Chiropractor explains neurological and spinal links

Dr. Kevin Smith practices chiropractics in a unique way at his month-old practice in Moscow.

Smith recently moved from Yakima to Moscow with his wife and children. He established his practice with the intent of providing relief for problems associated with back pain and preventative measures for people just starting to experience symptoms such as aching backs or migraines. "My goal would be to catch people early when it's easy to fix a problem," Smith said. He practices a specialized variety of chiropractics with the upper cervical approach. This method thoroughly examines patients, focusing on the upper back and neck and searches for gentler solutions to problems than a general chiropractic approach, he said. Smith said he believes many chiropractors over-adjust their patients, which creates a dependency on adjustments for the patients and often does more harm than good.

"When adjustments are made, they are very gentle. There's no turning, popping or cracking," he said. "You just don't need to whomp on people to get results." Smith said chiropractics target problems that many people don't realize are related to the back and neck.

"I've worked with a variety of conditions that people would not normally associate with issues in their upper neck," he said.

Among these issues are chronic migraines and neurological problems as severe as multiple sclerosis, he said. A lot of people damage their spine or neck when they are young, and the human body compensates for sometimes serious damage with symptoms like severe headaches or episodes of back and neck pain, Smith said. Smith said he encourages people in their 20s to have their necks and spines checked, even if they experience what seem to be minor symptoms. Those symptoms often progress, he said, and the problems can become serious if people ignore them.

Full story