- Plantar FasciitisAt Westport Chiropractic our doctors all have extensive post graduate training in soft tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament, fascia) treatment techniques that allow us to provide safe, gentle and VERY effective treatments for athletic injuries, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and much more. To learn more about the specifics of these procedures, click the links below...
- Medical Weight LossThe Mediterranean Diet – the general diet guideline proven by mountains of research to promote good health and weight loss.
- NeurologyDoctor Fors is a member of the American Chiropractic Association and of the Massachusetts Chiropractic Society. He is a past president of the Southeastern Massachusetts Chiropractic Society. Dr. Fors is Board certified in Rehabilitation. He has completed the postgraduate board eligibility programs in Chiropractic Neurology, Graston Technique and Active Release Technique. He is a certified practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming with extensive training in Ericksonian Hypnosis. He also has hundreds of hours of postgraduate training in Sports Injuries, Soft Tissue Injury Diagnosis and Treatment, Temporomandibular Joint Disorders, Extremity (foot, knee, shoulder, etc.) Injury Diagnosis and Treatment...
- Carpal Tunnel SyndromeCARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME is a problem with a nerve in the arm that controls part of the palm, thumb, index and middle fingers. The nerve travels a difficult obstacle course from the neck down to the fingers. It has to pass safely between the bones of the cervical spine (neck), between the neck muscles, under the collar bone, through the shoulder muscles, through the arm and elbow muscles, under the wrist ligament that forms the ceiling of the “carpal tunnel” and finally into the hand. At any one of those places along that obstacle course, joint movement dysfunction (stuck joints) or muscle movement dysfunction (tight or weak muscles) caused by overuse can pull, pinch or rub on the nerve causing numbness, tingling and weakness in the hand. Proper treatment starts with chiropractic adjustment to free stuck joints in the neck, shoulder, elbow and/or wrist. Then advanced soft tissue treatments like Active Release Technique and Graston Technique break up scar tissue and adhesion freeing the nerve to function and feel normal again.
- Stress ManagementExplore our current and past monthly newsletters to learn more about chiropractic, diet, health, stress management and more.
- SciaticaSciatica is an irritation of the sciatic nerve causing pain starting in the buttock and radiating to the back of the thigh and sometimes as far as the foot. It is often, but not always, associated with disc problems. Whether the disc is involved or not, we almost always find joint movement dysfunction. It may be caused by joint and movement dysfunction in the low back and/or in the tight muscles in the hip, buttock and thigh. Specific adjustments restore normal joint motion, and advanced soft tissue techniques ( Active Release Technique or Graston Technique ) release the tight muscles. Corrective exercises are usually necessary to complete the correction.
- Pinched NerveWhat is commonly called a pinched nerve is a nerve is being irritated by abnormal tension or pressure. The larger nerve trunks of the arms and legs travel a complex obstacle course from their origin in the spine to their endpoint in fingers or toes. Along the way, they have to find their way out from between the bones (vertebrae) of the spine, and around and through muscles, joints, tendons, fascia, etc. Joint movement dysfunction (stuck joints) in the spine or along the path of the nerve can team up with muscle movement dysfunction (tight or weak muscles) to create the abnormal tension or pressure that produce the characteristic pain of a “pinched nerve”. Proper treatment starts with chiropractic adjustment to free stuck joints along the nerves path. Then advanced soft tissue treatments like Active Release Technique and Graston Technique release the scar tissue, adhesion and/or muscle tension removing the tension and pressure and returning the nerve to normal.
- Sports MedicineGraduating Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology/ Exercise Science, Dr. Berard had the privilege of working with NCAA Division I athletes. While completing the athletic training internship in the sports medicine department, he knew a career focus on the human body would suit him best. He went on to attend New York Chiropractic College (NYCC) in Seneca Falls, NY where he was the class vice president, member of the chiropractic honor society and received his Doctorate in Chiropractic.
- Frozen ShoulderShoulder pain and movement restriction are common complaints in those with jobs that require lots of manual labor, or just people who enjoy being active. The shoulder joint is very susceptible to injury due to its natural mobility. Various types of shoulder injuries from tendonitis, frozen shoulder and just general lack of mobility can be greatly helped by specific adjustments and advanced soft tissue techniques ( Active Release Technique or Graston Technique ) to restore normal range of motion and pain free mobility to the shoulder joint.
- Tennis ElbowThese are essentially the same condition the only difference being tennis elbow is felt on the outside and golfer’s elbow on the inside of the elbow. Both come from repetitive overuse of the muscles that bend the wrist and hand forward (golfer’s elbow) or backward (tennis elbow). The overuse causes microtears in the tendons that insert on the bone bumps on the inside and outside of the elbow. The tendon becomes inflamed and scar tissue is laid down in place of the tears to ‘patch up’ the area. The scar tissue binds and restricts these tendons, causing further stress on the tissues. Home care instruction is sometimes enough to solve mild cases. More severe cases need advanced soft tissue treatments like Active Release Technique and/or Graston Technique to break down the scarring. It is rare to find a case that does not also involve joint movement dysfunction in some combination of the wrist, elbow or cervical spine (neck) that needs correction with specific chiropractic adjustments. With the right treatment combination, most cases respond very well.
- Shoulder Pain
- Ankle SprainMost know to rest, ice, compress, and elevate the area following an ankle sprain to control swelling and inflammation in the area. Less well known but even more important is joint movement dysfunction and scarring that occur with most ankle sprains. Most ankle sprains happen when the ankle rolls in with the toes down, partially tearing the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. The body patches the “hole” in the ligament with scar tissue that is weaker, less flexible and more pain sensitive than healthy ligament leaving it vulnerable to ongoing pain and repeated sprains. The forced inversion (rolling in) of the ankle also often forces the top bone of the foot, the talus, forward and out where it becomes stuck, again contributing to ongoing pain and leaving the ankle “half sprained” until the problem is corrected. We offer advanced soft tissue treatments like Active Release Technique and Graston Technique to break down the scar tissue and encourage the growth of normal, healthy ligaments. Specific chiropractic adjustments to the ankle restore normal joint movement leaving the joint strong, stable and flexible.
- Neck Pain
- Back Pain
- Ankle Sprain
- Plantar FasciitisOur feet are designed to be almost as nimble as our hands. Like our hands, they have dozens of muscles capable of moving each part of the foot in every direction. Before humans wore shoes, this was necessary for walking over twigs, stones and the uneven surfaces that make up most of the natural world. In barefoot people, these muscles are strong and support the arches of the foot well. But most of us spend our days walking on hard, flat surfaces and in shoes that pad and support our feet but let our muscles get lazy and weak. Prolonged standing or walking can overload the lazy muscles damaging them and the fascia around them causing plantar fasciitis. Scar tissue forms to repair the damage, further constricting the plantar fascia until tension and pain develops, typically at the inside arch toward the foot toward the heel. This condition typically responds well to advanced soft tissue treatments like Active Release Technique and Graston Technique applied to calf and foot muscles. Treatment also often includes adjustments to restore mobility to the many joints of the foot, followed by strengthening exercises.