Treatments

--Updated September 19, 2008

When a patient comes to our practice, our first job is to fully assess their current state of health. They may be coming to us with low back pain or headaches. They may have injured themselves while playing tennis or soccer the day before.

We first consult with the patient to gather complete information about their current condition. We follow that up with a complete health history including past injuries, if they have ever been in any auto accidents, if they have ever been hospitalized and much much more.

The history of your health enables us to understand your condition. It serves as a road map of your current state of health. Quite often, an injury that occured years ago may be the reason for your current pain. Our job is to figure all of that out, then set a plan in motion to get you back to a healthier state.

The methods of care we may use for your condition include:

• Electrical Stimulation
  We use it to apply a mild electrical current into the tissues of your body. This electrical current causes your nerves to activate and your muscles to contract in a safe and controlled manner.
  
  We use electrical stim to control pain, swelling, muscle spasm, and depending upon how we set it up it also has effects similar to ice or heat.
  
  
• Ultrasound
  We use ultrasound to heat your muscles and the surrounding tissues to reduce muscle spasm, reduce pain, increase blood flow, increasing metabolism and healing, decrease joint stiffness, and to increase the flexibility of scar tissue that may be present in injured tissues.
  
  
• Heating Pads
  Heating pads are often used in unison with electrical stimulation and ultrasound to provide relief to aching muscles and to increase blood flow to chronic pain locations on your body.
  
  
• Ice
  Ice is used typcially when you have a new injury. When it is new, it is in its most inflammed state. It's sensitive to the touch and very painful. Ice numbs the pain, decreases blood flow to the area and reduces inflammation, providing you with relief.
  
  
• Myofascial Therapy
  Myofascial therapy refers to therapy to your tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, other tissues). We have an onsite therapeutic massage therapist who induces structural and functional changes in your tissues to promote healing.
  
  
• Active Release Technique (A.R.T.)
  A.R.T. is a soft tissue based technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Many conditions, such as headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciities, andtennis elbow are but a few of the conditions that can be resolved with A.R.T. It is different than massage in that you actively move your muscle as the doctor applies tension to that muscle. This separates scar tissue that is inhibiting the free movement of your muscles and other tissues.
  
  
• Graston
  Graston is a myofasical therapy as well, but it involves the use of a special instrument to mobilize your soft tissue, enabling us to detect and treat scar tissue that restricts the normal function of your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves.
  
  
• Cox Flexion/Distraction
  This is a technique to reduce the pressure on the nerves that exit your spinal column. By carefully separating (distracting) your spinal joints, , we are able to increase the size of the "hole" from which the nerve exits. This takes the pressure off the nerve, reducing or eliminating pain, numbness, and tingling.
  
  
• Spinal Decompression
  We treat neck and back disc injuries with spinal decompression. This treatment is very safe and utilizes special equipment to apply pulling forces to your spinal structures in a precise and graduated manner. Ultimately, decompression aids in the retraction of a bulging disc, taking pressure off the nerve or spinal cord, relieving you of pain.
  
  
• Naturopathic Medicine
  Dr. Graves, a naturopathic doctor in family practice, has partnered with Janzen and Janzen to complete the spectrum of health care options offered by our health center. He specializes in childhood conditions, men's health, gastrointestinal disorders, autoimmune diseases, and hormone issues. He is a graduate of Bastyr University, holding both a doctorate in naturopathic medicine and a bachelor of science in nutrition.
  To read Dr. Graves blog, click here: http://gravesnd.blogspot.com/
  
  
• Therapeutic Massage with Bomi
  
  Address all of your pain, stress, and physical issues with a leap towards a healthy life style. Eliminate distortions that are causing you pain, dysfunction, and non-optimal physical or mental performance. Open your body to higher capacities of function, movement, and health. You get all of these things with our onsite therapeutic massage therapist.
  
  
  Please go our sister website at www.bomitherapeuticmassage.com to read more about the services Bomi Massage provides at Janzen and Janzen Chiropractic.
  
  
• Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation
  More info. to come...
  
  
• Chiropractic Extremity Manipulation
  More info. to come...
  
  
• Core Strengthening
  More info. to come...