Chiropractic treats pain with regular adjustments by correcting the root cause; not just treating the symptoms. Dr. Newquist uses multiple types of adjustment techniques appropriate for the patient’s condition. Chiropractic and proper body mechanics are the foundation of activity and performance.

Functional medicine is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach to healthcare that looks beyond symptom resolution to identify why illness occurs, then address those root causes to restore health. While conventional medicine focuses on using medication to reduce symptoms, functional medicine empowers patients and practitioners to work as a team to resolve the complex, underlying causes of disease or disorders to promote optimal wellness through diet, exercise and lifestyle changes. 

Dr. Newquist is an expert in nutrition and enjoys working with a variety of patient populations, including those dealing with gastrointestinal complaints, inflammation issues or autoimmune disease, as well as those seeking nutrition, supplementation or chiropractic advice and treatment. He is also well-versed in nutrition for sports performance, weight loss, and muscle gain. Dr. Newquist believes that nutrition is key to health and wellbeing, whether you are a weekend warrior, playing a high intensity sport, or just desiring to become a healthier you.

Myofascial Release is often used to treat sensitivity and tightness in your myofascial tissues. These tissues surround and support the muscles throughout the body. 

Therapeutic stretching focuses on the use of both active and passive stretching as part of the rehabilitation of common musculoskeletal conditions and injuries. This increases range of motion, reduces tight and/or stiff muscles, and enhances mobility. 

Unlike other forms of laser therapy, LLLT uses a low-intensity laser and/or laser emitting diodes (LEDs). These low-level lights are applied directly to a targeted area of the body at varying wavelengths and outputs. The skin and body tissues absorb the light, resulting in physiological reactions. The lasers used in LLLT are typically small (often handheld) units, and unlike surgical and aesthetic lasers, do not heat the targeted tissue. Instead, LLLT emits low levels of light that are absorbed by your mitochondria (the energy-producing organelles in many of your cells), which then can increase cellular energy production and ultimately help heal surrounding tissue. This process is comparable to plant photosynthesis, during which sunlight is absorbed by plants and converted to energy for the plants to grow.

Healing Benefits of LLLT

Low-level laser therapy may sometimes provide an effective alternative to surgery or medications—without accompanying side effects. It can help regenerate tissue, reduce inflammation, decrease pain, and increase immunity, and research has shown its efficacy in treating many conditions, including:

• Plantar fasciitis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Temporomandibular joint disorder
• Exercise-induced muscle fatigue and injury prevention
• Skin conditions
• Traumatic brain injury
• Stroke

Risks and Disadvantages

There are no known side effects of LLLT when used properly. 

It typically takes a series of LLLT sessions to produce results. Unfortunately, many insurance providers do not cover LLLT at this time.

A microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulator or MENS (also microamperage electrical neuromuscular stimulator) is a device used to send weak electrical signals into the body. Such devices apply extremely small (less than 1 microampere) electrical currents to nerves using electrodes placed on the skin. One microampere (uA) is 1 millionth of an ampere, and the uses of MENS are distinct from those of “TENS” which runs at one milliamp (mA) or one thousandth of an amp. MENS allows damaged tissues to heal faster and provides superior pain relief compared to other electrotherapies.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation involves the use of low-voltage electric currents to treat pain. A small device delivers the current at or near nerves. TENS therapy blocks or changes your perception of pain. 

There are three primary benefits to ultrasound. The first is the speeding up of the healing process from the increase in blood flow in the treated area. The second is the decrease in pain from the reduction of swelling and edema. The third is the gentle massage of muscle tendons and/or ligaments in the treated area because no strain is added and any scar tissue is softened. These three benefits are achieved by two main effects of therapeutic ultrasound: Thermal effects are due to the absorption of the sound waves; non-thermal effects are from cavitation, micro streaming and acoustic streaming. 

Cavitational effects result from the vibration of the tissue causing microscopic bubbles to form, which transmit the vibrations in a way that directly stimulates cell membranes. This physical stimulation appears to enhance the cell-repair effects of the inflammatory response.

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses. EMS has received an increasing amount of attention in the last few years for many reasons: it can be utilized as a strength training tool for healthy subjects and athletes; it could be used as a rehabilitation and preventive tool for partially or totally immobilized patients; it could be utilized as a testing tool for evaluating the neural and/or muscular function in vivo; it could be used as a post-exercise recovery tool for athletes. The impulses are generated by a device and are delivered through electrodes on the skin near to the muscles being stimulated. The electrodes are generally pads that adhere to the skin. The impulses mimic the action potential that comes from the central nervous system, causing the muscles to contract. The use of EMS has been cited by sports scientists as a complementary technique for sports training, and published research is available on the results obtained.

Dry hydrotherapy combines the elements of massage by simulating the strokes of hands-on massage. Following treatment, studies have shown that blood pressure is reduced, oxygen levels increased and the level of pain decreased as the body’s natural painkillers are released. Hydrotherapy reduces pain and promotes healing by stimulating circulation, heightening endorphin production and flushing metabolites and lactic acid from sore, overworked muscles. It’s like having the benefits of a Jacuzzi without getting wet!

Athletic taping is the process of applying tape directly to the skin in order to maintain a stable position of bones and muscles during athletic activity. The procedure uses tape to physically keep in place muscles or bones at a certain position. This reduces pain and aids recovery. Taping is usually used to help the patient recover from overuse and other injuries.

The general goals of athletic taping are to restrict the motion of an injured joint, compress soft tissues to reduce swelling, support anatomical structures involved in the injury, serve as a splint or secure a splint, secure a dressing or bandages, protect the injured joint from re-injury, and protect the injured part while it is in the healing process.

McConnell Tape or MT is one of the most commonly used techniques of corrective tape. The McConnell method was developed by an Australian physical therapist in 1984. This method uses a 2-tier system.

Tier 1: First a protective first layer is put down using cover roll, which is a soft cotton tape. This goes over the area to be taped.

Tier 2: The corrective tape, most commonly leukotape, is placed to create the correction that is desired.

Uses of McConnell Taping

McConnell taping is one of the most common treatments used for knee joint/knee cap pain (patellofemoral pain). It is used to correct the tracking of the kneecap, which can track or move incorrectly for several reasons – such as knee cap instability, pressure in the knee, overactivity of the iliotibial band (ITB), excessive lateral tracking and Osgood-Schlatter.

The use of tape can allow for immediate pain relief and therefore allow you to strengthen muscles and/or improve patterns with less pain – both during PT sessions and during everyday activities at home. These taping techniques can easily be taught to you or a loved one so that it can be reproduced at home or during sporting events.

Commonly targeted with corrective taping techniques include the foot, ankle, shoulder and spine.

The product is a type of thin, elastic cotton tape that can stretch up to 140% of its original length. As a result, if the tape is applied stretched greater than its normal length, it will “recoil” after being applied and therefore create a pulling force on the skin. This elastic property allows much greater range of motion compared to traditional white athletic tape and can also be left on for long periods of time before reapplication.

Designed to mimic human skin, with roughly the same thickness and elastic properties, the tape can be stretched 30–40% in the longitudinal direction. It is a latex-free material with acrylic adhesive, which is heat activated. The cotton fibers allow for evaporation and quicker drying, leading to longer wear time, up to 4 days. How the tape is claimed to affect the body is dependent on its usage throughout the body and how it is applied: the direction of pull, the shape, and the location all play a role in its hypothetical function.

There are several theoretical benefits claimed for the tape. One of those is correcting the alignment of weak muscles as well as facilitating joint motion as a result of the tape’s recoiling qualities. Additionally, the tape is claimed to lift the skin, increasing the space below it, and increasing blood flow and circulation of lymphatic fluids (swelling). This increase in the interstitial space is said to lead to less pressure on the body’s nociceptors, which detect pain, and to stimulate mechanoreceptors, to improve overall joint proprioception.

Spinal Decompression and mechanical traction is a non-surgical method effective for relieving pain associated with bulging discs, herniated disc, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, pinched nerves, and other back and spine issues. 

Intersegmental traction is delivered through the use of a specialized traction table. IST is an effective chiropractic therapy that facilitates passive motion into the spine for the purpose of stretching the spinal joints to increase mobility. It helps to gently and effectively reestablish normal range of motion to your spine and relax the muscles and reduce muscular hypertonicity. One of the primary side effects of pain is muscular contraction and reduced mobility.