Tulsa Chiropractor | Schluter Chiropractic

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Welcome to Schluter Chiropractic | Tulsa, OK Chiropractor

Your Chiropractor in Tulsa, OK

We sincerely appreciate your interest in chiropractic health care. Our goal is to provide you with the highest quality care and the most efficient means of care possible. We have created this website for our patients as a way to inform you about the benefits of your care and as a tool in which you can learn how to help yourself receive the greatest benefit from the treatment you receive at our office.

We have included topics that will help you learn about and understand your condition and also learn what we do and why we do it. We also want to help you better understand chiropractic and what it can do for you as well as realize and appreciate the difference chiropractic care can make in your life.

There is a key to your problem and it is our job to find it and fix it. The more you learn about our work, the more you’ll see it makes sense and the more you’ll realize chiropractic is not what you thought – it is much more and far better.

Dr. Eric Schluter and Dr. Jason Schluter provide chiropractic care to the entire Tulsa and surrounding areas. If you would like to make an appointment, please email us or call us at (918) 664-3571.

What is Chiropractic Care?

We believe there is more to healthcare than just prescriptions and surgery. The body is made to heal and regulate itself, the question is why hasn’t it? We believe that by correcting the underlying cause of the pain or condition and restoring normal biomechanical motion that is lost due to subluxations, we can resolve the condition in a safe, non-invasive manner through corrective adjustments to the areas in need.

This reduces the stress and irritation placed on the nerves and returns normal mechanical segmental function to the joint. Without “static” and irritation on the nerve, the brain and body are better able to send and receive messages and communicate as they were meant to do. This allows your body to do its job and begin healing itself.

Watch this video for a short but concise explanation of chiropractic.

Common Symptoms CLICK TO READ MORE

»  Back Pain

Back Pain

For some people back pain is little more than discomfort, whereas for others it can leave them immobile. Lower back pain, being an extremely debilitating condition, needs to be treated at the earliest possible time. It is recognized that care of lower back pain should be sought within the first month of the pain showing itself to be most effective.

Lower back pain is experienced by up to eighty percent of people at some stage of their lives and, although it is believed by many that its main cause is injury through accident, the most common reason is that of stress to the muscles and joints of the back through normal, everyday activities (or inactivities). These can be: sitting badly or for too long in one position; poor general posture; incorrect lifting, bending and even sleeping.

The lower back area supports most of our body weight and, as a consequence, relies heavily on the strength of the vertebrae in our spine. To have these vertebrae out of position (or subluxated) for even a short period of time can lead to anything from mild discomfort to severe disablement. If the spine is not in correct alignment, areas of weakness can occur, resulting in irritation of nerves in the spine, or in a bulging disc, which places pressure on the spinal cord.

Pain is a warning from the brain that something within the structure of the skeleton (or the brain) is not functioning as it should. Through chiropractic care the appropriate adjustment is carefully applied depending on the location and type of pain. It is worth remembering that even though pain can subside within a few days it may still be symptomatic of an underlying condition and should be checked by a qualified health professional without delay.

Masking the symptoms (pain) of lower back problems doesn't solve the real problem – that of 'what has caused the pain to appear in the first place'? Treating the symptoms should only ever be a very short-term measure to diminish the pain and to make you more comfortable until you can get the cause addressed.

On the positive side...and until you are checked by a professional chiropractor or health care provider, here are a few things you can do and questions to ask yourself in order to help prevent lower back pain.

• Avoid sudden bending, twisting or sharp movement
• Check that you are adopting a correct posture during the day
• How is your posture while sitting at work? Is your spine curved or (relatively) straight? (This includes things like a supportive chair, a well-placed computer monitor and a workstation layout that does not require a lot of twisting and turning)
• How firm is the mattress on your bed?
• Do you get regular exercise? Even a low-impact exercise such as walking for a half hour each day will loosen muscles in the back and thus keep them active
• Don't take to your bed – this is the least likely treatment to get rid of your lower back pain
• Don't wear shoes with high heels
• Do wear comfortable flat or low-heeled shoes

Remember that a visit to your chiropractor often provides more immediate relief. It appears to be most helpful in the first month after of the onset of back pain.

Chiropractors work on the principle of reducing interference so the nervous system and body can work better. Providing that any symptom or condition is occurring as a result of nerve interference from vertebral subluxation, there is a very good chance that it will improve with chiropractic care.

»  Neck Pain

Neck Pain

Like back pain, neck pain is one of the most common conditions affecting the human skeletal structure that we see as chiropractors. We move our neck many hundreds of time each day without even thinking about it – we take for granted that we will always be able to do it! It is only when that awful moment arrives, when we find our neck is 'cricked' and the pain that generally follows it makes life unbearable, that we realize that something's 'gone wrong'.

It doesn’t take much force to disrupt the delicate balance of head-on-neck. Often we find that we have a pain in an arm that is actually caused by a 'disruption' in the region of the neck; many times we have not even been aware of when we actually did the damage. There are several areas of the body that can be affected by even a slight twist or injury, or simply from poor posture during a work (or play) activity requiring deep concentration.

Neck-originating conditions often appear to contribute to headaches, muscle spasms in the shoulders and upper back and ringing in the ears. The neck and upper back are linked because most of the muscles that are associated with the neck either attach to, or are located in, the upper back.

Causes of Neck Pain?

There are several reasons why we suffer neck pain. Sometimes it is a combination of two or more of the following:

• Poor posture
• Injury
• Vertebral subluxations (see below)
• Stress
• The discs between the spinal vertebrae

Poor Posture

The way we sit, the way we stand, even the way we sleep in bed all add to the possibility of neck pain. Being unaware of the correct posture we should be maintaining on a daily basis eventually adds up to neck and back pain. So, what can we do about it? A simple rule to follow is to keep the neck in a 'neutral' position. In addition remember not to hunch or bend forward of the body's centre of gravity for lengthy periods. If your work entails remaining sedentary for long periods of time, ensure that your back is supported and that your knees are slightly below your hips.

Injury

Whiplash is the most common form of neck injury. It may be as the result of a car accident, sporting injury or other sudden event that creates a sharp movement of the head forward, backward or sideways. Such injuries should be examined and treated without delay as they can have very long-lasting effects if ignored. Any such injury needs to be taken very seriously and should be looked at by a chiropractor so that it may be accurately diagnosed and treated. One complication of any delay before getting the injury checked can result in permanent damage to the affected area.

Vertebral Subluxations

A Subluxation is a mis-alignment in the joints and vertebrae of the spine. Because the head is a heavy part of the human body it takes some fairly strong muscles to keep it upright. Mis-alignments in the neck and upper back area are extremely common due to the high degree of stress associated with holding up your head. Chiropractors correct subluxation by using a specific force on the subluxated vertebra - this is known as an adjustment.

Stress

Stress has many causes, one of which is an instinctive reaction human beings have to danger – physical danger in particular. This reaction is called 'muscle-guarding' and is the body's way of protecting our major organs against injury. Under emotional pressure (stress) we unconsciously tense our muscles – it is largely our back muscles that undergo this tensioning effect. As a consequence the most affected regions are the neck, the lower and upper back.

To alleviate stress, exercise on a regular basis; you can easily achieve this by walking for half an hour each day or, as a minimum, even just three days each week. If you know how to breathe correctly you can also ease stress generally by deep breathing – a few deep breaths, gently in through the nose, smoothly out through the mouth. Practice this regularly and you will quickly discover that this method alone can reduce the stresses you feel and those of which you are not even consciously aware.

Chiropractors work on the principle of reducing interference so the nervous system and body can work better. Providing that any symptom or condition is occurring as a result of nerve interference from vertebral subluxation, there is a very good chance that it will improve with chiropractic care.

»  Headaches

Headaches

For those who suffer from headaches, whether they be tension headaches or migraines, they can be debilitating to an extent that only sufferers can understand.

Headaches can affect your physical state to such a degree that they seriously affect your daily activities. The ability to 'think straight', nausea, eye pain, and sensitivity to light and sound are some of the common symptoms experienced by headache sufferers. Headaches can and often are treated with pain killers; however these are generally short-lived in their effectiveness. Once the drug wears off, back comes the pain and the feeling of despair coupled with the nagging question "Will I ever get rid of this"? Often the answer is a visit to your chiropractor.

The way that chiropractic care helps in these cases of headaches has been shown to be to rectify a mis-alignment of the spinal vertebrae (referred to as vertebral subluxation) in the region of the neck. What happens is that this subluxation causes the muscles of the upper shoulder and neck to tighten. This combination of subluxation and tight muscles can cause pressure on nerves which, in turn, can then cause a headache.

Where your chiropractor comes into the picture is by addressing the vertebrae in the neck and correcting bio-mechanical problems with specific adjustments.

Once the correction has taken place the neck and shoulder muscles are able to relax. By correcting the mis-alignment any pressure on the nerves is removed, which can then relieve the headache.

An important factor in the treatment of headaches through your chiropractor is that headaches caused by blocked, pinched or otherwise constricted nerves in the neck/spine areas, especially nerves that have been constricted over a period of time, can be relieved. In addition, once the pathway is 'unblocked' the body will look after itself and the healthy, headache-free state will be maintained automatically.

The occasional pain killer is fine for the 'occasional headache' – but for those who experience regular and sometimes constant headache pain the answer is often a visit to your local chiropractor to free those blocked nerve pathways.

Chiropractors work on the principle of reducing interference so the nervous system and body can work better. Providing that any symptom or condition is occurring as a result of nerve interference from vertebral subluxation, there is a very good chance that it will improve with chiropractic care.

»  Allergies

Allergies

Chiropractic can do a great deal to alleviate some allergic reactions. Allergies are very common and we become so accustomed to their effect on us that we tend to ignore their symptoms. Many of us are unaware of the gradual decline in health that results but, whereas chiropractic treatment didn't originally (and doesn't) set out specifically to provide care for allergies, it has often been found to help.

If we look at some of the common signs of allergies we find that they include some unexpected examples. Not only do we find the usual ones - asthma, sinus congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, skin rashes and running nose – but also weight gain, Acne and even fluid retention and heartburn.

Many people approach the problem of allergies as though all allergens affect everyone in the same way; this is not the case. Because we are individuals, different allergens affect each of us in differing ways. Some allergens affect some and not others. Consequently treating the condition must be approached on this basis of individuality.

It may not be the pet fur or dried saliva that is kicked up as your pooch washes and scratches; it may also not be the pollen, grass dust or other one of the many irritants in the air at any one time. It could be that due to a misalignment of the spine (or subluxation), mild though it may be, the nervous system is finding it difficult to help the body adapt to its surroundings and is therefore unable to deal with the necessary adjustments.

As an individual you need to treat your body's physical and nervous system as such. You could be, without even being aware of it, in a generally stressed condition – this may be through lack of sleep, poor nutrition or any one of a combination of the many other stressors affecting us daily. Suddenly you find that with the first spring pollen dust that comes along you begin to wheeze and sneeze!

You may not have previously connected chiropractors and allergies but, for you or someone you know, the connection could help.

Chiropractors work on the principle of reducing interference so the nervous system and body can work better. Providing that any symptom or condition is occurring as a result of nerve interference from vertebral subluxation, there is a very good chance that it will improve with chiropractic care.

»  Posture

Posture

You may not have noticed the way other people stand, walk or sit – let's face it, there are generally more important things to do with your day! However, if you take a minute or two to make a point of studying the gait, stance and reclining attitude of your work colleagues, family and friends you will notice a decided array of 'slump and slouch' postures that tend to be all too common.

This is sad and certainly an indictment on something...what that is precisely is open to discussion – the heart of the matter, though, is that many people have developed a generally poor posture. This is possibly through laziness or maybe just plain ignorance of what the outcome of poor posture can produce. The upshot is that those walking, standing and sitting with poor posture are building future health problems for themselves without being aware of the fact.

Any chiropractor will happily advise you on your posture for good health. One of the first points they will cover with you is that too much slouching with shoulders hunched forward is very likely, over a period of time, to cause mis-alignments in the vertebrae of the spine. These 'subluxations' will, in turn, contribute to interference with the normal working of the spine and the nerves associated with it. The result invariably is that normal activity is virtually impossible without discomfort or even severe pain.

Good posture, like many things in life, is a matter of practice. If you are prepared to put a little effort into creating the type of posture your body really needs for good health, it won't take very much in terms of energy to establish a habit of 'good posture'. All you have to do is literally to pull yourself up each time you become aware of 'slouching'. The results will be self-evident in fewer aches and pains and problems with shoulders, neck and spine; hips, knees and feet will also benefit over time. Of course, you have to want to do it.

In addition to the obvious benefit of pain-free muscles, joints and ligaments the effects on overall health are also noticeable within a short space of time. The body's core slowly collects and strengthens itself to provide greater stamina. This enables you to 'last longer' in many daily tasks, both physical and mental. This stamina will accumulate over time and act as a build-up and storage for later life; many believe that it effectively extends life itself.

Good posture as opposed to the other sort has been shown to promote overall good health – you will know when your posture can be described as 'good' because you will sense that it's right for you; it will feel the correct body position for you as an individual. What you are looking for is one that is comfortable and becomes the norm.

Chiropractors work on the principle of reducing interference so the nervous system and body can work better. Providing that any symptom or condition is occurring as a result of nerve interference from vertebral subluxation, there is a very good chance that it will improve with chiropractic care.

»  Sciatica

Sciatica

Sciatica is defined as pain or discomfort associated with the sciatic nerve. Running from the hip/pelvis area down the back of each leg, through to the lower legs and feet the sciatic nerve is the main nerve that serves the smaller nerves of the lower body – rather like tributaries flowing off the main river. Combined, these nerves provide the 'feeling' or sensation we experience in various parts of the lower body when we are touched or make contact with anything – hard, soft, hot or cold.

Causes of Sciatica

So, what causes sciatica? The most common cause is a disc bulge, herniation or prolapse (often incorrectly referred to as a slipped disc) which creates pressure on the sciatic or other related nerves - pain is the resulting symptom. Another reason for the sciatic nerve to become irritated is degeneration of the spine, which can be caused by long-term subluxation or a past traumatic injury. Other, less common, causes of sciatica include infection or tumors.

Being overweight, smoking and pregnancy can also contribute to sciatica developing. Essentially any injury or process which causes compression of the sciatic nerve can cause sciatic pain. Even a wide belt or one that is too tight, or sitting on your wallet, has been known, through pressure, to create the pain associated with sciatica.

When you have sciatica you may feel sudden, sharp or burning pain that travels from the area of your buttock downwards as you make a sharp move, such as getting up suddenly from a seated position. The pain is quite distinctive in that it feels something like a mild electric shock running down the back of the leg. This can often be accompanied by tingling, numbness and weakness of the muscle in the affected leg.

How to deal with sciatica

Sciatica is generally able to be treated relatively simply. Avoiding heavy, physical exertion is a good start. However, moderate physical activity has taken the place of the historically prescribed 'bed rest', which has actually been shown to exacerbate the problem. Many modern schools of thought now accept that moderate activity assists in the reduction of inflammation around the sciatic nerve which, in turn, tends to aid recovery.

In many cases of sciatica, chiropractic care may be effective both for immediate pain relief and for long-term management. Sciatica is traditionally a misunderstood condition in the public's mind. If you have any doubts or questions, it is best to be assessed and seek opinion from a qualified health practitioner.

Chiropractors work on the principle of reducing interference so the nervous system and body can work better. Providing that any symptom or condition is occurring as a result of nerve interference from vertebral subluxation, there is a very good chance that it will improve with chiropractic care.

»  Pregnancy

Is Chiropractic Safe During Pregnancy?

Another often-asked question in our practice is "How safe are chiropractic procedures during pregnancy"?

Many women experience back pain during pregnancy due to the extra and unusual weight placed on the spine. Provided that the chiropractic procedure is carried out gently and with the extra care required in order not to create any detrimental affect on the expectant mum or baby, there is no good reason why chiropractic wouldn't provide relief from discomfort.

In fact studies have shown that by providing a consistent program of chiropractic care for the mum-to-be in pregnancy the nervous system and spine display healthy benefits before, during and after the birth. There is certainly no need to cease chiropractic care due to pregnancy – posture is equally important at any time, perhaps even more so during pregnancy. As with anything else in life where common sense rules should be applied, and particularly involving the body, provided that care is sensitively followed there is little likelihood of anything untoward resulting.

Regular adjustments as deemed necessary by the chiropractor should be carefully considered allowing for the individual circumstances. Post natal chiropractic has also been found to have beneficial effects for a return to normal spine and pelvic posture.

In short, and as a general rule, chiropractic care may be applied safely through all stages of pregnancy and thereafter.

Chiropractors work on the principle of reducing interference so the nervous system and body can work better. Providing that any symptom or condition is occurring as a result of nerve interference from vertebral subluxation, there is a very good chance that it will improve with chiropractic care.

»  Colic

Colic

Colic in babies is still a mystery to medical science. No one really knows what causes colic and its symptoms of excessive crying and turning red, poor sleep patterns and nursing problems. Few if any standard medical procedures have any great effect for a colicky baby – what works for one may not work for another.

Colic generally appears in a baby very soon after birth which, in itself is quite interesting from a causal point of view. Some schools of thought maintain that food sensitivity is the sole cause of colic in babies; others claim that its origins are in gastrointestinal upsets – still others insist that it is based in an as yet undeveloped nervous system.

There is, however, another theory, and this one appears to be borne out by at least a modicum of evidence. This one maintains that it is likely to be not one but all three of the possibilities mentioned above.

It is interesting to note that the symptoms of colic appear very soon after birth. It is the contention of many specialists that the initial cause of colic could well be the birth itself. Particularly when you understand something about the body and how it functions the answer becomes fairly obvious. When a joint in the spine or cranium doesn't function correctly it has the potential to work against the normal operation of the body; this, in chiro-speak, is called a subluxation (mis-alignment).

A subluxation can create all manner of discomfort zones throughout the body. If, during birth, the baby experiences a subluxation of one of the tiny and very pliable vertebrae of the neck or spine it is logical to consider that this may well be the reason for the obvious discomfort of our tiny mite who doesn't have the ability to tell us what is wrong! It is up to us therefore, as the supposedly intelligent beings around the wee baby, to come up with the answer for removing the discomfort.

A subluxation can be most troublesome in many ways. A dysfunctional joint can irritate the nerves that travel to many areas of the body causing pain in varying degrees. The answer would appear to be a visit to a chiropractor specializing in children. At the first visit it will be made clear to you that a subluxation in a baby can affect the nervous system controlling the body and lead to all manner of effects. The spinal column carries the body's nerves to all parts – if the communication system becomes disrupted, the affected body part may not function properly. Chiropractic care removes the source of irritation, allowing the body to heal and operate properly.

Chiropractors help children heal and attain true health by releasing joints that aren't moving properly or to their fullest capacity. A regular check by an experienced chiropractor can not only alleviate but also prevent pain from occurring in the first place by re-alignment where necessary.

Chiropractors work on the principle of reducing interference so the nervous system and body can work better. Providing that any symptom or condition is occurring as a result of nerve interference from vertebral subluxation, there is a very good chance that it will improve with chiropractic care.

»  Ear Ache

Ear Ache

Ear infections and chiropractic procedures aren't normally spoken of in the same breath. However, mainly because of our conditioning, we have come to accept that earache and infections go hand in hand and that's the end of it. Modern tests are now showing more and more that ear infections aren't always a direct result of infection through bacteria or a virus. Numerous cases of middle ear infection can be caused by a virus. However, viruses don't respond to antibiotics. It is therefore highly likely that this may be a reason for children's illnesses becoming chronic conditions. Furthermore, not all bacteria will respond to antibiotics and this makes life even more difficult for the general practitioner and parent alike.

More and more controlled tests are demonstrating that chiropractic care can help alleviate earache in children. The role the chiropractor plays in evaluating and treating children is actually quite a simple. One; the first thing to check will be whether there is any irritation or compromise to the small nerves in the spine. When these nerve endings are irritated, possibly by a subluxation, an abnormal tension is produced in the small muscles of the neck, compromising the lymphatic drainage ducts. This results in inadequate drainage from inside the ear, thus preventing the body from being able to naturally correct the problem.

Preliminary examination of the patient must include consideration of other possible complicating factors due to the fact that earache can be caused by many disorders. This is the point at which the chiropractor will step in, evaluate the situation on an individual basis and, if thought appropriate, apply a course of spinal adjustments to help restore normal lymphatic drainage. By adjusting the child’s neck with gentle pressure, subluxations can be corrected and normal function allowed to return.

Parents often find that the number and frequency of ear infections in their children actually reduces following chiropractic adjustments. Many young patients experience enhanced immunity, helping them fight many forms of infection. If you have a problem with this type of earache condition either for yourself or your child, give us a call and make an appointment for a brief consultation – we'll quickly establish what's needed.

Chiropractors work on the principle of reducing interference so the nervous system and body can work better. Providing that any symptom or condition is occurring as a result of nerve interference from vertebral subluxation, there is a very good chance that it will improve with chiropractic care.
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