As a chiropractor, I help people improve how they feel and function, which helps them become more active while reducing their reliance on pain medications such as Advil. While pain relievers are ok for short term usage, they do come with long term consequences such as joint damage, chronicity and even unexpected problems affecting the liver, stomach, kidneys and other systems in our bodies. If you take medications for other problems, it can, even with its record of safety over the many years that it has been available. NSAID medications (non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs) are known to interfere with joint healing and there are better options to reduce inflammation that are food based such as curcumin which is the active ingredient in tumeric, a spice common in indian cuisine. Learn more about curcumin here. Ultimately, many of us have developed an unhealthy reliance on medicating pain, instead of solving the mechanisms behind why the pain exists. The opioid crisis was a result of medical providers being sold on the idea of pain being a 6th vital sign with very little understanding of why their patients hurt. Due to the culture of how medicine is practiced, patients are typically medicated first to see if their is any improvement of their pain. In the case of opioids, the results were disastrous as for profit companies took advantage of doctors who recommended the products and got their patients and in some cases, themselves, addicted. For pain, think chiropractic first; here’s why. The old model of the primary care physician is rarely seen anymore, other than in the offices of old time doctors and in many chiropractic offices. Chiroprators such as our office have filled the role of primary care for the musculoskeletal system. Those with advanced training such as Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician often can solve most joint pain by understanding the mechanisms behind why we hurt. My book, Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to know to beat chronic pain explained the mechanisms behind how we function and why people experience pain and what they can do to find the best way to solve their problem. Find out more about Cheating Mother Nature here. The Annals of Internal Medicine in 2017 published their recommendations for primary care doctors who are working with back pain with the best available evidence. The common element for all of their evidence was movement. Chiropractic was the profession that used many of the recommendations on their lists. They also did not recommend most tests, medications or imaging such as an MRI or anything invasive as an initial approach to care, something many medical providers currently ignore. Chiropractic care according to the best evidence is the best first choice for lower back pain treatment but since the practice enhances motion naturally, it is also the best choice for many chronic joint pains as well since the problem is more about movement than the joint itself. Elbow pain is a common example as this occurs often from shoulder dysfunction secondary to postural changes beginning in the feet and lower body. You cannot understand this by look at the elbow alone when these problems develop over time. Chiropractors think and are trained holistically. This means they look at you, not just your area of complaint. To understand knee pain for example, you must look at the foot, knee, hip and lower back for an understanding of how to evaluate the problem. Medically, many patients have had knee meniscus surgeries or kneecap realignment surgeries that did not work because the logic behind the surgery did not consider the knee as a part of a movement mechanism. Chiropractors do and are likely to solve many problems simply, and without the need for medication, injections or surgeries. Many tests done in the past for joint problems such as the MRI have little value without this context. The best doctors think outside the box and evaluate their patients holistically to understand the why behind your complaints. Often, several chronic problems may actually be discovered to be a single problem in our office. For example, someone with plantar fasciitis, knee pain, hip pain, neck pain and sciatic pain may be seeing 4-5 people and a therapist. The medical world has different people seeing you through their specialty while the person standing in front of them is passed around to different specialists and people. Theoretically , this may sound like the best way to do things but try making soup with 6 people and let me know how it tastes. A chiropractor, with knowledge of body mechanics, joint function and movement is going to see a very different patient when they look at posture, how you move and how you function. By connecting the dots, it is quite common for the patient to be told and shown that the problem has to do with movement, gravity and impact. What to expect during your first chiropractic visit. A chiropractic physician will take a holistic primary care approach to care beginning with a deep history of current and past problem. Then the doctor will perform a functional, orthopedic and neurologic evaluation based on your history to determine the best course of care for you and in most cases, will treat you on the first visit. Many patients experience immediate relief while others take time as we are all different. Visits typically require less than a half hour and can include manipulation of the extremities, treat – test – treat protocols to make sure the methods used that day were effective. Our office uses instrument assisted soft tissue methods such as Graston technique and myofascial release to improve how you move. Exercises are given on most visits. The exercises are given to improve function and unlike in physical therapy, designed to be done at home and in the future as needed. X rays may be taken for acute injuries or chronic problems in older patients. Foot orthotics are often recommended if their is an imbalance in the feet or pelvic that requires correction. Dr. Charschan also checks shoe size as many people wearing shoes that are too small can develop hip, knee, foot or back pain as a result. It is important that we are thorough in our approach to assure the best results in the shortest amount of time. Patients can often expect relief in a few short visits. Like all doctors, we order tests if the person does not progress or if we suspect there is another condition requiring medical attention. We will refer you to the best provider if your problem is not resolveable by chiropractic methods. The good news is, many patients can have their problems resolved in our offices. We make every effort to schedule patients as soon as possible, unlike the medical system that can have you waiting weeks for an appointment. We understand that if you are in pain, you need us now. Our Scotch Plains office has later evening hours and even sunday AM hours for you convenience. Need help now? Book online today.