The HealthFirst Chiropractic Blog

Chiropractic care and physical therapy both help people recover from pain, but they approach it differently. Chiropractic focuses on the alignment and movement of your joints, especially the spine, using hands-on adjustments to restore proper function. Physical therapy focuses on rebuilding strength, mobility, and movement patterns through guided exercise and

If you are hurt on the job in Ohio, workers compensation can cover chiropractic care to help you recover and return to work. The process involves reporting the injury, filing a claim, and receiving consistent treatment with proper documentation along the way. At HealthFirst Chiropractic in Westerville and Pickerington, our

A herniated or bulging disc happens when one of the cushions between your spinal bones pushes out of place and irritates nearby nerves. Warning signs include pain that radiates into an arm or leg, numbness or tingling, weakness in a limb, and pain that worsens with sitting, coughing, or sneezing.

A DOT physical is a federally required medical exam that commercial drivers must pass to stay certified to drive. At our Westerville office, Dr. Jason Schone is a certified DOT medical examiner who can perform your exam and complete the required paperwork. Coming prepared with the right documents and information

A sports chiropractor treats the whole body, not just the spine, to help athletes recover from injury, move better, and lower the risk of getting hurt again. At our Pickerington office, Dr. Tim Smart pairs Gonstead chiropractic with formal training in exercise physiology and strength conditioning to care for athletes

Functional medicine looks for the root cause of ongoing health problems instead of only treating the symptoms. At our Westerville office, Dr. Jan Schone uses functional medicine to help patients dealing with thyroid disorders, hormone imbalances, gut issues, and unexplained fatigue, especially those whose lab work keeps coming back “normal”

Tension headaches and migraines feel different and often start in different places. A tension headache usually brings a steady, dull pressure on both sides of the head, frequently tied to neck and shoulder tightness. A migraine tends to be a more intense, throbbing pain, often on one side, and can

Pregnancy chiropractic care offers safe, gentle adjustments that can help relieve the back, hip, and pelvic pain many expectant mothers feel as their bodies change. Our doctors use age-appropriate, low-force techniques designed for pregnancy, with comfort and safety as the priority at every visit. At our Westerville office, HealthFirst Chiropractic

The simplest way to tell sciatica from general low back pain is to notice where the pain travels. Low back pain usually stays in the lower back and feels like an ache, stiffness, or soreness. Sciatica involves a nerve, so the pain shoots from the lower back down through the

Cold laser therapy uses low-level light to reduce inflammation and stimulate cellular repair at the tissue level, with no drugs, needles, or downtime. It can help with both fresh injuries and long-standing pain, and it works particularly well alongside chiropractic adjustments. At HealthFirst Chiropractic, we offer cold laser therapy at

The main difference between Gonstead and traditional chiropractic comes down to precision. Traditional chiropractic often relies on general manipulation and the practitioner’s feel, while the Gonstead technique pinpoints the exact problem area using X-ray analysis, instrumentation, and hands-on palpation before any adjustment happens. At HealthFirst Chiropractic, all five of our

Massage therapy and chiropractic care are often thought of as separate things – one for relaxation, the other for pain. At HealthFirst Chiropractic in Westerville, they’re used together as a clinical pairing, and for good reason. When soft tissue work is combined with precise spinal adjustments, the results tend to