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Dear Izlind Community,
I recently sat down to chat with
Dr. Russell Charno (chiropractor) in what will be the first of a series of informal interviews with our family of healthcare practitioners that we look forward to sharing with you.
The pull of the beauty of the Hudson Valley was strong for Dr. Russell and his wife, Mary-Beth Charno (Nurse Practitioner and Urban Zen Practitioner/Instructor), who moved to our region about a year ago. And, lucky for us, Dr. Russell joined our Rhinebeck Izlind family of practitioners, serving patients with deft skill and extraordinary compassion in his full-time practice.
Throughout our conversation, Dr. Russell made several points that were striking, and one that continues to resonate for me is: "One of the guiding principles in my practice is the idea that the site of pain is frequently not the source of pain." Please read on below to learn more about Dr. Russell and his approaches to Chiropractic care.
With warm wishes,
Founder & President,
Psychologist
Meditation Teacher
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Dr. Beth: What you do seems different from the way many other chiropractors practice. What is your style of practice, and how did you develop this style?
Dr. Russell:
A number of years ago, I noticed that although patients usually felt better after a course of chiropractic treatment, their issue would sometimes recur some months later. And it made me wonder why - what wasn't I addressing with the chiropractic care I was offering?
From this question arose my development of a unique integration of approaches, including innovative treatment and rehab techniques developed by European neurologists and rehab physicians, and modalities being used by athletic trainers, physical therapists, and strength and condition coaches.
So, the way that I practice now comes from combining my 30+ years of chiropractic experience (working with thousands of patients) with principles and techniques from other disciplines. I still use traditional chiropractic adjustments, but I also do soft tissue manipulation and myofascial release (Graston Technique and FAKTR), corrective exercises, breathwork, rehab of core weakness, resistance training, and also nutritional counseling and supplementation.
One of the guiding principles in my practice is the idea that the site of pain is frequently not the source of pain.
With that in mind, I do very detailed movement assessments (muscle tightness, weakness, spinal stability, motor control, etc) of the whole body which then guide my approaches to treatments.
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Dr. Beth: What kinds of conditions do you treat with your integrative chiropractic approach?
Dr. Russell:
I take care of people with back and neck pain, disc issues, shoulder injuries, knee or hip problems, headaches, feet and ankles injuries, TMJ problems, and also many athletic injuries. I particularly enjoy working with athletes because frequently uncovering subtle movement issues not only helps them to manage an injury, it also helps them to perform better on the field or court.
And really, in some ways we are all athletes. Some of us need to have speed and agility on the field, and some of us need the flexibility and strength to hold a child or mow the lawn or sit at a desk without pain or discomfort.
Movement can be medicine, and we all need to move well to feel well.
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Dr. Beth: What are your treatments like?
Dr. Russell:
After completing a comprehensive assessment, the next thing I do is teach people to avoid what might be causing them harm. Unknowingly, patients are sometimes hurting themselves, so together we work to change those habits and movements right away.
Then, depending on what was found in the assessment, I do some combination of manipulation (sometimes non-force manipulation) of the spine or extremities to normalize joint movement; soft tissue treatments (including myofascial release with Graston Technique) to normalize movement and function of the fascia, muscles, ligaments or tendons; and then I prescribe very specific corrective exercises aimed at loosening what's tight, strengthening what's weak, and retraining movement patterns.
Exercises are done together in my office, and I prescribe exercises to be done at home. The initial visit takes about an hour and a quarter, and our ongoing visits are between 30 - 40 minutes.
I look forward to meeting and serving the Rhinebeck and Hudson Valley communities, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help people experience life with less pain and with greater vitality, strength, and ease.
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