Kenneth D. Erickson, D.C. - Orange County Chiropractor

Getting to Know DoctorKen

Dr. Erickson, a native of San Diego, was first introduced to the chiropractic philosophy of natural healthcare while still in high school. As a wrestler, he put a great deal of physical stress on his body, and suffered numerous injuries from doing so. Often disappointed with the “shake it off” attitude of his athletic trainers, Dr. Erickson was drawn to the chiropractic concept of enhancing the body’s ability to heal itself. After discovering chiropractic, not only did Dr. Erickson keep his name off of the “walking wounded” roster, he also experienced significant gains in his performance level. His chiropractor attributed these gains to the improved balance, coordination and agility that is the hallmark of optimal function.

Dr. Erickson met the love of his life, Dale, on the second day of undergraduate college. While he concentrates on taking care of his patients, Dale works behind the scenes with the staff to keep the practice running smoothly. She is also a native Southern Californian (born and raised in Orange County) and is, in fact, a descendant of Juan Antonio Jorba (Yorba) — a member of the original Portola Expedition that discovered and eventually laid claim to Southern California in the name of the king of Spain.

Ken and Dale enjoy such varied activities as SCUBA diving, swing dancing and travel. Although their travels have taken them far and wide, they are always delighted to return home to their extended family — the friends and patients of Irvine Family Health Center - Chiropractic Offices. They were recently blessed with the birth of their son, Ethan, on March 2, 2006.

Education and Professional Qualifications

Doctorate of Chiropractic degree, with honors, from the Southern California University of Health Sciences, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC) in Whittier, California; listed in the Who’s Who of U.S. Schools and Colleges
Certified as an Active Release Technique – Soft-Tissue Management System practitioner (fewer than 1 in 50 chiropractors have achieved this certification)
Certifiefd as a DRX9000 Spinal Decompression Provider.
University of California, San Diego; majored in General Biology with areas of study in Psychology and Anthropology

Dr. Erickson was featured in "Chiropractor Monthly Magazine"

Fighting the Battle of the Bulge: Treatment for Bulging Disc

With a Bulging Disc, the Pressure’s On by Tracey Porpora

Dr. Kenneth D. Erickson of the Irvine Family Health Center – Chiropractic Offices in California warns his patients to watch out for the BLTs – bending, lifting and twisting – of back pain. “These motions can be the most damaging to a disc,” he says. In fact, with just one wrong turn or twist, a person can find themselves with a bulging disc, which can cause extreme pain in areas of the body, like the back or neck.

However, patients sometimes will confuse a bulging disc with a herniation, when the two conditions are, in fact, different. “A bulging disc occurs when the tough outer fibers of the disc become weakened. It allows the gelatinous middle of the disc to start to bulge out. It’s more of a weakening of the disc that allows it to be change from its normal shape,” says Erickson, a chiropractor in private practice in Irvine, California. “A bulging disc is very different from a herniation, which is when there is a weakening of the outer disc fibers to the point that they tear. A distinction really needs to be made between the two conditions.”

To reduce pain associated with a bulging disc, chiropractors say you must first address the condition that caused the injury. “Because the bulging disc tends to be a mechanical irritation over time, we want to reverse that mechanical irritation,” says Erickson. “If the disc over time has sustained loading due to bending down too much or sitting for long periods of time, you want to reverse that condition.”

He noted that some specific types of stretches can be completed by patients at home during the recovery period to help prevent reoccurrence of the disc injury. “My patients who do these stretches consistently tend to have far less episodes of reinjury than those people who stop doing the exercise,” says Erickson.

Since a patient often doesn’t seek chiropractic care until the bulging disc is causing debilitating pain, it’s important that a chiropractor brings the disc back to a healthy state. “If a patient is already in crisis because they have waited too long to take care of their spine and nervous system, the chiropractor’s job is to realign the spine to take the pressure off the nerves, and to restore proper balance, positioning and alignment so the patient not only feels better, but the disc becomes more healthy because of the alignment,” he says, noting it’s not uncommon for a chiropractor to work with a patient suffering from a bulging disc once a day for a period of time.

The above was excerpted from our office profile in Chiropractor Monthly Magazine.