One day after Halloween and the Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations and commercials are already swarming! Suddenly, the relaxed sense of fall has been whisked away with the leaves and it feels like “crunch time” until the end of the year. The holidays can be the most enjoyable time of the year, and the most stressful. With shorter days, it feels like you have less time to get everything on your to-do list done. Don’t let the hustle and bustle throw you off. It’s still important to take the time to focus on your personal wellness.

Common Causes of Holiday Stress

The first step to avoiding the build-up of stress is to recognize the common causes of stress that occur around this time of year. Let’s take a look at the way your lifestyle may change during the winter months.
Lower levels of activity is one of the most common impacts of colder air. Even the most routinely active people often find themselves skipping out on the gym to sit in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate.
Changes in diet is another factor that can affect your overall wellness. We all know that your sugar intake spikes starting at Halloween and often all the way through New Years and fresh vegetables are harder to come by. Diet has a big impact on your mood and overall energy level.
Pressure on finances and time is another major stressor during the holidays. Buying food for big family meals, making sure you get a gift for everyone on your list, and still trying to find time for self-care can add up to a stressful season.
These stressors can express themselves both physically and mentally, but there are ways the keep yourself from falling into a seasonal rut.

Ways to Stay on Track

Being more mindful of these lifestyle changes is the first step to staying on track. The sheer desire to make sure you’re keeping up with your routine and healthy habits can make a big difference in keeping the stress at bay. It’s a lot to juggle, but it’s not impossible!
Stay active as much as you can, in any way you can. Take an extra lap around the mall when you’re shopping. Trade a road run for some gym time. You can even make time to spend time with the family out in the leaves or playing in the snow. It’s a great activity that gets your endorphins moving!
Don’t over-commit yourself to work, holiday parties, or your Christmas list. The holidays are a great time to take some time off and enjoy time with your family. Keep in mind that you don’t have to attend every Christmas Party you’re invited to or buy something for everyone you know.
Keep up with your wellness routine. Give yourself the gift of self-care this year! Even when things get busy, taking the time to go to the gym, get a massage to release the tension, or visit your chiropractor for a regular adjustment can make a big difference in getting through the crazy season!
Chiropractic care focuses on releasing the build up of tension throughout the nervous system. Pain symptoms from stress, such as headaches and muscle tension, can be relieved through gentle adjustments that allow the nervous system to release. Make sure you make some time for you this holiday season. We’re here to help.

Rising to a Challenge

Five months ago, Shannon brought Taylor in to see Dr. Matthis after his special aide at school suggested that she bring him in for the neurological benefits that come with chiropractic care. Taylor, a young teenager, is on the autism spectrum and experiences a lot of muscle tension and headaches as symptoms of his disability. While autism often expresses itself in different ways for every individual, symptoms are interconnected through the nervous system. Chiropractic is a non-invasive way for doctors to help patients find balance and relief in their nervous system, helping to lighten the effects of the disability.

“When he leaves, he’s in such a great mood,” says Shannon about her son. “Dr. Matthis is really excellent with kids.”

Dr. Matthis is especially engaging when Taylor comes into his office. While it can sometimes be a challenge to get Taylor into the correct position for an adjustment, Dr. Matthis makes it seem like a fun game. He truly gets joy out of helping Taylor find relief by making adjustments to his back, neck, and jaw.

Caring for the Caretaker

Not long after Shannon started bringing Taylor to see Dr. Matthis, she decided to try chiropractic out for herself. After spending so many years taking care of her son, it was time to take care of herself.

“I’ve had sciatica for years, but you really forget that kind of stuff when you’re a caretaker,” says Shannon.
“I had no idea how ‘jacked up’ I was until I started seeing him. It’s also a great stress reliever.“

Shannon jokes that after every visit she wishes she could just take a nap in her car and enjoy the release, but her work is never over. Realizing this, Dr. Matthis takes care to make sure that Shannon is equipped with the knowledge of how to get the most out of her and Taylor’s treatments and techniques for self-care and maintenance.

While we realize Shannon and Taylor are extremely grateful for the hard work Dr. Matthis puts in to help them improve their daily lives, we believe he’s equally grateful for the opportunity.

When sitting in the waiting room of the Tuck Clinic in Christiansburg, one may hear a yelp or holler coming from Dr. Matthis’s office. No- the patients are not screaming in pain, it’s just one of the many ways that Dr. Matthis works to help calm the nerves that may come along with getting an adjustment for the first time.

Savings Lives with Humility

To be a fly on the wall of his office is to watch every type of person come through his door feeling pain and leaving with a smile on their face. You may also spot a box full of letters, cards, and printed out emails from patients about how he has impacted their lives. When you ask Dr. Matthis what he does every day, he puts it simply, but passionately: “I save lives.”

On challenging days, Dr. Matthis likes to sort through his box of letters and reflect on past successes. Sometimes, it’s helping veterans with excruciating pain left over from wars of the past. Other times, it’s helping caregivers spend a few minutes taking care of their own bodies for a change. While Dr. Matthis may not always keep someone from actually losing their life, he often helps make a difficult life worth living, and helps restore their livelihood.
“It’s universal. It can be for pain, but it can also be for a weakened immune system,” says Dr. Matthis. “Everything in the body is controlled by the nervous system so when it’s taken care of, your body is functioning better and technically you are more healthy overall.”

Sharing the Message of Flexibility

For Dr. Matthis, it’s important that people understand that chiropractic can be a part of the solution in the bigger picture. He works hard in his clinic as well as in the community to improve understanding of the field and it’s best practices. In this way, he’s able to improve the lives of his patients as well as other chiropractors.
As a leader at Tuck Chiropractic and in professional organizations like the Virginia Chiropractic Association, Dr. Matthis serves as a voice for new concepts in the chiropractic profession and collaborates with other health care professions throughout the medical field to improve relations. Recently, his message has focused on two techniques that we use at Tuck Chiropractic Clinic that are all encompassing: flexibility and humility.
“It’s about finding what fits a patient and meeting them there,” says Dr. Matthis. “We are building doctors that meet patients and their needs, not doctors that need patients.”
At Tuck Chiropractic, we follow the philosophy that if we can’t help you, we’ll find someone else who can. It’s important to not only focus on our individual strengths, but to know when and where to fill in for the weaknesses. That’s why the team approach at our clinics are vital to the success that our patients see, and that’s why most doctors that complete their internships at one of our clinics stick around to practice.
At the end of the day, Dr. Matthis takes lessons from the wins and the losses. In this way, he strives everyday to live a life where, along with himself, he helps patients feel better and live better lives.

Bringing a child into the world is a beautiful thing, but it does cause a lot of changes to occur in the body. These changes can sometimes bring pain and discomfort. Chiropractic care is a proven, safe way to manage lower back pain and sciatica that often comes with the pressure of carrying a baby for 9 months. Receiving care throughout your pregnancy could help you manage these changes to your body and the strain the extra weight puts on your muscles and spine. But that’s not the only way chiropractic care can make a big difference during your pregnancy.

Webster Technique for a Safer Birth

When a baby is in a breeched position with their bottom in the position to be birthed first, the mother and child could face a high-risk delivery and often times a mandatory cesarean section. This is common in 3-5% of pregnancies. The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic adjustment that is made to help a late-term pregnant woman whose baby is in the breached position. The doctor can safely manipulate the position of the baby to the proper delivery position.
Essentially, the Webster Technique adjusts the sacrum and relieves tension that is preventing the baby from moving into the proper position. Studies have shown that when the Webster Technique was employed early enough before delivery, 92% of patients were successfully manipulated into the correct position. This allows mothers to pursue a natural, low-risk birth.

Tuck Chiropractic Doctors Are Waiting to Help

Expectant mothers can embrace a safe, natural alternative to find relief during and after their pregnancy. All of our doctors are passionate about helping parents bring new life into the world safely and without unnecessary pain. Schedule an appointment at a clinic near you to find out how we can help.

When one thinks about chiropractic care, they may think about loud pops and sore backs. There may be some truth to that, but back pain and adjustments are small components of chiropractic care. There are so many more benefits of visiting a chiropractor. You don’t even have to be in any immediate pain to take a visit! Chiropractic is an excellent preventative care method. In fact, making your first visit before you’re in pain can save you from experiencing it in the first place.

Before The Pain

The spine is possibly the most vulnerable part of the body. It bears the brunt of a lot our bad habits. Chiropractors spend a lot of time correcting those bad habits and relieving the pain that many experience in their backs. Chiropractors encourage their patients to seek chiropractic treatment before their bad habits turn into damage to the spine.
Similar to learning proper weightlifting techniques before starting a new gym routine, visiting a chiropractor can prevent injury from happening. When it comes to your body, it’s very important to be proactive instead of reactive.

Long-Term Wellness

While many people experience almost immediate relief after a chiropractic visit, receiving regular care is more of a lifestyle change. Chiropractors aim to help you live your best pain-free life. This means making long-term changes that result in the healthiest you.
There is an interesting domino effect that happens when you start to seek chiropractic care. Once you start physically feeling better, you want to be more physically active and independent. Then, you want to maintain your new and improved physical fitness by living a more active lifestyle. Finally, when you feel better physically, you feel better mentally. This beautiful cycle continues and you end up living the best version of your life.

More Than Backs

Many chiropractic patients have found relief from things such as migraines, ear infections, allergies, and more. Because the goal of chiropractic care is wellness and living a pain-free life, many will find relief in areas beyond their backs. There have been many cases of patients that have found that their chronic migraines have subsided after frequent treatment from their chiropractor. Others have found that they are sleeping more soundly. The trickle-down effect of chiropractic can be found in many areas of the body.
If you are currently in pain, or you’re just curious about the care we provide at Tuck Clinic, reach out! We are here to help you live you’re best pain-free life.

The practice of chiropractic care focuses on the spine and nervous system, which control and coordinate your musculoskeletal system and how your body moves and functions. When these systems are out of alignment, they can cause pain, tension, and limited mobility. While we are able to treat anyone with pain, there are certain groups of individuals that suffer from chronic illnesses that can especially benefit from our therapies and adjustments. Chronic illnesses that wreak havoc on the musculoskeletal and nervous system, such as fibromyalgia, can be managed with chiropractic care.

Defining Fibromyalgia

The National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association defines fibromyalgia as “a chronic pain disorder that causes widespread pain and tenderness to touch that may occur body-wide or migrate over the body.” Other symptoms from fibromyalgia include fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive difficulties, and stiffness. It can also express itself in mental conditions and other systemic issues like irritable bowel syndrome.
This illness has existed for centuries but researchers still find it difficult to categorize fibromyalgia and attribute a cause to the disease. Because it is difficult to pinpoint the cause and it expresses itself differently for every person, it’s also difficult to pinpoint the proper medication or treatment for individuals. Often times, people suffering from fibromyalgia have lifelong journey of seeking out a solution for their pain.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help

Because of the complexity of the disorder, fibromyalgia often requires a myriad of treatments to help sufferers find relief. Popular approaches include the combination of patient education on daily habits to help overcome issues, aerobic exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, and of course, chiropractic. All of these methods can work together in a multidisciplinary approach to tackle the various symptoms and sources of pain to improve the patient’s overall quality of life. While there will never be complete relief from this disorder, we can still make a difference.
Because chiropractors work so closely with the systems that cause pain in fibromyalgia patients, we can use our treatments to reduce pain and strengthen muscles. Using diagnostic techniques, a chiropractor can zone in on where localized pain is coming from even when individuals are experiencing full body pain and tenderness. In 1997, a research study tracked the effectiveness of chiropractic management of fibromyalgia patients. The study consisted of a 4 week regimen of spinal manipulation, soft tissue therapy, and passive stretching. By using the Oswestry Pain Disability Index, Neck Disability Index, and range of motion observations, the study deduced that patients experienced improvement in the cervical and lumbar ranges of motion and reported pain levels. Since this pilot study, research has only strengthened the evidence that chiropractic care can help fibromyalgia patients manage their pain.

We Will Work With Your Primary and Specialty Care Providers

We believe in the power of multidisciplinary collaboration, especially for individuals suffering from complex disorders such as fibromyalgia. Evidence has shown that when medical professionals across areas of expertise are able to communicate and collaborate care around a patient’s complex needs, the outcomes are even more effective. If you’ve sought care from a rheumatologist, orthopedist, physical therapist, or don’t even know where to start. We can help. We will gladly work with your care providers to find the best solution for your needs. Let’s get started today.

Barry Henry struggled with debilitating back pain since October of 2004. His journey was long, dark, and painful. He had seen doctors, endured shots, and even prepared himself for surgery. At one point, his doctor refused to operate on his back. He said that the risk for paralysis was too high risk to operate. Just when he thought he was out of options, his physical therapist recommended Tuck Chiropractic. His life was changed forever.

The Path To Independence

In October 2004, Henry woke up and couldn’t move from his bed. He back was in severe pain. This was just the start of what was soon to be years of painful back ailments. Henry was diagnosed with everything from herniated discs, to osteoporosis, and even sciatica. To say Henry was in pain is an understatement.
Then, in July of 2017 Henry hit rock bottom. During a stay in the hospital for a back-related injury, Henry developed sepsis. Sepsis is potentially life-threatening complication of an infection in the body that triggers widespread inflammation. It is particularly dangerous for the elderly. Thankfully, Henry was able to treat his sepsis. However, he was still feeling hopeless about ever returning to full health.
“I was just existing, I wasn’t living,” says Henry.
Henry’s back pain caused him to lose his independence. He began walking with a cane and had to rely on it for 12 years. He referred to it as his third leg. He said he started to feel guilty that he wasn’t able to keep up with household chores. His wife became his caretaker.
It was because of the recommendation to try a chiropractor from his Physical Therapist that Henry found Tuck Chiropractic Clinic in Bedford. That was when Henry started to find the relief he had dreamed of for 12 years.
Henry then made his first appointment to visit Dr. Earsing of the Bedford clinic. He walked in with a walker and hunched over like a “90-year-old man who had done hard labor his whole life” Henry says.
“Earsing told me he would try to help me. With my case being so advanced I think we both had our doubts. I was willing to try anything at that point,” says Henry.
After about 6 months of visiting Dr. Earsing, Henry was relying less and less on his cane. Eventually, he stopped needing it all together. His pain had reduced significantly. Henry was starting to live again.
“Even people at church who knew me and knew I walked with a cane, ask how I did it. I told them Dr. Earsing worked a miracle on me. He really cared about my health. I couldn’t do housework, but now I can. My pain has become manageable,” says Henry.
Henry has been a regular at the Bedford clinic for just about a year now and is enjoying his new life with limited pain. He feels intense gratitude towards Dr. Earsing and the rest of the staff at the clinic.
“I still can’t believe it. My quality of life has improved tremendously,” Henry says.
If you or someone you know is in pain, we want to help. Contact any of our clinics today to start your journey to a better you.

If you’re new to chiropractic as a patient, you probably have a lot of questions and concerns about the over all intake process works and how your first adjustment will go. At Tuck Chiropractic Clinic, our doctors and staff strive to make it as easy as possible to schedule your first appointment and begin your journey towards living a better, pain free life. We make scheduling your first appointment and filling out your patient form a seamless online experience. This way we can dive right into delivering collaborative, hands-on care. While everyone has an experience that is catered to their individual needs, here are a few things that you can expect on your first visit.

Your Intake Process

Once the Clinic that is most convenient to you has reached out to schedule your first appointment, it’s smooth sailing from there. They will direct you to our New Patient Form so that we have a great deal of information about your personal health problems and goals before you even walk through the door. It will guide the intake process when you arrive.
You’ll often get greeted by name, even on your first visit! Our friendly staff work hard to review your information prior to your arrival so that they can provide a smooth intake experience. Upon arrival, you will be asked to fill out a small questionnaire about the areas you are experiencing pain. Then, you will sit down with a doctor to discuss your needs further. During this intake interview, they will ask more about your lifestyle and habits. This way, we can set baseline goals for outcomes as well as provide recommendations on how you can get the best of your chiropractic care by making changes in your daily life.

Chiropractic Exam

After your doctor has gotten a solid foundation of knowledge about your personal needs, they will perform a chiropractic exam and possibly order X-rays, depending on the severity of the problems. The chiropractic exam consists of performing a few minor physical movements, checking reflexes, and gauging the severity of your injury. These steps are taken to assure that they have a full understanding of how your musculoskeletal system is reacting to stimuli and how it is straining, causing pain. It’s also useful to rule out any deeper nervous system issues. If needed, the doctor may order X-rays in the area of pain to make sure there are no broken bones or to identify any disc compression.

Initial Therapies and Adjustment

With a full knowledge of your pain and a clear direction for the treatments needed, the doctor will administer any necessary therapies and adjustments to begin the process of healing. Sometimes, electric muscle stimulation therapy or ultrasound therapy is used as a way to stimulate the muscles and prepare them for the manipulation adjustment. Using electrical currents or ultrasound waves, the muscles are relaxed, helping to reduce stiffness and spasms. Settings for these therapies are adjustable to your comfort. We never want to cause more pain or comfort than you are already experiencing.
At this point, it’s time for your first adjustment! You doctor will talk you through each of the techniques before they perform the manipulation and what you can expect from each. You will almost always experiencing a “cracking” or “popping” sound and sensation. Over time, these may become less intense as your skeletal system decompresses over the next few visits. If at any time the sensation is too intense, please let your doctor know so they can adjust their technique. After your adjustments are complete, the doctor will likely give you further instructions on ways to stretch the area properly, frequency of icing needed to reduce inflammation, and any other key daily adjustments to achieve the maximum benefit from the adjustments. From here, you will likely need to visit the clinic 5-6 times over the next one to two weeks to get the best results. After these first visits, the doctor will revisit your goals, level of pain, and advise your continued treatment.
If you have any further questions about what to expect, we gladly provide more information and Frequently Asked Questions on our website!

As a fitness instructor, car accident survivor, and sufferer of spinal stenosis, Yvonne Heath was no stranger to chiropractic care when she came into Tuck Chiropractic Clinic for help three months ago. She had even seen multiple doctors at the clinic over the past few years. This time, she was visiting Dr. Earsing for the first time in seek of relief from upper back and low back pain. Little did she know that asking for help for her knee out of sheer curiosity would lead to a life-changing treatment plan.
Three years ago, Yvonne had torn her meniscus and needed to get surgery to repair the damage. Despite a successful operation by a very talented surgeon, she hasn’t been able to walk properly since. The result of the surgery was limited flexibility and extreme tightness in the joint, surrounding muscles, and tendons – causing limited range of motion. At the time of her first visit, she was unable to straighten her leg.
For three years, Yvonne was kept from doing what she loves the most: hiking, going to the gym, yoga; even walking up stairs proved to be a challenge. Despite six long weeks of physical therapy, she wasn’t seeing progress in her recovery. Her surgeon eventually told her not to waste her money on therapy, that she would simply have to live with it for the rest of her life.
Because of the imbalance of her ability to walk, she began experiencing problems in other parts of her body. The resulting middle and lower back pain led her to Tuck Chiropractic Clinic. It was then that she asked about the possibility of a treatment for her knee.
“For some reason I didn’t really think they would be able to help me but I decided to ask anyway,” says Yvonne. “It’s like a miracle. My knee is never going to be perfect, but it’s so much better than I ever thought it would be.”
With the combination of multiple therapies, hands-on treatment, soft tissue therapy, and a lot of persistence from Dr. John and Yvonne, she has been able to return to a fairly normal gait and an active lifestyle. The muscles and tendons around the injury area had been shortened and distorted the muscles and tendons. With electrical stimulation therapy and ultrasound therapy, the muscles can begin to relax and allow for more movement during the manual adjustments and myofascial therapy techniques.
“Dr. John worked so hard on my knee,” says Yvonne. “So hard that I joke that he’s probably getting his daily work out just by adjusting and stretching me!”
For the first time in three years, Yvonne has returned to the gym – something she had enjoyed as a fitness trainer for her entire life. She can enjoy her workouts with more range of motion. She walks up and down stairs with ease. And she’s finally been able to begin hiking again. After being active for so long and taking three years off, it’s been incredibly rewarding to return back to the level of active lifestyle that she loves without having to take pain medication daily.
While joint and extremity adjustments aren’t the most common problems patients come into our clinics for, we are always eager and happy to help them regain their mobility. Because the body works so closely together, pain in certain areas often begets pain in other areas.
“You just end up grinding your joints down because your body is not aligned,” says Yvonne. “I would recommend that anyone over 40 start going to the chiropractor as a preventative measure. It’s important to start going early so that you don’t end up having to get surgery like I did.”
Yvonne goes on to add that she especially suggests visiting Tuck Chiropractic Clinic in Bedford if they are in the area. After seeing many chiropractors over time and three at our clinic, it’s clear that our continuity in quality care is a priority.
If you’re experiencing limited mobility and back pain due to overstrained joints or muscles, we can help. Our friendly staff are waiting to answer any questions and schedule your first appointment.

Bedford County in Southwest Virginia has a lot of rolling hills, a lot of farms, and a lot of hard-working people. Dr. John Earsing has been living in the area for over 20 years and has been dedicated to working hard to make a positive impact on anyone who gives him the opportunity. He has practiced in Bedford since 2001 and loves the people and community that make Bedford County “Home” for him.
“We deal with patients who have experience with chiropractic care, patients who have never been and have questions, and patients who have been everywhere else and finally come to us as a last resort,” says Dr. Earsing.
His journey as a chiropractor started when he was a teen. As a college student at the age of 19, John knew he wanted to work in the medical field and as exploring his options. He was volunteering at a hospital and helping to administer physical therapy when he got into a car accident. Suddenly, he became a patient himself. They couldn’t find any distinct injuries on the X-rays after his crash and while physical therapy helped some, he was still having trouble recovering from the impact.
“I couldn’t even look down to tie my shoes,” says Dr. Earsing. “The medication they gave me wasn’t helping me get my job done so after much thought, I decided to go to the New York Chiropractic College outpatient Clinic for a second opinion.”
After an examination, diagnosis and several visits to the clinic, he found the route he wanted to pursue in his own health care career. Seeing his own progress and the way his neck and spine were able to heal naturally, without the help of medication was astounding and inspiring to him. Once he completed his undergraduate degree, he applied to the very chiropractic college that had helped him to heal.
Fast-forward to 18 years later, and Dr. John is helping people conquer their pain one adjustment at a time. After practicing on his own for fourteen years, he merged his practice with Tuck Chiropractic Clinic in Bedford in 2014 and found a great community of doctors to collaborate with as he worked on streamlining his ability to help patients feel better.
“It’s the best thing ever!” he says. “Now, I have 14 other doctors that I can work with. The staff is amazing. It really provides me with the best opportunity to give patients the best care.”
One part of his job that he especially enjoys is turning skeptics into believers and helping the hopeless find relief. When people come in after trying all of the other routes, they often feel like they can never find relief. After just a few adjustments, he finds it incredibly rewarding to see their progress and surprise.
He also gets a thrill out of helping people who are skeptical that chiropractic is the right route for them. For example, in one of his most recent success stories, an aerobics instructor found that she couldn’t straighten her leg past 90 degrees due to damage to her knee. After tirelessly seeking help from an orthopedist and physical therapist, nothing was working. After a few weeks of working with Dr. Earsing and the staff at Tuck Clinic, she hit a milestone. With the help of electrical muscle stimulation, adjustments, and myofascial work, she was able to finally straighten her leg and get back to doing what she loves! While most don’t normally think of chiropractors as a solution for joint and extremities pain, it can be an effective solution.
“If it’s something that we can work on, we will,” says Dr. John. “I findi t enjoyable when people come in saying ‘I don’t think this is a chiropractic problem but my shoulder, knee, or ankle hurts.'”
At the end of the day, all of the doctors at Tuck Clinic see it as their purpose in life to make people feel better, to improve lives, and to help people find relief when they thought there was nothing that could be done.
“I picked something that I could do forever and never get tired of it.” says Dr. John.
And we are thankful for that! If you believe chiropractic can help you with your pain, schedule your first appointment today.