Dr. M Ryan Saldivar is a “Doctor of Chiropractic.” This means he practices a highly specialized technique of adjusting the spine and joints to improve function, reduce pain, and enhance the body’s healing system.

Chiropractic adjustments remove interferences of the nervous system through specific adjustments to clear subluxation. This improves range of motion and reduces pain.

Chiropractic adjustments treat the root cause of pain, rather than relying on drugs that are designed to stop your ability to feel the pain.

Chiropractors receive extensive training before treating patients in the clinical setting for spine related issues.

A Doctor of Chiropractic degree is a four year Post Graduate degree, and requires in depth clinical training. Dr. Saldivar D.C. completed 500 hours of patient care at Life West Chiropractic College as a part of graduation requirements.

When Chiropractors graduate, they take National Board Exams I,II, III, IV, and Physiotherapy. These National Board Exams establish a national standard of knowledge and comprehension. Some of the topics covered are Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, X-Ray reading, MRI reading, Pathophysiology, Nutrition, Biochemistry, Chiropractic Adjusting, Orthopedic Exams, Neurological Exams, Public Health, and more.

Dr. M Ryan Salivar D.C. went to Massage Therapy School and Yoga Teacher Training at 18 years old. He then went through a four yer apreniship under a Chiropractor to learn how to do Massage Therapy for Spine and Joint conditions.

During this time he worked under a well know sports Doctor of Chiroprcic, and worked on many of the 49’ers, Raider, Warriors, and Oakland A’s.

He then completed a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Med with a concentration in Integrative Medicine. This degree helped him to study very well how holistic Doctors such as Chiropractors and Acupuncturists can work hand in hand with Medical Doctors for the best outcome for the patient.

After completing Pre-Med he went on to complete a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree, pass the National Board Exam for Physical Therapy, and get a certification as a Personal Trainer.

He is now working on a four year Diplomate in Gonstead Chiropractic Adjusting Technique. Chiropractic adjusting requires extensive training and should never be done by an untrained professional.

Most people seek out Chiropractic care to help them with neck, mid-back, or lower back pain.

Chiroprcic adjustments are applied to the vertebrae, and can be a fast and effective way to reduce back pain. Back pain often happens due to car accidents, slips and falls and spots accidents.

However, in todays technology driven society, back pain can result from sitting in front of a computer all day as well. When the spine begins to hurt, it means inflammation is settling into the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and often intervertebral disc.

This inflammation causes pain as it compresses the sensory nerves that surround and exit the spine. The pain causes muscular tension and often causes back spasms.

This extra tension created by back spams causes more pressure in the spine resulting in more inflammation and pain, which causes more tension. This cycle is called the pain-spasm cycle.

The Chiropractic adjustment stops the pain-spasm cycle and allows the inflammation to drain from the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and disc. This serves as a fast and effective way to reduce back pain.

Chiropractic adjusting resorts the spines natural mobility & stability, and maintains its range of motion.

When Chiropractic care is received regularly it feels amazing, and is an essential part of maintaining peak health. Many people report improved sleep and relief from headaches from adjustments in the neck.

It is better to come in and get adjusted before the pain spasm cycle takes hold, and pain levels are high. Most patients maintain a schedule of receiving adjustments once a week, twice a month, or once a month on a regular basis to prevent arthritis, and maintain a higher quality of life.

Chiropractic care has very minimal risk for dangerous complications. Some people experience soreness after getting their first adjustment beause the adjustment is releasing the inflammatory gasses that are stored in the subluxated vertabae.

In the United States each year millions of people are hospitalized from adverse reactions to prescribed pharmaceutical drugs, and over 250,000 die as a result of surgical errors.

This in comparison makes Chiropractic an extremely safe alternative to drugs and surgery for spinal care.

Chiropractic care is the best replacement for addictive Opioid based pain killers. Every day on average 44 people die from overdoses of pain killers. An average of 12,000 to 17,000 people per year die in the US from pain killer overdoses misuse.

In a research article in The NCBI.NHI they proved that, “The risk of serious adverse events such as stroke ranged from 0.05 to 1.46 per 10,000,000 spinal adjustments.” This research was done on medicare B patients who ranged from 66-99 years old, which is in the highest age range for risk of stroke, and they still found less than 1 out of every 10 million percent chance of this adverse reaction.

• source of data:

“Risk of Stroke Following Chiropraci Spinal Manipulation in Medicare B Beneficiaries Aged 66-99 Years With Neck Pain”

National Library Of Medicine - February 1st 2006

Adjusting your own spine is not recomended. Spinal adjustments should only be performed by a licensed Chiropractic Doctor.

Many people adjusting their own neck may not realize it but they are pushing their neck vertabrae further in the wrong direction.

One example is a person with a loss of cervicle curvature may be seen pushing their chin into their chest until it pops.

This is further reversing they necks natural curve, which has many long term consequences that cause severe pain. This person would not even know if they had loss of their necks curvature without first getting an x-ray done and knowing how to read it.

Anther example is whe people put their had on their chin and rotate their neck until it pops. This is a dangerous thing that many people do.

The reason that Chiropractic adjusting done by a trained professional carries minimal risk of causing a stroke is because we are trained to minimize rotation of the upper neck when adjusting the cervical spine.

When a person does this they are not correcting a subluxation. The subluxation is usually below the region that is popping when they attempt to adjust themselves.

In the long run they will create hypermobility of he upper neck, which will cause their body to stailize this region with an early onset of artrits followed by a loss of mobility in the upper neck.

It is a common misconception that Chiropractic care is expensive. Compared to drugs, surgeries, and injections Chiropractic is very affordable.

Most people who do not receive Chiropractic end up missing many days from work, and even going on disability while they wait for their back pain to get better.

If the cost of treatment is a concern for you, please let us know, and we can help to develop a care plan that can fit your budget, and keep you living pain free.

Headaches can have many causes such as hormonal imbalances, food allergies, environmental causes, and stress.

Chiropractic helps people that suffer from headaches in several cases.

• Tension Headaches: This type of headache is caused by tension in the neck and shoulders. The combination of massage and Chiropractic does wonders to clear this type of headache.

• Cervicogenic Headache: Cervicogenic Headache are caused by a combination of tension and subluxation of the cervical spine. Specific adjustments improve the blood flow to the brain, and reduce pressure on the nerves. This releaves the types of headaches that typically are felt on one side of the head behind one eye or on one side of the head.

• Migraine: Migraines can have several causes, and are often triggered by stress.

  The complete cause of migraines I still being researched and on a biochemical basis is still being understood. However, in my clinical experience people that suffer from migraines have a great chance of improvement from regular chiropractic.

  One reason is the reduced amount of cortisol build up in the brain after the adjustment. Adjusting the spine improves blood flow to the brain, and allows the vagus nerve to maintain parasympathetic tone. This can be an absolute game changer for migraine sufferers.

It depends on the severity of the condition, how long you have been experiencing it, and how often you have received chiropractic in the past.

In some cases it may be best if you come in a few times a week for the first few weeks. After the adjustments are holding the frequency can be reduced to once a week for a few following weeks, and then at a lesser frequency to maintain the results.

Chiropractic care can be understood in two phases:

• Corrective Care: This phase is based on getting you out of pain, and healing the injured spine. Corrective care requires more frequent visits to establish a better alignment, and get you feeling better.

• Maintenence Care: After the pain is gone most people continue to receive an adjustment once a week, every two weeks, or once a month, (depending on their lifestyle and several other factors.) This regular “tune up” helps people to live their best life, and stay active for the majority of their lifespan.