What is Chiropractic Neurology?

A lot of doctors try to sound smart or prove their worth by using big words and medical jargon. What they really end up doing is confusing their patients.

At Natural Healthcare Center, we try to keep it simple. Instead of using big words that require a medical dictionary to understand, we explain complex concepts in laymen’s terms. One of those concepts is chiropractic neurology.

Chiropractic neurology is a discipline of chiropractic care that treats the body based on how the nervous system is performing. Neurons process and transmit information through electrical and chemical signals in the human body. When you use a neuron, it sends a message to itself to make more protein and become stronger.

When neurons aren’t used enough, or they’re used improperly, they can become unstable and malfunction. These functional lesions can be caused by falls, injuries, heavy lifting, auto accidents and other common causes of pain and discomfort.

Chiropractic neurology allows us to dig deeper and get to the source of a problem. For example, if a patient is experiencing pain in the left shoulder, most doctors will focus their treatment on the left shoulder.

However, the cause of the pain could be based in the nervous system. There could be a lesion in the brain that’s altering the normal biomechanics of the rotator cuff. You can make the pain go away temporarily by treating the shoulder, but the lesion that’s affecting how the shoulder functions will increase the likelihood of reinjuring the shoulder.

Chiropractic neurology may be used to treat a number of conditions, including but not limited to:

• Muscular spasms or hypertonicity
• Numbness or tingling
• Vertigo
• Visual disturbances
• Memory and concentration difficulty
• Balance problems
• Mood disorders
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Anxiety
• Scoliosis

At Natural Healthcare Center, we’re very fortunate to have Dr. Kurt Hostnik, a board certified chiropractic neurologist, on our team. Dr. Hostnik can detect lesions through a thorough functional neurology exam, which involves observing a patient’s gait (movements when they walk or run), muscle tone, reflexes and eye movement. He may also use MRI, CT scan, x-ray, ultrasound and blood testing.

Dr. Hostnik then develops a conservative treatment plan – no drugs and no surgery – based on what he finds during his examination.  Treatment can involve light and sound sensory training, eye exercises, balance and coordination exercises, chiropractic manipulations, nutritional modification and other methods.

Chiropractic neurology is another important tool in the Natural Healthcare Center shed that helps us get beyond superficial symptoms and uncover the true cause of pain or discomfort. More than providing temporary relief of pain or discomfort, our goal is to do everything possible to make sure that pain or discomfort won’t come back.

In a future post, we’ll discuss vertigo, a condition that can be diagnosed by Dr. Hostnik, and explain common causes and treatment options.