My basic approach is to restore proper alignment and motion to the joints of the spine.  Pain and other problems occur when the joints are misaligned relative to each other.  This will cause stretching of the surrounding joint capsule, which will in turn result in swelling in this area.  The muscles then tighten in response to the irritation.  If one or more of the adjacent nerves become pinched, pain may radiate down the arms or legs.

 My goal in treating a patient is to correct the misalignments of the painful areas, as well as correct the causes behind these problems.  Many times the area of greatest pain is not the root cause.  For example, low back pain may originate from an unlevel pelvis that places stress in the area just above it.  Or, if the lower neck is "stuck", most of the movement and stress will occur in the upper neck (or vice versa).  If the area of pain is all that is addressed, the problem is likely to return until the primary problem is fixed.

 With my approach, I look at the spine in motion to find the areas of greatest fixation.  By returning the entire spine to proper movement and placement, the body can be allowed to fully heal.