DOT Exams

 If you are a commercial vehicle operator, Dr. Jay McClanahan of the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center provides fast, convenient, and affordable DOT exams in Nitro, WV.

 

Purpose of DOT Exams

Operating a commercial vehicle is considered “safety-sensitive,” according to the Department of Transportation. In other words, it can impact both your safety and others within the vicinity of your moving vehicle. If you are suffering from any mental, physical, or emotional issues, it could potentially be deadly.

As such, the FMCSA, or Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, mandates that commercial vehicle operators be examined regularly. If drivers do not comply, they will not be able to maintain their CDL.

 

What is Involved in a DOT Exam?

DOT exams in Nitro, WV typically follow a three-part process. It begins with obtaining information about your medical history, including any current or past illnesses and diseases that either you or your family suffer from.

The next step is the actual exam, which includes:

-Measuring height and weight

-Taking blood pressure and pulse

-Vision and hearing tests

-Range of motion test

-Urinalysis

-Checking for problems with breathing or swallowing

-Watching for neurological issues, like coordination or speech problems

Additional tests and checks may be completed if Dr. McClanahan feels they're necessary. The last part of the process is the final paperwork. You’ll receive the exam results, which you’ll need to turn into the DOT. You’ll also receive your medical card that you should keep on you anytime you are driving.

 

How Long Are DOT Exams Valid?

Generally, DOT exams remain valid for two years. However, if the medical examiner notices any issues, like high blood pressure, that need to be monitored, the exam will be valid for a shorter period.

 

Exams are essential for your health and safety. If your medical card is about to expire, call to schedule an appointment with Dr. McClanahan at the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center by calling (304) 776-1520. We also accept walk-ins for DOT exams in Nitro, WV.

Benefits of Chiropractic Massage Therapy

 If traditional forms of pain treatment have failed to provide you relief, you might want to consider massage therapy in Nitro, WV with Dr. Jay McClanahan at the Dr. J Chiropractic and Wellness Center.

How Patients Can Benefit From Massage Therapy

Many people who suffer from pain are often limited in their treatment options. Some people rely heavily on prescription medications and surgery. However, both of these options can lead to bad outcomes. Fortunately, massage therapy in Nitro, WV provides relief that often leads to life-changing results.

 

Lower Back Pain Relief

Many people struggle with lower back pain. In many cases, patients rely on medication and pain management to get relief. However, alternative treatments like a chiropractic massage help relieve sharp pain and tightness that many people experience with their lower backs.

 

Ease Tense Muscles

A chiropractic massage can help ease muscle tension and reduce stress. By combining massages with chiropractic adjustments, the body's nervous system is restored to its normal function, while at the same time muscles start to relax, stretch, and loosen. The combination of massages and adjustments decreases pain and increases mobility and movement.

 

Increases Circulation

Chiropractors who perform massage therapy help increase a person's blood circulation. When the circulatory system is healthy and active, people will see an improvement in their energy, heart health, posture, and more. A strong circulatory system helps alleviate many types of pain and also improves a person's breathing.

 

Treat Joint and Muscle Pain

A chiropractic massage is an effective tool to relieve muscle and joint pain. Tight or strained muscles affect more than just the muscles. Any surrounding tissue that's injured can cause joints to tighten, which often results in more pain in and around the affected area. Massage therapy and chiropractic care loosens muscles and realigns joints. A chiropractic massage also releases any excess fluids that build up around joints.

 

To learn more about chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy in Nitro, WV, contact Dr. McClanahan and his team at the Dr. J Chiropractic and Wellness Center by calling (304) 776-1520 today.

Electrical Muscle Stimulation

 Dr. Jay McClanahan of the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center offers electrical muscle stimulation in Nitro, WV to help relieve pain and aid in the recovery process.

What is Electrical Muscle Stimulation?

Electrical muscle stimulation is also known as E-stim and EMS. It is a treatment during which electrical impulses are sent to a targeted area to speed up the natural recovery process and address pain.

 

How Does it Work?

Dr. McClanahan will connect electrodes to the area being treated. The E-stim device sends electrical pulses through the electrodes, which causes the muscles to contract repeatedly. The contractions help strengthen the muscles as well as promote blood flow to that area. The pulses also block receptors from sending pain signals to the brain. Treatment can be used at different points in the treatment process. However, it is often beneficial for people who cannot yet comfortably manage physical therapy or exercise.

 

Benefits of Treatment

Electrical muscle stimulation in Nitro, WV provides several benefits, including the following:

-Aids in recovery

-Reverses or prevents muscular atrophy

-Promotes the production of endorphins, which improves the mood and encourages relaxation

-Reduces swelling and soreness, including after a rigorous workout

-Relieves pain associated with arthritis and fibromyalgia

-Relieves body aches, fatigue, chronic headaches, and chronic pain in muscles and joints

 

Conditions Electrical Muscle Stimulation Treats

There are many conditions that electrical muscle stimulation is used to treat, some of which are listed below.

-Loss of motor skills

-Tendonitis

-Bursitis

-Spinal cord injuries

-Inflammation of the nerves

-Joint pain

-Muscle weakness

-Stroke

-Fibromyalgia

-Arthritis

-Chronic stress and muscle tension

-Sports injuries

-Muscle spasms

-Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

If you suffer from a condition that electrical muscle stimulation can help, Dr. McClanahan will discuss the benefits and the treatment process with you.

 

Who Should Not Receive Treatment?

Electrical muscle stimulation is generally a safe process. However, there are some situations in which treatment is not recommended. For example, patients who have skin sensitivities, have pacemakers or other heart devices, and women who are pregnant. Dr. McClanahan will help determine if you’re a good candidate by gathering the necessary medical information.

 

If you are considering electrical muscle stimulation in Nitro, WV, book an appointment with Dr. McClanahan by calling (304) 776-1520. The Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center proudly serves patients from Nitro, Charleston, Teays Valley, Cross Lanes, and St. Albans.

Custom Foot Orthotics

 When you suffer from various problems with your feet, it’s important to explore proper relief. Dr. Jay McClanahan offers custom foot orthotics in Nitro, WV at the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center.

How Custom Foot Orthotics are Beneficial

Walking can be uncomfortable when you are having issues with alignment. Often, foot pain can cause other problems from head to toe. By exploring foot orthotics, such as shoe inserts and arch supports, you will find that they compensate for deformities and help redistribute your weight properly. While there are over-the-counter orthotics that you can buy, custom ones work more effectively and efficiently. They can address foot abnormalities and be tailored to meet any specific conditions or demands that you might have. Depending on what the orthotics are meant to do, they can help relieve pain, prevent injuries, and even improve sports performance.

When you wear custom orthotics on a regular basis, you will find that you can improve posture and reduce your lower back pain. You may find that you’ll have better balance and be able to walk and stand for longer periods of time without feeling foot fatigue. An added benefit is that, due to proper weight distribution, you won’t encounter bunions, corns, or calluses.

How to Know When You Need Custom Foot Orthotics

You may find that you run into a number of problems when you spend too much time on your feet. Some of the warning signs that you may need extra help include:

-Pain in the back, neck, shoulders, and hips

-Bunions

-Blisters

-Circulation problems

When you talk with Dr. McClanahan about custom foot orthotics in Nitro, WV, he’ll determine what issues are present and what needs to be done. Depending on your condition, the orthotics can be customized to take pressure off of other parts of the body and even realign the bones inside of your feet and ankles.

Anyone and everyone can benefit from orthotics. Additionally, these can be used as part of a more comprehensive plan with chiropractic care. It can help realign your body so that you can stand, walk, and run without putting any additional stress on your body. Quality orthotics should be prescribed by a chiropractor, so let our office help you determine if it’s time to make this investment.

Talk to Your Chiropractor About Custom Foot Orthotics

Don’t experience foot pain any longer than necessary. Start exploring the benefits of custom foot orthotics with Dr. McClanahan in Nitro, WV today. We can schedule an appointment so that you can come in for a consultation. Once the chiropractor has had a chance to perform a visual inspection and talk to you about your condition and pain levels, recommendations can be made.

Call for your appointment today at (304) 776-1520.

Auto Injuries

 

Auto injuries are one of the most common reasons for people to seek chiropractic care. If you’ve recently been in a car crash, we urge you to make an appointment with the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Nitro. Our non-invasive, non-addictive treatments not only relieve injury symptoms, they also address problems before they become advanced enough to require more extensive interventions. Whiplash, the most common injury from car crashes, is of particular concern to chiropractors, so we want our prospective patients to understand how serious it is.

Whiplash is the term to describe injuries to neck tissue when the head is snapped forward and then suddenly snapped back. The soft tissues of the neck often become frayed, the cervical discs may rupture, and the cervical vertebrae themselves may be displaced. This would cause soreness and stiffness in the neck, but can have implications beyond it, as well. Nerves leading to the shoulders and arms, as well as back into the skull, emerge from the spinal cord in the cervical region, and pressure on their roots can cause pain or numbness to radiate along them. The muscles of the neck also connect to the shoulder bones, and if they fray, a person’s shoulders may tighten. 

At our office, we can help determine whether a patient is suffering from a dislocation in their neck that may be contributing to a pinched nerve or pressure on soft tissues. Treatment options include chiropractic adjustments, which are gentle uses of force to realign bones and soft tissues, as well as soft-tissue manipulation such as therapeutic massage and electric muscle stimulation. We can also help patients recover from other upper body injuries, such as shoulder sprain, through therapeutic exercise and extremity adjustments.

Dr. Jay McClanahan is the owner and chiropractor of Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center. Our office is located in Nitro, WV. To schedule an appointment with Dr. McClanahan visit our website or call 304-776-1520. 

Backpack Usage

 

With school back in session, children are wearing backpacks again. And for many, that means an increase in neck, back, and shoulder pain. At the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Nitro, we are happy to provide safe, fast-acting pain relief, but we also want to provide for our patients’ holistic health and to address underlying problems. Sparing children from shoulder and spinal column trouble is possible when backpacks are used correctly, so we wanted to provide a brief guide on how to do that.

To be clear, backpacks are the best option for carrying school supplies, causing much less strain than handbags or single-strap bags. But they need to be fitted so they rest on the midpoint of a student’s upper back, not dangling down to the lumbar region or off to the side. They should have wide, padded straps, and students should also use a strap across their chests. A backpack should not be loaded enough to equal more than ten percent of the bodyweight of the person wearing it. Heavier objects should be loaded first so they won’t shift around as the wearer moves, and all compartments should be used so that weight will be distributed as evenly as possible.

A backpack’s straps should not be tight enough to cause pins-and-needles sensations in the wearer’s arms. If possible, it’s best to get one with a pull-out handle and wheels, but if school rules don’t allow those to be used, they’re just dead weight and should be avoided. If a child does experience aches in their upper body, they need to stop putting as much in the backpack and not try to power through it. If they experience longer lasting symptoms, we can provide treatments such as therapeutic massages, but the problem will not go away until they use their backpack more efficiently.

Dr. Jay McClanahan is the owner and chiropractor of Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center. Our office is located in Nitro, WV. To schedule an appointment with Dr. McClanahan visit our website or call 304-776-1520. 

Pulling a Lower Back Muscle

 

Have you pulled something in your lower back? If you’re looking up the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Nitro, it’s probably because you suspect you have. Although chiropractors tend to emphasize problems such as herniated discs and subluxations, the most common back injuries are simple sprains to the soft tissues. But just because they are common does not mean they are not serious or that you shouldn’t seek help for them. This week, we’re going to take a closer look at what it means to pull a lower back muscle and what kinds of non-invasive, non-addictive treatments are available.

Muscles, tendons, and ligaments are all soft tissues that are made up of bundles of threads. Those threads may become frayed gradually, in the case of a chronic injury, or several may tear at once, during an acute injury. Injuries to muscles and tendons are known as strains and injuries to ligaments are known as sprains, although in practice, there is little difference and a person who has over stretched a tendon may have also over stretched a ligament. When soft tissues are injured, the body’s inflammatory response is triggered as a normal part of the immune system. This prevents blood that may contain pathogens from circulating as quickly through the body and makes cellular walls more permeable to antibodies, but also results in stiffness, swelling, and soreness.

Much of our treatment for strains and sprains is focused on pushing blood out of swollen areas so that nutrient-rich fresh blood may move in. This is what therapeutic massages are meant to accomplish, as are higher-tech options such as electric muscle stimulation. Therapeutic exercises are also recommended as a way to increase blood flow while strengthening injured muscles. Chiropractic adjustments can be used to take pressure off blood vessels, and if the underlying problem is that a displaced joint is contributing to wear, we can adjust the joint back into place.

Dr. Jay McClanahan is the owner and chiropractor of Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center. Our office is located in Nitro, WV. To schedule an appointment with Dr. McClanahan visit our website or call 304-776-1520.