# Integrative Chiropractic

> Root-cause chiropractic in Overland Park, KS. Dr. Ladd Carlston uses manual muscle testing, applied kinesiology, and soft-tissue techniques to find and fix the muscles that cause pain. 23 years of practice. No high-velocity adjustments — no cracking or popping. Cash-pay, 30+ minute one-on-one sessions.

## About & Method
- [Dr. Ladd Carlston — About](https://www.painreliefkc.com/about): bio, Q&A, credentials.
- [The Method — Muscle Reset Technique](https://www.painreliefkc.com/method): applied kinesiology, neuromuscular re-education, and the techniques used in a session.

## Conditions
- [Back Pain](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/back-pain): Find out why it keeps coming back.
- [Neck Pain](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/neck-pain): The real source is rarely where it hurts.
- [Headaches & Migraines](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/headaches): What nobody checks first.
- [Hip Pain](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/hip-pain): Often the root cause of everything else.
- [Knee Pain](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/knee-pain): The muscles around it tell the real story.
- [Shoulder Pain](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/shoulder-pain): It's not always the rotator cuff.
- [Sciatica](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/sciatica): There's a reason stretching isn't helping.
- [Carpal Tunnel](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/carpal-tunnel): The wrist isn't always where the problem starts.
- [Plantar Fasciitis](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/plantar-fasciitis): What your feet are compensating for.
- [Lower Back Pain](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/lower-back-pain): That ache across your lower back — or what you think is your lower back. Sometimes it's actually your SI joint, and the real problem could be hip flexors that won't let go or glutes that don't work right.
- [Whiplash](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/whiplash): Neck pain, stiffness, and headaches after a car accident or impact. The X-ray says you're fine. Your neck says otherwise. The real damage is in the muscles — especially the scalenes.
- [Chronic Pain](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/chronic-pain): Pain that's been hanging around for months or years, and nothing seems to fix it. "Chronic pain" is a description, not a diagnosis. I need to figure out what's actually causing yours.
- [Fibromyalgia](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/fibromyalgia): Let's start with the name itself: "fibromyalgia" literally translates to "muscle pain." That's not a diagnosis — that's a description. Here's what I think is actually going on.
- [Scoliosis](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/scoliosis): An abnormal curve in your spine. I can't straighten the curve, but I can reduce the muscle tightness that's compressing things and pushing the curve further.
- [Posture Problems](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/posture-problems): Slouching, forward head, rounded shoulders. You know you should sit up straighter — but the muscles in front are winning the war, and you can only resist so much.
- [Elbow Pain](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/elbow-pain): Tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, or that nagging ache that won't go away. Sometimes it's overuse. Sometimes it's a strain. And sometimes the elbow is fine — the problem is higher up the chain.
- [Disc Herniation](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/disc-herniation): A bulging or herniated disc pressing on a nerve. Discs don't herniate randomly — they herniate because something has been compressing your spine for too long. I find what's causing that compression.
- [Piriformis Syndrome](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/piriformis-syndrome): Deep buttock pain that shoots down your leg. Everyone wants to stretch the piriformis — but that's treating the symptom. The question is why it's tight in the first place.
- [Shoulder Blade Pain](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/shoulder-blade-pain): That chronic ache between or under your shoulder blades. Those muscles are overworking — the question is why. Usually it's because the muscles in front are winning the tug-of-war.
- [Tendinopathy](https://www.painreliefkc.com/conditions/tendinopathy): Achilles, patellar, tennis elbow, rotator cuff, plantar — your tendon doesn't need rest. It needs the right load, in the right dose.

## Techniques
- [Applied Kinesiology / Manual Muscle Testing](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/applied-kinesiology): The foundation of everything I do. Manual muscle testing reveals which muscles have shut down, where your body is compensating, and why your pain keeps coming back.
- [Neuromuscular Re-education](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/neuromuscular-reeducation): Retrains the communication between your brain, nerves, and muscles so the right muscles fire at the right time — and the overworkers can finally relax.
- [Soft Tissue Mobilization](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/soft-tissue-mobilization): Hands-on work that breaks down scar tissue, releases muscle tension, and restores circulation to areas that have been locked up and compensating.
- [Muscle Energy Technique](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/muscle-energy-technique): Uses your own gentle muscle contractions against resistance to improve joint mobility, reduce pain, and restore the range of motion your body has lost.
- [Positional Release Therapy](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/positional-release-therapy): A gentle technique that places your body in positions of comfort to reset neuromuscular reflexes, release muscle tension, and relieve pain without force.
- [Acupressure](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/acupressure): Targeted pressure on specific points to stimulate the body's natural pain relief response, improve circulation, and release tension patterns.
- [Craniosacral Therapy](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/craniosacral-therapy): A gentle approach that evaluates how your skull, spine, and nervous system interact — often the missing link when adjustments, massage, or PT haven't stuck.
- [Gua Sha](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/gua-sha): An ancient Chinese scraping technique that brings circulation to the surface and disrupts faulty proprioception. Graston just took this method and put a patent on it.
- [Massage Therapy](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/massage-therapy): Massage increases circulation and blood flow, feels good, and is great for stress. But to get real results from it, you need someone who takes their training beyond the basics.
- [Trigger Point Therapy](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/trigger-point-therapy): Sustained pressure on tight muscle knots that helps the nervous system recalibrate. A lot of what I do is built on trigger point principles.
- [Stretching & Strengthening](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/stretching-strengthening): Movement matters more than stretching. If you sit all day and think a 5-minute stretch is going to undo that — it won't. Here's what actually helps.
- [Myofascial Release](https://www.painreliefkc.com/treatments/myofascial-release): Hands-on soft tissue work that finds the muscle that's actually causing your pain and resets the signal from the brain — so the change holds. No cracking. No twisting.

## Blog
- [Chiropractic Kinesiology: The Integration Most Chiropractors Don't Understand](https://www.painreliefkc.com/blog/chiropractic-kinesiology-the-integration-most-chiropractors-don-t-understand): I've been practicing chiro plus kinesiology in Overland Park for 23 years, and I can't tell you how many patients walk through my door saying the same thing: "I've been to three other chiropractors, a
- [5 Craniosacral Therapy Techniques I Use to Fix Pain That Won’t Resolve](https://www.painreliefkc.com/blog/craniosacral-therapy-techniques-explained): Craniosacral therapy isn’t a massage and it’s not woo. Here are the 5 specific techniques Dr. Ladd uses most in his Overland Park clinic — what each one does, what it helps, and why it works when other treatments have plateaued.
- [Why Your Chiropractor Should Test Your Hip Flexors Before Touching Your Back](https://www.painreliefkc.com/blog/why-your-chiropractor-should-test-your-hip-flexors-before-touching-your-back): I get it. You've been to three different chiropractors, maybe a physical therapist, definitely tried those YouTube stretches. You get adjusted, feel better for a few days, then you're right back where
- [The Truth About Chiropractic Cracking: Why Most First-Timers Are Worried About the Wrong Things](https://www.painreliefkc.com/blog/the-truth-about-chiropractic-cracking-why-most-first-timers-are-worried-about-th): Let me guess what's running through your mind about your first chiropractic visit: "Is this going to sound like someone stepping on bubble wrap? Will I leave feeling worse than when I came in?" I hear
- [The 90-Second HRV Boost](https://www.painreliefkc.com/blog/90-second-hrv-boost): Increase your heart rate variability and activate your body's relaxation response in less than two minutes. No equipment, no app, just a simple technique you can do anywhere.
- [The Most Effective Way to Permanently Lengthen Tight Hip Flexors (Without Endless Stretching)](https://www.painreliefkc.com/blog/permanently-lengthen-tight-hip-flexors): Tight hip flexors aren't a flexibility problem — they're compensating for weak glutes or core. Here's how to find what isn't firing, reset the pattern, and lock in the change so you stop stretching the same muscle over and over.
- [7 Common Medications for Shoulder Blade Pain (and Why They Rarely Fix It)](https://www.painreliefkc.com/blog/7-common-medications-used-to-treat-shoulder-blade-pain): A straight look at the 7 medications commonly prescribed for shoulder blade pain — what each one does, where it helps, and why most people need to address the musculoskeletal cause, not just the symptom.

## Contact
- [Contact](https://www.painreliefkc.com/contact): address, hours, message form.
- Address: 8600 W 110th St STE 211, Overland Park, KS 66210. Phone: (913) 451-7500. Hours: Mon–Thu 8am–6pm.