1.) Women have a better sense of smell than men. 2.) When you take a step, you use up to 200 muscles. 3.) Your ears secrete more earwax when you are afraid than when you aren’t. 4.) The human brain has the capacity to store everything you experience. 5.) It takes twice as long to lose new muscle if you stop working out than it did to gain it. 6.) The average person’s skin weighs twice as much as their brain. 7.) Every year your body replaces 98% of your atoms. 8.) On average, there are 100 billion neurons in the human brain. 9.) The lifespan of a taste bud is ten days. 10.) Dentists recommend you keep your toothbrush at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles caused by flushing. 11.) Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end. 12.) Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn’t digest itself. 13.) It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body. 14.) The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45% when a person looks at something pleasing. 15.) Your heart rate can rise as much as 30% during a yawn. 16.) Your heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood each day. 17.) Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day. 18.) Your hair grows faster in the morning than at any other time of day. 19.) Your body is creating and killing 15 million red blood cells per second. 20.) You’re born with 300 bones, but when you reach adulthood, you only have 206!
Chiropractic Treatment for Lumbar Disk Herniation
10 DecThe annulus of the intervertebral disk is comprised of tough, dense, and strong cartilaginous fibers that protect the nucleus within, which facilitates the movement of the spine. If the structure of the annulus is compromised, the nucleus can leak into or beyond the annulus, a condition that may be classified as a disk herniation, protrusion, extrusion, or sequestration. In the event a disk herniation in the lumbar spine places pressure on a lumbar nerve root, an individual may feel pain down into the leg, which is called lumbosacral radiculopathy or sciatica. Absence a red flag—infection, fracture, cancer, and cauda equina syndrome (loss of bowel and/or bladder control)—that may necessitate immediate emergency and/or surgical intervention, what treatment approach may best serve a patient with a newly diagnosed lumbar disk herniation?
In 2022, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study that looked at outcomes of more than 11,000 patients under age 49 with a newly diagnosed lumbar disk herniation, half of whom received initial treatment from a doctor of chiropractic. While the authors of the study note that additional studies are needed, their analysis revealed that lumbar disk herniation patients whose first choice of treatment is chiropractic care are significantly (up to two-times) less likely to undergo lumbar diskectomy in the following two years than disk patients who initially seek out a different healthcare provider.
It should be noted that treatment guidelines generally advise conservative treatment approaches, which include chiropractic care, before consulting with a surgeon. However, another study published in 2022 found that, among a group of 144 patients who underwent back surgery, 60 (41.7%) did not receive any conservative treatment in the six months before their procedure. A 2021 study that looked at questionnaires completed by 3,724 adults revealed that the majority of respondents believe that surgery is always needed for a disk herniation, which is inaccurate.
For the management of a lumbar disk herniation, doctors of chiropractic will typically employ a multimodal approach that includes spinal manipulative therapy, mobilization therapy, soft tissue therapy, and exercise training. Chiropractors may also offer additional services such as traction or non-surgical decompression that can benefit such patients. If the patient does not experience improvement in their pain and disability or their condition worsens, they may be referred to an allied healthcare provider to explore other treatment options.
Royal Jelly and Stronger Bones
31 OctRoyal jelly is a milk–like secretion of honeybees that is used to feed the larvae in the honeycomb to facilitate development into drones (males), worker bees (infertile females), and queens (fertile females). The National Institutes of Health notes that royal jelly consists of water, proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, simple carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals and the active ingredient that stimulates and modulates larval development is believed to be a series of major royal jelly proteins (MRJP). The substance is harvested from the individual queen bee cells from beehives and is made into topical creams as well as dietary supplements.
Many people believe royal jelly offers several health-enhancing benefits from slowing the aging process to enhancing the immune system to improving conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma, fatigue, hay fever, kidney disease, pancreatitis, PMS, and more. Such claims are not sufficiently substantiated in the literature for firm recommendations to be made. However, as more research is conducted, royal jelly may begin to be recommended in a healthcare setting for one or more conditions. One area that looks promising is the effect royal jelly may have on bone health.
Osteoporosis is characterized by the depletion of bone mineral mass combined with bone micro-architecture deterioration that results in greater bone fragility leading to increased fracture risk. It’s reported that just a 10% reduction in vertebral bone density can double the risk for fracture. It’s estimated that 10 million adults in the United States have osteoporosis and another 44 million are at serious risk for the condition, thus the importance of identifying strategies to preserve bone mass as people age.
In a 2021 study, researchers studied the effects of royal jelly protein supplementation on female rats at risk for osteoporosis. After eight weeks, the equivalent of roughly five years of human life, the rats given a royal jelly protein supplement had greater lumbar spine, tibia, and femur bone mineral density and strength than subjects not given the supplement. The authors of the study note that further research is needed to understand the physiological mechanisms behind bone loss suppression associated with royal jelly protein intake.
If future research supports the benefits of royal jelly protein for preserving bone mass in humans, we may find it being added to lifestyle recommendations for aging adults at risk for osteoporosis such as maintaining a healthy vitamin D status, taking a calcium supplement, eating a healthy diet pattern (like the Mediterranean diet), and engaging in regular weight-bearing exercise.
Pain Relief Chiropractic
4909 Louise Dr
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
(717) 697-1888
Member of Chiro-Trust.org
Cervical Spinal Stenosis and Whiplash Injury
25 OctCervical spinal stenosis (CSS) is a condition characterized by the narrowing of the spaces within the spine through which the spinal cord and the nerves pass. The condition becomes more common with age, affecting 6.8% of adults over age 50 and 9% of those over age 70. While it’s not unusual for a CSS patient to be asymptomatic, a sudden injury to neck tissues can compress, constrict, or injure the spinal cord (or associated nerves) and result in symptoms such as pain, numbness, and/or tingling along the course of that nerve that can affect physical function over time.
It’s estimated that more than two million Americans sustain a whiplash injury each year, with automobile collisions being the primary cause. In a June 2023 study, researchers used a previously validated three-dimensional model of the human head-neck complex to assess the risk for spinal cord injury with CSS of varying sizes (from 14 mm to 6 mm—a lower number is worse) with rear-impact acceleration of both 1.8 m/s and 2.6 m/s. At the C5-6 level of the cervical spine, which sits toward the bottom of the neck, the stress on the spinal cord was enough to cause injury at both accelerations with a stenosis of 6 mm. However, for the less severe 8 mm stenosis, only 2.6 m/s acceleration applied sufficient forces to injure the spinal cord. In general, the authors surmised that the narrower the opening for the nerve/spinal cord to pass through, the less force needed to reach the threshold for spinal cord injury.
Aside from genetics, the risk factors for CSS include cumulative trauma, osteoporosis, cigarette smoking, and degenerative joint disease/osteoarthritis—all of which can affect the ability of the tissues of the neck to absorb the forces stemming from the sudden acceleration and deceleration during a rear-end collision, leading to a potentially more severe injury, which may require a more comprehensive treatment approach to reduce the risk for ongoing, chronic symptoms. The good news is that doctors of chiropractic offer an excellent conservative treatment option for managing both cervical spinal stenosis and whiplash injuries.
While it may not be possible to fully prevent CSS, there are measures one can take to reduce their risk for developing the condition. This includes eating a healthy diet, getting regular weight-bearing exercise, getting good sleep, not smoking, avoiding excessive alcohol intake, and avoiding the risk factors for metabolic syndrome including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. A 2018 study found a link between worse spinal posture and spinal stenosis, so maintaining good posture and getting regular chiropractic care to keep the spine aligned may also lower the risk for CSS!
Pain Relief Chiropractic
4909 Louise Dr
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
(717) 697-1888
Member of Chiro-Trust.org
Neck Disorders and Their Connection to Migraines
20 OctIt’s estimated that about 38 million American adults suffer from migraines and nine-in-ten report that to some degree, migraines affect their ability to carry out their normal social, leisure, work, and everyday activities. Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment for migraines as the condition is not well understood and management tends to focus on lifestyle modifications to avoid potential triggers for a patient’s particular migraine profile. But what if a potential key to managing migraines wasn’t in the head at all? What if the neck had a role to play in migraine headaches?
A 2015 study found that 87% of chronic migraine headache patients also have neck pain. Compared with the non-headache sufferers the researchers questioned, individuals with migraines were roughly three-to-four times more likely to have neck pain. To highlight this relationship between the neck and migraines, a 2023 study looked at 295 migraine patients and found that more than half (51.9%) also had concurrent neck pain. Further analysis showed that migraine sufferers with concurrent neck pain reported more severe migraine symptoms, and the more disabling their neck pain, the worse their migraines. This makes some sense as the trigeminal nerve, which helps innervate the face and has been linked to migraines, exits the spinal cord through the upper cervical spine and travels into the face. In addition to irritation of the trigeminal nerve having a part to play in the migraine process, previous studies have identified a link between migraines and impaired cervical range of motion, reduced neck muscle endurance, and the presence of trigger points in the neck muscles.
The good news is that doctors of chiropractic have a number of tools in their treatment repertoire for addressing these issues: spinal manipulation, mobilization, myofascial release, and other manual therapies to dry needling, neck-specific exercise, postural training, dietary recommendations, and more. It all depends on the patient’s unique presentation. This approach appears to be effective, as demonstrated in a recent three-armed trial that compared spinal manipulative therapy, sham manual treatment, and usual medical care after a three-month treatment period with follow-ups at three, six, and twelve months. The results favored chiropractic care at all time points. A systematic review of 13 studies published in 2022 concluded that mobilization techniques, trigger point therapy, manual lymphatic drainage, massage, and stretching techniques are each effective interventions for migraine headache patients, especially when used in combination. Other studies have demonstrated that addressing trigger points in the neck and other disorders in the cervical spine can result in reduced frequency, intensity, and duration of migraine episodes.
While managing migraines may require a comprehensive approach that includes exercise, diet, and lifestyle modifications, it’s clear that disorders of the neck can contribute to, if not be an underlying cause of, migraines and should be addressed. If you suffer from migraines, especially if you also have neck pain or stiffness, consult your doctor of chiropractic.
Pain Relief Chiropractic
4909 Louise Dr
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
(717) 697-1888
Member of Chiro-Trust.org
What Is Tennis Leg?
15 OctThe term tennis elbow is widely known because it’s a common malady associated with tennis (and more recently, pickleball), primarily due to the use of a back-hand stroke. For those who play racquet sports, there’s another common orthopedic condition that includes the word tennis: tennis leg.
The condition is characterized by a popping noise in the calf during a movement associated with the leg pushing off during a jump, sprint, or sudden change of direction followed by a sharp, burning sensation that makes it difficult to bear weight on the leg. Though it may not initially be observed, tennis leg can lead to superficial bruising, swelling, limitations in knee and ankle range of motion, and increased calf pain at the end-range of ankle dorsiflexion (bringing the toes toward the nose) and with manual palpation. It’s important to note that like tennis elbow, tennis leg is not just a sport-related injury but can also occur in non-athletes.
If you hadn’t heard the term before, you may be surprised to discover it was first clinically described way back in 1883! The condition was initially attributed to rupture of the plantaris muscle tendon in the calf region of the lower leg. However, more recent studies using ultrasound and MRI have shown that in nearly all cases, tennis leg is the result of injury to the gastrocnemius and/or soleus muscles in the calf. In one study, researchers evaluated MRIs of 58 patients with tennis leg and observed that edema or disruption of the medial head of the gastrocnemius at the muscle-tendon junction in 55 cases (90.2%); fluid collection between the medial head of the gastrocnemius and soleus in 44 cases (72.1%); injury to the soleus muscle (which is deeper to the gastrocnemius) in 22 (36.1%) of the cases; and plantaris muscle disruption in 7 cases (11.5%). In rare cases, tennis leg may be due to deep venous thrombosis posing as a muscle injury, which may require prompt medical attention.
Treatment generally follows the PRICE (Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) protocol and may include the use of a boot, modalities to reduce inflammation and promote healing (like laser or pulsed magnetic field), passive range of ankle/knee motion within pain boundaries, and manual therapies to address any musculoskeletal disorders in adjacent parts of the body that may have preceded and contributed to the injury.
Pain Relief Chiropractic
4909 Louise Dr
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
(717) 697-1888
Member of Chiro-Trust.org
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Regional Interdependence
10 OctCarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common compression neuropathy of the upper extremity, which is caused by increased pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the wrist with resulting symptoms of pain, numbness, and tingling in the thumb through third finger and thumb half of the fourth finger (palm-side). Traditionally, treatment guidelines for CTS have focused on therapies applied to the wrist. However, there is a growing understanding in the research community that CTS may be best viewed as a complex pain syndrome that requires a comprehensive sensory nervous system approach to achieve a satisfactory outcome for the patient.
Current literature suggests that 45% of CTS patients may also experience pain in the forearm, elbow, and shoulder and 14% have concurrent neck pain. Patients with CTS have also been observed to have myofascial trigger points in upper trapezius and infraspinatus muscles, as well as osteoarthritis in the cervical spine. Carpal tunnel syndrome sufferers may also have reduced cervical range of motion to the side opposite the affected wrist in addition to forward head posture—which occurs when the head rests forward of the sagittal plane, placing added stress on the soft tissues at the back of the neck and upper back to keep the head upright. Because these issues can occur along the course of the median nerve or affect anatomical regions that the median nerve passes through, treatment to address these disorders can reduce a patient’s CTS symptoms. The term “regional interdependence” is used when interventions applied to one anatomical region can influence the outcome and function of other body regions that may be seemingly unrelated.
In a June 2023 pilot study that included 15 CTS patients, researchers observed that a treatment plan consisting of ten sessions of manual traction, lateral glide mobilization, and posterior to anterior pressure applied to the neck, along with self-stretching of the upper fibers of the trapezius, scalenes, and levator scapulae muscles led to improvements in CTS pain intensity, symptoms severity, disability, and functional capacity, as well as improved function of the median nerve based on electrodiagnostic studies of median nerve motor distal latency and medial sensory nerve conduction velocity. Best of all, these improvements persisted when researchers examined the patents six months after the conclusion of care.
For decades, doctors of chiropractic have focused on the full course of the median nerve when assessing a patient with carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms based on their experience that compression of the median nerve beyond the wrist can contribute to CTS. It’s great to see that the scientific community is starting catch up and look at CTS as not just an issue of the wrist itself but more of a disorder that can include multiple body sites that all need treatment to get a patient out of pain and back to their normal activities.
Pain Relief Chiropractic
4909 Louise Dr
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
(717) 697-1888
Member of Chiro-Trust.org
Pain Relief Chiropractic 