Whiplash is the common name for neck sprains, such as those caused by hyperextension/flexion injury to the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spines. The injury is referred to as "whiplash" due to the neck or back being thrown forwards and/or backwards at a rapid speed. This may cause the fibers of the neck muscles to tear, resulting in pain and often a decreased range of movement. Whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) represent a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck. Whiplash is commonly associated with (MVA) motor vehicle accidents, usually when the vehicle has been hit in the rear,  however the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including falls from bicycles or horses.

Your neck has a hard job - holding up your head (which weighs approximately 8-12 lbs).  Leaning into your computer or hunching over your workbench just makes its job more difficult.  Poor posture contributes to neck pain, but the design of your neck also makes it vulnerable.  All the interconnected structures that give your neck its incredible range of motion are subject to wear-and-tear damages of arthritis and the “overstretching” injuries of whiplash. 

A headache (cephalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. It ranks amongst the most common local pain complaints.  The vast majority of headaches are benign and self-limiting. Common causes are tension, migraine, eye strain, dehydration, low blood sugar, and sinusitis.

Sciatica is pain caused by general compression and/or irritation of one of five nerve roots that are branches of the sciatic nerve. The pain is felt in the lower back, buttock, and/or various parts of the leg and foot. In addition to pain, which is sometimes severe, there may be numbness, muscular weakness, and difficulty in moving or controlling the leg. Typically, the symptoms are only felt on one side of the body.  Although sciatica is a relatively common form of low back pain and leg pain, the true meaning of the term often is misunderstood. Sciatica is a set of symptoms rather than a diagnosis for what is irritating the root of the nerve, causing the pain. This point is important, because treatment for sciatica or sciatic symptoms often will be different, depending upon the underlying cause of the symptoms.

Sprain/Strains are defined as tears, either partial or complete, of the muscle-tendon unit. Muscle sprains/strains and tears most frequently result from violent muscular contraction during an excessively forceful muscular stretch. All posterior spinal muscles with according tendons can be involved.  (Your Sprain a ligament and you Strain a muscle)

Posture and body build constitute important elements which allow assessing the biological condition of a human being.  Many references indicate that the abnormal posture is not indifferent to health.  For example, in children, posture abnormalities ultimately lead to the deterioration of efficiency and physical fitness and degenerative disorders of the osteo-articulatory system

Arthritis is characterized by inflammation of a joint, marked by pain, heat, redness, and swelling.  Arthritic disorders are among the most common chronic conditions that is painful and disabling.  There are different types of arthritic disorders they include: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis (DJD), Septic Arthritis, Gout, Intermittent Hydrarthrosis, Traumatic Arthritis, and Hemophilic Arthrosis.  Research has shown that arthritic disorders can begin as early as 1 day after immobilization.  This means that if your in an accident a the give you a brace, the next day the DJD process will being.

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD, TMJ or TMD), or TMJ syndrome, is an umbrella term covering acute or chronic inflammation of the Temporomandibular joint, which connects the lower jaw to the skull. The disorder and resultant dysfunction can result in significant pain and impairment. Because the disorder transcends the boundaries between several health-care disciplines—in particular, dentistry, neurology, physical therapy and most importantly, chiropractic—there are a variety of quite different treatment approaches.  The Temporomandibular joint is susceptible to all the conditions that affect other joints in the body, including ankylosis, arthritis, trauma, dislocations, developmental anomalies and neoplasia (cancer). Although treatment is often similar to other joints in the body, some variations exist.

The shoulder has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the human body.  It is our shoulders that allow us to put our hands where they need to be for work, play, and all of our daily activities.  To manage this, the shoulder has to have the right balance of strength, flexibility, and stability.  Loss of this balance can lead to pain and injury.  Maintaining this balance through exercises aimed at stretching and strengthening can help avoid future shoulder injuries.  

As a result of overuse (typing, writing, eating, etc.) the muscles and tendons in the forearm and hand can become overuse.  Symptoms can include pain when you bend or straighten the hand, or swelling and tenderness over the muscles and tendons in the forearm.  Many of these injuries get classified as more sever conditions such as carpal tunnel and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (T.O.S.), when in fact is it just inflammation and irritation of the muscles extending from the elbow to the hand due to overuse and spasm.

The knee joint is the largest joint in the body, consisting of 4 bones and an extensive network of ligaments and muscles.  Knee pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints.  The knee joint is tough and can take a lot before it becomes injured, but once injured unless it is treated correctly, can be difficult to heal and restore to pre-injury status.  We also provide rehabilitation services for post surgical ACL repairs.

The most common injury of the lower leg and foot is an ankle sprain/strain.  The most common type is an inversion sprain, where the ankle turns inwards damaging the ligaments on the outside of the ankle.  A medial ligament sprain is rare but can occur particularly with a fracture.  A sprain is stretching and or tearing of ligaments. 

Plantar Fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia or arch tendon of the foot.  It is an overuse injury causing heel pain which may radiate forward into the foot.  Plantar Fasciitis can also be known as heel spurs although they are not strictly the same.  A heel spur is a bony growth that occurs at the attachment of the plantar  fascia to the heel bone (calcaneus).  A heel spur can occur (with repetitive pulling of the plantar fascia) on a foot  with no symptoms at all and a painful heel can have no heel spur present.  There are specific exercises designed to help decrease the pain and prevent future re-occurrences of pain.

The median nerve is one of the nerves which supplies the hand.  It passes through the wrist in a narrow channel called the carpal tunnel along with the flexor digitorium superficialis and flexor pollicis longus tendons.  Inflammation/spasm/injuries of the muscles and tendons, or fracture of the wrist can reduce the space in the carpal tunnel and so cause pressure on the median nerve resulting in pain, tingling, and weakness.

Chronic pain is described as pain that lasts longer then 6 months.  It is very important to seek appropriate care as soon as pain begins. After 6 months, your body has changed structurally (the bones have changed).  This structural change will limit the percentage of improvement you can achieve via medical, chiropractic, physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, or any type of care you choose to seek.

Acute injury is an injury that occurs following a single event.  Acute refers to the immediate time period following an injury (first 48-72 hours).  This is the most important time to seek medical care.  Care sought in the first 24-48 hours can significantly reduce inflammation, decreasing the recovery time, and increasing the chance of a complete, prompt return to your chosen sport.

Workers compensation occurs as the direct result of an action that occurred while at work, performing your job description.  The best way to prevent injury is to have proper biomechanics.  Consult your local doctor about proper job biomechanics to prevent future injury and disability. 

See Whiplash

Post surgical PT refers to the treatment received after surgery.  This is a very important part of the recovery process for several reasons.  First, it will help decrease inflammation, swelling, and muscular spasm, which will help alleviate pain.  Secondly, with bed rest comes deconditioning (your muscles waste away, remember how an arm looks after you remove a cast) which can lead to muscular compensation and pain/spasm.  Lastly, post surgical PT provides you with the confidence to perform routine activities due to increased muscular tone and cardiovascular fitness.

Scoliosis is defined as a lateral curvature of the spine greater then 10 degrees.  This can have severe complications on your heart and vital organs, depending on the degree of the curve.  More informationis located on the reference pain under the link Scoliosis Research Society.

Cosmetic Acupuncture is an effective, non-invasive technique to reduce wrinkles and signs of aging.  With the introduction of an acupuncture needle into the skin, blood flow will increase, resulting in increased collagen formation.  This increased collage formation will fill in spaces made by wrinkles and give firmness to the skin.