Low back pain (LBP) occurs all over the world. Between 2004 and 2008, an estimated 2.06 million EPISODES of LBP occurred in the United States (US) alone! Each year, LBP accounts for 3.15% of all emergency visits with 65% of LB injuries occurring at home. According to estimates, two-thirds of all Americans will experience at least one episode of back pain during their lifetime. Interestingly, according to one study, LBP peaks two times during life: between 25-29 years of age a

We all know what it feels like to have limited neck motion, as most of us have had neck pain at some point in time. It makes doing simple things like backing up a car, rolling over in bed, reading, and watching TV difficult-to-impossible. The goal of this article is to review some of the many causes of neck pain and what to do about it! Let’s take a look at the various types of tissues that can generate pain: 1) MUSCLES: There are MANY layers of muscles in the neck. There ar

When we hear the term “whiplash,” we usually envision a rear-end motor vehicle collision that results in the head being thrown to and fro, in a “crack-the-whip” manner resulting in a neck injury. What we DON’T usually think about is “how to prevent whiplash,” which is this month’s topic. Let’s take a look! According to the “Whiplash Prevention Campaign,” the most effective way to prevent whiplash injuries in the event of a crash is to purchase a car with a highly-rated head r

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common ailments that chiropractors treat. That’s probably because MOST of us will suffer from low back pain that requires outside help at some point in our lives! Posture has long been studied as a potential cause of low back pain, and this month’s topic will take a closer look at some recent research discussing this issue. A December 2014 study looked at low back posture in two groups of LBP patients and its relationship with problems a

Chiropractors are often asked, “Why does Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) bother me so much during the night?” Let’s take a look! The carpal tunnel is made up of eight small carpal bones that bridge the forearm to the hand. Without these eight little bones, the motion at the wrist would be very restricted and limited to bending a little bit up and a little bit down. Think of all the things you are able to do with a large range of motion at the wrist like tightening a small screw

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disease that results in generalized pain spread out over the body and affects over 5 million people in the United States alone. Because no one has yet determined the cause of FM, both the diagnosis as well as the treatment poses a big challenge because it’s basically a trial and error approach. Dr. Kathleen Holton, the lead author of Potential Dietary Links in Central Sensitization in Fibromyalgia, states that only about 30% of fibromyalgia symp

Whiplash is a slang term for an injury to the neck that’s typically associated with a motor vehicle collision (MVC). A better term for “whiplash” is “whiplash associated disorder” (WAD) as it includes specific history and exam findings. There are usually two phases to an MVC: 1) an acceleration phase that is followed by 2) a deceleration phase. Injury can arise during either phase depending on the following: 1) The direction or angle of the collision (head-on, rear-end, T-bon