Auto Injuries
DRX Spinal Decompression
THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE
Massage Therapy Specialist
Dr. Ronald Benson offers chiropractic and massage therapy to residents of San Jose, California through his certified massage therapists.
Diane is one of the best and has worked with Dr. Benson for over 30 years.
Massage can benefit people who are stressed, who have tense muscles, or who need to improve circulation and lymphatic drainage.
Massage plays a very important role in health and healing.
Why Does Massage Work?
Human skin is loaded with receptor cells; these cells can record and respond to even the slightest touch. Massage therapy stimulates receptor cells and makes them release chemicals that send messages to the brain. As also happens during intensive exercise, the brain then releases endorphins -- “feel good” chemical messengers that help relieve pain and stress. Massage therapy also stimulates the lymphatic system and promotes the drainage of excess fluid and toxins from the body.
Posture Correction
What is Good Posture?
The term posture refers to body position, not only when standing, but while sitting or even lying down. In particular, posture refers to the position of the spine. When a person has good posture, muscles are relaxed; the shoulders are back, the abdomen flat and the head, trunk, and thighs are in a straight line. There is little or no stress on the spine or other joints like the hips and knees.
Why Does Posture Matter?
Aside from the matter of appearance -- someone who chronically slouches or walks around with slumped shoulders and protruding abdomen looks unattractive and even unhealthy, not to mention older -- posture affects musculoskeletal health. Poor posture increases stress on muscles, tendons and ligaments, and can cause problems with spinal and joint alignment. Muscles have to work harder when posture is poor, and it can affect balance, which increases the risk of falls and other injuries. Poor posture can also increase wear and tear on the joints.
What Are the Signs of Poor Posture?
Chronic pain, especially in the neck or low back, is often a sign of poor posture. Even a layperson can often recognize other signs of poor posture such as slumping, hunched shoulders, rounded shoulders or a rounded upper back. Other visible signs are a forward head carriage and an excessive arch in the lower back. However, the stiff, rigid posture seen in military personnel is overly straight, and can also lead to muscle tension. Stress, obesity, weak muscles (especially in the back and abdomen) and abnormally tight muscles can contribute to poor posture.
How Can Chiropractic Help?
If poor posture is due to misalignment in the spine, a chiropractor can correct the problem with an adjustment. A chiropractor can also assess posture and identify specific problems such as chronically thrusting the head forward or rounding the shoulders. Exercises help relieve tight muscles, strengthen muscles that support the spine and balance opposing muscles to promote better posture. Chiropractors can also educate patients about ergonomics -- how they use the body in daily activities -- to promote better posture at all times. Dr. Benson utilizes Chiropractic BioPhysics/ Clinical Biomechanics of Posture technique which has multiple research studies that show clinical effectiveness for improving posture and alignment. This can often relieve chronic problems and be preventative as well.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Chiropractic treatment can be one of the components of treatment for peripheral neuropathy. Dr. Ronald Benson is proud to offer this service.
What is Peripheral Neuropathy?
Neuropathy is another word for nerve disease or damage. Peripheral means nerves outside of the central nervous system (the brain and spine). Symptoms are extremely variable, depending on the cause, location, specific nerves involved and whether the nerve is primarily involved in movement or sensation. Patients may report numbness, tingling, burning, muscle weakness or a distortion in signals such that a slight touch is extremely painful or even firm pressure cannot be felt by the patient. Since the peripheral nervous system also supplies the organs, neuropathy can cause organ and gland dysfunction or even failure.
What Causes Peripheral Neuropathy?
Doctors can't always identify the specific cause of peripheral neuropathy. Genetics may be a factor in some cases, but a disease like diabetes or an injury can also cause this problem. Of diseases that can cause the problem, diabetes is the most common, but circulatory problems and kidney disease can also contribute to peripheral neuropathy as well as chemotherapy and other medications.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help?
Peripheral neuropathy related to nerve compressions, as can happen with degenerative spine conditions causing spinal stenosis, can often be helped with chiropractic treatment. Rather than treating symptoms like pain, chiropractic aims to correct the root cause of the problem, which relieves the pain or numbness. Chiropractic also focuses on a whole body approach, which includes focused nutrition and lifestyle changes to promote healing. Patients often find Dr. Benson’s care plan including cold laser and infrared laser promote more relief than anything else they’ve tried.
TMJ
How Can A Chiropractor Help With TMJ?
The Journal of Oral Rehabilitation states that patients with jaw problems and internal derangement of the TMJ were significantly associated with cervical spine (neck) disorders, 90% of the time, even without the presence of subjective neck complaints. Dr. Benson has extensive post-graduate training in treating TMJ and determining whether the cervical spine is playing a role in the problem. Dr. Benson often co-manages TMJ cases on the referral of your oral provider to help you get the best results.
Chiropractic care is holistic in looking at the jaw-head-neck structure and how it must work together. Chiropractic care reduces the mechanical factors to provide a non-invasive approach to reducing the pain and misalignment associated with TMJ. Chiropractic treatment is effective because it enables muscle relaxation and allows repositioning. Soft tissue manipulation techniques, cold laser therapy, and specific home care exercises are usually incorporated into effective treatment of TMJ disorders.
Auto Injuries
According to INJURY1, an international journal dealing with all aspects of trauma care and accident surgery, 93% of patients with chronic whiplash pain who have failed other forms of treatment improve with chiropractic care.
At Berryessa Chiropractic, we are trained to carefully evaluate your health complaints to identify the presence and extent of injury you may have sustained in a car accident. Dr. Benson holds advanced certification in whiplash and spinal trauma, (CCST) Whiplash and Brain Traumatology and also Advanced Certification through Spine Research Institute of San Diego. We work with you to determine the best course of care to resolve your injuries and get you back on track.
Proper care of your injuries in a timely fashion is vital as the estimated incidence of chronic pain from a whiplash trauma is 15-40%.
Common Whiplash Symptoms:
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Headaches
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Neck and/or back pain
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Dizziness, nausea
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Radiating pain, numbness, tingling
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Weakness, fatigue, irritability
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Nervousness, anxiety
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Jaw pain, popping, clicking
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Sciatica, leg pain
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Ribcage pain
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Shoulder pain
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Muscle pain
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Stiffness
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All of our patients receive the same best quality care. This includes:
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Full examination to determine the best treatment plan
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State-of-the-art pre/post digital X-Rays
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Interval re-exams to evaluate progress
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Gentle and safe adjustments
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Therapies to promote healing and reduce pain, inflammation, and spasms
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Rehab to strengthen the muscles and stabilize pain
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Therapies to re-train balance, position sense and equilibrium
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Co-management of care with other healthcare professionals when needed
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Advanced care to restore function WE WORK ATTORNEYS THAT CAN HELP IF YOU ARE IN NEED
Pregnancy Care
What is Chiropractic Pregnancy Care?
Chiropractic care promotes good spinal alignment, but it can also help prepare a woman for delivery by strengthening and stretching muscles. As the pregnancy progresses, the pelvic ligaments gradually loosen; although this is normal, it affects posture and spinal alignment. As the abdomen grows larger and protrudes, it can increase the normal spinal curve and cause back pain. Chiropractic care can provide comfort through spinal adjustments during pregnancy.
Why is Chiropractic Pregnancy Care Necessary?
Many changes occur during pregnancy, including changes in a woman's gait and posture as her abdomen enlarges. Her center of gravity also shifts, and as she compensates for these changes, it can cause stress on the musculoskeletal system. In addition, her hormonal balance changes, especially as delivery nears, and some hormones will affect the muscles or ligaments. Chiropractic care can help resolve these issues through spinal and joint alignments.
Is Special Training Required?
Pregnancy care is a normal part of a chiropractor’s training. Dr. Benson has had more extensive training in this area and regularly helps pregnant clients.
What Are the Benefits of Chiropractic Pregnancy Care?
In addition to correcting any spinal alignment problems, chiropractic treatment may be able to help in the early stages of pregnancy when a woman has morning sickness by promoting optimum nervous system function. Chiropractors can also give nutritional advice. When the pelvis is balanced, breech (baby born feet first) births are less likely. Chiropractic treatment can also help with back or joint pain and sciatica as the pregnancy progresses. Exercises to promote an easier delivery are another tool in the chiropractic toolbox.
DRX Spinal Decompression
Dr. Ronald Benson provides spinal decompression, a non-invasive form of traction, as one of a variety of chiropractic services to help patients with back pain.
What is Spinal Decompression?
The concept behind spinal decompression is to relieve pressure on the discs by gently pulling them apart. This helps the disc return to its normal position and increases the flow of nutrients to the disc, which can promote healing. As the disc returns to normal, the pressure on the spinal cord and nerves are relieved, and pain and/or numbness get better. Spinal decompression therapy is usually used for conditions like a herniated disc, spinal arthritis, nerve root pressure or the narrowing of the spinal canal called spinal stenosis.
What is the Treatment Like?
A chiropractor uses a special motorized table to perform spinal decompression therapy. The lower half of the table is moveable and can be adjusted. A special harness placed around the patient's hips is connected to the lower section of the table near the feet. Activating the table makes the bottom section move very gradually and gently so that it applies and releases traction on the spine. Most patients feel the stretch but the treatment does not usually cause pain.
Is Spinal Decompression Effective?
Depending on the individual patient and problem, spinal decompression therapy can be very effective. Some orthopedic surgeons and neuro surgeons will recommend this conservative care before resorting to epidural injections or spine surgery. Some patients don't find it helpful, just as other medical treatments don't always work for every patient. Since the treatment is relatively new, research is limited. The treatment is unlikely to do harm, and the best way to find out if it's right for a particular patient is to try it.
ZERONA FAT LOSS LASER
How does Zerona work?
Through clinical studies it has been demonstrated that the Zerona low level laser stimulates the fat cell to emulsify (liquefy) the fat within the cell. Then the liquefied fat moves from inside the cell through a temporary pore formed in the cell membrane to outside the cell where it is in the interstitial space until absorbed by the lymphatic system. This results in millions of fat cells becoming smaller so inches are reduced off the waist, pills hips and thighs. The fat cells are not injured in any way by this process.
What can I expect at my appointments?
You can expect 40 minutes to relax, read or do absolutely nothing. The Zerona treatment is completely painless. There is no heat or any sensation whatsoever while being treated. Each treatment you will be met by your physician or technician who will position the laser at the desired areas of the body, he/she will step out for 20 minutes while the front of your body is treated and then will return to reset for the backside of your body for an additional 20 minutes. After you are done you can get back to your normal activities immediately with absolutely no downtime, nor pain, swelling or any discomfort. This is a symptom –free process except for losing unwanted inches.
How is it different from other “non-invasive” body slimming techniques?
The Zerona laser is the only completely safe and effective non-invasive treatment for body slimming on the market today. There is no possibility of injury. No technician will be pushing on you or using any device against your body. You simply lay beneath the Zerona lights.