I’m very excited to tell you that I have a new Vallarta office location at the Bio Spa & Chiropractic Center in Plaza Marina (Local B-10).

Bio-Spa & Chiropractic Center Open House

You’re invited to join the grand opening celebration this Friday, November 30th, from 9AM to 7PM at the new location, where you’ll get to enjoy:

• some delicious food and drink
• meeting the talented natural health care professionals I’ve teamed up with
• tour the office & spa we’re working with
• participate in a raffle for various massages, exams, analyses, treatments, adjustments and more. All are welcome!

Directions to the Bio-Spa & Chiropractic Center in Plaza Marina are here.

• Postural imbalances & syndromes (rehabilitation of Upper-cross postural syndromes)
• Forward head carriage
• Rounded shoulders
• Sciatica
• Low back pain
• Neck pain
• Work injuries
• Lifting injuries
• Slip & Falls
• Car accident injuries (whiplash)
• Sport injuries
• Headaches
• Frozen shoulders
• Tingling and numbness in the upper & lower extremities
• Hip pain
• Knee pain
• Joint pain
• Herniated discs
• Bulging discs
• Pain down leg
• Problems with balance
• Fibro Myalgia

The list can go on however it is important to understand that Chiropractic has many more benefits than treating injuries and pain. There are many studies that have been done which demonstrate benefits of chiropractic for maximizing your body’s functional potential and also for athletic performance including increasing flexibility, stamina and overall agility.

In 2001 & 2002 I treated the Cal Berkeley Sculling Crew (UC Berkeley) which consisted of a minimum of eight Olympic Athletes from eight different countries along with many other aspiring World Class Athletes. The treatments were almost exclusively for the purpose of maximizing their potential and helping them to perform at their very optimum level in order to be the best in the world at the sport they competed in. In these two years the Cal Berkeley Crew were the National Champions and ranked #1 in United States.

Many people get chiropractic care without having any symptoms or injuries with the goal of achieving their maximum potential in their day to day activities and as a preventative measure to avoid the health problems that are related to the Vertebral Subluxation Complex and spinal functional disorders! Examples of other benefits of Chiropractic that many people have experienced but are not limited to are:

• Sleeping improvements
• Better concentration
• Less muscular stress
• Improvement (lowering of) blood pressure
• Improved endurance and stamina
• Rehabilitation for post-surgical knee, hip & back
• greater flexibility
• General movement improvements
• Improved and increased balance

I personally do not treat conditions which are of a systemic nature; however they are often reduced or eliminated as a result of the care my patients receive from me. We have all been educated and conditioned to seek out care when we are sick or in pain. There is a much more sound and effective approach to being healthy. Maintaining the health and balance in our bodies. We need to keep our immune systems strong and take a preventative approach by maintaining our spines and bodies with sound lifestyle chooses, good nutrition and a positive attitude.

If asked what I specialize in, the most accurate description after Chiropractic would be Neuro-Muscular Re-education (NMR). This is a systematic approach of balancing the musculature of the body to correct postural imbalances and return proper balance to the muscles supporting our frame. One of my next posts will be a detailed explanation of NMR.

Who needs Chiropractic? In my humble opinion, we all can use and benefit from Chiropractic adjustments. The absence of pain does not mean that we are functioning at our best. When we have a bio mechanical deficit or joints and muscles that are not working correctly, the last symptom to develop is pain. When our pain leaves us, our joints and muscles along with the along with the nerve interference may still present if we have not taken action to correct the imbalances. When our spines are functioning at their best, free of Vertebral Subluxation, our nervous system can function free of interference giving us a greater potential to be healthy and dis-ease free.

Your Puerto Vallarta Chiropractor,

Dr. Lenny

Symptoms Related to Vertebral Subluxation Complex

What makes up a Vertebral Subluxation Complex?

• Component #1 – Spinal Kinesiopathology —altered movement in the spinal segments involved. This could be caused by inflammation, joint fixation, scar tissue formation and/or neuro-muscular dysfunction.
•  Component #2 – Neuropathophysiology/Neuropathology — Nerves are irritated and/or compressed affecting the flow of normal nerve signals. This can manifest as localized pain, neuropathy (nerve pain down an arm or leg) and or weakness in the innervated musculature among many other symptoms.
•  Component #3 – Myopathology — Muscles respond with muscle spasm, muscle weakness and/or atrophy (loss of muscle mass due to decrease in nerve supply or non-use)
•  Component #4 – Histopathology — Changes at the cellular and tissue levels creating inflammation, joint changes (osteoarthritis), and often a contributing factor to pressure or irritation of the nerve
•  Component #5 -Pathophysiology/Pathology — pathophysiological changes are an accumulative effect of the previous four components. These often manifest locally as degeneration, connective tissue (fibrosis or scarring) and often lead to a decrease in over health and balance within the systems involved and/or innervated by the nerves that are involved

Most people think that if there back is “out”, it is simply a bone that needs to be returned to its normal position. This is a very simplified belief because if the subluxation or the VSC has been present for any length of time, all the components above are involved to some extent or another. Some of the signs of pre-existing Vertebral Subluxation Complexes are; Osteoarthritis (also known as Degenerative Joint Disease or Intervertebral Disc Disease), long term muscle spasm, neuropathy, pain and/or weakness in or down a limb, atrophy and or pain.

Most of the time when someone is injured doing a simple everyday task or activity, there was some kind of underlying weakness due to a previous injury and or developmental imbalance that has been present for some time (possibly since birth). It is not uncommon for someone to experience a fall or minor car accident and believe that no injury is present. After time, often triggered by a simple every day activity, we find ourselves experiencing pain that we relate to the activity that we were doing at the time the pain began when in fact it could have been caused by an event or injury that happened days months or even years before the pain began! At times the VSC is asymptomatic (no pain or discomfort are felt) for many years and the symptoms come on suddenly leaving the person experiencing the problem without any understanding or idea as to why they are in pain or what they did to cause the problem.

It is not uncommon for someone to walk into my office and ask me to adjust them telling me that they have no injuries or problems and have no need to be put through the time or expense of a Chiropractic history and examination. I do not agree! If I am going to perform a Chiropractic Adjustment on somebody’s spine or neck (or any other joint in the body), I believe it is very necessary to have the knowledge of all traumas, accidents, injuries that have been accumulated throughout the patient’s lifetime in order to rule out any more threatening lesions and to give the highest quality and competent care that I possibly can!

If you have any questions or comments feel free to share them by posting them below! Thank you!

Your Puerto Vallarta Chiropractor,

Dr. Lenny

In the course of our day to day life, we develop spinal misalignment or dysfunctional motor units due to blunt injury, slip and falls, sports injuries, repeated stresses, strain/sprains or developmental imbalances. Misalignment’s or dysfunctional motor units at the spinal level are referred to as, Subluxations or Vertebral Subluxation Complex. The term luxation is defined as a total dislocation of two articulating surfaces (joints). A Subluxation is anything less than a total dislocation of articulating surfaces (joints). When a subluxation is present, there are many changes that occur at the spinal levels of the misalignment. These include irritation and inflammation of the tissues involved. The result is often nerve irritation and/or pressure on a nerve, reducing the healthy communication of nerve supply between the brain and the tissues that are affected by the nerve supply from the spinal level.

Chiropractic philosophy is based on the premise of “Innate Intelligence”. Innate Intelligence is the body’s ability to constantly regulate its own healing powers always healing itself from within. When communication between the nervous system and the tissues the nerve communicates with are compromised, the tissues that the irritated nerve supplies will respond by becoming dysfunctional and possibly leading to disease. When the communication pathways are clear, innate intelligence will working at its best and the body will heal itself without interference!

Chiropractic is the science and art of locating, reducing and eliminating the Vertebral Subluxation Complex, restoring correct alignment and function to the affected motor units and proper nerve supply to the affected structures and tissues.

The most common symptoms which brings people to see a Chiropractor are:

• Back Pain

• Neck Pain

• Stiffness

• Headaches

• Tingling and/or numbness in or down an extremity

• Sciatica

• Balance problems

• Postural imbalances such as forward head carriage and rounded shoulders

• Core stabilization

There are many other reasons people desire to pursue chiropractic care. Many believe that if you maintain the alignment of your spine and the functioning of your spinal motor units (joints) you can prevent Subluxations and the compromise of nerve supply. You can maintain function and perform at peak levels! In other words a person who maintains their spinal health is able to perform at their maximum potential. I have had the pleasure of treating National Champion and Olympic Scullers who believed that their abilities and potential was advanced by receiving chiropractic adjustments.

Chiropractic Adjustments are the main method that Doctors of Chiropractic use to reduce and eliminate the Vertebral Subluxation and its effects. A Chiropractic adjustment consists of a short lever high velocity thrust to restore the proper position and function to the affected structures. The skilled Chiropractor can apply these adjustments with minimal discomfort and stress in a very professional manner. In many cases there are a series of adjustments necessary to bring the affected area back to normal function. Exercises are often prescribed to assist the body in the balancing process. In most cases a patient’s pain can be managed in a minimum of treatments.

In my office, I always take a detailed health history consisting of the details of all trauma, injuries and accidents of any consequence that has occurred in my patient’s life. The history consists of preexisting medical conditions, surgeries, medications being used and detailed questions regarding the onset and progression of the problem which brought them to my office for care. If you would like any additional explanation or information make a comment or visit the contact page on this website.

Your Puerto Vallarta Chiropractor,

Dr. Lenny