Could you imagine going through life every day with near-debilitating, chronic back pain? Back pain is one of the most common ailments in America - it's estimated that 8% of all adults, or 16 million people, suffer from chronic back pain in the U.S. every year. If you've never experienced a back injury or pain, be thankful. Chronic back pain affects every aspect of a person's life, from participating in sports to limitations with everyday activities, like cooking dinner. In fact, many people with chronic back pain can't even make a reliable living and put food on the table. Almost 83 million workdays are lost every year due to chronic back pain.
The inability to work and provide isn't just a physical issue - it can become an emotional one too. Many people suffering from chronic back pain also suffer from depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, in the past, chronic back pain sufferers wanting to avoid addictive medications and invasive surgeries had few viable relief options. However, if you're suffering from a chronic back issue like sciatica, a pinched nerve, or a bulging disc, pain relief may be closer than you think.
Modern chiropractic care and, more specifically, a spinal decompression chiropractor in John's Island, SC, may be the long-term solution you need for chronic back pain.
A common misconception is that chiropractors only adjust your back and neck when, in fact, they treat the whole body with all-natural treatments. Here at Elite Healthcare, our doctors focus on your overall health, not just pain. We want to find and address the underlying causes of your symptoms. If you're unfamiliar with an integrative approach to medicine, this strategy may seem new. Our chiropractic care is less about putting a band-aid on the problem and more about finding a natural, long-term solution to your pain.
Fortunately, our experienced chiropractors provide the best in natural pain relief. Prescription and over-the-counter pain medications mask the symptoms you're experiencing versus getting to the cause of your pain. Pain is often the result of your spine being out of alignment, which leads to nerve issues. Once your spine is back in alignment, the nerves function correctly again.
Because our chiropractic center offers a combination of different therapies and non-surgical treatments, we provide a comprehensive approach to healing. Depending on the extent of your back problems, spinal decompression therapy may be the answer to your chronic pain problems.
Initially developed in 1985 by Dr. Allan Dyer, spinal decompression has been used by chiropractors for years. Unfortunately, spinal decompression is often passed over as a viable treatment, despite its numerous benefits.
In the past, patients suffering from chronic back pain issues like herniated discs were usually prescribed powerful medications. They were instructed to refrain from physical activities, referred to a physical therapist, and sent on their way. While physical therapy has an important role in back pain recovery, some back conditions need a more comprehensive treatment approach. For those patients, surgery seemed like the only option.
Today, patients with chronic back pain have many more options to consider. One of the most effective treatments for serious back pain is spinal decompression. This proven therapy, provided by Elite Healthcare, has been shown to significantly reduce pain and help patients live a normal, even active lifestyle once again.
Spinal decompression, also called Lumbar Cervical Decompression Therapy (LCD Therapy), is a very effective non-surgical solution to chronic back pain problems. If you're like most patients, your back pain is caused by disc issues related to your spine. This type of therapy uses computer technology and a spinal decompression machine in John's Island, SC, to stretch your spinal column slowly and gently, relieving abnormal pressure on the discs in your back, which sit in between your vertebrae.
This precise stretching action causes negative pressure to form inside the discs in your back, making them retract. With time, this negative pressure causes a reverse vacuum of sorts that actually draws your protruding discs into place. When pressure is removed from the disc segments in your spine, you experience much-needed pain relief.
The primary purpose of spinal decompression therapy is to provide you with immediate pain relief while creating a healthy environment to heal your spinal disc condition. Some of the most common conditions that spinal decompression therapy treats include:
This happens when spinal discs in your back are pushed outside of the spinal canal. When pushed outside of their usual space, these discs can put pressure on the nerves in your spine, resulting in localized pain and pain throughout your body. If a bulging disc is left untreated, it has a high chance of rupturing, which can necessitate surgery and longer recovery time.
Herniated discs are discs in your back that fracture or crack and leak fluid. The fluid or gel that leaks from a herniated disc may irritate the nerves in your back. When this happens, you may experience an intense burning sensation that shoots up and down your lower back and legs.
As you grow older, joints in your body, like your knees and hips, begin to wear away with time. The same thing can happen to the discs in your back. Often caused by heavy lifting or a family history of spine problems, degenerative discs are painful and can lead to serious situations. In advanced cases, bone spurs can form and affect the nerves of your spine.
When a herniated disc or bone spur begins to put pressure on the nerves in your back, it often causes sciatica. Sciatica is a common back problem that causes pain to radiate from your lower back down your legs via your sciatic nerve. Sometimes, this pain is only felt in one of your legs.
This condition is similar to arthritis of your spine, where the cartilage inside your facet joint breaks down and becomes inflamed. The result is often intense neck and back pain. It's most often caused by degenerative changes in the joints located between the bones of your spine.
This painful condition manifests when the space in your backbone is too small. When this happens, pressure impacts your spinal cord and the nerves that travel through it. Like other conditions treated by a spinal decompression therapy in John's Island, SC, stenosis is caused by wear-and-tear in your back, which forms arthritis.
This term is often used to classify a range of back problems, most often caused by a pinched nerve root in your spinal column. This pinched nerve root may occur in different locations down your spine, like the lumbar or thoracic areas. Usually caused by a narrowing of the space where your nerve root leaves the spine, symptoms of this condition include pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness.
If you're looking for a safe way to relieve your chronic back pain, spinal decompression should be on your list of treatments to consider. This painless procedure is backed by research showing higher success rates in many patients when compared to spinal surgery. Unlike many medications, spinal decompression from Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine is designed to correct the condition you're facing while also minimizing costs and eliminating recovery and downtime.
Some of the most popular reasons why patients choose spinal decompression over surgery and other treatments include:
Invasive procedures, like back surgeries, often leave the patient racked with pain, long recovery times, and complications. Sometimes, the surgery doesn't work as intended, leaving the patient responsible for a therapy that didn't work correctly. As a non-invasive treatment, spinal decompression therapy can treat back and neck pain without needles, incisions, or harmful manipulations of the spine.
Getting back pain relief from surgery is far from guaranteed. However, because spinal decompression targets the underlying causes of your back pain, it's a much more effective long-term treatment. Spinal decompression is not a quick fix. When coupled with positive lifestyle changes like losing weight, you can maximize the pain-relieving benefits of spinal decompression.
Surgery of the back and spine requires the patient to be bedridden and uncomfortable for days and even weeks. Recovering from back surgery is no easy feat and often requires strong pain medications to help. Sometimes, back surgeries don't go as planned, causing complications and worse scenarios. Spinal decompression, on the other hand, is very effective and doesn't require much recovery time at all. Once your spinal decompression session is over, you'll probably be able to drive yourself home from our office.
One of the least talked about issues with back pain medications is that they only treat the pain, not the underlying causes. For many patients, relying on meds to relieve back pain fosters dependency on pain pills. Pain pill addiction is a very serious issue in the U.S., often leading patients down a dark path. With spinal decompression, you won't have to worry about taking pills for pain relief. That's because the root causes of your back pain are addressed, not just the symptoms.
If you were to look at the cost of surgery and subsequent years of prescription medication, you might be shocked. When compared to spinal decompression, surgery is a much more expensive treatment to consider. You've got to take the cost of surgery into account, but also the fact that you'll be forced to take time off work. By choosing spinal decompression therapy, you're choosing a safe, non-surgical treatment that doesn't require any time off work.
Spinal decompression relieves pressure on disrupted discs, causing them to retract back into place. This revolutionary treatment also lets oxygen, fluids, and nutrients re-enter your spinal discs, which provides additional healing.
By now, you probably have a better idea of how spinal decompression can help rid your life of back pain. But spinal decompression treatment does more than help with bulging discs, herniated discs, arthritis, and more. It has also been shown to provide patients with important quality-of-life benefits.
As mentioned above, harsh surgeries leave you bedridden and unable to work for long periods of time. Spinal decompression allows you to jump right back into the workforce, so you can continue providing for your family. Plus, reducing your back pain naturally increases your mobility since you won't be stressing about hurting yourself while moving. Instead, you'll be living in the moment.
One of the worst symptoms affecting people with back pain is the inability to sleep well. Sleeping with back pain can be horrible, causing you to toss and turn to find a comfortable spot. As soon as you find one and get settled, your back starts to hurt again. It's a vicious cycle, but adjusting your spine and relieving pressure with spinal decompression will help you get a good night's rest.
Did you know that when your spine is decompressed, it helps fluids circulate throughout your body? These fluids actually flush your lymphatic system, which helps support your overall immune system. Better circulation also benefits your brain and can help boost concentration and memory. The improved circulation from spinal decompression may also distribute oxygen and nutrients to your skin, creating a multi-benefit effect.
We are happy to answer your questions, and help you find the services you need. Please message us to get started.
At Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine, we practice an integrated approach to pain relief and chiropractic care. Our goal is to restore your spine to its proper alignment, which speeds up your recovery time and prevents additional injuries. If chronic back pain has taken over your life, it's time to visit our chiropractic office for a thorough evaluation.
Ask yourself this: Have you been suffering from headaches and sleepless nights due to muscle strain? Is your ability to work and put food on the table compromised due to a pinched nerve? No amount of over-the-counter pain medication can provide a long-term fix for such an issue. Thankfully, our chiropractors have years of experience providing relief to patients just like yourself.
After a comprehensive exam, our doctor will create an individualized treatment plan tailored to your body. That way, we can address the full scope of your symptoms by correcting any root causes of your back pain.
From minor chiropractic adjustments to spinal decompression treatment, we'll find the solution that your back and body need to heal correctly. If you're ready to get back on the road to better health, we're here to help every step of the way. Contact our Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine today to get started.
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Although Olivia and Liam are the two most popular names for newborns right now, according to data from the Social Security Administration released Friday, another name is rising in popularity, especially in red states. That name is Oaklee, or Oakley, or Oakleigh or a similar variant. The name is usually, but not always, given to girls."Clearly, there's a pattern," says Dallin D. Oaks, an English linguistics professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, who has ...
Although Olivia and Liam are the two most popular names for newborns right now, according to data from the Social Security Administration released Friday, another name is rising in popularity, especially in red states. That name is Oaklee, or Oakley, or Oakleigh or a similar variant. The name is usually, but not always, given to girls.
"Clearly, there's a pattern," says Dallin D. Oaks, an English linguistics professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, who has written about names, especially among Latter-day Saints. He has reviewed data from red and blue states, as ranked politically by the International Business Times.
"Every one of the top ten red states had either an Oaklynne or an Oakley or both, or something in the top 100 names," he said. "On the other hand, and in comparison, they were only represented in two of the bluest states I sampled."
None of this is surprising to Cleveland Evans, a professor and former president of the American Name Society. He clocked the Oaklee trend a few years ago.
"That one is one of those things that is coming out of Utah," he said. "Utah is sort of an early warning system for things that are going to become popular. This has to do with Latter-day Saint culture, or Mormon culture. They are people who use unusual names."
Examples include Jaden and Kaden as well as Oaklynne and Oakleigh, he says. And as to why so many popular ones have emerged from LDS culture?
"I could speculate," says Oaks. "We have more kids than some other states."
Also, he joked, possibly more online influencers. Oaks points out that oak-based names are rising in popularity not just in red states, but across the country, and the most popular names tend to be similar, state-to-state. But an affinity for oak-based names in more conservative parts of the country is clear.
"I'm staring at a huge live oak tree out my window right now," says Tyson Oak Carver, who lives in Canyon Lake, Texas. He was born in 1982, which makes him something of an elder Oak. "We've got them all over the place. So that is something that people see around here, is these large oak trees."
Carver says his parents liked nature-based names. And there's something stately and established about oaks. Their roots run deep. When Oaklee Grant was growing up in Hardtner, Kan., in the 1990s, her main associations with her name were the sunglasses brand and gunslinger Annie Oakley. But she says she was named after her grandfather and an uncle.
"We love to keep these names in the family," she said, adding that she also loves that oak trees stand for sturdy, steadfast faith. "Oak can be used as a metaphor for God's people planted by Him to display His glory. I like that. I like that a lot."
Oaklee Grant says she has always been proud of her name, even when hers was the only oak-based name she knew. Now, she sees lots of other people naming their children Oaklee, Oakley and Oakleigh. But when it came time to name her own child, Grant picked something a little bit more uncommon. Her daughter's name is Nova.
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A plan to highlight the beloved 400-year-old Angel Oak Tree and its surrounding land on Johns Island is being brought to city officials for approval to move forward.The Lowcountry Land Trust has been working on its initiative called the Angel Oak Preserve to unite the nine-acre City of Charleston property, where the Angel Oak Tree sits, with the surrounding 35 acres that the land trust owns.The goal is to create a community gathering space where visitors can learn more about the significance of the A...
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A plan to highlight the beloved 400-year-old Angel Oak Tree and its surrounding land on Johns Island is being brought to city officials for approval to move forward.
The Lowcountry Land Trust has been working on its initiative called the Angel Oak Preserve to unite the nine-acre City of Charleston property, where the Angel Oak Tree sits, with the surrounding 35 acres that the land trust owns.
The goal is to create a community gathering space where visitors can learn more about the significance of the Angel Oak Tree and the history of the site, all while preserving the land that was once threatened by development.
The land trust is proposing the addition of a welcome center on the property it owns, which would be placed at a safe distance away from the Angel Oak to protect the tree’s root system.
Liollio Architecture Principal Jay White says that their goal is to build as little as possible, as the importance of this initiative lies in preserving the Angel Oak Tree.
“When you drive up into the parking lot, you’ll be parking amongst the forestry landscape and if you come through the welcome center, which is really very modest, it’s about the size of a modest house and it provides restrooms, and offices for the staff, a gift shop of course and a gathering space for interpretive exhibits,” White says.
The project is estimated to cost $12 million. The land trust is about halfway to its goal and plans to continue to receive support through public and private donations.
“The Angel Oak is such a powerful symbol, so we envision this project as hopefully an ambassador site where other local communities can learn from it and replicate it, so it really stands as that deep connection between people and conservation and the community and the efforts to protect this tree. Also speak to the resilience of the communities who have lived for so long in relationship to this land,” Angel Oak Preserve Director at the Lowcountry Land Trust, Samantha Siegel, says.
Currently, there is a gift shop located on the nine-acre property that the city owns. The proposed plan includes tearing that down and moving it into the new welcome center, as it is located on top of the roots of the Angel Oak Tree.
Visitors also currently use Angel Oak Road to drive down and park to see the tree, but White says they plan to move parking further away and have guests approach the tree on foot, ensuring the preservation and well-being of the tree.
White says they plan to add walking trails for visitors to follow as they exit the welcome center, which will take them through the forested area before reaching the Angel Oak Tree.
White says once visitors reach the tree they plan to have an elevated wooden boardwalk surrounding it that will keep people off the tree to protect it.
He says that they will also highlight ecological footprints that archaeologists have found near the tree that were once the location of slave cabins. Plans also include a nature play area for children as well as outdoor classrooms where guests who come for tours can learn more about the tree and the site.
“It’s just going to be a really special, sacred place. It already is, but it’s going to be even more special, and we will really be able to honor the tree the way it should be. I think it’s a perfect example of a place where the culture and the ecology work together to create this magic,” Siegel says.
The public will still be able to access the Angel Oak Tree for free. There may be times when visitor traffic is busy and they might do a time slot system, but it would still remain free to guests.
White says once they get final approval they expect it will take about a year to build the welcome center and its features.
The City of Charleston’s Design Review Board will meet on Monday to vote on conceptual approval of the welcome center. If approved, it will have to move forward for preliminary and final approval.
Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A new advanced academy program will expand resources on Johns Island, addressing a growing need for student retention across neighborhood schools.The St. Johns High campus was built in 2003 across roughly 24 acres of land. The facilities cover 120,581 square feet and are the stomping grounds to around 336 Mighty Islanders. It is the only high school within close reach of Johns Island families.The remaining four facilities are Angel Oak Elementary, Edith L. Frierson Montessori, Mount Zion Elementary a...
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A new advanced academy program will expand resources on Johns Island, addressing a growing need for student retention across neighborhood schools.
The St. Johns High campus was built in 2003 across roughly 24 acres of land. The facilities cover 120,581 square feet and are the stomping grounds to around 336 Mighty Islanders. It is the only high school within close reach of Johns Island families.
The remaining four facilities are Angel Oak Elementary, Edith L. Frierson Montessori, Mount Zion Elementary and Haut Gap Middle. The community is expected to welcome another elementary school on River Road in August.
Educators, parents and community members grow concerned about how to keep students on the island past primary education. Several said it is common to see older students leaving the island for academic, athletic or artistic resources in non-neighborhood schools.
Principal Jermaine Joyner intends to combat the issue by expanding its feeder network for students. The school will implement an advanced academy system and make facility changes in the next year.
Joyner said the suggestion was made possible with support from the Weighted Student Formula.
40 students have applied for the program, which was offered to families through School Choice. The opportunity was open to students zoned to attend the school and are within District 9. Students are eligible if they are considered “academically gifted students prepared for college level coursework as early as freshman year.”
Joyner also hopes to provide students with better access to tennis, football or other athletic programs. The administration plans to look at additional changes to its theater and arts resources.
The school is currently set up to allow spaces for students to explore careers in culinary and the fire department, among other special fields. Over the next few months, Joyner expects facility changes to move those access points forward.
“Grabbing those kids at the middle school and getting them connected with the school will hopefully help connect them and keep them here when they transition into high school,” Joyner said.
The advanced academy program will start in the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.
Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.