Often when a patient complains of neck pain, during the history there are key questions that need to answered such as:

Do they have neck pain ONLY at night ?

Do certain motions reproduce the exact same neck pain ?

Have they experienced and injury or trauma to the neck that involved forced extension to the neck ?

If  FACET SYNDROME is suspected as the source of a patient’s neck pain often they will report a minor to moderate traumatic onset of neck and arm pain.  In some patinets the onset can be insidious with no recent trauma.  The patient often will draw a line of pain down the outer arm to the hand.  The arm and hand pain do not often fit a specfic, known pattern called a dermatome (one area of the skin innervated by one single nerve root in the spine).I

In my experience, a thorough, well executed examination of the anatomy of the neck is skipped by the treating provider and reliance instead on diagnostic imaging (such as MRI) is standard.  This is what makes assessing the neck more of an art than an exact science.

Treatment of facet syndrome:

Manual manipulation is usually the treatment of choice and has a high success rate when the area affected is well localized by the provider.  If unsuccessful, cervical traction may also be of benefit.  Any muscle or fascia problem that may also be contributing to pain needs to be carefully addressed.  Trigger point therapy is often very successful if coupled with manual manipulation.

During the evaluation of the low back it is of utmost importance that the provider determine several key issues.

Determine the oneset and severity of the pain

Determine the location of the pain and it’s characteristic (dull, sharp, broad, diffuse)

Determine what causes the symptoms to be exacerbated and relieved (if any)

Does a particular position of the body provide relief?

Can the pain be localized by the patient or by where the doctor touches?

Are there obvious signs of internal organ sources of back pain?

What timing of associated symptoms are there (such as vomiting, constipation, diarrhea)?

These and many other important questions need to be answered along the way to an appropriate diagnosis involving the back.  During this evaluation, it is important to remember that somatic (body) pain is often sharp and localized with reflex response to evaluation causing retreat by the patient.  Visceral (organ) pain is usually due to an existing process such as inflammation or infection.

Plantar fasciitis is common in middle-aged people. It also occurs in younger people who are on their feet a lot, like athletes or soldiers. It can happen in one foot or both feet.

What causes plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is caused by straining the ligament that supports your arch. Repeated strain can cause tiny tears in the ligament. These can lead to pain and swelling. This is more likely to happen if:

• Your feet roll inward too much when you walk.
• You have high arches or flat feet.
• You walk, stand, or run for long periods of time, especially on hard surfaces.
• You are overweight.
• You wear shoes that don’t fit well or are worn out.
• You have tight Achilles tendons or calf muscles.

What are the symptoms?

Most people with plantar fasciitis have pain when they take their first steps after they get out of bed or sit for a long time. You may have less stiffness and pain after you take a few steps. But your foot may hurt more as the day goes on. It may hurt the most when you climb stairs or after you stand for a long time.

If you have foot pain at night, you may have a different problem, such as tarsal tunnel syndrome.

How is plantar fasciitis diagnosed?

Your doctor will check your feet and watch you stand and walk. He or she will also ask questions about:

• Your past health, including what illnesses or injuries you have had.
• Your symptoms, such as where the pain is and what time of day your foot hurts most.
• How active you are and what types of physical activity you do.

We may take an X-ray of your foot if we suspect a problem with the bones of your foot, such as a stress fracture or a heel spur .

How is it treated?

No single treatment works best for everyone with plantar fasciitis. But there are many things you can try to help your foot get better:

• Graston deep tissue massage treatment
• Give your feet a rest. Cut back on activities that make your foot hurt. Try not to walk or run on hard surfaces.
• To reduce pain and swelling, try putting ice on your heel.
• Do calf stretches and towel stretches several times a day, especially when you first get up in the morning.
• Get a new pair of shoes. Pick shoes with good arch support and a cushioned sole. Or try heel cups or shoe inserts or orthotics. Use them in both shoes, even if only one foot hurts.

What do you do when you suffer from a pounding headache? Do you grit your teeth and carry on? Lie down? Pop a pill and hope the pain goes away? There is a better alternative.

New research shows that spinal manipulation – the primary form of care provided by doctors of chiropractic - is a very effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.

A report released in 2001 by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC, found that spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originate in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headache than a commonly prescribed medication.

Also, a 1995 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches and that those who ceased chiropractic treatment after four weeks experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in contrast with those patients who received a commonly prescribed medication.

Headache Triggers

But to get to the bottom of the problem, you first need to find out what is causing your pain. Headaches have many causes, or “triggers.” These may include foods, environmental stimuli (noises, lights, stress, etc.) and/or behaviors (insomnia, excessive exercise, blood sugar changes, etc.). About 5 percent of all headaches are warning signals caused by physical problems.

Ninety-five percent of headaches are primary headaches, such as tension, migraine, or cluster headaches. These types of headaches are not caused by disease. The headache itself is the primary concern.

“The greatest majority of primary headaches are associated with muscle tension and resulting joint dysfuncion in the neck,” says Dr. George B. McClelland, a doctor of chiropractic from Christiansburg, VA, and chairman of the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) Board of Governors. “Today, Americans engage in more sedentary activities than they used to, and more hours are spent in one fixed position or posture. This can increase joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.”

What Can You Do?

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) suggests the following:

• If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, on a sewing machine, typing or reading, take a break and stretch every 30 minutes to one hour. The stretches should take your head and neck through a comfortable range of motion.
• Low-impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise. Engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobics. Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth should never touch the lowers, except when swallowing. This results in stress at the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) – the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull – leading to TMJ irritation and a form of tension headaches.
• Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to help avoid dehydration, which can lead to headaches.
• In addition, the ACA and its Council on Nutrition suggest you avoid the following food “triggers”: Avoid caffeine. Foods such as chocolate, coffee, sodas and cocoa contain high levels of the stimulant. Avoid foods with a high salt or sugar content. These foods may cause migraines, resulting in sensitivity to light, noise, or abrupt movements.
• Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. These drinks can dehydrate you and cause headache pain. Other headache sufferers may want to avoid not only caffeine, but also high-protein foods, dairy products, red meat and salty foods.

What Can a Doctor of Chiropractic Do?

Dr. McClelland says your doctor of chiropractic may do one or more of the following if you suffer from a primary headache:

• Perform spinal manipulation or chiropractic adjustments to improve spinal function and alleviate the stress on your system.
• Perform precise muscle therapy to the deepest muslces of the head and neck to treat the source of the headache, not just cover up the symptoms.
• Offer advice on posture, ergonomics (work postures), exercises and relaxation techniques. This advice should help to relieve the recurring joint irritation and tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back.
• Provide nutritional advice, recommending a change in diet and perhaps the addition of B complex vitamins.

“Doctors of chiropractic undergo extensive training to help their patients in many ways – not just back pain,” says Dr. McClelland. “They know how tension in the spine relates to problems in other parts of the body, and they can take steps to relieve those problems.”

If your headache is symptomatic of a health problem that needs the care of another discipline, Dr. Ablett will refer you to an appropriate specialist.

I freely tell all my patients…  If I say I can help or elimniate your headaches and I don’t…  I won’t charge you!

One type of injury injuries that result from motorcycle accidents is whiplash or spinal injury. Whiplash or spinal Injury is often not diagnosed correctly and the symptoms may not clear when of the car accident. It is not uncommon for emergency room technicians to miss the signs of whiplash or spinal injury which could take weeks, months, and even years before they become clear. After a motorcycle accident you should see a chiropractor as soon as possible to check for whiplash or spinal injury.

Treatment after a motorcycle accident for joint dysfunction may need spinal manipulation which will entail a short thrust, or slow movement of the joint. Muscle relaxation and muscle stimulation relieve the pain associated with the tight muscles.

Your chiropractor may use different types of exercises to help treat patients with whiplash injuries suffered from a motorcycle accident. Some of these exercises will decrease disc derangement related to a whiplash injury. They consist of simple movements that are initially done in the office. The chiropractor will create exercise routines for the patient to try at home.

These exercise routines aid the patient in correcting faulty movement patterns in regular activities one may partake in during the day. The aims of these treatments is to better promote better coordination and control movement patterns, and improve the patient’s performance to maintain stability of their neck and spine.

Plans developed by the chiropractor to treat specific problem might also involve others as well. For example, your chiropractor may refer you to a medical specialist. Seeking chiropractic care after a motorcycle accident has the potential to give relieve from chronic pain and headaches so you can have your life back.

If your pain is a result of overworking your back and it goes away with a few days of rest and over-the-counter medication, then you probably don’t need to seek any further treatment. Once the pain interferes with your life on a regular basis, though, it is time to see the chiropractor.

When most people start getting chiropractic adjustments for the first time, they often wish they had gone sooner. Chiropractors are highly skilled at manipulating the spine and its vertebrae, and they can correct any parts that are misaligned. These misalignments are called subluxations. When there are subluxations in your spine, the surrounding muscles and ligaments are also out of line, and this can cause pain. This can start from a simple injury that jolts your back into poor alignment, or it can build up over time from improper posture. Either way, the chiropractor should be able coax your spine into proper alignment and help ease your lower back pain.

When you first start seeing the chiropractor, you may have to go as often as a few times a week. However, as your spine is re-trained to stay in alignment, you should not have to go as often. The number of visits and frequency of your visits will depend on how severe your problem is. Some patients balk at the initial time commitment to chiropractic care, but if you consider that it may be saving you from having to get back surgery, it is not only saving you from a lengthy recuperation, but it is saving money as well.

So what are you waiting for? Chances are good that if you are reading this article, you probably need to see a chiropractor for your lower back. Sitting for prolonged periods of time is not good for that back anyway — so get up and make your first appointment today!

Usually people suffering from this condition seem to forget that there is not only a cure, but that the sooner they medicate it the better. Chiropractic care has proved itself successful in battling frozen shoulder as it focuses not on healing the symptoms, but on finding and curing the root of the trouble. Chiropractic care used to treat the condition of a frozen shoulder and as a preventive to occurrence.

When do you need to see a Chiropractor? When your shoulder joints are in excruciating pain and it is impossible to carry out simple movements, such as raising your arm. It’s time to think that maybe your body is trying to tell you something. Pretending that nothing is wrong and it will get better will not help, but only make your condition worse. Once determined, the chiropractic treatment addresses the most important issue which is how to get the shoulder to move easier and give you back your lifestyle. Treatments include stimulation, physiotherapy, stretching, weight management, alternative medicine and most importantly prevention. If the program provided is religiously maintained, one can expect immediate results and better pain management within weeks. Full healing is completely possible and can take months to a year to resolve. The regular use of a chiropractic and a healthy diet with regular exercise has even demonstrated the ability to prevent the onset of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other diseases that can increase the possibility of mobility issues.

So if you have never considered seeing a Chiropractic doctor, remember some things that should merit a visit and remember prevention is the best cure.

In old movies, a secretary would come behind a desk and squeeze those shoulder troubles away, but since then, we’ve come a long way in our understanding of how the body moves and functions (as well as our workplace conditions), and our understanding of the value of proper care. There is a suite of tools which tailored towards relieving the symptoms of chronic back tension and all of its discomfort: Chiropractic.

Chiropractic is a century and a half old practice which seeks to improve health and wellness by focusing on the spine. The spine is supported by a lattice of muscles, and the nerves which flow through it extend to the entire body. Chiropractors have long believed that addressing the body’s central nervous system, by realigning the spine is the least painful, least dangerous, and most comprehensive way to approach whole body health.

But back to the back, especially the upper back. What can a chiropractor do for your upper back pain? Well, let’s imagine you set up an appointment at your local Kirkland, Washington Chiropractic treatment center. A friendly representative will give you a full evaluation, and be treated with respect and with professionalism.

The first approach of a chiropractor will be to see how your spine is aligned. Once the practitioner has a sense of your condition, they will go to work at relieving the root of the problem. Unlike a massage, a chiropractic session is not just about rubbing out knots. Chiropractors use several techniques, including spinal manipulation, which involves short thrusts to the spine to relieve pockets of pressure. You might have seen these characteristic ‘pops’ on television.

Once a chiropractor has developed a plan for your basic alignment, he or she will begin working on lengthening your spine and improving your posture. A variety of tools and techniques are used to lengthen and loosen your upper back muscles and to relax the tension stored in them. This will have an effect on your entire body as the blood-flow to your head and upper limbs increases and your overall stress level drops. Good alignment is really, really important.

Finally, a chiropractor will give you some simple exercises to do that can keep up that renewed feeling until your next session. Chiropractors typically work for a few weeks to find and correct issues, and then through occasional follow-up treatments. If you’re experiencing pain in your upper back, chiropractic treatment is an effective and soothing alternative to physical therapy, drugs, or surgery. Stop into a Kirkland Chiropractor’s office for a full work-up to see how chiropractic could benefit you.

You may not realize that the pain in your head really stems from your back and neck. Misalignment of neck vertebrae is a common and treatable cause of pain in the head. While you might realize that pain at the back of your head could be caused by your neck or back, pain in the forehead can have the same cause.

Some people eventually turn to treatment by a professional chiropractor after their attempts at treatments with drugs have failed, but there’s no need to try drugs first. You can experience complete relief by turning to a chiropractic first rather than last.

Your trained and experienced chiropractor works from a clean, well-lit center where treatments are performed in a caring, safe environment. Your chiropractor will listen to you as you explain your situation, take a medical history and perhaps take some x-rays to look for misalignment and damage to your spine.

Then, the practitioner gently and carefully presses, twists and turns portions of your spine to cause misalignment to slide back into place. While other treatments on later visits assure every vertebra is in the correct place and end stubborn issues that cannot be addressed in one session, you may feel relief from your pain after the first session. Even chronic and long-lasting pain can disappear after chiropractic treatment.

Some people claim the damp climate here in Kirkland and throughout Washington causes aches and pains, but your chiropractor knows better. While everyone experiences times of pain in their lives, you don’t have to suffer because of where you live, or because you’ve been in an auto accident or you’ve injured yourself.

Severe headaches can be treated safely and effectively, and you don’t need drugs that can cause an upset stomach and other unpleasant side effects. You can be free of pain and living a better life after just one treatment by a professional chiropractor. Chiropractic care can be your ticket out of a painful situation you thought would never end.

Often the pain is caused by tension or a misalignment of the spine or neck. Spinal manipulation can realign the vertebrae, taking the pressure off the neck and base of the brain.

Migraine headaches are often especially hard to treat, and are more than twice as common in women that men. Sensitivity to light and noise, nausea, and an aura (blinking lights in the field of vision) may accompany the headache. Although triggers can vary, they occur with dilation of blood vessels in the head. The nerves play a big part in making sure the vascular system is performing correctly. If a vertebrae is putting pressure on a nerve this could easily restrict the blood flow. Thus, adjusting the spine may take pressure off the nerves.

Migraines are often confused with tension headaches. Although sensitivity to light and noise may occur, nausea is usually absent. They are especially common among people who live sedentary lifestyles. Chiropractic adjustments may improve and even prevent tension headaches.

Seeing a chiropractor often lessens or even ceases recurring headaches all together. The frequency of visits can be as often as twice a week. As your body relearns the proper placement of the spine, adjustments are not needed as often. Visits can be as rare as every other month. Sometimes massage and trigger point therapy may be used as well as spinal manipulation.

This is a wonderful alternative for headache suffers. Chiropractic adjustments may do away with or lessen your need for medication. You may be at the beginning of your journey towards health or at the end of your rope. Either way, there is help.