Anderson Family Chiropractic

12/11/2025

Dealing with Back Pain? A Herniated Disc Could be the Cause

Nagging pain in your back could be a sign that you have a herniated disc. Although back pain often improves after a few days of rest, herniated discs cause symptoms that may last weeks or months. Herniated discs can happen at any age, but are more common in older people.

How a Herniated Disc Causes Back Pain

Your spine is made up of a series of small bones called vertebrae. Rubbery discs between each vertebra help you move and bend easily and absorb shock when you jump, run, play sports, or do yardwork. These spinal discs are composed of a soft inner core covered by a tough outer coating.

Herniated discs occur when the outer coating of a spinal disc tears. When a disc is herniated, moving causes the soft inner core to ooze through the protective coating and presses on nerves in your spine. This pressure can cause a variety of symptoms, depending on where the herniated disc is located. According to Medline Plus, herniated discs most often occur in the lower back or neck.

If your herniated disc is in your neck, you might notice pain in your neck or shoulder that travels to your arm and hand. A bulging disc in your back could trigger pain in your back, legs, buttocks, and feet. Tingling, numbness, and weakness can also occur. The pain usually affects just one side of your body and may feel worse at night or after you wake up in the morning.

What Causes Herniated Discs?

Herniated discs may be caused by:

Activities That Involve Frequent Bending or Twisting
Lifting Heavy Boxes or Items
Falls or Injuries
Poor Posture
Being Overweight
Age can also be a factor in developing the condition. Years of wear and tear takes a toll on discs and makes them more likely to herniate. Younger people who spend a lot of their time playing video games or using digital devices are also at increased risk of developing herniated discs.

Treating Herniated Disc Pain with Chiropractic

Chiropractic treatment eases the pain of a herniated disc and could help you avoid surgery. In a study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapies, researchers reported that spinal manipulation treatment improved symptoms in 90.5% of patients after 3 months and in 88% of patients at one year.

Chiropractors use several treatments designed to:

Ease Pain
Relieve Pressure on the Nerves
Move the Bulging Part of the Disc Away from the Nerves

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/908045-november-newsletter-dealing-with-back-pain-a-herniated-disc-could-be-the-cause

11/24/2025

Approximately 80% of people experience neck pain in their lifetime? Chiropractic care is a safe and effective approach to address the underlying issues of your pain.

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment

11/21/2025

Chiropractic Care for Headache Relief

Every day, more than 15% of people worldwide experience some type of headache, according to an analysis published in The Journal of Headache Pain in 2022. Some suffer from tension headaches after a stressful day at work, while others endure the pain of migraines or sinus headaches. If headaches frequently keep you from making the most of your day, chiropractic treatment can ease your pain. Read more about it in our newsletter here:

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/1000555-november-newsletter-chiropractic-care-for-headache-relief

11/20/2025

Repetitive strain injuries impact 1.8 million workers each year. Chiropractic care can help treat and prevent these injuries.

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment

11/10/2025

When to Consider a Chiropractic Adjustment

Chiropractic adjustments realign the vertebrae in your spine and reduce stress on soft tissues and nerves. Adjustments offer a simple way to relieve pain and lower your risk of injury or illness. Wondering if you should schedule an adjustment? Give your chiropractor a call if you notice any of these issues:

An Aching Back or Neck

Whether your pain began recently, or you've resigned yourself to living with back or neck pain, a chiropractic adjustment, also called spinal manipulation, could ease your symptoms. Chiropractors perform adjustments by using their hands or handheld activators to realign vertebrae.

The vertebrae are a series of 33 small bones... https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/999511-october-newsletter-when-to-consider-a-chiropractic-adjustment

11/06/2025

If you've experienced low back pain after a car accident, you're not alone. In fact, those who experience low back pain after a car accident are almost 3 times more likely to experience low back pain in the future. Chiropractic care can help.

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment

10/28/2025

How Chiropractic Care Helps with Auto Accident Injuries

Broken bones and open wounds aren't the only injuries you may face after an auto accident. Motor vehicle accidents can affect the alignment of your spine and damage muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Without proper treatment, your injuries could lead to chronic pain. Chiropractic treatments realign your spine, treat soft tissue damage, relieve pain and promote healing, helping you recover from your injuries. Chiropractic treatments address these issues and more:

Joint or Spinal Alignment Problems

Your brain sends signals to your muscles and organs through nerves that branch out from the spinal cord in your back. Signals may be weak or absent if a subluxation presses on a nerve. Subluxations happen when a vertebra in your back moves out of alignment. Using an activator or quick, hands-on thrusts, your chiropractor performs an adjustment to restore normal alignment and reduce pressure on nerves and soft tissues.

In addition to treating back pain, chiropractors also treat alignment issues in the knees, hips, arms, and legs. A case study published in the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic in 2025 illustrated how chiropractic treatment helped a young woman with a leg injury following an accident.

The woman wore a brace on her left leg to correct gait issues after being hit by car. The accident also misaligned joints in her pelvis, causing bladder problems. Her chiropractor corrected alignment issues in her pelvis, left knee, and ankle by performing adjustments on a drop table. The drop table is separated into segments that move as the chiropractor performs an adjustment.

After the first treatment, the woman no longer needed the leg brace. Her bladder problems stopped after two weeks of chiropractic treatment.

Whiplash

Whiplash occurs when the neck quickly moves back-and-forth or from side-to-side during an accident. The sudden, rapid movement damages or strains muscles, ligaments, discs, and nerves in the neck.

Symptoms of whiplash include:

Pain in the Neck, Jaw, Shoulders, or Upper Back
Headaches
Fatigue
Dizziness
Stiff Neck
Muscle Spasms
Numbness or Tingling in Arms
Approximately 869,000 people visit a hospital every year due to accident-related neck injuries, according to a 2020 analysis published in Accident & Analysis and Prevention. Many others may choose to treat whiplash symptoms at home. In fact, the analysis estimated that 1.2 million people per year may experience accident-related whiplash injuries.

Adjustments, massage, trigger point therapy and other chiropractic treatments decrease neck pain, stiffness, and inflammation, while improving movement. According to a 2010 systematic review published in Work, evidence suggests chiropractic care improves pain and range of motion in the neck after a whiplash injury.

Stiffness

Stiffness, a common complaint after an auto accident, can can be caused by swelling, tight tissues, inflammation or scar tissue. Chiropractic treatment relieves stiffness naturally by breaking up scar tissue and loosening tight muscles and soft tissues. Treatments reduce inflammation and swelling and improve blood circulation, allowing healing nutrients to reach the injured tissues.

Pain Relief

A bottle of pain relievers may be the first thing you reach for after an accident. Pain medication, whether it's over-the-counter or prescription, provides temporary relief of aches and pains. Unfortunately, symptoms soon return if the source of the problem remains untreated.

Chiropractors perform a thorough examination to determine the extent of your injuries. They may use X-rays and other tests to confirm their diagnoses. Once a diagnosis is made, your chiropractor creates a treatment plan. The plan includes therapies designed to relieve pain and keep it from returning.

Chiropractic care offers an effective way to treat pain, inflammation, and stiffness. Worried about becoming addicted to prescription pain medication? Thanks to chiropractic care, you may be able to reduce your dosage or avoid pain medication entirely.

Feeling sore after an auto accident? Ease your pain with chiropractic care. Contact our office to schedule your appointment.

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/999512-october-newsletter-how-chiropractic-care-helps-with-auto-accident-injuries

10/15/2025

If you've been postponing chiropractic treatment, now is the time to act. As the end of the year approaches, make sure you take advantage of any unused chiropractic health insurance benefits. Every year you receive a certain amount of chiropractic benefits from your health insurance plan and they don’t rollover unused benefits to next year. You may have also met your deductible or your maximum out-of-pocket for the year, potentially making needed treatment very affordable. In addition, if you have any funds set aside in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), it may need to be used prior to the end of the year or you may risk losing it. If you have any remaining benefits, please act now to ensure your treatment can be completed before the end of 2025. Call us today at 704-549-1181 or click the link above to schedule an appointment.

Anderson Family Chiropractic, PLLC is your local Chiropractor in the University City of Charlotte serving all of your needs. Call us today at 704-549-1181 for an appointment.

10/13/2025

Each year, 3.5 million people injure themselves from playing sports. Check out these tips to prevent injuries and talk to your chiropractor for more tips. https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment

10/09/2025

Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) can be seen on the sidelines as crucial healthcare staff members for 90% of professional sports organizations, including MLB, all of the NHL teams, and all of the teams in the NFL. DCs in sports arenas aid athletes in treating and recovering. https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment

10/01/2025

The Benefits of Prenatal Chiropractic Care

Are you feeling a little uncomfortable now that you're pregnant? Pregnancy-related changes can trigger aches and pains and even affect your balance. Prenatal chiropractic care offers effective, natural relief for pain and other pregnancy symptoms.

How Chiropractic Care Could Help You During Your Pregnancy

Prenatal chiropractic treatments are designed to safely treat the most challenging pregnancy symptoms. Whether you're newly pregnant or quickly approaching your due date, prenatal chiropractic care offers these important benefits:

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/997601-september-newsletter-the-benefits-of-prenatal-chiropractic-care

09/30/2025

In order to prevent common sports injuries, it's important to identify what they are! Chiropractic care can help you prevent these injuries and optimize your health. https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment