Collyard Chiropractic

02/04/2026

"Unlike that C1 vertebra or the sacrum, the T4 vertebra doesn’t have a fun and fancy name. It does have a syndrome named after it, though! “T4 Syndrome” is often considered a diagnosis of exclusion, but has symptoms, such as upper back pain, pins and needles (paresthesia) into the arms and hand and headaches.

The pain is right between the upper part of the shoulder blades and when the muscles in the upper back are reacting to compression on the T4 nerve root, it can spread up the neck and cause headaches. Along with motor and sensory nerves, the autonomic nervous system can also be affected, specifically, the sympathetic nervous system which is our fight or flight. As a result, it can cause symptoms that mimic a heart condition (make sure if you’re having symptoms that might indicate cardiovascular issues, you get your heart checked.) It can cause pain and numbness down the arm and up the neck into the jaw and can have pain with breathing. It also can cause heart palpitations, sweating and unexplained anxiety, again, if you're having symptoms that could indicate cardiovascular issues, get your heart checked out first. It also tends to be worse at night, affecting sleep.

It is almost always an injury to chronic microtrauma: poor posture but can also be brought on by improper heavy lifting. It can feel like it is a very serious issue while in the throes of it, but often can be treated effectively through chiropractic or physical therapy." - Dr. Erick Thompson

01/29/2026

Happy Birthday to Dr. Erick! We wish you a healthy successful 43rd year! Thanks for bringing dad-vibes to our days!

01/28/2026

"The sacrum, as we’ve discussed before, is a very interesting part of the spine. It starts out in childhood as 5 distinct vertebrae and (for most people) becomes one bone with 5 nerves exiting from it. In adults, it is a triangular bone that bridges the coccyx, both pelvic bones and the lumbar spine, making it a quintessential keystone.

Innervation from the sacrum includes the entire leg, the buttocks and the external genitalia, which means issues with the sacrum can affect the entire leg, the buttocks and the external genitalia. If you recall from previous writings, in Ayurvedic teachings, the sacral chakra (located near the sacrum) is responsible for creative expression and sensuality.

The sacrum can be injured from falls (oftentimes being mistaken for tailbone injuries) or from prolonged micro-traumas, such as sitting awkwardly and driving. Pain is typically worse when sitting or standing from a seated position when the sacrum is misaligned but can also radiate over the hip and into the groin under certain circumstances.

Almost every chiropractor has a way to adjust the sacrum, all three of the techniques I typically use can adjust the sacrum, but those don’t even scratch the surface of the different possible techniques. If someone specifically has a complaint that I recognize as stemming from issues with the sacrum I tend to prefer using the drop table, because I can combine directional precision with a wider range of force. Due to the keystone-like nature the misalignment of it has a more variability in terms of restriction, depending on the nature of injury and which other bones might be involved." - Dr. Erick Thompson

01/21/2026

"The highest two joints in the spine also happen to be the most important, in my opinion. They both center around the C1 vertebra, making the Atlas (the common name for C1) the most important bone in your body, chiropractically-speaking. Over the course of the last few weeks, we’ve discussed potential benefits of chiropractic. Among the things listed, many of them stem from the upper cervical vertebrae being out of alignment.

When someone comes in with headaches, if chiropractic is going to help, C1 and occiput are typically going to be the direct cause. It may be that something in the upper back or lower neck is pulling on the muscles, effecting that joint, but without C1 being subluxated, the headache doesn’t typically exist.

I’ve mentioned before the study by Bakris, Dickholtz et al before, but adjusting C1 in a specific way can lower systolic blood pressure by 17 mmHg. (https://www.nature.com/articles/1002133) Another, more recent study showed another chiropractic technique improving systolic blood pressure by 20 mmHg on average (Here). The prevailing theory as to how this works is a relationship with nerves on the vertebrae that send information regarding the position of the bone to the nucleus intermedius which has autonomic nervous system affects.

The relationship between the occiput (base of the skull), the Atlas and the Axis (C2 vertebra) also can have an impact on sinuses and ears. There aren’t good studies, but many people who come in for sinus issues report feeling post-nasal drip immediately following the upper cervical spine being adjusted and report improvement in congestion following it. It is consistent enough that I warn people that they may develop a cough in a day or so due to the sinuses draining after the adjustment.

I like the Atlas (so much so that I got it tattooed on my arm). It is a powerful adjustment and there are a lot of possible benefits by ensuring it is in proper alignment." - Dr. Erick Thompson

01/19/2026

01/14/2026

"There are a lot of uses for chiropractic, as I’ve mentioned in past posts. By and large, the most common patient is the one who is wanting pain relief without medication. Maybe they have issues with their kidneys and need to stay away from ibuprofen, or maybe they have chronic pain, but the side-effects of stronger analgesics are too problematic.

There are chiropractors that will chastise patients for giving their children an antibiotic that their medical doctor prescribed. They will argue that they need to be healthier so that the body can more easily fight off whatever they’re dealing with. That statement might be true, and I encourage my patients to make the healthiest choices they can for themselves and their family.

Maybe they have. Maybe that patient has already made the changes and they hurt themselves, so they have acute pain. They’re doing the anti-inflammatory diet and they’re getting sun and exercise and 8 hours of sleep, but something happened and they need to get adjusted.

I take an ibuprofen probably once every 3 to 4 months. If I’m in pain and can’t get adjusted in the next few days, I want to be out of pain. Would I rather get adjusted? Yep. But I would also rather be out of pain.

If you don’t subscribe to all of my philosophies on health and chiropractic, but you want to utilize our services to get out of pain because it has few side-effects or you don’t want to get surgery, then you are in the right place. We want you to get the most out of your health and we’re here for you, however we can be." - Dr. Erick Thompson

01/13/2026

Testimonial Tuesday.

"Going through my different health challenges, I love having Dr. Carrie helping me with the tough love I need to get better.
Thank you and forever grateful." - J (Biz Owner)

01/07/2026

"Just a reminder, I'm not a poet. But this one does resonate with me. As we're shedding off the last vestiges of 2025, let this be a little reminder to treat yourself well, you never know how much it could benefit you." - Dr. Erick Thompson

01/07/2026

Happy Birthday to Roanne!...We do not exaggerate when we say she is the absolute BEST massage therapist in the business! And we get to call her ours! Happy birthday, Ro!

01/06/2026

Testimonial Tuesday...

"I have been seeing doctor Erick for the past couple months following a car accident. He is very empathetic, kind and very knowledgeable. He has answered more questions for me than any specialist I’ve seen for my issues. The staff is all wonderful, friendly and accommodating! I’m in good hands! ❤️" -S (MVA sufferer)

12/31/2025

"Very few people who knew me 20 years ago would have expected me to be where I am today. I am nearly unrecognizable to people who were in my social periphery 10 years ago. Not just because I have less hair and said hair is grayer. This isn’t a unique trait to only me. Most of us would agree that we wouldn’t trade places with ourselves 5, 10, or 20 years ago. We can’t help but learn lessons and grow. In fact, you need to try really hard to not grow and evolve as life progresses.

In the immediacy, we can often fight the lessons and want to avoid the growth because a particular lesson is painful. This resistance can often prolong lessons, eventually making our lives so uncomfortable that we have no choice but to learn and grow from them. If you’re not growing, you’re withering. Fighting the lessons can cause us to wither.

Change is inevitable and universal. Releasing parts of yourself than no longer serve you, is just like pruning a plant. Get rid of the dead so it can continue to grow. Let’s not worry about New Years resolutions this year, lets focus on releasing previous versions of ourselves. Lessons from this past year, lessons from the last nine years, my 2025 close out has been full of reflection on how much I’ve grown and changed in the last year, last 5 years and last decade.

My New Year wish for you this year is that you take the opportunity to reflect on the lessons that you’re being pushed to learn. So you can naturally grow into the person you’re meant to be.

Happy New Year" - Dr. Erick Thompson