Why does the pain come back?

Pain Focused Early in my career, I focused too much on pain.I was happy to be the “pain guy”. I would see a patient with back pain and then discharge them when the pain went away. The classic "let me know when you need me" guy. It made sense at the time. Everyone seeing me was in pain and I was short sighted and thought that was the best way to help them.My ego was so…

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the result of irritation or pressure on the median nerve at the wrist. It is the most common compressive neuropathy of the upper extremity. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can be pain, numbness, and tingling in the wrist and hand.  The anatomical structure of the carpal tunnel is made up of your carpal bones (wrist bones), wrist muscle tendons, transverse carpal ligament, and the median nerve. Think of your wrist as…

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Pain Lesson from a Shark Attack

Shark week just ended, and it got me thinking about the lessons a shark attack can teach us about pain.  Before diving into (nice pun) the lessons to be learned, we need to clarify a few things about pain There is no such thing as pain fibers This may come as a shock, but the body doesn’t have pain fibers. Instead of pain fibers, our body has special nerves that gather information, and only sometimes…

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Is Chiropractic Placebo?

Chiropractic was long considered no better than placebo.  However, the body of evidence has grown and chiropractic is a legit option for spine pain. Meanwhile, many of medicine's most widely accepted truths are under scrutiny as 'no better than placebo'.  The idea of a placebo is clearest to a parent of a young child.  For example, Imagine your kid stumbles and scratches their knee. They run to you in tears and you console them, kissing their owie.…

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10 Must-Know Back Pain Facts

There is a lot of mis-information about back pain facts.  If you are frustrated with persistent lower back pain that has cost you valuable time and money then dive into this evidenced based post of 10 must-know back pain facts inspired by a recent article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. 1. Persistent back pain can be scary, but rarely dangerous.Longstanding back pain can be upsetting and disabling, but it is rarely life threatening so…

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The Truth About Lower Back Pain

An uncomfortable truth about lower back pain is that most is categorized as 'Non-specific lower back pain'. In fact, most lower back pain cannot be attributed to one particular source. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnO3igOkOkThe iconic exchange between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men highlights my feelings when people ask, “What is causing my lower back pain?”  With this question patients are looking for the SOURCE of their lower back pain otherwise known as a STRUCTURAL…

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Coronavirus Response

UPDATE 12/6/2021 To current and prospective patients,  I wanted to take a moment and update everyone on our current office policies and procedures. Our office staff is completely vaccinated against COVID-19. - Masks are no longer required but I continue to match your comfort level. If you come in wearing a mask, I will most definitely treat you wearing a mask out of respect for you. - If you are feeling ill we would appreciate you avoiding…

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5 Chiropractic Scam Strategies

 Are you curious if your chiropractor is scamming you? Check out these 5 common chiropractic scam strategies and find out.  Remember this scene from Matilda? Imagine moving across the country to a new city. As you grab the last of the moving boxes off the truck, you aggravate your lower back. You are in desperate need of a chiropractor so you can feel better and finish the move. Like anyone would in 2020, you scroll through…

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Treating Patients Not Pictures

First off, the idea of 'treating patients not pictures' is  because an x-ray and MRI is only part of the story.   In my opinion, arthritis is a lazy diagnosis and often does not explain patient's pain. For this reason, it is important to treat patients and not pictures.  For more information, check out the video below or click here: https://youtu.be/gEgXrzEUE5o Pathoanatomical Diagnosis Pathoanatomy is a combination of pathology and anatomy. Pathology is the study of…

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Snap, Crack, & Pop: Are noisy joints normal?

We have all experienced it at some point. You turn to check your blind spot and you hear a crack in your neck. It may even sound really loud due to the close proximity to your ears. Many times this is harmless but can often make patients nervous. Let’s address some of the myths and answer "Are noisy joints normal?" What is that sound? First off, the term commonly used by healthcare clinicians is crepitus.…

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5 Questions For Your Doctor

5 Questions for your doctor can result in better medical care and a more team-approach to health and wellness. Be sure to ask these 5 questions at your next visit.  Choosing Wisely is a campaign with the mission to promote conversations between clinicians and their patients in order to promote care that is evidence based, truly necessary, and free from harm.The ownership falls on the doctor as well as the patient to work together as…

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The Brain Changing Effects of Exercise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHY0FxzoKZE Why do you exercise? Is it to look good? Feel better? If you are looking for additional motivation, research suggests that exercise is the most transformative thing you can do for your brain.   In fact, exercise has been shown to:  Immediate production of dopamine and serotonin, which are "feel good" hormones.  It has the ability to shift and focus attention for up to two hours.  Improve reaction times.  In addition, exercise results in growth…

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Nice Doctors Matter

A recent article in the New York Times looked at the power of the doctor-patient relationship and how it has a profound effect on the health of the patient. The article is titled "Can a Nice Doctor Make Treatments More Effective?"  The short answer is yes, but the longer answer is quite interesting. Researchers have noted that a simple one sentence reassurance following an allergy skin prick test led patients to report less itchiness when…

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