Pain makes it impossible for a person to enjoy life to its fullest. Chronic pain is a stress to your body and can actually interfere with your body's ability to maintain health. We recommend a comprehensive approach for dealing with pain that focuses on elimination of the cause(s) of pain as well as aggravating factors such as stress, poor diet, premature aging, and injury.

Special expertise and experience is required to properly manage pain, regardless of what that pain arises from. Some of the more common causes of pain that we treat include, but are not limited to: auto accidents, accidents at work, sporting injuries, degenerative conditions, overuse syndromes, and cumulative trauma disorders.

An integrated approach consisting of manipulative therapy, myofascial release therapy, physical therapy, rehabilitative therapy, nutritional support, orthopedic bracing, and massage allows the doctor to utilize a complete alternative arsenal to attack the cause of your pain.

Manipulative Therapy
Improper biomechanical function of a joint is called intersegmental joint dysfunction. This can happen to any joint as a result of sudden injury and/or injury over time. The result of injury to a joint is inflammation that will eventually lead to the development of scar tissue in and around the joint. This alters the biomechanics of the joint and can lead to an increased rate of wear and tear or degeneration of the joint. A prime example of this would be the insidious damage done to your vehicle when it's wheels are out of alignment. Research indicates that intersegmental joint dysfunction, or subluxation as it is sometimes referred to, is associated with the premature development of degenerative osteoarthritis.

Because there are over 150 joints in the spinal column it is more susceptible to this condition than most other areas of human anatomy. This is why doctors of chiropractic tend to focus on the spine. In very close proximity to most of those joints are the very branches of the central nervous system or spinal nerves. They are a direct connection between the central nervous system and every part of your body. It stands to reason that if these joints are dysfunctional it could chemically and physically interfere with the nervous system's ability to control and coordinate bodily function. Vigorous research studies are currently underway to further investigate the possible correlation between intersegmental dysfunction of the spine and improper communication between the nervous system and the body. This could be an underlying cause or contributing factor for some diseases of neurogenic origin.

Manipulative therapy is commonly used for the treatment of intersegmental dysfunction of the joints with great success. It has been proven safe and reliable in many scientific studies. Chiropractors are truly joint doctors. If your pain stems from a joint derangement, then the research suggests that chiropractic should be your first choice for care.

Myofascial Release Therapy
Please read the information about Active Release Technique (A.R.T.) and scar tissue.

Physical Therapy
This is sometimes used in combination with one or both of the above treatments. Physical therapeutic modalities are used adjunctively to help achieve the following goals: relieve pain, reduce muscle spasm, decrease inflammation, and control scar tissue development. Dr. Boyle prescribes such therapies as ice, heat, electric muscle stimulation, ultra sound, and traction in a synergistic combination to improve treatment plans and outcomes.

Rehabilitative Therapy
Many times pain develops because of a pre-existing biomechanical imbalance. Weak muscles or muscles that are over-toned and tight can lead to abnormal function of joints and muscles. Many times this aspect of pain treatment is overlooked and the problem never really goes away. Dr. Boyle looks for these imbalances and prescribes specific exercises and /or stretches to compensate for and correct the problem. This type of therapy can also be use to combat the formation of adhesions or scar tissue.

Nutritional Support
Many common conditions can be caused by improper nutrition. Sometimes we do not get enough of one nutritional component or we ingest too much of another. Dr. Boyle has had extensive training in this field and can provide basic nutritional advice.

Orthopedic Bracing
Sometimes the body needs a little help in achieving proper biomechanical function. One good example of this can be seen in a runner that develops shin splints. Many times this condition is caused by a tendency in the runner to pronate his feet during the act of running. Pronation is simply an unstable rolling of the foot medially during the toe off phase of gate. This is more of an engineering or stability problem than anything else. The doctor can prescribe orthotics to correct the problem of pronation and this usually relieves the pain. There are numerous other uses for orthotics and braces to help the body achieve proper biomechanical function and stability.

Massage
This therapy is often times prescribed by Dr. Boyle to help with the overall reduction of stress and sometimes to help with the reduction of adhesions or scar tissue. Our office offers massage by only the best licensed massage and bodywork therapists. Our therapists are highly trained, professional, and medically oriented. All massage work done at Back to Basics is directly overseen by Dr. Boyle. If deemed medically necessary by Dr. Boyle, massage therapy can be covered by your medical insurance. Please read the information about Massage.

Conclusion
These are just some of the primary examples of treatment methods used by Dr. Boyle. He may also refer patients for other forms of alternative care. Dr. Boyle will use advanced methods of testing if necessary, including M.R.I. and nerve conduction velocity tests. Dr. Boyle will never attempt to treat a condition that is beyond the scope of his practice. He will never attempt to treat visceral disease. He commonly refers to other members of the health care profession including general practitioners, internists, podiatrists, orthopedists, neurologists, etc.

Anytime that you have a problem with your muscles, ligaments, tendons, or joints the first person that you should consult is Dr. Boyle. That means that he should be your doctor for back pain, neck pain, headaches, wrist or hand pain, work injury, mid back pain, shoulder pain, ankle pain, strains and sprains, elbow pain, knee pain, falls, auto accidents, sports injuries, etc.

So you see, Dr. Boyle truly is the doctor to consult first whenever you have JOINT & MUSCLE PAIN.