ABOUT CHIROPRACTIC 


Chiropractic health care focuses on disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system, which is comprised of the nervous, muscular and skeletal system. Most of the general public utilizes chiropractic care for pain in their back, neck or other joints. At Sherman Sport & Spine we take a whole body, patient-centered approach. 


Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) have a hands-on approach to patient treatment that includes a comprehensive examination, diagnosis and treatment plan. Chiropractors are well trained in physiology, biomechanics, orthopedics and neurology. While implementing the diagnostic skills to find the cause and not the symptom, we will recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises to help you perform faster, stronger and with less injury. If the diagnosis is believed to be beyond the treatment effectiveness of Dr. Sherman, he has a recommended list of providers in the area, in which he may choose to co-treat with.


The most commonly used therapeutic procedure that a doctor of chiropractic performs is known as a “manipulation” or a “chiropractic adjustment.” The adjustment can be performed on the neck, mid-back, low back and even the extremities (hands, feet, elbows, knees, shoulders or hips). The type and specific adjustment will vary on each patient due to their individual needs. Adjusting helps to restore joint motion by using a controlled force to allow for better movement. With any soft tissue injury there is a loss of joint motion. Tissue injuries can be caused by a single traumatic event, such as lifting, twisting or a motor vehicle accident, or through repetitive stresses, such as running, swimming or sitting a desk for long periods of time. When tissues are injured, they undergo physical and chemical changes that create inflammation, which is the number one cause of pain and altered function. Studies show that if a joint does not move for more than one month, the join will begin to undergo degenerative changes. The goal of adjusting is to restore mobility of the affected joint and tissues, thereby alleviating bio-mechanical stress and tension, allowing surrounding tissues to heal, and hopefully delay degeneration.


Most patients will notice an improvement of their symptoms after their first treatment. For some, they will experience some mild soreness after the first few treatments. This generally resides within 12 to 48 hours.


At Sherman Sport & Spine we do not rely on the adjustment alone to help you recover. Keeping in mind the soft tissue imbalances that accompany the lack of joint motion, we believe in using an integrated multifaceted approach of treating a musculoskeletal condition. The chiropractic adjustment is a very effective and powerful treatment. However, in many situations, adjusting alone does not correct imbalances and dysfunction in the soft tissues, including: muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves. We use a variety of manual therapy techniques to treat the soft tissues effectively, such as treatments based on the clinically proven Active Release Technique (ART), Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization, as well as Cold Laser and physiotherapy modalities. By complementing adjusting or solely using these soft tissue techniques, we can produce fast, effective and long-lasting results for patients' problems.


At Sherman Sport & Spine we also implement a rehabilitative exercise program for our patients. This is often necessary to help “hold” the effects of the chiropractic adjustment and soft tissue treatment. Why rehabilitative exercises? Studies show that, 60% of runners with injuries will suffer re-injury if the source of the issue is not fixed. While the chiropractic adjustment and soft tissue treatment help reduce pain, restore function and proper biomechanics, rehabilitative exercises help improve patient strength and function to reduce further injury.


We ask that each client get involved in his or her own care plan. We do not believe that chiropractic care should be administered indefinitely for a specific complaint. The patient should ultimately be reliant upon him/herself to maintain individual progress, and a transition will occur from dependence of care to independence. In many cases, patients may continue to see the doctors of Sherman Sport & Spine to help them continue to stay injury free and increase their performance!


Information about chiropractors:

  • DCs are educated in nationally accredited, four-year doctoral graduate school programs through a curriculum that includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical internship
  • DCs are utilized by all 32 National Football League teams in optimizing the functionality, endurance and overall conditioning of the profession football players in the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal strain injuries, including neck pain, low back pain, strains to hamstring and quadriceps, and whiplash injuries
  • Injured workers with similar injuries are 38 times less likely to have spinal surgery if the first point of contact is a DC


Importance of Posture

With the society of today’s world, we see that people are sitting more and more. As a population, our sedentary lifestyles have led to many calling “sitting the new smoking.” Gravity is a constant throughout our lives. We are glued to our cell phones, iPads, TV’s and computers. All this sitting and poor posture wreaks havoc on our neuromusculoskeletal system. We have done this so long that doctors have coined terms such as " text neck" or “forward head posture.” Studies show that for every one inch that your head sticks forward from the center of gravity, the back part of your neck bears ten extra pounds of stress. From evaluating patients in the past, Dr. Sherman has found that a vast majority of his patients have heads in front of their center of gravity. That weight adds up very quickly. And you wonder why you have so many knots in in your shoulders!​


*Many thanks to the American Chiropractic Association for the material provided above.