our Fall Patient Appreciation Day on the last Saturday of the month.

The email version will be sent out sooner than the paper copies, so if we do not have you email address you can get it to us at the website.

Chiropractic Care for the Whole Family Part 3: Children and Teenagers

2010-08-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

It is in childhood were some of our postural habits start to form and early injuries happen that can have a direct effect on our spine. This is a time where early injures can set the stage for a future chronic problem. Taking care of children and teenagers is mostly about working to prevent a loss of the normal upright posture and spinal alignment to be keep their spine healthy.

A few potential causes of injury include infant walkers and jumpers. These place the child in an upright, weight bearing, posture well before the child's body is ready for it. This can stress the lower back and cause or contribute to an injury called a spondylolisthesis. This is a condition that is not always symptomatic till later in life, and something we can help manage even in early childhood.

Children can be very curious, getting themselves into situations that may result in minor injuries, but these minor injuries may have major consequences. I am not an advocate for keeping your children from having fun, but making sure that their body, health, and spine are taken care of to prevent their various falls and bumps from becoming a more serious issue for them later in life.

There are various everyday stresses our children and teenagers are subjected to today that are effecting their spine and body development. From carrying heavy backpacks to using the computer, playing video games, and even using small electronic devices like the Nintendo ds, apple ipods, and every mobile phone that is out there, these all contribute to poor posture. It is important today to stress good posture for proper development and health today. Helping to improve posture is what we are doing today for the children we see in our office.

In the teenage years there is increased development and growth, an important time to ensure their bodies are growing the right way. As they become involved with sports and other activities we want to continue to ensure that these activities do not cause an injury to their spine and posture. This is also the time when conditions such as scoliosis may become evident. This is a condition too big for this post, but I will say it is something that we can successful treat with the procedures we use in the office today.

Treating children and teenagers is safe, effective, and in our mind necessary due to the stresses kids have on their bodies today. As with every disease process, correcting spinal posture earlier in life can lead to fewer problems as we age. I am sure we have a few patients that see us, that if they would have known then what they know now, would liked to get their spine checked earlier in their life.

Chiropractic care for the whole family, Part 2

2010-08-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Part 2, Newborns and Infants

It may seem odd, the thought of having a newborn baby or infant getting their spine checked. On the contrary chiropractic care can have significant benefits for the newborn baby and infant as it can for the adult. As chiropractors we look to remove stress or strain on the nervous systems of babies and infants by restoring normal function and posture to the spine. The physiology on this subject can be rather difficult to grasp, but it does exist as several studies have been able to confirm it. In fact there is even medical literature that describes a relationship between dysfunction of the upper neck vertebrae and possible negative effects on brain stem functions. These functions mostly are cardiac or pulmonary regulation, which is heart and lung function. This is an important area of the nervous system to have functioning properly without any stress or strain.

How can a newborn have an injury to their spine that causes stress or strain on their nervous system? The answer can be best described in a picture.

This is the image of a C-Section birth, see how the newborn is being held up by its head. How much stress or strain is that on its neck, spinal cord, and brain stem? It may not take much pressure to stress or strain that babies neck so after birth is a good time to get his or her spine checked. Even in the cases of a normal birth the head or neck may be stressed and strained, try a google images search on birth and see for yourself.

I would like to add that I do not believe its common practice for OB's pull or twist a babies head while it is being born. In our case, our daughter was basically caught by our OB, without the use of any aids such as forceps or a vacuum extraction. This is a conversation that any pregnant mother should have with their OB to have the most minimally invasive birth that is possible with regards to the safety and health of both mother and baby.

Our job as chiropractors is to examine the newborn or infants for normal posture, alignment and symmetry. We do this through observing the child in various positions. We look for asymmetry of structure and of the spine. When we find a need to adjust we use very light pressure, usually with just our pinkie finger or thumbs. Babies do not need, nor do we give them, an adult type of adjustment, just a subtle correction to help reduce that stress or strain on their nervous system.

Typically we have successfully treated babies and infants for a wide range of conditions, first and foremost is just to be certain there is no stress and strain after birth. Besides that parents bring babies and infants in for colic, digestive problems, ear aches, coughs and colds just to name a few conditions. A lot of times, some of these symptoms have been checked out by the families pediatrician with no resolution.

Next time you come in and want to know more about how we care for babies and infants, feel free to ask us.

Chiropractic care for the whole family, part 1.

2010-07-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

Part 1 Pregnancy:

Our office has always promoted chiropractic care for the whole family; from birth to late in life. In this post I am going to describe why chiropractic care can be an important part of care during pregnancy. There are some, mostly outside of the chiropractic profession who try to dissuade pregnant women from seeing a chiropractor. This is usually due to a miss-understanding of how chiropractic care can benefit a woman during pregnancy. With this post I will show that there is substantial evidence to justify chiropractic care during pregnancy and little risk for mother or baby.

The argument for chiropractic care for pregnant women comes first and foremost from the fact that there is not much traditional medical care and do for mom. Due to the risk for the baby there is little the medical profession can do for a pregnant woman suffering from lower back pain. Most drug therapies can have an effect the baby and may influence its development. Surgical therapies are only used in extreme and emergency cases where the back pain is due to a complex condition that can have a big negative effect on the mother. Exercises can be a big help for limiting back pain, but I have found that it is most beneficial before mom is pregnant.

Chiropractic care has been found to be safe and effective for treating low back pain during pregnancy. A recent study published June 2009 in the journal Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey reviewed all the literature on chiropractic care for low back pain during pregnancy and found it to be effective. The authors found that since there is little else a pregnant woman can do for low back pain, chiropractic care may be the best course they should take. A paper published in JMPT in 2008 found a similar conclusion. A paper published in the journal Current Opinion in Anesthesiology in 2003 by a researcher in the Yale University College of Medicine found utilization of chiropractic by pregnant women for back pain to be common and effective. There is other evidence that points to chiropractic care being effective for headache and neck pain during pregnancy, as well as other techniques that can help turn a baby before birth.

During my search of peer reviewed journals at Pub Med I found little evidence of any adverse effects or injuries, or miscarriages due to chiropractic care. I only was able to find two cases of adverse effects and one of them was a very rare occurrence and not life threatening and the other was due to the moms medical doctor adjusting her spine, not chiropractor. That is evidence to not have anyone but your chiropractor adjust your spine. We know how to take care of all patients including pregnant women who require a delicate approach.

The best way to take care of your spine during pregnancy is to first take care of it before pregnancy. If you are considering having a baby, prepare by eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting your spine checked out.

Part 2 will detail why its important for your children to get their spine checked from birth.

Office Remodel, Finished!

2010-07-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

On Friday the carpet was installed and the baseboard was finished marking the end of our remodeling project. It all looks really good, and our patients that have seen it, so far, have said the same thing. My father and I attended a seminar on Pediatric adjusting over the weekend so we were unable to re-arrange our office until Monday evening. We arranged the office in one of several different ways that we can, so do not be surprised if we change it up again sometime soon based on how we feel the flow through the office is going.

Starting this afternoon you will discover a whole new look inside our office, the reception room is once again a reception room complete with a kids area. The new treatment area is in back, separate from the rest of the office. We will continue to provide a private adjustment area, private massage therapy room, and a private consultation room. Our exam room has another adjusting table in it, so that is a possible private treatment area as well.

When we see you again, please give us your input on our new space. We are looking for this area to work well for your needs as well as for ours.

Office remodel update!!

2010-07-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

Not much to show this time, looks just about the same. Painting is all done, as is both workstation areas. Only thing left is the carpet which will be installed on Friday. Looking forward to providing some great care to our patients in this new space.

Office remodel update!!

2010-07-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

Not much left on the build out, we have the electric, phone, and network lines done; the counter tops were installed today. There is a little bit of painting left to do and some other finish work but soon that should be done. The final big thing is carpet, we have picked out new carpet for the space that should go well with the rest of the office. We are waiting to hear from the carpet installers on a timeline for delivery and installation. Perhaps we will be working out of the new space in a couple of weeks.

Cervical Spondylosis

2010-07-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Cervical spondylosis, more commonly referred to as spinal arthritis, is a common reason for a patient to come in to see us. It is something we have effectively treated for over 40 years. It is something we can do so much with now more than any other time in the history of our profession.

Cervical spondylosis is basically spinal arthritis, which is a break down of joint surfaces under an increased and abnormal load. The spine has a normal shape and any deviation from that causes increased strain and stress in areas of the spine that were not meant to hold that increase load. Over time this can worsen and may even cause irritation to the spinal nerves and create pain that radiates into the shoulders, arms, and/or hands.

How we treat this is to restore mobility in the spinal joints and surrounding tissues and then rebuild the surrounding muscular support and spinal alignment. Our method is a balanced approach combining the best of chiropractic with the best stretching and strengthening therapies. For your ease and comfort we incorporate a vibrating platform to maximize results and use a method of traction that is well researched. In fact a form of traction that we use was just studied by physical therapists working in Cairo Egypt of all places.

These PT's approached the lead instructor and researcher of the technique our care is based one, that Dr. Bryce is a Fellow in to advise them on using our traction method in a study on treating patients with cervical spondylosis. Particularly they treated patients with radiating arm pain due to spinal spondylosis. With the adivice of Dr. Harrison, they designed a randomized controled trial measure the improvement of patients who were treated with a traditional PT approach against those treated with our traction method combined with a traditional PT approach. What they found was that a greater percentage of patients treated with traction got better and retained the positive results longer than those treated with just traditional PT care. Just imagine if they also adjusted these patients, how much greater the results would have been. This paper has yet to be pubilished, but soon should be in a spine related journal.

What we do for cervical spondylosis can have great long term outcomes for your health and well being. Research such as this firmly places our care as one of the top, if not THE top, non-surgical treatment for cervical spondylosis.

Are you suffering from chronic neck pain? Do you know if you have cervical spondylosis? When was the last time you imagined yourself living a lifestyle free from chronic neck pain? Give us a call so we can help you get the care you deserve.

Office Remodel

2010-07-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

We have been working in an open format for almost a year now with a relatively positive response from our patients. This open format makes it easier to serve our patients needs between adjusting and monitoring them on in office exercises. We continue to have private rooms for patients uncomfortable with with open format and for times when we want to discuss your care in private. Since it has worked out well so far we decided it was time to open up some more space and return the reception area back to a reception area. Over a week into our office remodel we are nearing completion. We started out with 6 room, two of which were large four smaller. We removed the walls on the south and west side of the hallways opening up rooms 3, 4, and 5 to the hallway. We kept the consultation room, massage therapy room, and room 2 for private visits with the doctors. Installing new carpet and finishing out the workstations is really all that is left to do. I was unable to get a good "before" picture, but below you can view the progression to date.

Summer Newsletter

2010-07-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

Our summer newsletter has been mailed out to our patients earlier this week. I am trying to get it linked or posted on the website soon. If you give us your email address I will be able to email it out to you in the future.
In this issue, we have included some practice news and thank you's, an article on normal posture and spinal alignment, an update on the Medicare demonstration project results, an article on chiropractic in the winter olympics, a patients successful outcome, and an offer for new and returning patients. We hope everyone finds this newsletter informative and passess it along to others to help spread the positive news our office attempts to bring. The new and returing patient offer is good till the end of July, feel free to use it yourself if you haven't been in for a while or pass it along to someone who has been trying to "deal" with back or neck pain.

What's Different about Staker Family Chiropractic?

2010-06-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

This is a question I hear often from people wondering how we differ from other chiropractors in our area. It’s an important question to have an answer for, because there is a lot different about our office and what we do. One of the biggest differences, if not the biggest, is our experience. Dr. Staker has over 43 years of chiropractic experience, 41 of them are from practicing in Geneva. Very few chiropractic offices can boast of the kind of experience Dr. Staker has.

Another difference is in how we think and what we do, these two go hand in hand, because what we think drives how we practice. We have a firm understanding that there is a normal posture and spinal alignment for the human frame. Any deviation, no matter how big or small, creates areas of stress or strain on the spine and supporting soft tissues. Over time muscles tighten up to help support these areas and arthritis starts to set in. This creates, or at least, contributes to the chronic direction that some spinal conditions take. For us to better treat chronic pain, we need to address these deviations in posture and alignment. Adjustments alone are not enough to restore normal posture, we have to do more, and we do. We utilize in office exercises on whole body vibration platforms to restore spinal flexibility and muscular support. In some cases we use specific spinal traction to restore those normal curves that have been lost over time.

What is also different about us, is that we are not afraid to work with other doctors or even other chiropractors for your greater good. We are more than willing to work with your surgeons, pain specialist, or primary care doctor to find the right plan of care that is best for you. To a certain degree we are a specialist office within chiropractic; we would be more than willing to just see you long enough to restore your posture and send you back to your chiropractor for supportive care. We don’t try to compete for your business, we are a partner working with you and with whomever else you involve to better your life.

Staker Family Chiropractic is not only different from other chiropractic offices, but it is also dramatically different from what it used to be. Up until 4 years ago we were not doing anything listed above that makes us different today. We were a traditional chiropractic office that kind of looked like any other traditional chiropractic office in the area. Four years ago we started leaning about some new thoughts in Chiropractic based on the latest research on spine care and since then everything has changed for the better.

To experience the Staker Family Chiropractic difference make an apointment today or if you have any other questions or concerns about how we might be able to help you, contact me at info@stakerchiro.com or 630-232-6616.

Freedom From Pain, Summer Offer

2010-06-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

Staring Monday June 28 and ending in July we are offering new and returning patients an opportunity to discover real solutions to your very real problems. For $40 you receive a personal consultation, examination, and any necessary x-rays.

If you know someone or if you are currently suffering from back pain, neck pain, headaches, chronic pain from a past injury, or other spine related problem there is no better time than today and no better place than in our office to get it checked out.

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Welcome!

2010-06-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Staker Family Chiropractic blog, we will be posting news, information, and resources soon.