Coronavirus Update

Friends, these are strange times we’re living through.  My sincere hope for all of you is that you are able to stay healthy and use this time as a gift.  There are silver linings to be found, if we look for them. I have been looking for ways ways to be grateful for the gifts this virus may give us, however unwelcome and unexpected.

How often have we lamented the fast pace of modern life and our inability to jump off the merry-go-round while it’s moving? Many of us feel this acutely. The answer is NOW. We have the opportunity to slow down, heal mentally and transform emotionally and invite the vulnerability of this situation.

Maybe you’ll have time to start that project you’ve been dreaming about, call or FaceTime with a friend you’ve been meaning to contact, read a book, plant some flowers, start a vegetable garden, or play with your kids more than you’re usually able to.  If the silver lining for you is napping more often or catching up on that show you love, rest assured that you’re doing your part for the greater good. There aren’t many times we’ll be able to say that!

One thing is certain, and that is that the lessons we glean from this experience will help us move forward with a new normal. The “old normal” wasn’t working for a lot of us, so this is a great opportunity to reevaluate what wasn’t working and incorporate the things that will make our lives more balanced.

If you are a current patient and you are having a hard time, please reach out to me. I am happy to help if I can. Please read below the letter that you should all be receiving by email. It will also be posted on our Facebook page. Much love to all of you! We will get through this together!

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To our valued Dover Chiropractic Family:

Due to the current coronavirus situation, we are constantly reevaluating how to best protect our patients. Your health is and always will be our #1 priority. We would like to inform you of our efforts to keep our community safe and well.

After receiving guidance from the Maryland Board of Chiropractic, we will be open on a limited basis for the next few weeks. If you are having pain, please let us know. We hope to resume our normal schedule as soon as possible and will keep you posted on our efforts to do so. Chiropractors, as part of the healthcare community, have a responsibility in the prevention and mitigation efforts during this pandemic.

It is our responsibility to manage the urgent needs of our patients during this crisis. By continuing to see our patients who are in acute pain and under active care, we can help alleviate the burden on other health care providers. It is inappropriate to send patients to the office of a medical doctor, hospital emergency room, or other public health settings for musculoskeletal issues unless warranted. These facilities are overwhelmed and will be struggling to handle the increasing surge of patients.

Some of the measures we are taking to protect you while you are in our office include:

  • Our front door will be propped open so that you do not have to touch it on the way in/out of the office.
  • Our appointments will be spaced at intervals to minimize contact with others.
  • We may ask you to pre-pay over the phone to minimize the time you spend in the office.
  • We will ask patients to sign in verbally instead of using the iPad.
  • We will ask patients to use hand sanitizer at the beginning and end of their appointment.
  • We will be following CDC and OSHA standards for disinfecting tables, instruments, and surfaces.

Please stay home if:

  • You are high risk for complications from coronavirus.
  • You have symptoms of coronavirus, or allergies, cold, or flu.
  • You have recently traveled out of state or to a foreign country within the last month.
  • You have recently been hospitalized.

We are committed to the well-being of our patients. We believe the health of our community begins with the healthy individuals. We will continue to take necessary precautions, and follow local, national, CDC, and WHO safety guidelines. We also encourage our wellness family to be proactive and to take positive action towards maintaining their health.
If you have any further questions, please contact us at 410-377-3070

Sincerely,

Dr. Laura Dover

Now Offering Dry Needling

We are pleased to offer Dry Needling as a new treatment modality.

Dry Needling uses sterile, thin filiform needles to penetrate the skin and stimulate trigger points and connective tissues.  A trigger point is a (sometimes painful or tender) point in a tight band of muscle that reflects abnormal nervous system activity.  These points may feel like “knots” in the muscle and can create muscle irritation.  Dry Needling decreases pain and normalizes tissue function, allowing for a quicker recovery from chronic and acute conditions.  Dry Needling is an important tool for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring changes in myofascial trigger points.

One or a number of needles may be used and the procedure may be performed during more than one office visit.  There is little or no pain with this procedure.   Whether this is one part of your treatment or the only reason you come to see Dr. Dover, you will be pleased with the results.

Chiropractic and Your Nervous System

Your nervous system is your body’s master control center.  Every communication between your body and brain is carried through the complex network of nerves that are your nervous system.

The process of digestion, the feeling of thirst or the need to scratch an itch are all sensations that are controlled by your nervous system.  Even the sensation of pain is carried from the affected body part to you brain through your nervous system.  Every sensation you feel and the way you respond to that sensation is controlled by your nervous system.

If the communication between your brain and the rest of your nervous system is compromised in any way, the function of your nervous system will also be compromised.   If this happens, the messages that are relayed back and forth from your brain to your body will not be able to get through efficiently.  Some examples of how this might happen include muscle spasm, trigger points in your muscles or spinal misalignments, which a chiropractor can locate and correct.

Chiropractors assess your spine to determine if there are areas of interference and compromised communication.  A chiropractic adjustment, or series of adjustments, will help restore the proper function of your nervous system.  Keeping your nervous system free of interference and  functioning optimally is one of the most important things you can do to get healthy and stay healthy!

Kids and Chiropractic

More now than ever, parents are seeking natural methods of healthcare for their family.  Chiropractic is a natural method of health care that is safe, gentle and effective.  Many parents choose chiropractic care for their children because they are starting to realize that many common spinal problems seen in adults may begin as early as birth.  Locating and correcting these problems can improve the child’s overall health.

Even if the child was born “naturally”,  birth can stress an infant’s spine and developing nervous system.  The resulting irritation to the nerve system caused by spinal and cranial misalignment can cause several common health complaints. Colic, developmental delay, nursing or latching issues, sleep disturbances and chronic infections can often be traced to nervous system stress resulting from a misalignment.  As the infant grows and meets developmental milestones, learning to roll over, sit, crawl and walk are all activities that affect spinal alignment.  Even if your child seems healthy, these milestones are an ideal time to have your child checked by a chiropractor.

As a child begins to participate in regular childhood activities, such as riding a bike or playing a sport, small spinal misalignments may occur.  Childhood injury is one of the most common reasons a parent seeks care for their child.  Because childhood is a period of significant and rapid growth, if traumas are neglected during childhood, they may lead to more serious problems later in life.  These misalignments may or may not result in immediate pain or symptoms.  Subtle trauma throughout childhood can affect future development of the spine, leading to impaired nerve system function.

Any interference to the nervous system will adversely affect the body’s ability to function and grow optimally.  Regular chiropractic checkups throughout childhood can identify potential spinal injury from these traumas, allowing corrections to be made early in life, to help avoid many of the health complaints seen later in adults.

Another reason that parents seek out the care of a chiropractor is to resolve a particular symptom or condition.  Sometimes parents seek care for their child because of colic, ear infections, or headaches.  Although chiropractic can and does help with these issues, it is important to understand that a doctor of chiropractic does not diagnose or treat these conditions or diseases specifically.

The expertise of the chiropractor is in checking the child’s spine for misalignments that impair nerve system function, thereby affecting overall body function. These misalignments interfere with the body’s ability to send and receive messages to and from the brain. Because the nervous system controls and coordinates the function of all the systems in the body, nerve interference can impair any aspect of health.  A chiropractic adjustment restores proper alignment which in turn reduces nervous system irritation, allowing the body to be as healthy as possible.

Every chiropractic adjustment is tailored to fit a child’s size, weight, and development. Chiropractic care is a safe and  gentle way to keep your child healthy.

Proper Spinal Alignment

One of the long term benefits of chiropractic care is improved overall health.  The bony structures of the skull and spine protect our nervous system.  Our nervous system and peripheral nerves control and direct every function our bodies perform, from digestion to movement to immunity.   If there is interference because of a misalignment of the bony structures, the nervous system can’t function optimally.  Often, people become aware of a misalignment when they have pain, but these misalignments can start long before pain or other symptoms.  Getting regular adjustments, even if you have no symptoms, will allow you to optimize the function of your nervous system and body…helping  you live a healthier life.

Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

Chiropractic care during pregnancy is one of the most important things an expectant mother can do to to prepare for childbirth.  Many mothers are nervous about getting chiropractic care during pregnancy but it is safe and gentle for both mother and baby at every stage of pregnancy.

Getting chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy help to prepare the pelvis for an easier pregnancy and birth by balancing the bony structures, muscles and ligaments.  Removing torsion from the pelvis and the ligaments that support the uterus can potentially reduce aberrant tension on the woman’s uterus.

Chiropractic adjustments can reduce interference in the mother’s nervous system and allow her body to optimize the co-ordination of every system and function.  By improving maternal function, we decrease the potential for unnecessary intervention.

Chiropractic care before and during pregnancy can help make your pregnancy and delivery successful and healthy, but it can also help ease some of the discomforts of pregnancy like low back pain, sciatica, round ligament pain and pubic symphysis discomfort.