A new study shows that chiropractic manipulations are the best at releiving neck pain and tension.  This study is featured in the Wall Street Journal.  The link is below.

If you or your family members have neck pain or discomfort, give us a call today.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203462304577136790735904520.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Spasmodic torticollis is described as muscles spasms of the neck causing flexion (forward bend) and rotation of the cervical spine.  This condition can be congenital (you are born with it) or acquired. It is thought that the congenital portion of this condition stems from birth trauma or malpositioning of the SCM in the womb.  If this condition is acquired it may be due to chronic neck injuries, CNS infections tumors or cervical spondylosis.   

Symptoms: Include neck pain, decreased range of motion of the cervical spine, and spasms of the neck muscles (SCM, levator, upper trap, ect.).  Up to 25% of individuals do not realize that their head is tilted until they are informed by others.

If you would like to get your neck straightened, give us a call today.

Spondylolysis: Is a condition when one vertebral body slides forward in relation to the spinal segment immediately below it.  This action occurs due to a fatigue fracture that occurs through a section of the spine called the pars interarticularis.  The etiology of this condition is unclear. Structural forces are the fundamental cause, but congenital anomalies, degeneration, and disease states (metastasis) also play a role.

Due to the repetitive extension & flexion of the spine gymnastics and boat rowing may increase the incidence of this condition.

Symptoms: include lower back pain, hypertoned hamstrings, hyperlordosis (too much curve in the lower back), an audible click may be felt or heard during flexion and extension, a small bump may protrude outward over the separated bony structures, and extension of the lumbar spine may cause pain to increase.

If you or a family member are having trouble/pain with their lower back give us a call today.

Lateral epicondylitis, also known as, “Tennis elbow” can cause a tremendous amount of pain of the elbow. It is usually due to over utilization of the extensor group of muscles on the forearm. Activities that usually cause this condition: Tennis/racquetball backhand, hammering, typing, writing, or using a screw driver. This condition usually does not limit your range of motion, but it does have localized tenderness over the lateral epicondyle when palpated. 

If you would like to get evaluated so you can be pain free, give us a call today. 

Remember: with this condition the longer you wait the worse it gets.

Iliotibial band syndrome or IT Band syndrome is tendonitis of the IT band causing pain along the lateral aspect of the knee. This is usually caused by the irregular rubbing of the IT band on the outside portion of the femur called the lateral femoral condyle.

This condition is usually due to tight & weakened gluteal muscles in conjunction with excessive training (running & bicycling). Poor ach support in the feet can also be a component due to the rotation of the knee.

If you or a family member have knee pain like this, give us a call today to get evaluated.

Medial epicondylitis, also known as, “Golfer’s elbow” can cause a tremendous amount of pain on the inside portion of the elbow. It is usually due to the over utilization of the flexor group of muscles/tendon on the forearm. If this condition is left without properly recovering it can progress into a tear of the flexor tendon.  Activities that usually cause this condition are: Over hand tennis/racketball serves, hammering, over hand throwing, and mostly commonly golfing. This condition usually does not limit your range of motion, but it does have localized tenderness over the medial epicondyle when palpated. (See picture above.)

If you or a family member has this condition give us a call today to get it evaluated.

Remember: with this condition the longer you wait and the more you participate in the above activities the worse it will get.

The term “Occipital Headache” refers to a type of recurrent headache usually described as a dull ache, soreness and occasionally sharp pain that begins at the base of the skull.  The pain may radiate up over the back of the head along the sides to the temples. 

Patients are usually aware of tender areas on either side of the neck at the base of the skull.  Occasionally the patient who suffers recurrent occipital headaches also suffers transient dizziness.  The pain may be increased or relieved by changes in the position of the head.  The headache may awaken the patient at night and be relieved by simply changing position of his head and neck.  The headache may be present upon awakening and disappear after you are up and around.  

If you suffer from recurrent occipital headaches or know someone who does…give us a call, to receive the help you need.

Does your hip make a “popping” or “snapping” noise when you lift it up?  Is there localized pain on the front or side of your hip when you run or walk up stairs? If you do, you may have bursitis of the hip.  Most of the time bursitis of the hip is due to over utilization (running, walking, or even shifting your body weight to one side of the pelvis aka the waiting posture) of the area, but it could also be due to underlying degeneration of the surrounding tissues.

Remember: with this condition the longer you wait the worse it could get.  Give us a call today to get your hips evaluated so you can be pain free.

Foraminal Stenosis is the narrowing of the opening where the nerve exits out of spinal bones. It can be caused by intervertebral disc disease, bone spurs, or even disc bulges/herniations.

Symptoms: Numbness/Tingling down the arm or leg. You can have reduced muscle strength in the effected extremity. You can also have myalgia or muscle pain along the course of the nerve.

 This condition usually responds very well to chiropractic manipulation, spinal decompression, e-stim, manual therapy, and rest.

If you or a family member suffer from this condition please give us a call today.

Trigger point syndrome is area of hyperirritable spots in the muscle fibers. Usually, these points are associated with hard to soft nodules in the muscle fibers or taut/tight muscle bands.  These points in the muscle are due to muscular confusion that is inhibiting the relaxation of the muscles.

Typically, pain (dull ache) is felt where the trigger point is located, but it can also create a referral pain pattern.  A common area we see with trigger points are in the shoulder region, due to side sleeping postures.  These confused muscles refer pain down the front, back, and side of the arm to the elbow and sometimes to the hand.  Many times these symptoms can be confused with neurological pain and it takes a good practitioner to be able to tell the difference.

If you or a family member would like to get your muscles evaluated so you can be pain free, give us a call today.