Most if not all people will suffer with neck pain at some point in their lifetime.  The most common cause of neck pain is a sprain strain injury to the muscles and ligaments in the neck.  This could be related to a sports injury, auto accident injury or slip and fall injury just to name a few.  

Additional causes of neck pain are disc bulges, disc herniations, disc degeneration, degenerative joint disease and more.  It is always important to first rule out dangerous causes such as bone tumors and nerve impingement.

Dr. Harrison takes a thorough history, completes a detailed exam to help determine the cause of your neck pain and performs imaging only when he feels it is absolutely necessary.  Chiropractic adjustments have been proven to provide a conservative and safe approach to providing you neck pain relief. 

Lower back pain is extremely common in the United States and accounts for millions of dollars in lost revenue and productivity for individuals and corporations alike.  This is due to time missed from work.

Back pain can be caused by sprains and strains, disc injuries, bulges and herniation, arthritis and myofascial pain.  Herniated discs can irritate nerve roots in the lumbar spine (lower back) causing sciatica or pain which radiates down the back of the leg.

Studies have shown that chiropractic care provides a more cost effective and quicker solution to reduce your pain quickly and get you back to work.  Dr. Harrison will determine the best course of treatment for your back pain after a taking a detailed history of your problem and examining your lower back.

90% of headaches are caused by muscle tension.  This muscle tension may be related to stress, neck injury, poor posture and other orthopedic conditions.  Gentle chiropractic adjustments applied to the neck increase mobility and help the neck muscles relax, reducing their tension and decompress irritated nerves.  

Other types of headache include cluster, migraine and neurological.  In some instances, vestibular issues (problems with the ear canals and balance) and ocular issues (problems with eye movement and one’s ability to track objects with the eyes) can contribute to headaches which if not evaluated for may go undiscovered unfortunately lead to chronic headache issues.  Dr. Harrison will provide a thorough evaluation to determine the best approach to reducing or eliminating your headache pain.

TMJ pain or pain in the jaw joint can be deceiving...why?  Because one of the first signs of temporomandibular joint disorder might not be pain in the joint, but might be neck pain, headache pain and possibly even ear pain.

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction may be caused by direct trauma to the jaw such as in a blow to the jaw, whiplash related injury, or even biting down on something hard.  Other causes range from degeneration of the joint (arthritis) and wear and tear to the small disc pads which provide a cushion between the jaw (or mandible) and the temporal bone.

Additional problems seen with TMJ dysfunction include a locking of the jaw open or closed.  In other words, you can’t open the mouth wide enough to eat, or just the opposite, the jaw becomes stuck open and you can’t close it.  This is due to displacement of the disc that rests on the condyle of the mandible.  

Dr. Harrison can evaluate your TMJ and let you know how to go about relieving your temporomandibular joint disorder.  Gentle mobilization and chiropractic adjustments to the jaw joint and/or correcting the placement of the disc on the condyle, in many cases, can reduce or eliminate your TMJ dysfunction and pain. 

Most shoulder progressive meaning that it usually starts out mild and becomes progressively worse.  Although a blow to the shoulder or trauma may cause a tear in to one of the rotator cuff tendons or a labral tear, it is more common to see pain develop in the shoulder slowly over time due to repetitive stress.  

Tendonitis is the number one cause of shoulder pain.  Tendons in the shoulder don’t have a great blood supply so when the are repetitively stressed they become ischemic (meaning the don’t have enough blood flow to the tendon).  This means that blood oxygen and nutrients aren’t making their way into the tissue and additionally metabolic waste products aren’t being carried away.  As this goes on the tendon or tendons become more and more inflamed.  As the aggravated tendon becomes larger and inflamed (tendinopathy) it may rub on shoulder bursas which lay underneath the tendons.  Over time this can lead to shoulder bursitis (deltoid bursitis, sub clavicular bursitis).  In the later stages due to the increasing pain many patients will stop using the involved shoulder leading to unwanted capsulitis.  This shoulder capsulitis is very difficult to reduce conservatively.  In many cases the patient will have to seek orthopedic intervention, be sedated, and have the shoulder capsule torn as it is forced through it’s normal ranges of motion.

Early treatment is the key and, in most cases, simple tendonitis is easily resolved in just a handful of treatments.  If you have already moved into the bursitis phase then treating the tendonitis is the way to help reduce the bursitis…again very treatable but may take more time.  If you are in the capsulitis phase be prepared for a protracted treatment plan.  Dr. Harrison can evaluate your shoulder tendonitis, bursitis and capsulitis and customize a plan to eliminate your shoulder pain in the quickest manner.  Many people are not aware that the proper application of chiropractic care can greatly reduce or eliminate shoulder pain.

Knee pain can be difficult to treat with chiropractic or physical therapy.  Most causes range from sprain strain, degenerative changes (knee arthritis), or worst-case scenario, torn ligaments that support the knee.  Being significant weight bearing joints, knees tend to take a lot of abuse over the years which is why we see so many knee replacement surgeries.  

Our goal is to help you avoid knee surgery and Dr. Harrison, many times, can help manage knee pain through either acupuncture and/or light chiropractic adjustment techniques.  If the pain persists it is likely that there is damage to either cartilage in the joint the ligaments that support the knee.  MRI of the knee may be indicated to determine the best course of treatment.  

Dr. Harrison can help guide your treatment of your knee pain through proper consultation, evaluation, conservative therapy for the knee pain, and if necessary, MRI of the knee to evaluate the ligament and cartilage integrity.

Many are confused about the difference between a disc bulge, a disc herniation and degeneration of the disc.  The disc is composed of two main areas, the annulus fibrosis and the nucleus.  The annulus is made up of fibrocartilage and the nucleus mainly water, sugars and enzymes.  The nucleus is contained by the annulus fibrosis similar to a jelly donut.

A disc bulge is when there is a weakening, and as a result, a “bulging outward” of the annular fibers.  This usually occurs posteriorly and laterally and in close proximity to sensitive spinal nerve roots which is why we sometimes see posterior buttock or leg pain in connection with the disc bulge.  

A disc herniation is where the annular fibers have torn and the water contained in the nucleus begins to extrude out of the disc or evaporate.  Disc herniations are more likely to irritate sensitive nerve roots than a disc bulge.  

Disc degeneration usually follows a bulging disc or herniated disc due to failure of the pump mechanism.  The pump mechanism is a passive process by which the disc receives its nutrition and maintains its’ health.  When this pump fails the disc begins to lose its’ health and deteriorate.  Many times, we will see arthritic change begin around the disc and posterior spinal joints when this occurs.  Spinal decompression is a great way to heal this pump mechanism.

Dr. Harrison will let you know if fall into any of the categories above through proper examination procedures and help direct you to the most appropriate care of your disc condition.  

Weight loss resistance is something that occurs at the cellular level.  Most people have heard of insulin resistance.  Insulin resistance occurs when insulin receptors on the cell membranes become damaged or blunted due to chronic inflammation of the cell membranes.  It is important to understand that inflammation on the cell membrane in non-discriminatory, meaning that is doesn’t just affect the insulin receptors, but also the receptors of thyroid hormones (most notably T3) and other important hormones such a Leptin that help to regulate fat metabolism.  

A proper history along with specific blood work and hormone testing will allow Dr. Harrison to see what is holding you back from losing those unwanted pounds.

It has been my experience that most thyroid problems are not primary but secondary to other problems going on with the patient.  Co-infections are very common and, in many cases, can mimic hypothyroidism.  Proper history taking is essential and why Dr. Harrison will typically spend an hour to an hour and a half with new clients to determine which blood work needs to be ordered and how to best proceed with the patient.  Epstein-Barr virus is a common co-infection associated with hypothyroid and is easily tested for through routine lab / blood work.

Diabetes is still on the rise, along with morbid obesity and cardiovascular disease.  Making a commitment to dietary changes, regular and reasonable exercise is the best place to start.  Let Dr. Harrison help guide you so that you can get back to being a healthier you.  Dr. Harrison lost his own mother to Type II Diabetes so he is very passionate about helping get your blood sugar under control, lowering your insulin resistance and A1c and bringing you triglycerides and lipoproteins into healthy ranges.

Heart disease, hypertension, cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis are all best managed through proper diet, exercise and in some cases supplementation.  Proper blood work to identify the possibility of co-infections can help Dr. Harrison determine in supplementation may assist with reducing high blood pressure and maintaining vascular wall integrity.

Dr. Harrison can help you fight to regain your heart health.  You don’t have to be a victim to heart disease.  You can take action and make drastic changes in your cardiovascular health but don’t procrastinate.  The best time to start the healing process is always now.

Some people associate chronic fatigue with hypothyroidism.  The truth is that there are many possible causes of chronic fatigue symptoms ranging from chronic viral infection to chronic bacterial infection.  Dr. Harrison will take a thorough history and explain what blood testing he needs to order and why to best determine the cause of your fatigue and put together a treatment plan to help you regain your energy.

After being involved in an automobile accident it is not unusual to suffer with neck pain, low back pain, pain in the shoulder blade areas, headache pain, TJM pain or temporomandibular joint pain and even pain or numbness and tingling into the shoulders, hips arms and legs.  

Dr. Harrison has received additional training through the Spine Research Institute of San Diego in the diagnosis and clinical management of cervical acceleration / deceleration trauma (whiplash) and whiplash related temporomandibular joint disorders.

Slip and fall injuries, work related injuries and sports injuries typically present with similar types of pain patterns as those suffered in auto accident injuries.  Many patients present with torn muscle and ligament tissue (strains and sprains) to the involved areas.  Dr. Harrison has been treating patients injured in car accidents and work accidents for nearly 30 years.  

Treatment should begin immediately after your accident in order to reduce inflammation and pain.  Treatment is also geared at restoring normal movement to the neck, back and all joints involved, as well as to minimize scar tissue formation.  All of this is essential to preventing spinal degeneration (arthritis) from setting in down the road.  

Post-concussion symptoms related to mild traumatic brain injuries have been a hot topic in the sports arena.  Football players, hockey players and other contact sports expose player to the danger of repeated impacts to the head resulting in symptoms ranging from headache, vertigo and dizziness to more functional symptoms like chronic fatigue, inability to concentrate and in more rare cases symptoms such as involuntary movements of the neck, head arms or legs (movement disorders).

Dr. Harrison has spent the last several years training through the Carrick Institute where he has been working towards his diplomate in neurology.  Most of this training is geared towards functional neurology to include the assessment and treatment of these conditions.  

During his evaluation Dr. Harrison will determine whether or not he feels he can help you and if so, he will put a treatment plan together for you.  If he cannot he will explain why or refer you to someone more qualified to make a determination in your case.

Neurocognitive degeneration can be devastating to those suffering with the disease and to the family and loved ones surrounding the individual.  Early treatment / detection is the key and can be caught during a thorough neurological examination.  I recommend a full neurological exam once a year after the age of 50 as we see more and more people developing signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s earlier on.

A multi-therapeutic approach has most recently been identified as the best approach to treating these conditions.  A combination of proper diet, exercise and detoxification procedures seems to work best.  Dr. Harrison couples this with neurological exercises determined during his examination to exercise areas of the brain that display under activity or “weakness”.  Especially with regard to Parkinson’s Disease early detection is key to preventing deterioration of the Substantia Nigra.

Dr. Harrison is now providing primary care services in the office to include yearly physical examination and the ordering of necessary bloodwork.  After a thorough review of your exam findings and blood work, Dr. Harrison will sit down with you and provide what he feels is the best natural solution to addressing any conditions you may be suffering with to include hypothyroid, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease / high blood pressure (hypertension), autoimmune disease (Hashimoto’s, Celiac Disease, Eczema, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.…), neurological conditions, movement disorders, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and more.  Just because you have a predisposition to a disease (for example it runs in the family or you have had genetic testing indicating you have a particular gene that may express a condition) doesn’t necessarily mean you have to manifest or express that condition.  Dr. Harrison will spend the time with you that you need to have proper primary health care.  This IS NOT managed care.