When was the last time you visited a healthcare provider who personalized your care to your unique needs? We are all different genetically, with different sexes and different body styles, which makes us unique. If you had back pain, leg pain, knee pain, and shoulder pain, did the provider look at the area of pain, or did they look at all of your past and current complaints and try to understand if there was a connection to all of the symptoms and problems? 55% of the body is your musculoskeletal system, which is made up of bones, nerves, circulatory structures, muscles, fascia, and more. Understanding it requires an understanding of how integrated movement is and how it connects to the other systems of the body. It is complex, yet it is also simple in how integrated it is. Preventing painful problems in the shoulder, neck, hands, legs, and back may be as simple as improving how we move and function. Chiropractors are highly skilled physicians who understand the problems related to movement, which is why we hurt. They are also taught internal diagnosis, so they understand when to refer to others in the medical system. Chiropractors are primary care providers for 55% of your body, which is why you should consider them first when you hurt. A much younger Dr. Charschan is working a track and field event. Chiropractic medicine has specialities in neurology, orthopedics, pediatrics, radiology, and sports medicine, perhaps the most well-known of all the specialities. Sports medicine includes all of the other specialities above, which are important for on-field evaluation and treatment of cuts, bruises, knee pain, shoulder pain, and many other types of injuries. Perhaps this is why most professional teams all have chiropractors along with their other providers as part of their medical teams. This past year, I had the pleasure of working with Nitro Circus as one of the two providers running the event and clearing athletes and Jersey Shore Wave women’s pro football. Working on many events over the years that included soccer, National Aerobics Championships, Taekwondo collegiate tournaments, and being the former medical director for USATF NJ for 26 years allowed me to gain valuable experience that our current and future patients benefit from. More recently, I have received my TPI Level 1 certification from Titleist Performance Institute to better help golfers with many of the physical issues that either cause back pain or affect their abilities while driving the ball. Other times, that knowledge has helped me solve problems faster, often with simpler and safer solutions that get players back on the field faster, get runners completing their athletic events with better times and fewer injuries. Regular patients get comprehensive care and evaluation to help them solve their problems more effectively with rehabilitation solutions that are specifically crafted for them, instead of multiple referrals and protocols, which often lead to more chronic problems, avoidable procedures such as injections or surgeries that may solve a symptom but not the problem behind why they hurt. Patients are often surprised at the knowledge their chiropractor has about everything from foot pain to elbow problems to carpal tunnel to sciatic pain to back pain. Chiropractors are often the one-stop shop for all of it. All you have to do is ask. Chiropractic physicians are often the only specialists you need to get great results quickly, cost-effectively, and get the rehab you need in one place. Once a patient is discharged from care and their problems are stabilized, personalized preventative care is recommended to help them stay out of pain and function better than before. When patients move, feel, and function better with chiropractic care, they also improve in how they feel with activity, which improves other systems in their bodies. Chiropractic manipulation is based on improving how the neurological system works as well, which is essential for overall health. Patients who feel and function better and follow chiropractic advice tend to live healthier lifestyles, which can help you stay out of the systems of specialists who look at us piecemeal. Having a great primary medical doctor and a great chiropractic sports physician for primary care of the musculoskeletal system is the ultimate team to keep you healthy, so your current and later years are more fulfilling and with more healthy years in the future. Keeping you healthier and out of the system is what primary care should do to help you feel and function at your best. For neck, back, and many other problems, including disc pain, think chiropractic first. Our office specializes in sports medicine, which will help you even more with many of the issues that often are resolved with chiropractic care. Need help today? Book online or call now.