How Personalized Chiropractic Can Reduce Pain, Improve Function, And Support Long-Term Wellness

We trace how chiropractic care supports whole-body health by improving nerve communication, not just easing back pain. Dr. Allan  explains assessments, gentle techniques, and why consistency and comfort matter more than quick fixes, for adults, kids, and moms-to-be.

• Misconceptions from social media about cracking and risk
• First visit steps with x-rays and nerve scans
• Personalized techniques including low-force and instruments
• Feeling versus function and why symptoms mislead
• Innate intelligence and the body’s healing capacity
• Consistency over quick fixes for durable results
• Posture, movement, and tech neck habits to change
• Children, babies, and pregnancy-safe adjustments
• Hip tilt, leg length, and root-cause thinking
• What to expect in short follow-up visits and scheduling ease

Go check them out. You know, do your health maintenance. It’s super important.

Transcript

Meet Dr. Allen And His Path

SPEAKER_04 0:19

Hey everyone, it's Yvette here with Health Without Hype Podcast, and I have Dr. Alan Vinegus with us for our first episode of the season, so we're super excited. And so we'll jump right in. Dr. Alan, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Thanks for again, like inviting us, having us. Um again, my name's Dr. Alan Vinegus. I'm with Connect Family Chiropractic in Tampa, the owner. Um I've been practicing for about gosh, six years now, and uh it's definitely been a journey, and um, you know, just super excited to be here.

SPEAKER_04 0:55

Awesome. So tell us a little bit about where you went to school and what had you go to chiropractor school.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Yeah, so I actually I was in school in Texas, and um I actually originally wanted to go to physical therapy, PT school, and um I didn't really know, probably like most people, I thought chiropractic was like, you know, growing up, I I had some sisters in the military, so it was like, you know, back pain or like car accidents. Um and so I didn't really know too much about it. That was kind of like my understanding of it. And um, and I was in school and I had this chiropractor come and just talk to us about what I'll what I'll share some today. And I was like, wow, that's so interesting. Like, I never knew that. Like most people maybe don't know that. And so uh that kind of just it just kind of happened so quickly. And I ended up going to Dallas, uh, Texas for chiropractic school. I graduated from Parker in the height of 2020. So um wow, yeah, it was uh the crazy COVID years, but um yeah, we've been I've been practicing since and uh have just learned a lot uh along the way about you know what chiropractic is, and I'm I'm excited to share that message here.

SPEAKER_04 2:08

Definitely. I was also one of those people the first time I met Dr. Allen, um, he was out at a community, was like a community market.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Yeah, like an outreach market kind of thing.

SPEAKER_04 2:20

And um, you know, I was there to just get some coffee and maybe some bread. And um, Dr. Allen was there giving that information, and you know, he was just so like

Misconceptions From Social Media

SPEAKER_04 2:30

nice when he was like standing out there, a lot of people and you know, those type of situations, it's not always like you want to go up to everybody at their booth, but he was very like warm and just answering questions, and I had a lot of questions because I was like, I don't really like chiropractors, and instead of getting like oh you know, like like that could have been a very awkward conversation to start. You were just like, I I I hear that a lot. Yeah, and so what do you think like people, you know, have those kind of misconceptions and like yeah, how do you navigate that?

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Yeah, there's so many ways we can go. You know, I I actually think one of the the best things, but then one of the worst things, um, probably for a lot of professions is actually social media. Um, I've seen a lot of like chiropractic videos, and um, and some people love watching those videos, you know, like the the cracking and the popping and those things. And but some people it really turns them away from that. And um, and so that may be something they don't want to go to chiropractor for. Um, and then the other side, the flip side of that is there's a lot of healthcare providers that, you know, may see those kind of things too, and they're like, man, that looks like painful or looks dangerous or or you know can hurt someone. And so um a lot of times it may steer them away from being like, go see a chiropractor. And so I think probably the biggest uphill challenge as a chiropractor, kind of which you mentioned, is we just have to educate people, and um, you know, it all starts from like the very beginning, and uh, I think our clinic is kind of operated that way, in that like you might just be coming in for your back issue or your neck issue or something, and like we're gonna uncover that, but let's get you educated on like how your whole body's gonna work and how chiropractic plays a role in that.

SPEAKER_04 4:19

Absolutely, and that was I was shocked the first time I went in. So I met Dr. Allen. Um, he did a quick evaluation at that market, he had me lay down, and at that time I was having uh a lot of like middle of my back pain um because I had just had my son and I was carrying him around a lot, and honestly, I just kind of thought like that was normal because like I just just expected it from like carrying an infant around all the time, so I didn't really necessarily think I needed anything, right? Right, and I think a lot of people like because it's not like excruciating, it's just like discomfort throughout the day, they're like they just take some Tylenol and keep it moving, right? Kind of thing. Um, and so when I came in, I was surprised. Um, they do a really thorough assessment. Um, I had x-rays and these um nerve assessments done.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_04 5:10

And so I really like that because I'm of course a health nerd, so I wanted to know kind of

First Visit: Exams, X-Rays, Nerve Scans

SPEAKER_04 5:15

everything that was gonna happen. Yeah, and I feel like having that information beforehand took away a lot of the anxiety about like, are you gonna crack my back? Are you gonna what's that all gonna be like? Um knowing that you had like a full picture of everything that was going on.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

Right, right. And and that's one thing too, is that um, you know, not not just in it, certainly it could be in chiropractic, but in a lot of places, it's kind of like everyone gets the same thing. And so um, you know, for us, it's like, okay, well, let's take a look at like what's your problem, what's your health history, you know, let's take a bigger picture, your x-rays, and we all kind of roll that into like a game plan. And so not everyone gets the same thing. Um, we see we'll talk about too, like we see kids in the office. Like, we may not see kids as often as we see someone who's like 70 or someone who's really active in their 30s. So there's so many different ways, and and that's why I think um at least like our I've enjoyed practicing in our clinic, is because we really like try and be as personalized as possible.

SPEAKER_04 6:20

Yeah, you can definitely feel that when you walk in, everybody like knows your name, and I think that's a really important part of healthcare is for it to be personalized. Yeah, um, and I love that you said like not everybody gets the same thing. Um, and actually, I was like, you can crack my back, but you cannot crack my neck because I still even despite you know the x-rays and everything, it just made me uncomfortable. Right, and you were so great about it. You're like, we don't have to do your neck, and you actually have some other options, but I again I had no idea. I thought like you just go in there, get your back and neck cracked, and if you don't want that, this isn't for you. And you were so gracious and educated me. Do you can you tell everyone a little bit about like the things the all other options you have for yeah?

SPEAKER_00 7:04

So um when you go to chiropractic school, there's there's of course they teach you different ways to adjust. There's a lot of different techniques that you can learn. Some are more low force, some are more tool or like instrument assisted. Um, and so I didn't know that either. There's so many different ways that you can adjust the spine um without having to do maybe like the old, like the traditional, like pop your back, pop your neck, twist, twist this way, that way. Um, I like to feel like hands-on, like I've I've like just learned to like feel like tone and muscle and and all these things. So I like to use my hands, um, but we have tools available at the office, like for you in a lot of instances where we'll adjust someone that way. Um, one, it could just be more effective, it could be more specific, they might have a condition, they might have a fear or like you know, something like that. And so, you know, the biggest thing I think probably the number one thing uh besides like safety is just making sure you're comfortable because if you're not comfortable, uh I'm gonna feel that, and your adjustment is gonna reflect that, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 8:11

So awesome, awesome. So I'm sure you get this a lot. People come in and they want the quick fix, and like that's one thing we see a lot in healthcare. How do you kind of navigate that and what's kind of like your response to people who just want to come in once or twice?

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Yeah, well, I think it all kind of starts with like the first initial visit, is like, what are you looking for? Because like if you're in town for a couple days and you're like, I only need an adjustment, it's like okay. Um, but it's like if you really have an issue, which most people like I have a health issue, I have a spinal issue, or or just some condition, um, and you're looking to fix it like long term, I think you have to understand that it's it's not gonna be like a one-time thing. And uh, and I think part of it too, it kind of goes back into how um you know, a lot of instances we resort to maybe like medication or an injection, and it's like a one-time thing. Like, let me just pop this, you know, Tylenol or ibuprofen or something, and my headache went away. Like it was quick, but then the headache comes back tomorrow or two days from now, and then it's like you're taking it again, and so it's very easy to kind of see it as like like a short term, like, let me just take this real quick. Yeah, and I'm not here to talk today about like medications are bad or good, like that's something separate. I think there's definitely a need for it. I think the problem can be you start to resort to that, and that's kind of like your dependency. And when you resort to that kind of stuff long term, you know, one, your body may build a resistance to it. Absolutely. Two, the problem, the underlying problem may just kind of get worse and worse over time. And then three, because the problem is worse over time, now you're limited to like what are your options? Yeah, it's not and so um, you know, for us, you you talked about like, well, how do we address the quick fix? Well, I think you just kind of have to understand, like, well, what are your health goals? Like, are you just looking for like a short term? Like, I just need to get better, you know. Uh let's say you're an athlete, I'm just ready to get back on the field in like a week, or are you like, hey, I'm a mom with a child or a family, like I want to be healthy long term for me and my family. And so that approach is like, I think it just as the person, it shifts your mindset into like, okay, this isn't gonna be a one-time thing, like this is a commitment, like a lifestyle commitment, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 10:38

Absolutely. And I think you guys

Personalized Care And Technique Options

SPEAKER_04 10:40

approach, like doing the x-rays and the nerve um analysis and things like that, it also helps open the patient's eyes to like, oh, this isn't just like my back hurts a little bit, like this is something like more serious, and that you didn't even realize was going on. Like that was what happened for me. Like, I was thinking, oh, I'm gonna go in, you're gonna tell me, oh, this is like there's a little inflammation in your mid-back. And I had no idea. Like, I would I get headaches all the or I used to get headaches all the time. And just us talking, and you like, you know, like I said, you were just very patient and thorough, and you were just asking me about ever like different aspects of my life, and the headache thing came up, and I I never even thought, like, oh, maybe it's an issue with my neck or anything like that, but the scans and the x-ray showed that my neck was actually like terribly like misaligned and like a lot of issues, and like the fact that we were able to, you know, I did go in and again we were using the tool, I was not getting adjusted because I didn't feel comfortable, and I still got those results. Like, that's it was just one of those things. Like, I didn't even, like you said, I was just taking um Tylenol when it got really bad, or just trying to drink more water because I figured my headache was related to dehydration. Like, kind of, and like I'm a nurse, so I'm like giving diagnosing myself, and it's like I still don't know enough about everything that like, yeah, sometimes my headaches would get better, but the underlying issue was still that my neck was like had a lot of issues, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

And that's interesting because you you kind of have to look at your body in like two different ways, so it's like what you're feeling and then like how do you function? So most people, I I it's somewhere around like maybe 15, 10 to 15 percent of of your like nerves, like your sensory nerves, you feel so like your pain receptors. So like I feel a headache, I feel a back pain, I feel digestion uh problems, but the other uh you know, percent of that in your body is how you function, and sometimes you don't like to feel that stuff, like you know, when was the last time you could feel your thyroid gland and make sure it's functioning well, you know what I mean? And so um the reason we like to use that assessment, that nerve assessment office, is because um we're able to kind of just see temperature along your spinal column. And if we can pick up inflammation, well then we can infer there might be something going on here and at that wherever that nerve is, whether it's in your neck and your, you know, or in your lower back, we can kind of trace it and say, well, this is leading to this area in your body. And because this area of your body we know controls your digestive system or your reproductive system or your urinary system, like maybe there's not an issue now, but like long term, could there be an issue? And I'll tell you honestly, more times than not, when we do that assessment, people are like, you know what? I I do have this, like I do have severe menstrual cramps, or I do have this IBS, or I have colido, whatever it is. And so um, it just kind of helps us figure out number one, like how do you feel, but also like how is your body actually functioning functioning? Yeah, that's what you were saying. Like, sometimes you don't feel that, and so it's a great tool we have to just kind of assess that.

SPEAKER_04 13:51

Yeah, yeah. And I think also it comes on over time, like inflammation has kind of become this buzzword, so I want to like dig into that a little bit more. So, you know, um I feel like the spine, people just think it's like, oh, it just, you know, your bones, your back. It's like, but it's also like you were talking about, you know, all your nerves come from your spinal cord, and they're literally feeding, you know, the energy, the the you know, they're taking in responses from the outside world, but they're also feeding responses to your body and kind of like basically they're it's like the highway for all the information in your body. Exactly. And so when the spine is misaligned, basically those nerves are getting inflammation, so you know, there's swelling around them, and so they're not able to give out those responses as effectively, right?

SPEAKER_00 14:44

And that's one thing I was gonna say real quick is that you know, you hear the term health and wellness thrown around all the time, and it's and and it's associated a lot of times with like maybe supplements or diets or exercises, and again, like it could be or couldn't be. The idea though is like if you really, really want to get down to like the understanding of like health and wellness, you have to understand where it comes from. And to understand where it comes from, um you have to understand that like the and this is what blew my mind is that uh you know, when we're conceived, like we're just two little tiny cells, right?

Quick Fix Mindset Versus Long-Term Care

SPEAKER_00 15:20

And these two tiny cells they come together and they divide into four and then eight and sixteen, and they just you know uh replicate and you know, eventually you form as like we're talking like in the womb, like you eventually form the cells turn into organs and then they turn into systems, and then in in 270 days, Mother Nature has produced these two little cells to become like this fully functioning human, yeah. And and so you have and and to get to my point is like you have to understand that like how did you do that? Like, as like how do you know, like, all right, it's week six, time for my heart to be, you know what I mean? Yeah, it's like your body has is so intuitive, it is it is, and and you can call it different things in like in inner wisdom or in chiropractic, we like to use the word innate intelligence. There's this intelligence in the body that tells you how like it tells your body what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. And um, and even now, like every day we have I think it's like 37 trillion cells at a time that are doing these chemical reactions, like you're you're digesting your food from this morning and you're producing enzymes, and and maybe you're getting hungry, like all these things are happening and you don't think about it.

SPEAKER_04 16:31

Yeah, you don't have to do anything.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

And so, and to kind of get back to your point is like uh you have this nervous system, right, which is your brain and your spinal cord, and it's protected by your spine, right? That hard bone in your back. And so that spine is designed, it's like custom built for you, which is so cool. It's custom built for you, and it has these exit holes you talked about, and these holes again, some of them go to the fingers, some of them go to the heart, the lungs, like everything has to be controlled though by those nerves and nervous systems. The problem becomes is you know, we're all prone to gabbeing in traumas like car accidents and slip and falls and sports injuries, and then another thing I see a lot of is these repetitive traumas or also maybe work from home, or like you're a a UPS worker and you're picking boxes up all day. These traumas they add and they accumulate over time, and it'll eventually, instead of now that bone protecting that nerve, it can start to pinch it. And sometimes you feel it immediately.

SPEAKER_04 17:33

Like we get people that are like this sciatic pain or this numbness and yeah, those are kind of the ones that come to mind. Like people are gonna come in and be like, oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Exactly. Those like you can feel. But we talked about like remember that feeling and then the function? The function part of it is like you don't feel. And how many times do we see in the news or like maybe we know someone where it's like this perfect, this person who is perfectly healthy, never had a sick day in their life, one day just like healed over and died of a heart attack. And you're like, how did that happen? And and the point is, is like sometimes that that um inflammation or that the the impulses from those nerves, it's like maybe over time it damages uh not uh maybe it's not uh like a heart attack or something extreme, but maybe your heart isn't working a hundred percent or your lungs but it's over time slowly, like it's going to 90% and 80%, and then that's kind of snowballing into more issues.

SPEAKER_04 18:30

But it's not like you're getting that sharp pain in your leg because the nerves pinch, it's like you're just slow and we're our we're so adaptable in the same way that you talked about, like the cells just kind of know what to do. Well, they know that they're having injury now, you know, this inflammation's there, so they kind of adapt, and you just and I feel like so many people are just going through life in this like kind of fog. That's how I felt with the headaches, is like I just kind of had this fog that was always there, and instead of really addressing the issue because I didn't understand the issue, I was, you know, taking supplements, trying to, oh, maybe my B12's low, like you know, and I feel like so many people do that because that's what we hear and that's what we see, and that's why this is so important and why we wanted to talk about it is like if you don't get to the root cause, you know, a lot of those things that are out there, it is it's just hype, and people are just trying to get you to take the next supplement or whatever, and it's not actually gonna help, right?

SPEAKER_00 19:22

And and I and I will say it like you said, how like you know, um when you have damage long term, I kind of think of it like dimming a light. Like if I dim the light 10% right now on the set here, like you probably wouldn't notice an immediate change, but over time you're gonna and so, like, for example, that light dimming to your heart or to your digestive system or wherever it is, like over time, it'll start to turn into things like maybe IBS or maybe heartburn or reflux or or extreme menstrual cramps, like those problems. And so the way chiropractic fits into that um is really just like, hey, how do we adjust? How do I move the spine instead of now um irritating that nerve? How do we get it to kind of move back and now just protect the nerve? Like, how do we take pressure off of that nerve and nervous system? And I think when you do that consistently over time, I mean, so and and I will probably go into this at some point, like you see so many cool responses from the human body. And so I will say kind of what you were saying about like the hype how do you hear all the time, like you know, sometimes you are deficient in things, like yeah, hey, take this mineral or the supplement, but a lot of times your body has that ability to overcome this condition or issue, but it just can't because, like you said, that nervous system can't communicate properly. And so my job as a chiropractor is really simple is like how do I just provide better communication to your nervous system, to the rest of your body. And uh really it just kind of allows you to do the healing rather than having to give you something to take or something to inject. Um, and so that's kind of to me one of the coolest things about chiropractor. That that's so unique, and in my opinion, there's nothing like there's no like that. Yeah, absolutely. So it's a pretty cool, yeah, pretty cool thing.

SPEAKER_04 21:15

Yeah, no, I think it's it's super cool. I love that in your office you guys have the like actual spine. And I think like for me, I'm a visual person. So just seeing like, okay, this is how the spine's supposed to look. And I love that you

Feeling Vs Function And Nerve Health

SPEAKER_04 21:30

guys have so many like visuals in your office, and they even have like this big picture of like where all the nerves in your body, like okay, the nerves coming out of your neck go to like wherever. And I think it shows you kind of like how everything's connected. Um, but it is like you just notice, even if the spine is like subtly shifted, right? How it does, it pinches on those little outputs for the nerves. And it can be it doesn't, it's not an extreme thing. Like I said, I wasn't in excruciating pain. I wasn't. Like, oh my gosh, I need to go get my spine fixed. You know, that literally wasn't a thought in my mind. It was like, oh, I've been carrying, you know, this baby around and he gets bigger every week. So it's heavy. I, you know, that was my mindset, but like when you looked at my spine, it was literally like twisted all like to one side. So it's like, and so all of that, you know.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

And the problem is, is that, you know, that damage accumulates over time. You know, it's it's permanent damage. And so, like, one of the questions that I get asked sometimes is like, you know, I let's say you have this curve in your back or scoliosis or whatever it is, it's like, hey, can you fix this? And the honest answer is I don't know. Like, I don't know how long it's been there. So I don't know how long it's gonna take. I don't know how your body responds to this. But what I can tell you is that if we can adjust your spine, no matter what condition it's in, and again, allow your own body to kind of heal through that process, there's just no way over time that your body will do more damage to it. Like, that's one thing too to understand how cool your nervous system is, is like this state of balance is your nervous system, like what you need, it knows what you need, it'll never hurt you. You know what I mean? Exactly. It can only help you. And um, but you have to understand too, like, it's not gonna be an immediate thing. In fact, most times it's not an immediate thing, it's like a long-term thing. But I will tell you, and and anyone here who's probably been under consistent chiropractic care, is like when you're under chiropractic care for for a long period of time, you're just gonna you're gonna notice like your life is just exponentially better than when you weren't under care because you have total control over your body and your nervous system and your health. And so uh to me that's again like one of the coolest things is like we talked about where does health come from? It comes from the inside, you know, and and unfortunately we are in this like time where it's like, hey, uh buy these supplements or buy these buy this gadget or whatever. And uh and sometimes it does help, but it's like you know, if you want to really talk about health, like you have to understand it comes from the inside. And and the cool thing is we we all have it, we're all born with it. We just have to take care of it.

SPEAKER_04 24:15

Exactly. Yeah, yeah. I think maintenance is a huge thing that you know, I think a lot it's not as like glamorous or fun, and so it doesn't get the attention that it needs because I feel like everybody, you know, we're just like programmed now. There's so much, you know, social media and everybody's just doing all these videos and things like that. And so we're just looking for that, you know, the next big thing. And it's like really just maintaining, you know, the things that we need to do. And it's not, you know, only the chiropractor, it's like eating healthy, and you know, it's like everybody always asks me, like, oh, what diet should I follow? And it's like it, and there's literally been studies on that. It's like it doesn't matter what diet you follow, it just matters that you follow one and stay consistent, and like that's not the fun and glamorous answer that people want, but it's like it's it's actually really simple, yeah, and people want to make it more complicated because I think they just want to find a an easier way without having, but like anything in in health and life, you just really have to stay consistent with it for it's uh like it kind of reminds me.

SPEAKER_00 25:17

I don't know if you remember years ago, there was this I can't remember the name of it, but there was like this gadget that you could just like wrap around your stomach and it would like vibrate, and and the idea is like it's gonna stimulate your muscles and your core. Like you could get a six-pack from just sitting on the couch eating potato chips. Yeah, I don't think it's kind of like, yeah, it's like you know, health is sometimes it's not convenient. In fact, most times it's probably not convenient, you know. Most people, it's hard to like work out, and it's hard to, you know, you you want this food, like you want pizza and and fried foods, like your brain sometimes it craves that. And so sometimes health is not convenient, and so sometimes, um, or I think a lot of times now, uh companies or people have found ways to kind of make it more convenient, and again, sometimes it is, but sometimes it's like this gadget or this fad that people can just buy into because it sounds nice, um, but the reality is it doesn't really replace the commitment, the maintenance that you talked about that you have to do. And and I'll make one comment real quick on that because you know, how being health, like we talked about health, it's not easy. Like long term, it's it's very hard. And uh, but I will tell you, and anyone if you know someone who has bad health, you know, living good health and wellness is is challenging, but living with bad health is almost impossible. You know, like if you think about someone with bad health, I mean, what does that do for your relationships? What does that do for your mental health? How does that affect like can you work? And if you can't work, what does that do to your income earning or your capacity? Exactly. You know, you have to kind of think about it is like choose your hard, you know. Being healthy is is it can be really challenging. Um, but you have to have the mindset, like if I don't have health, you you don't it's like you don't have anything, you know what I mean? So yeah, that's how I kind of see it.

SPEAKER_04 27:15

Absolutely. I think it's important too for um younger people. We talked about this. How do we get them to start investing into their health early on? Because, you know, as we both know, if you wait till you're getting, you know, that excruciating back pain or all these symptoms, you're really late to the game. Right. You know, right, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

It can be challenging, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:34

Yeah. So, and that's why we're really here today is to talk about that and create that awareness that, you know, don't wait until you know you're having that excruciating back pain or you know, you can't work

Innate Intelligence And Body Healing

SPEAKER_04 27:45

anymore. You really want to start investing in your health up front. And yes, it'll feel, you know, whether it's going to the gym or going to the chiropractor, like, yeah, you're gonna have to rearrange some stuff, you know. Like for me, it was like when we talked about the plan, I'm like, how, and everybody does this, you know, whether you're working out or how can I fit that into my schedule? It's already so busy, but it's like the nice thing is is like you do, if you want to make it happen, you'll find a way. And I also love that you guys make it easy. Like, I was able to bring my son in with me, you know. I feel like you guys are really, you know, in inviting in that way and make it comfortable for families to like bring kids in, and like, you know, me and my fiance would swap out and things like that. So I think that's important to like increase access.

SPEAKER_00 28:31

Exactly. I think I think the hardest part in anything, whether it's like the diet or the workout or or like it's like it's just start starting, like taking that first step and uh, and like you were talking about. I think unfortunately, a lot of people that first step is the sciatic issue. They woke up this morning and they're like, I can't, I like I need to go now versus like, hey, you know, it doesn't sound as nice to be like, hey, let me just go get blood work done today, or let me go to the chiropractor, let me go, you know, it's like the hardest part is just starting. And but you I will tell you, like, once you start in diet, in exercise, in anything, it uh instantly gets easier after that first. And you really start to notice, like, wow, my life, my health is exponentially better. I feel better, I like I look better, my relationships are better. Like, your life is just instantly better when you can just take care of your health. And so if you are, I would I guess my advice would be like if you are younger and you're like, you know, I kind of get some back pain or I get some discomfort or or I have like whatever issue is just like taking that first step, that initiative. And and once you do, I feel like you're gonna be glad you did.

SPEAKER_04 29:48

Absolutely. So yeah, and I think being informed about your health, like, and maybe your your back or neck aren't that bad, but you know, you have the information now, and then you don't have to wait until it's a hot mess, you know. I think that's also important, is like, you know, just knowing where you stand. It's kind of like, and I feel like there are um a lot of things that are kind of ingrained in us, like going to the dentist, you know, everybody does that now. But I mean, yeah, it's like, you know, you know you have to go get a checkup and you don't wait until your teeth are messed up. And it's like I think raising the awareness for other things because like those other things aren't as prescribed. Right. But dentists have done a great job of saying, like, no, you do need to come and be preventative and things like that. But it's like the same concept, you know, you don't want to wait until you know your teeth are falling out to go to the dentist.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

Yeah, and and I will tell you this dentists will make sure that they will tell you, like, hey, you should get some routine care and but also every day you're brushing your teeth, you should be brushing your teeth. You should be flossing. And so the way chiropractic is like, hey, I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to ask someone to come in at least once a month to just get adjusted, at least just get your spine checked. And the reality is, like, if you if you work, whether again, whether you're a remote worker, whether like you're you drive all day for your job, like chances are you need chiropractic because there's just no way that you go through your day-to-day and your spine is just like perfectly healthy and aligned. And one other thing I'll touch on is we all are on our phone all day long, or like we're, you know, and so like this posture of like this technec of just looking down, like it creates issues within the spine. And so, again, like it's not unrealistic to say, hey, just come get it checked or looked at or adjusted once a week or once a month, you know, like let's take a look at it deeper so that it's not a problem long term.

SPEAKER_04 31:41

Yeah. So absolutely. So talking about brushing your teeth and like daily things that you can do, is there anything you like recommend to your um patients, like things that they can do, like kind of maintenance at home stretches, adjusting like their work environment, what is what's the most beneficial?

SPEAKER_00 31:59

Um, especially kind of coming out of 2020, you know, a lot of people were at home at their desk and maybe didn't have the best chair or the best setup. Um, I would just say trying to, you know, be nice and tall, you know, as the day goes on, let's say you're on a worker, like you find yourself slouched by the end of the day, and just like day after day, week after week, like eventually your posture kind of becomes this. And um, and then you when I tell you, like, hey, or someone's sit up straight, this feels uncomfortable and this is now normal. So I would just say, like, you know, trying to just be upright, um, you know, being aware of how much you're looking down, uh, movement, of course, like if you're sitting all day long for eight hours a day, like maybe go take a walk during your lunch break, or if you exercise, great, like just get some sort of movement. I mean, we're not really as humans designed to just sit all day. You know, we have to move. And so um just movement, I would say that. And and one question I get asked a lot about is people that pop their back or pop their neck. Like, is that the same as the adjustment? And the short answer is it's not. You know, it's kind of like it's kind of like if you have an itch, uh-huh, you know, like you you itch it, yeah, and so like people pop their back, and like maybe for the moment or the next couple minutes or hour, it's like, all right, I feel good, but then it's like you gotta do

Consistency, Maintenance, And Lifestyle

SPEAKER_00 33:20

it again in an hour. And the real the reason you're probably having to do that is because there's probably an underlying issue, like the spine is rotated or curved or something, and you're just getting like general movement into the spine, which is okay, um, but the chiropractor is gonna make sure we get specific movement and motion into that issue so that you're not having to do that. In fact, most people that go to the chiropractor, again, long term will find themselves, and I hear it all the time. It's like, hey, I'm not popping my neck anymore, I'm not popping my back anymore because I don't feel the need to. And so, um, but I would say definitely those routines, just move, make sure you're moving, have good posture.

SPEAKER_04 33:56

So I was um surprised to learn that you know, you even adjust babies. Yeah, and um, because I have uh my son's 11 months old. You actually just had a baby. Yeah, he's one month now. Yeah, so congratulations. And I think you had like a one or two month old come into the office, and I was like, is the baby the patient? And you were like, Yeah. So talk a little bit more about that and kids getting adjusted.

SPEAKER_00 34:21

Yeah, I mean, it's kind of this growing thing now, and you know, I know there's a lot of like anything in health, there's a lot of back and forth. Um, but my opinion is like every kid should be checked and adjusted how early? As early as possible. I adjusted my son, um, literally, there's like the timestamp on the picture, three minutes after he was born. And you ask, like, well, how why would you why would you need to adjust a child or a kid or a baby? Uh, number one, the adjustments are not like adults. Yeah. Um, I use like my pinkies, in fact. It's very, very gentle pressure on the neck. What are we trying to accomplish? We're accomplishing just what we talked about. We're just trying to make sure that the spine is movable, that the baby has or child has a healthy nervous system. And what are some of the symptoms you might see in a child if let's say their their spine is misaligned? Well, of course they're not gonna have headaches and sciatic issue and back issue, but that might manifest into things like ear infections all the time, a baby who's super colicky, reflux, they're throwing up all the time, they're not sleeping well, bed wedding, you know, ADHD. Like there's a lot of dysfunction that you might see in children. And again, there's so much around it, you sometimes you don't know. You're like, well, let me take them to the pediatrician or the doctor. And uh, and not to say that that's not necessary in some cases, a lot of times, you know, it can be, but sometimes it's like, well, let's give them this, you know, and maybe that's not really the the underlying cause of the issue. And so the reason I say all kids should be checked is because all kids, I mean, think about what they're doing all day long. When they start to learn to walk, they're falling on their butts all day long, and and you know, diving headfirst into the couch and falling all over the place. And so we don't think about it, but those little, little traumas over time they add up. Maybe now at 10 years old, you have a child who does have headaches or or a 16-year-old girl who does have you know severe menstrual or abnormal issues, like that's how it kind of manifests. So it's easier to get it looked at and fixed earlier on in life than waiting for like a sick adult who's had this problem for maybe decades and now you're able to catch up. Yeah, exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 36:34

So yeah, yeah, I think it's I was surprised, but it makes sense, you know. We're all moving around, and I mean, to your point, you know, babies that are in the womb, I mean, they're being manipulated in birth itself is a trauma. So, you know, that it's not unreasonable to think that their spine gets misaligned, right?

SPEAKER_00 36:54

Right. And and I would say too, it even starts during pregnancy. So, like we see pregnant women too, because I mean, think about like the everything's moving there and hips, and like you know, you can see how it can kind of manifest into like a harder delivery for mom because maybe your your pelvis is not in the right position, so now they have to get baby out a certain way with forceps or something, and it could just make the whole process harder. And so, like for us, it's like hey, even before baby's born, like let's get make sure, like my wife, you know, I I was making sure we were adjusting her prior to the delivery, and um, you know, this might sound biased, but she really did have like a really easy and smooth delivery. Um, and I just wish like that could be the case for everybody, yeah, for everybody too. So, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:40

Um, one other thing I I have a question about just because this is always interesting to me, is like um the whole hip thing, the hips being like um one's higher than the other, um, and like one leg being shorter and longer, and you look at that. How does that happen?

SPEAKER_00 37:57

Like that's a really good thing. I it it really depends on who you ask. My opinion is no no hip or spine is is perfectly even, you know, like your left leg, you know, is always gonna grow maybe differently than your right. Like, like we're all very different in that sense. Okay. I don't think anyone is born with like perfectly even legs and perfectly even hips. I mean, it's just not realistic.

SPEAKER_04 38:24

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:26

But at that same time, it's like if we're taking x-rays and your hips are shifted like six millimeters or something, like that's that's where like you can see issues created because now there's compensation patterns and muscle tension, and that can create it uh other issues again down the road. And so, you know, for us, like when we're looking at your legs being even, you know, most times I I I expect if I were to lay down right now, my legs wouldn't even be even. Um, but that's why I also go to a chiropractor. And um, you know, you just it's just a different way in analysis for us to make sure, like, hey, how can we get things into better position? Um, and again, it's not even so much about your hips need to be perfectly even. It's just like, hey, how do we just put your body into a better state so that you have a better nervous system? And again, there's less tension, and um, and you'll notice that too. Most people will feel that they're like, I feel less spasms, I feel less backaches, I feel, you know, less dysfunction, whatever.

SPEAKER_04 39:28

Yeah, I just feel like that in itself would be the could be a root cause for a lot of like lower back pain. And that's just like one of the things that ever a lot of people experience. And it's like, you know, what it makes sense. Like if your one

Posture, Movement, And Self-Care

SPEAKER_04 39:40

hip is way more tense and higher, then you know, your back's you're now your back's also compensating for that, you're walking different, and it's a lot of different things.

SPEAKER_00 39:48

And honestly, yeah, it it and it actually it builds. So, like if your hips are think about like a house, like the foundation of a house. Like, if the foundation of the house is off, the rest of the house is gonna be built off, you know what I mean? Yeah, and so sometimes people have like neck issues or or upper back issues, and the tensions coming from the hip. And so that's why, like, at least in our office, I don't really like to just chase where it hurts, like where's the pain? It's like, let's take a look at everything, um, so that we can get an understanding for everything and how to get again to ultimately to the root cause of the issue.

SPEAKER_04 40:23

Yeah, no, I think that's makes a lot of sense, and it's super like counterintuitive because a lot of people do come in. Like, for me, I was like, my middle of my back hurts, and you're like, okay, yeah, yeah, like let's take a look at everything, and then I've like, and my neck was worse than my middle of my back, like you know, when we looked at everything, and then I was it was funny how I was just like kind of overlooking that, and I just kind of gotten used to it, you know. So I think it's important.

SPEAKER_00 40:48

Well, I I've always thought, I mean, I I just went to the dentist on Friday, and um, and I don't have any tooth pain, but I'd imagine if I said, hey, like this tooth hurts, they would probably still look at all my teeth. And so that's how I think chiropractic should be is like, okay, your neck hurts, and maybe the problem is coming from there, but like let's check the rest of everything too. And and actually, I will tell you, my experience a lot of times, uh, in terms of like real spinal like issue condition, I will see that um other areas of the spine might even look worse or more stressed or degenerative than where you're even having pain. Yeah. So uh I think it's just important to look at it all, it's all connected. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:28

So all right. So um if people want to learn more about their own spine um or have questions for you, how can they connect with you?

SPEAKER_00 41:38

So our office, um, people ask, like, where's your office located? If you're in Tampa, hopefully, and you're and you've lived there for some time, you know where the Bucks Stadium play, the Raymond James Stadium. We just tell them we're about 10 minutes north of the Raymond James Stadium. So we're on uh North Dale Mabry and West Waters. Um, you can call our office anytime. Um what we're happy. We do free consultations, so we don't charge you to come in and just like look through your health history, what's going on, let's see how you're moving, let's see if you do have something. Um and um I would say probably the best way to contact us. I mean, like any you can nowadays you can go to our website. You can actually book an appointment through our website, which is cfctampa.com. Um again, our office is Connect Family Chiropractic. Um, you can call us by phone, social media. I mean, I think nowadays people can just like if they're gonna find you, they can find you. Absolutely. Um but probably the easiest way to just give us a call and and we'll find a time, you know, that fits with your schedule.

SPEAKER_04 42:37

Yeah. You guys do make it really easy. Um, you can text their office. They have a really good app for rescheduling, which is always nice because like um, you know, you can just go in there and say, oh, like I can't make it, you know, I'm supposed to be there today at four, and you know, my day's going crazy. Okay, yeah, and yeah, and you it's just so easy to reschedule and like the app's great, but also I can always just text your office and they are super responsive.

SPEAKER_00 43:01

The nice thing too is because um our adjustments, I mean, I'm not gonna need you to be there an hour every visit, like sometimes it's like five or ten minutes, and so um I we will find some time for you to reschedule through the day, and I will make sure unless something crazy's happened, that I like we get to you.

SPEAKER_04 43:18

Absolutely, yeah. And I think that was another misconception when I started going, is um, you know, you think it's gonna be like an hour appointment every time, and it is so quick that you know, and then it's nice because like it I always go like on Mondays and the end of my day. Right. So it kind of makes me like wrap up my day. I have something good to do, and then since the appointments are relatively short, we usually do go like we go for a walk or something afterwards. So it's like a nice kind of like we've built this routine in.

SPEAKER_00 43:45

Yeah, yeah. The and the way, like, I just to kind of add to this is like the way typically things work is like the first visit, we'll do kind of like the paperwork, we'll do some testing, we'll do some x rays, we'll do that nerve assessment. So typically that could be like 45 minutes. To an hour again depends on like how much do you have going on. Um, and then after that, we kind of just have you go back. I go over your x-rays with you. Uh, if we took them, I'll go over like what's the game plan, and and your second visit is kind of when we start. And then where you're at now, like those subsequent visits, typically they're five or ten minutes.

SPEAKER_01 44:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:19

Um, unless you ever come in one day, which has happened and someone's like, hey, I I really messed up my back at the gym or I slipped it or something. Uh, we'll make sure it wasn't like uh something so severe we might need to eat re-x-ray, but typically it's like, hey, we just need a little bit more time with you, and we'll go ahead and get you kind of adjusted and patched up. Yeah. Yeah. So awesome.

SPEAKER_04 44:38

Well, thank you so much. This has been awesome. And again, go check them out. You know, do your health maintenance. It's super important. And um, thanks everyone for tuning in.

SPEAKER_00 44:49

Thanks, Yvette.