I care for muscular and joint conditions.
For example, I have had success in treating patients with these problems:
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Headaches
- Arthritis
- Shoulder problems
- Knee pain
- Hip pain
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- TMJ (jaw) pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Sciatica (pain down the back of the leg)
- Arm and leg pain
- Hand and wrist pain
- Foot and ankle pain
- Tennis elbow
- Scoliosis
- Muscle strain or sprain
Research references:
Mid and Low Back Pain
1) “Many treatments are available for low back pain. Often exercises and physical therapy can help. Some people benefit from chiropractic therapy. Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy in conjunction with standard medical care offers a significant advantage for decreasing pain and improving physical functioning when compared with only standard care, for men and women between 18 and 35 years of age with acute low back pain."
-Goodman et al. (2013), Journal of the American Medical Association
2) Patients who chose to utilize chiropractic care were 64% less likely of receiving an opioid prescription than those who did not receive chiropractic care.
-Corcoran et al. (2019) Pain Medicine
3) This particular study involved 750 active-duty members of the armed forces. It was, to date, one of the largest studies undertaken involving comparisons of chiropractic and medical care for lower back pain conditions. It helped researchers understand that when patients combined chiropractic and medical care, there was a greater reduction in a patient’s disability than only with medical care.
-Goertz et al. (2018) JAMA Open Network
Neck Pain
This study was conducted by the National Institutes of Health Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The focus was treating neck pain which was known to be from joints or muscles. There were three groups --one received chiropractic care, the second received exercise instruction and third received pain medications alone. The end result was that those who received chiropractic care and exercise instruction had a 57% and 48% (respectively) reduction in their condition by approximately 75%. In addition, that reduction lasted in 53% of patients in this groups over the following 12 months. Less than 35% of the medication patients had any reduction in their conditions and less than 40% had any reduction after 12 months.
-Bronfort et al. (2012), Annals of Internal Medicine
Headaches
1) In a research study published in the BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders Journal, 110 persons with CHRONIC headaches were separated into two groups -- one was given simple mobilization and exercise therapy and the other specific chiropractic adjustments to the cervical (neck) and thoracic (upper/mid-back) areas. The researchers’ conclusion:
“Six to eight sessions of upper cervical and upper thoracic manipulation were shown to be more effective than mobilization and exercise in patients with CH (chronic headaches), and the effects were maintained at 3 months.”
-Dunning et al. (2016) BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
2) In a study published in the prodigious journal SPINE, 256 persons with cervicogenic headache (CGH or a headache that is known to be caused by joints and/or muscles of the neck) were divided into two groups. One group received chiropractic care and the other light massage care.
This is what researchers concluded after analyzing the results of the study:
“There was a linear dose-response relationship between [spinal manipulative therapy] visits and days with [cervicogenic headache]. For the highest and most effective dose of 18 SMT visits, CGH days were reduced by half and about 3 more days per month than for the light-massage control.”
-Haas et al. (2018) SPINE
Arthritis
1) A good write-up on a medical website regarding osteoarthritis and chiropractic care:
https://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/chiropractic-care-for-joint-problems
2) An article which involves a case study of a 70-year-old person with hip arthritis who benefitted from chiropractic care:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110407/
3) A 2011 study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics reviewed the cases of 10 osteoarthritis patients who received cervical (neck) adjustments and mobilization.
From the study: “Overall clinical improvement was described as “good” or “excellent” in about 80% of patients. Clinical improvements in pain and range of motion were seen in 80% and 90% of patients, respectively.”
https://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754%2810%2900336-2/fulltext
Shoulder Pain
From the summary of a case study on chiropractic management of shoulder pain published in 2002 in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association:
“This article described a therapeutic approach to successfully manage a patient with shoulder pain of myofascial origin using ischemic compression techniques. It can either be the primary mode of therapy, or it may augment other therapeutic interventions the practitioner may wish to use, such as mobilization and manipulation.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2504982/
Knee Pain
A study conducted in 2008 with 43 patients who were suffering with knee arthritis received chiropractic care and the authors of the study ended their publication with this summary:
“A short-term manual therapy knee protocol significantly reduced pain suffered by participants with osteoarthritic knee pain and resulted in improvements in self-reported knee function immediately after the end of the 2-week treatment period.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597887/
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
In this study, patients were formed into two groups. One was given high doses of ibuprofen daily for more than 3 weeks. The other group received chiropractic care, which included deep tissue muscular therapy and adjustments to the wrist and elbow. Both groups recovered.
-Comparative efficacy of conservative medical and chiropractic treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics 21.5 1997.
Temporomandibular (Jaw) Pain
1) Fourteen patients were selected to receive chiropractic care for TMJ problems in this 2014 study. The researchers’ conclusion stated:
“All patients selected for this case series showed a reduction of temporomandibular dysfunction symptoms.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4688559/
2) In this case study, the patient received care for TMJ from a chiropractor and a dentist. Dental care consisted of a mouth guard split. Chiropractic care involved TM joint adjustments and muscular trigger point work. In the author’s words, from the conclusion:
“The patient demonstrated increased mouth opening, decreased pain rating, improved Kinnie-Funt visual index, and an increased cervical lateral flexion range of motion after 3 weeks of a combination of chiropractic and dental care.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3976491/
Fibromyalgia
1) This 2015 study in the Journal Rheumatology International had a favorable outcome with cervical (neck) adjusting and fibromyalgia. From the abstract of the article:
“The aim of this study was to investigate the immediate and long-term effects of a one-year multimodal program, with the addition of upper cervical manipulative therapy, on fibromyalgia management outcomes in addition to three-dimensional (3D) postural measures….The addition of the upper cervical manipulative therapy to a multimodal program is beneficial in treating patients with FMS.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25782585/
2) This review of the literature concluded that exercise, muscular deep tissue techniques, strength training instruction and (more limited) chiropractic adjusting may be helpful with fibromyalgia.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19121462/
Foot and Ankle Pain
1) A 2012 review of the published research concluded that there are research articles and studies out there which provide evidence of different levels of effectiveness for hip, knee and foot pain issues. From the conclusion:
“Regarding MT for common lower extremity disorders, there is a level of B (fair evidence) for short-term and C (limited evidence) for long-term treatment of hip osteoarthritis. There is a level of B for short-term and C for long-term treatment of knee osteoarthritis, patellofemoral pain syndrome, and ankle inversion sprain. There is a level of B for short-term treatment of plantar fasciitis…”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22325966/
2) This review of 8 articles on manipulation (adjusting) of ankle sprains showed good evidence that adjusting (as one might receive in a chiropractor’s office) was effective in addressing this type of injury. From the conclusion:
“For acute ankle sprains, manual joint mobilization diminished pain and increased dorsiflexion range of motion. For treatment of subacute/chronic lateral ankle sprains, these techniques improved ankle range-of-motion, decreased pain and improved function.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23980032/
Sciatica
1) This interesting study, published in 2006 in the SPINE Journal, compared simulated spinal adjustments with the real thing for those suffering from sciatica due to a spinal disc protrusion. This was their conclusion:
“Active manipulations have more effect than simulated manipulations on pain relief for acute back pain and sciatica with disc protrusion.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1529943005008338
2) One hundred and twenty patients with sciatica were managed medically for 3 months and those not helped were then allowed to receive chiropractic care. Here was the conclusion of the researchers:
“Sixty percent of patients with sciatica who had failed other medical management benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention. Of 40% left unsatisfied, subsequent surgical intervention confers excellent outcome. Patients with symptomatic LDH failing medical management should consider spinal manipulation followed by surgery if warranted.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161475410002113