Blog Archive
The shoulder is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body. It’s actually three joints—the AC or acromioclavicular joint (the collar bone/acromion of the shoulder blade joint), the glenohumeral joint (the ball-and-socket joint), and the scapulothoracic joint (the shoulder blade/rib cage “joint”)—all of which involve the scapula...
Low back pain (LBP) and pelvic girdle pain (PGP) are common complaints during pregnancy with some studies suggesting these conditions affect up to half of expecting mothers. In the postpartum period, it’s estimated that as many as one in-five women will continue to experience these forms of musculoskeletal pain up...
Our sense of balance comes from a few different areas of the body. The inner ear gives us input on the position of our head and whether we are moving. This is combined with input from the eyes, which gives similar information. Most people think this is where it ends,...
Here are some Chiropractic facts! Chiropratcic care is so importnat for you and keeps you in tune with your body!
Previously, we discussed the relationship between low back pain and balance, particularly our unfortunate increased tendency to fall as we age. Let’s look at ways to improve our balance by learning specific exercises that utilize the parts of the nervous system that regulate balance or proprioception—particularly, the cerebellum (the part...
Every season brings unique activities that require us to perform some physical activity we may not want to do but have no choice. In the winter, shoveling snow comes to mind (at least in some parts of the country) while spring, summer, and fall may include yard clean up, mowing,...
Low back pain (LBP) can arise from a lot of causes, most commonly from bending, lifting, pulling, pushing, and twisting. However, there are other possible causes, including sleep. This not only includes sleeping in a crooked or faulty position, such as falling asleep on a couch, in a chair, or...
Health Alert: Greenery Makes for a Healthier Neighborhood. According to a new study that included 13 years of data concerning 5 million people, individuals residing in areas with few, if any, trees may spend nearly $400 more per year in healthcare costs than those living in neighborhoods with plenty of...
Low back pain (LBP) has been a challenge to treat for centuries and evidence exists that back pain has been a concern since the origins of man. Chiropractic offers one of the most patient satisfying and fastest treatment approaches available. But, when you go to a chiropractor, there seems to...
Previously, we discussed three types of headaches: tension headaches (the most common), cluster headaches (a vascular headache—less common, short duration but REALLY painful), and sinus headaches. Migraine headaches were discussed the month before last. In keeping with the theme, ONE more headache type will be discussed: rebound headaches, followed by...
Headaches come in several different sizes, shapes, and colors, so to speak. In fact, if you search “headache classification,” you will find the IHS (International Headache Society) 152-page manual (PDF) lists MANY different types of headaches! Last month, we discussed migraine headaches. This month, we’ll talk about the other headache...
When it comes to the legs, most of us have probably never given any thought to whether they are equal in length and if not, what problems that may cause. In a 2019 systematic review, researchers found that only about 1 in 10 adults has lower limbs that are of...
While the advice to take 10,000 steps a day stems from a pedometer marketing campaign and did not originate from published research, it’s clear that a more active lifestyle (i.e. more steps per day) is better than a sedentary lifestyle. But what about the shoes we place on our...
Low back pain (LBP) will most likely strike all of us at some point , at least that’s what the statistics indicate. How we “deal with it” initially can be critical to its progression or cessation. Here are some “highlights” of what to do “WHEN” this happens to you. STOP: ...
Last month, we addressed low back pain (LBP) in the younger patient (age 30-60), so it only seems appropriate to continue the discussion for those over the age of 60. As previously mentioned, back pain does NOT discriminate when it comes to age. In fact, chiropractors see many children and...
There have been MANY studies conducted on the benefits and efficacy of spinal manipulation to treat back pain—so much so that many medical doctors frequently refer patients with back pain to chiropractors for this service. But what about neck pain? Although it’s taken a little longer to compile the evidence,...
It’s not uncommon for low back pain patients to reduce their activities in an effort to avoid their pain. Unfortunately, it’s likely their core muscles—the muscles that help support their midsection—will become deconditioned over time due to inactivity, which may only increase the risk of further injury. Therefore, to effectively...
When looking at the neck from the left side, the cervical curve should look “C-shaped”, or lordotic. This develops when infants learn to lift and hold their head up while laying on their stomach and continues to progress when a child starts moving around on all fours. When we bend...
The hip is a very unique joint. The depth of the socket, the strength of the muscles and ligaments surrounding it, and the way it functions in weight bearing activities is unlike any other joint in the body. The focus this month is on the relationship between the hip and...
Have you ever said to yourself, “I’m in great shape for my age!” Or how about, “For the amount I exercise, I’ll live forever!” Well, I hope you are right and you have MANY great quality years watching your family grow and prosper ahead of you. The problem is there...
Health Alert: A Crowded ER Can Cost Lives. An analysis of data concerning more than 5 million emergency room (ER) visits found that if delays in admission exceed five hours, an individual’s risk of death in the next 30 days increases by 8%. Emergency Medicine Journal, January 2022 Diet: Vitamin...
For the older adult, pain that radiates into the leg is a common complaint. Thisprocess, called neurogenic claudication, occurs when the spinal cord and/or nerve roots are pinched as they exit the arthritic spine (a condition called spinalstenosis). However, there is another degenerative condition that can cause painin the legs...
4 Easy Ways to Make Exercise Consistent Let's face it - being active is a vital tool in facilitating a generally healthy lifestyle. Exercise has proven benefits, not just for our bodies, but to our brains as well. Exercise improves our abilities to handle stress, improve our quality of sleep,...
Around the world, low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability and ranks sixth in terms of “overall disease burden.” Chronic low back pain (cLBP) has a profound socioeconomic impact on individuals, families, and communities—so much so that the World Health Organization has identified LBP as a major...
A recent study from the National Center for Biotechnology shows that 33% of people asked avoided medical care because of a negative experience with a doctor or hospital, and 54% of people avoided medical care because of high cost or little to no insurance coverage. The population in general see...
Pain in the jaw joint, or temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD), is a common complaint for many people. In fact, a 2009 publication reported that TMD affects between 20-30% of the adult population, typically between 20 and 40 years old, and is more common in females than males. TMD is also...
Low back pain (LBP) can arise from disks, nerves, joints, and the surrounding soft tissues. To simplify the task of determining “What is causing my LBP?” the Quebec Task Force recommends that LBP be divided into three main categories: 1) Mechanical LBP; 2) Nerve root related back pain; and 3)...
Health Alert: Fatigue Predicts Death in Seniors. Among a group of over 3,000 older adults, those who were quicker to experience mental and physical fatigue were two times more likely to die within three years than participants with greater vitality. Journal of Gerontology: Series A, December 2021 Diet: Warning Labels...
For most of us, neck pain has reared its ugly head more than once. In fact, there are estimates that anywhere from one-in-ten to one-in-five people will experience an episode of neck pain in a given year. Though some studies report that between 33% and 65% of these people will...
Have you ever noticed every time you go running, you have lower back pain either during or after the run? If so, you may be wondering if you should quit running, find an alternative sport, or simply stop all activity and adopt a sedentary lifestyle. If you love the benefits...
There are many different exercises that can be done for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and we’ve discussed some of these in the past. To understand “why” gliding exercises are helpful, let’s review the anatomy of the carpal tunnel. There are 9 tendons that move through the narrow carpal tunnel at...
It’s estimated that about one-in-seven adults in the United States have chronic low back pain (lasting longer than three months), which can have a major effect on one’s ability to carry out their daily activities. As such, it’s important to identify which factors may be associated with an increased risk...
If there was one prescription that could reduce the severity or even prevent dozens of diseases—including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, obesity, osteoporosis, some cancers, depression, and dementia—and it also had a low risk for adverse effects, who wouldn’t consider it? Good news. There is such a prescription. It’s EXERCISE!...
The relationship between neck pain and our pillow is more important than most of us realize! Though we all may have at one time or another slept on a variety of surfaces, and used any number of pillows (flat, medium, bulky) made of different materials (foam, feather, air, water, or...
In the face of musculoskeletal pain, it’s common to restrict activity. Unfortunately, doing so can weaken the muscles and joints in the affected area, which can prolong pain and elevate the risk for future injury. Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee often fall into this trap. So, what type of...
In the past, patients may have been prescribed bed rest by their family doctor for low back pain. These days, treatment guidelines recommend staying active during the recovery process. Why the change? There are two types of muscles in the back: the superficial muscles and the deep muscles. The superficial...
Neck pain is commonly associated with sitting in front of a computer forprolonged periods of time. So is there a “best” or “ideal” type of desk to usewhen working at a computer all day? The sit-stand desk has gained significant popularity in recent years, especiallywith an 83% increase in sedentary...
The shoulder joint is really four joints—glenohumeral, scapulothoracic, acromioclavicular, and sternoclavicular—that all work in a coordinated manner to maneuver the upper arm. The shoulder blade, or the scapula, is an important player in normal shoulder movement because important muscles and related tissues are anchored in this bone. However, an issue...
While many cases of whiplash that result from a motor vehicle collision (MVC) have a successful outcome, some experts estimate that up to 25% of whiplash patients will experience chronic pain and disability. Several studies have sought to identify characteristics that differentiate these individuals from those who recover so that...
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common cause of vertigo, or dizziness, that is associated with movement of the head (though some motions may be more problematic than others) that goes away when movement ceases. Essentially, BPPV is caused by crystals becoming displaced within the semicircular canals (inner ear),...
For the older adult, pain that radiates into the leg is a common complaint. Thisprocess, called neurogenic claudication, occurs when the spinal cord and/or nerve roots are pinched as they exit the arthritic spine (a condition called spinalstenosis). However, there is another degenerative condition that can cause painin the legs...
A recent study from the National Center for Biotechnology shows that 33% of people asked avoided medical care because of a negative experience with a doctor or hospital, and 54% of people avoided medical care because of high cost or little to no insurance coverage. The population in general see...
4 Easy Ways to Make Exercise Consistent Let's face it - being active is a vital tool in facilitating a generally healthy lifestyle. Exercise has proven benefits, not just for our bodies, but to our brains as well. Exercise improves our abilities to handle stress, improve our quality of sleep,...
Most of the people that come to see us at ProActive Spine Care start off wanting some help with pain of some kind. Neck pain relief, back pain relief, headache relief, help with sciatic or leg pain are just a few of the common pain problems we see. However, people...
When it comes to healing, health, and function, its a full package deal. The fact that time brain control the body is just common sense. This is brain-body control. Than much is a "no brainer".But we now know that the body also controls the brain. That's right -- there is also body-mind control....
At Proactive Spine Care, we have been the Tacoma chiropractor for thousands of people over the past 25 years, and many of those have had problems that developed or were made worse by misalignment in their musculoskeletal system. One of the basic misalignments we have seen and helped easily is a...
Preventing sports and work injuries has always been a topic of focus. Sports injuries can cut short an active lifestyle, and work injuries can be expensive and lead to high employer work injury costs and lost productivity. Many of these injuries are back injuries, knee injuries, ankle injuries. Of these, back injuries...
What does chiropractic care have to do with knee problems? Everything. That's why you should be looking for us to be your Tacoma chiropractor if you have knee pain, knee injury, a post-surgical recovery, or knee arthritis. SPINE AS A PREDICTOR OF KNEE PROBLEMS: There have been several research studies over recent...
We help people with fast pain relief from back pain, neck pain, headaches, whiplash, arthritis, and sports injuries every day. We help provide care for everything from a kink in the neck to recovery from spine surgery. We have been proud to be the Tacoma chiropractor chosen by thousands of people over...
Headaches in general are one of the biggest headaches for many traditional health care providers to manage in the care of their patients. In fact, headaches are one of the top problems that bring people to the doctor. Many headaches are managed with prescription NSAIDs. The problem here is something called rebound headaches. Rebound...
It's no secret that people in our society are, by enlarge, to large. Overweight is the politically correct description. But why? Old school thinking is that body weight is just a matter of a simple equation: calories in and exercise out. Eat too much and you gain weight. Exercise too...
It is not so new that there have been strong concerns raised about epidural steroid injections for low back pain and other back conditions like disc herniations ("slipped" discs), radiculitis (nerve irritation), radiculopathy (nerve damage), spinal degenerative disease (arthritis), and stenosis. The concerns that have been raised up to this point...
Time for a post-Halloween reality check: BEWARE OF SUGAR. I know. I know. But I'm not preaching, just sharing... We have heard bad news about sugar before, right? Well, new reports continue to come out that we all should listen to. Especially as it relates to our children around Halloween time....
The common over-the-counter anti-inflammatory class is called NSAIDs - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These are commonly prescribed form musculoskeletal pain and injuries, including back pain, neck pain, whiplash, disc problems, etc. However, these medications are often over used – including taking too much and taking them too long. In an article...
Back surgery has been shown to be necessary in only a small percentage of back pain cases. There are clear indications for when surgery is necessary. Back surgery has been shown to only be indicated in less than 5% of all back pain cases. That means 95% of back pain...
At Proactive Spine Care, we are all about pain relief for our patients. Seriously. But we are also about reasonable care. The October 20, 2015 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study taking a look at low back pain. Specifically, they looked at one of...
On Monday, October 26, 2015, The World Health Organization unveiled a monograph that was shocking to some. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, The cancer agent of the World Health Organization, published it's monograph that evaluated the connection between red and process meats and cancer. The conclusion: Red and...
October is National Chirorpactic Health Month. Its a great time to focus on the basics of natural health.Natural health starts with the basics: Good sleep, Good food, Good water, Good movement, Good attitude, and Good relationships. These things are easy to get, but takes the right focus, habits, and mindset. Sometimes pain,...
Some things are worth repeating. And repeating. And repeating!Its not like we need another study to tell us that the couch potato lifestyle is bad for your health, but they keep coming. The latest issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal (2015; 47(10); 2053-2061, gives us the news:"Prolonged...
According to a recent study in the journal Evidence Based Medicine [2015; 20(1):16], epidural injections for spinal stenosis has increased dramatically since 2000. This is despite the fact that strong evidence supporting the use of epidural stared injections is lacking. This article underscores, once again, that spinal steriod injections are overused and overrated. Stenosis is...
Just go to the gym and look around. Notice anything? Hopefully you see a lot of people trying to get more fit and healthy. But there is something else that might no be so obvious...The exercise orientation at most gyms is largely focused on muscle isolation. Free weights and machines...
With all the choices out there for where to go to get care for muscle and joint problems, it is smart to look at the study data that compares cost and performance among different approaches. This is also true for spine care (back and neck care). After all, taken together,...
This past week, yet another study shines a light on the importance of standing more and sitting less. The Annals of Internal Medicine recently published the study which not only reports how bad sitting is, but that is is directly related to risk of major disease. Sitting is clearly the new smoking. Other major...
Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks! NFC champs and on to back to back Superbowl wins! Did you know that the Seahawks have run to wins in the past two seasons with the help of great team chiropractic care? Go Team!
WSCA Sponsors Continuing Education on Spine Rehab and Fitness Instructed by Dr. McMillin. Thanks Dr. McMillin. The whole seminar program was fascinating. It gave me so much valuable info - tools, skills, protocols, and perspectives about spine health. I would definitely advice my colleagues to attend. -V.S. In late 2014, The Washington State Chirorpactic...