Archive for November 2025

Your body is constantly communicating with you — especially your spine. When stress builds up, your nervous system shifts into overdrive, and your spine often shows the first signs. At Barton Chiropractic Clinic, we help patients understand how emotional stress becomes physical tension, and how to recognize these early warning signals before they become chronic pain. When you can “read” your spine, you can take action sooner and support your body’s natural ability to heal.

Stress Shows Up First in Your Neck

When you’re overwhelmed or carrying mental tension, the muscles in your neck tighten automatically. This protective response can restrict movement, cause headaches, or lead to that familiar feeling of stiffness at the base of your skull.
If your neck feels tight at the end of most days, your body is signaling that your stress levels are too high.

Shoulder Tension Reveals Emotional Load

Your shoulders act like storage tanks for stress. When they rise, round forward, or feel constantly tight, it often reflects emotional pressure or overthinking.
This posture pulls your spine out of alignment and can even affect your breathing.
Persistent shoulder tension is one of the clearest signs that your nervous system is stuck in “fight or flight.”

Low Back Pain Can Signal Overwhelm

Stress doesn’t just affect the upper body — your lower spine feels it too. The low back often absorbs the impact of long-term stress through muscle tension, poor posture, and reduced mobility.
If your low back aches more during busy or emotional weeks, that’s not a coincidence.
Your body may be telling you that it’s carrying more than it can comfortably hold.

Your Posture Reflects Your State of Mind

When stress rises, your posture naturally collapses: shoulders forward, head down, breathing shallower. This slumped position can stress the spine and increase fatigue.
Chiropractic adjustments help restore posture, calm the nervous system, and give your body the opportunity to reset.

Click here to contact Barton Chiropractic Clinic or call 708-922-1400

If you’ve ever stepped out of bed and felt sharp heel pain with your first steps, you know how frustrating plantar fasciitis can be. This common condition affects the thick band of tissue (the plantar fascia) that runs along the bottom of your foot, connecting your heel bone to your toes. When this tissue becomes inflamed, every step can feel like walking on needles. The good news? Barton Chiropractic Clinic offers an effective, non-invasive way to find lasting relief.

Plantar fasciitis often develops from repetitive stress, poor foot mechanics, or misalignment in the lower back, hips, knees, or ankles. When your body’s structure is off balance, the stress on your feet increases, straining the plantar fascia. We don’t just treat the pain — we look for and correct the underlying misalignments that contribute to the problem.

Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis

During your visit, We will assess your posture, gait, and spinal alignment to identify areas of imbalance. Adjustments to the spine, hips, knees, or ankles can restore proper alignment, allowing your feet to move and support you more naturally.
In addition to spinal and extremity adjustments, we may suggest complementary therapies such as:

• Soft tissue therapy to release tight calf and foot muscles.
• Stretching and strengthening exercises to improve flexibility and support.
• Custom orthotics or taping to reduce strain on the fascia during healing.

Why Chiropractic Works

By restoring balance to the entire musculoskeletal system, chiropractic care reduces inflammation and promotes natural healing. Many patients notice less heel pain, better mobility, and improved comfort with walking or standing within just a few sessions. Unlike medications that only mask pain, chiropractic care addresses the true source — helping prevent future flare-ups.

You don’t have to live with heel pain. If plantar fasciitis is keeping you from staying active, Dr. Diane Barton can help you move comfortably again — from your first step in the morning to your last stride of the day.

Click here to contact Barton Chiropractic Clinic or call 708-922-1400

Your immune system is your body’s built-in defense network, constantly working to protect you from illness, infection, and inflammation. But did you know that regular chiropractic care can help strengthen that system? By improving communication between the spine, nervous system, and immune system, chiropractic adjustments help your body function at its best.

The Connection Between Chiropractic and the Immune System

Your nervous system controls every function in your body — including your immune response. When the spine is misaligned, it can disrupt the nerve signals that help regulate immunity. Gentle chiropractic adjustments remove this interference, restoring clear communication between the brain and body so your immune system can work efficiently.

Reducing Stress and Inflammation

Chronic stress and inflammation are two of the biggest factors that weaken immunity. Chiropractic care helps balance the nervous system, reduce tension, and calm the body’s stress response. Patients often notice they sleep better, feel more relaxed, and recover more quickly from minor illnesses or fatigue.
By reducing inflammation and stress, chiropractic care supports the body’s natural healing and defense processes.

Promoting Whole-Body Health

When your spine and nervous system are in balance, every part of your body — including your immune system — performs better. Many patients report fewer colds, faster recovery times, and more energy after consistent chiropractic care. Combined with proper nutrition, hydration, and movement, regular adjustments help keep you healthy year-round.

The Bottom Line:
Chiropractic care is about more than pain relief — it’s about helping your body function optimally from the inside out. Dr. Barton focuses on restoring balance to the nervous system so your immune system can stay strong, resilient, and ready to protect you.

Click here to contact Dr. Barton or call 708-922-1400