Our West Omaha Chiropractors, Dr. Trevor Wagner, Dr. Julie Owen-Wagner, and Dr. Hope Johnston understand that each individual is different, and our approach to chiropractic care varies slightly from patient to patient. Many of our patients want instant pain relief, while others might long for increased performance and longevity. Whatever your reason for visiting us, we’ll discuss your specific health issues and develop a patient-forward, comprehensive plan for achieving your goals.

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is the art, science, and philosophy of adjusting the joints of the spine to remove nerve interference by improving mobility/ position of the vertebra and supporting soft tissue. The nervous system controls and coordinates all of the functions of the body. For this reason, it is important for everyone to maintain a healthy, balanced, and functional spine. The nervous system comprises the brain and all the nerves. The nerves have two jobs: They inform the brain of stressors and changes in the environment. Then the brain tells the body, via these nerves, how to react. This communication is accomplished while passing through the intricate nerve pathways throughout your entire body. Your spinal column surrounds and protects your spinal cord (a major nerve pathway) where these communications occur. You have nerves that exit from between each vertebra on both sides. When poor vertebral position/function affects the area nerves, a miscommunication occurs. This malfunction can cause many symptoms. The term used to describe this condition is Vertebral Subluxation Complex. 

How Chiropractic works

You may be wondering…how the same chiropractic treatment that effectively treats my lower back pain also helps my overall health. Your body contains something called innate intelligence. Via communication through the nervous system, your body is always trying to keep every cell, tissue, organ, and system in a perfect balance. All living creatures contain this “strive to survive” and it is what drives the body to strive for a longer, healthier life. Allowing the nerves to properly communicate encourages this life force. 

What do Chiropractors do?

Chiropractors are primarily concerned with locating and treating vertebral subluxations. After a thorough exam, ruling out any pathological condition requiring a referral and locating areas of subluxations, a treatment recommendation is made. Your chiropractor will then apply specific gentle pressure to the imbalances in the spine to improve nerve function and health. This is called an adjustment. 


What Can I Expect at the Chiropractor

 When you first visit Dr. Trevor Wagner, Dr. Julie Owen-Wagner,  or Dr. Hope Johnston you can expect an evaluation of your current health and conditions. This information will be used to create a customized treatment plan for you. Some people find that they can address their pain issues with just a few visits, while others find that ongoing chiropractic treatment helps to increase their overall health and wellness. Our West Omaha Chiropractors are happy to serve you!

How Chiropractic differs

Chiropractic care is about finding the imbalances in the spine and making improvements so the body can then heal, function, and communicate effectively. At West Omaha Chiropractic, we address the cause of your ailments instead of just treating your symptoms. When taking a medication to treat a symptom and not changing the structure, you aren’t addressing the true cause of your body’s dysfunction. When the drug wears off, you are left with the same body as before. A chiropractic adjustment aims to improve the structure. This is why so many people respond well to natural chiropractic care. Medications and surgery are meant for acute traumatic life-saving conditions and are not about treating the cause of an acute or chronic structural imbalance.

An Ancient Healing Technique with Modern Appeal

It's always reassuring to know that a healing modality has stood the test of time -- and acupuncture pretty much takes the prize in that department, with a track record of success spanning at least 5,000 years. This cornerstone of Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on the concept that energy travels through the body in a form known as Qi along 24 meridians, or pathways. When the energy flow is interrupted or thrown out of balance, the body experiences pain and illness. Inserting hair-thin needles at strategic points along specific meridians can redirect the Qi flow, relieving symptoms and normalizing physical function. Western medicine has developed its own understanding of how acupuncture works (which it clearly does). Studies indicate that the needles cause interactions between calcium and white blood cells that increase the amount of endorphins ("Nature's painkillers") in the bloodstream. It also alters the behavior of neural clusters that regulate nerve signaling, changing the way your body communicates with itself, while also stimulating localized inflammatory reactions to speed healing. In short, acupuncture is good for what ails you!

What to Expect From Acupuncture Treatment

Here at West Omaha Chiropractic & Sports Injury Clinic, our chiropractic treatment frequently prescribes acupuncture as part of a larger holistic treatment or pain management plan. Acupuncture can help treat such conditions as:

• Acute/chronic pain (including neck, back and extremity pain)
• Headaches and migraines
• Tendonitis
  
• Infertility
• Sinus and Allergy issues
• Smoking Cessation
• Anxiety and Stress

...And over 100 other health challenges. Multiple sessions are usually recommended to help you receive the maximum benefit from this form of care, even though you may experience noticeable improvement very quickly. The needles themselves will not hurt -- they're simply too thin, and administered with too much expertise, to cause pain or damage. A typical acupuncture session may last less than 15 minutes, although the initial evaluation and treatment will most likely take longer.

Principles behind Laser Therapy

Laser therapy applies several principles in treating chronic pain, inflammation, and acute tissue damage. Key among these is a process known as photobiomodulation. The energy emitted by a therapeutic laser isn't strong enough to cut or burn the skin, but it does have sufficient power to penetrate harmlessly through the skin and treat the soft tissues below. At this level, the laser energy causes your body to produce increased levels of a cellular "fuel source" called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. This is photobiomodulation in action, with the cells using their extra resources to repair and replace themselves more quickly for accelerated healing. Laser therapy also has important effects on your circulation. The laser energy improves the treatment site's blood flow, allowing fluids and inflammatory substances to drain away more rapidly and completely, easing pain and swelling with no need for drugs. Last but not least, high-power laser therapy such as our K-Laser imparts a relaxing, warming sensation to the tissues, prompting muscles to un-clench and easing your pain even further.

Advanced Treatment for a Variety of Problems


The K-Laser technology used by our practitioners at West Omaha Chiropractic & Sports Injury Clinic represents the latest advances in this form of treatment. The K-Laser is a Class 4 laser, as opposed to older Class 3 and Class 3b technologies. This makes it up to 24 times as powerful as previous incarnations of this technology, with penetration of tissues up to 4 centimeters in depth. The extra power not only lets us treat more deeply-embedded muscles, tendons nerves, and ligaments; it also shortens the average session time, achieving therapeutic results within just a few minutes. but even with this extra power at its command, the K-Laser remains a perfectly safe form of treatment for such problems as:

• Tendonitis
• Muscle strains
• Osteoarthritis and other degenerative joint pain
• Nerve damage and neuropathy
• Acute injuries
• Back and neck pain
• Fibromyalgia symptoms