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Knee pain is a common issue for people in our North County, St. Louis, MO chiropractic practice, and Dr. Mark Holland has successfully provided many of these folks relief. This is largely because chiropractic care has been found to help with many forms of knee pain.

For example, some patients experience pain in and around the knee tissues due to degenerative arthritis. Research has proven that this ailment responds very well to chiropractic--and rather quickly, too. In fact, one article published in The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association found that individuals with osteoarthritis in their knees felt considerable pain relief and improved function after just two weeks of chiropractic care.

If your knee pain is due to a medial meniscus tear, chiropractic could likely help with that as well. One case reported that combining chiropractic with soft tissue therapy, rest, ice, and compression on the affected knee helped lower the intensity of the pain.

Of course, sometimes a knee replacement surgery is required in order to rectify the problem, and if that's the case, chiropractic can also help improve the outcome. How?

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Knee Injuries

Research has shown that people with low back pain often have less positive results after knee surgery. Thus, dealing with your back pain through chiropractic before having a total knee arthroplasty can assist with your post-surgery recovery.

No matter what your knee issue, Dr. Mark Holland can likely help. Call our North County, St. Louis, MO practice today and find out what we can do for you!

Resources

• Pollard H et al. (2008, December). The effect of a manual therapy knee protocol on osteoarthritic knee pain: a randomised controlled trial. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association;52(4):229-42
  Boyle J et al. (2014, March). Influence of low back pain on total knee arthroplasty outcome. Knee;21(2):410-4
• Jarosz B & Ames R. (2010, December). Chiropractic management of a medial meniscus tear in a patient with tibiofemoral degeneration: a case report. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine;9(4):200-8

We see a large number of individuals with headaches in our North County, St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Mark Holland has been able to help many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50 percent of all adults struggle with some sort of headache problems, so this actually isn’t surprising. One of the most frequent varieties of headaches which our patients suffer from is cervicogenic headache which, luckily, chiropractic can usually help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from a problem in the cervical spine. It might be because of a problem with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be triggered by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine brings about compression or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can generate headache pain.

How can you identify if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from getting a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Because cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is initiating them is remedied, it is vital to get treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that can provide a great deal of pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers evaluated 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Half of them were given chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic provided the best results.

In particular, this study found that chiropractic adjustments provided patients greater pain relief and decreased the frequency of headaches that occurred. Furthermore, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Mark Holland can do for you and your headaches, call our office today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

References

• Haas M, Schneider M, Vavrek D. Illustrating risk difference and number needed to treat from a randomized controlled trial of spinal manipulation for cervicogenic headache. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010 18(9).
• World Health Organization. (2012, October). Headache disorders. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs277/en/

We see a number of patients in our North County, St. Louis, MO office with ankle sprains but Dr. Mark Holland has had a lot of success helping them heal more quickly. Why are ankle sprains so common and how can chiropractic help?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), an estimated 25,000 people in the US sprain their ankles every day. As a matter of fact, these injuries make up nearly half of all sports injuries, causing people to spend time away from the activities they enjoy most.

Like any injury, there are many causes of ankle sprains. The most frequent is inversion, or when the ankle rolls inward. This injury can happen due to one forceful movement, or it can develop over a period of time, and exercises that increase the risk for this type of ankle sprain include running and jumping. You're also at risk if you have pre-existing ankle injuries, poor posture or balance, weak muscles, and reduced range of motion.

How Can Chiropractic Treatments and Dr. Mark Holland Help?

A study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics set out to determine chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. The authors recruited 33 people between the ages of 18 and 45 who had a history of ankle inversion sprains, who were experiencing tenderness and/or pain, and had not re-injured the area in the previous six weeks.

Eighteen of the participants were assigned to participate in rehabilitation and the other 15 people received chiropractic adjustments in addition to rehab. Each person had five full weeks of treatments, with the rehabilitation group receiving therapies seven days a week and the rehabilitation plus chiropractic group receiving treatment six out of the seven days.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Ankle Sprains

The authors found that the people who participated in both rehab and chiropractic fared the best at the 4-week mark when it came to pain and joint restriction. In addition, no adverse effects were reported, showing that chiropractic is safe.

If you're near our office in North County, St. Louis, MO and you're suffering from an ankle injury, give us a call. We'll do what we can to keep you up and moving... literally!

Studies

• American College of Sports Medicine. (n.d.). Ankle sprains and the athlete. Retrieved from https://www.acsm.org/docs/current-comments/anklesprainstemp.pdf
• Lubbe, D et al. (2015, January). Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation for recurrent ankle sprain with functional instability: a short-term, assessor-blind, parallel-group randomized trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 38(1), 22-34, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.10.001

Regrettably, a large number of our North County, St. Louis, MO patients are familiar with the pain caused by a herniated disc all too well. Fortunately, Dr. Mark Holland has helped many people with disc pain, and a number of medical studies have verified that chiropractic can help patients recover from this kind of problem.

Research on Herniated Discs and Chiropractic

In one study, researchers from Switzerland recruited 148 patients who were coping with pain in their lower back and legs due to a herniated disc (which was confirmed through magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI). Each person then received chiropractic adjustments that focused on the area of his or her disc herniation.

Results were gathered after the first treatment session at set intervals--namely, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year--to ascertain what kind of short-term and long-term effects, if any, chiropractic offers when it comes to treating this particular condition. Among the information gathered was the individual's self-reported changes in both low back and leg pain.

Investigators found that, overall, the study participants reported "significant improvement" for both types of pain every time the results were collected. In fact, over 90% of the study participants reported that their pain "improved" within the first three months, with 88% still citing improvement one year after their first treatment session.

Even those people who were defined as "chronic" still reported an improvement in pain at a rate of 89 percent one year beyond when treatment first began. This is the same positive result that was found in the following case study.

Disc Herniation and Chiropractic: A Case Study

In this study, a 26-year-old man had presented with disc herniation symptoms such as pain in the lower back, left leg, and left groin area, along with left foot drop and muscle weakness. He had suffered with these problems for more than two years after sustaining a sports injury, and his disc herniation was confirmed via MRI.

After receiving chiropractic, "The patient responded favorably and his multi-symptom complex resolved within 90 days of treatment." In addition, the patient was still experiencing relief one year after the chiropractic intervention.

Studies like these show how helpful chiropractic can be when it comes to alleviating herniated disc pain and reducing the symptoms they cause. So, if you are suffering from back ache caused by a herniated disc and wish to find some relief, chiropractic may be an effective solution.

Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our North County, St. Louis, MO office a call today at (314) 867-8888 for a consultation or appointment.

References

• Leemann S, Peterson CK, Schmid C, Anklin B, Humphreys BK. Outcomes of acute and chronic patients with magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed symptomatic lumbar disc herniations receiving high-velocity, low-amplitude, spinal manipulative therapy: a prospective observational cohort study with one-year follow-up. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;37(3):155-163.
• Polkinghorn BS, Colloca CJ. Treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation using activator methods chiropractic technique. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1998;21(3):187-196.
  

Dr. Mark Holland sees a lot of patients struggling with carpal tunnel syndrome in our busy North County, St. Louis, MO chiropractic office. While some people think that the source of this wrist-related pain is muscular, it's really a syndrome that arises from the nerves--and not just the nerves in your hands.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

A recent study printed in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy evaluated 71 women between the ages of 35 and 59 who were diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Upon studying the subjects' neck range of motion, the researchers found that the patients had reduced cervical flexibility when compared to a healthy control group.

Furthermore, it was also found that the level of the women's reported carpal tunnel discomfort was connected to the lateral flexion of the cervical spine. In short, the less range of motion in the neck, the greater the level of pain.

This research is very important, as you can't effectively address a problem until you fully understand its source. By recognizing that the root of carpal tunnel issues is in the neck, this means that all-natural approaches such as chiropractic can often restore normal function, eliminating the need for risky surgical procedures.

If you have carpal tunnel pain, call our North County, St. Louis, MO office and ask how Dr. Mark Holland can help you get relief!

Studies

De-la-Llave-Rincon A et al. (2011, May). Women with carpal tunnel syndrome show restricted cervical range of motion. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy;41(5):305-10.
Simon H. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. University of Maryland Medical Center. Updated May 6, 2012. Retrieved from https://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/carpal-tunnel-syndrome on November 2, 2015.

We see a number of people with back pain in our North County, St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Mark Holland has been able to help a lot of them get relief through various chiropractic techniques. However, recovering from back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to decide between chiropractic care and medical care, as many individuals utilize both types of care with great success.

Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Care Work Well Together

In a study published by the academic journal Spine investigators¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who claimed both acute discomfort and restricted function due to back-related issues. Some of the study participants received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the remainder were given chiropractic adjustments as well as standard medical care, as the authors wanted to determine which patients fared better.

Researchers determined that the group that got standard medical care combined with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the patients who received medical care alone; 73 percent reported positive benefits compared to just 17 percent of the medical treatment only group who reported the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two- and four-week marks.

Accordingly, incorporating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medical approaches can work together, chiropractic offers some unique advantages over medical therapy.

Where Chiropractic Care Is Successful

Although it may seem as if each approach plays a 50/50 role, there is one major benefit that chiropractic care has over medical care and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, one bit of research from UCLA² that was published in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical care.

According to the researchers, the main factors that patients preferred over medical treatment were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't surprising, as chiropractors frequently spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as outlining more thoroughly what to expect from chiropractic care.

Chiropractic Is a Natural Approach to Wellness

Without a doubt, the strategies associated with chiropractic are very different than those provided with medical therapy, but a large amount of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and well-being. Instead of focusing on simply relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means tracking down the primary cause of your pain, which often translates to greater improvement as you are addressing the problem at its source.

Additionally, while medication is sometimes helpful for managing certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment such as chiropractic care. This means fewer negative responses to prescriptions and lasting recovery.

You don't have to struggle with back pain or other health problems. Give our North County, St. Louis, MO clinic a call today at (314) 867-8888. We'll do our best to help you get and stay free from back pain.

References

1. Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
2. Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.

If you live in North County, St. Louis, MO and you've been in a motor vehicle accident, you have to know that you don't have to suffer from chronic injuries.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Pain after an Auto Injury

We work with many auto injury patients in our North County, St. Louis, MO office, and several of these men and women are suffering from chronic pain caused by an old accident. As a matter of fact, research shows that a significant proportion of rear-end accidents can cause pain and disability even ten years after the initial injury.

Dr. Mark Holland is here to help you avoid developing chronic pain by helping to restore the natural function of your spine soon after a motor vehicle accident.

The most common causes of chronic issues are reduced mobility of your spinal column and the development of scar tissue in your spine. The ligaments of your spine can easily be damaged during a crash, and chiropractic care works by reducing inflammation and restoring normal motion.

We Can Help With Chronic Pain and Auto Injury Recovery

If you're nearby our North County, St. Louis, MO office, and you've been injured in a crash, don't wait to get care. Dr. Mark Holland is here for you. Give us a call today at (314) 867-8888 for an appointment or for more information.

Each year, there are millions of auto accidents in the world, and a significant number of people get hurt in a collision. While most crashes are "minor," chronic back and neck pain are still common health problems. The good news is that chiropractic is a fantastic way to help these kinds of injuries.

We have treated many auto injury patients in our North County, St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Mark Holland has been helping people with these types of problems since 2000. During a collision, your body is subjected to violent forces that it simply wasn't built to handle. These forces place strain and stress on your neck, shoulder, and back, and can cause injury to the ligaments that hold your spinal column together. A crash can cause a vast array of pain issues.

A ligament sprain in the neck can cause pain, swelling, and radicular pain in the arm and hand. Chiropractic care works well for these types of problems, because chiropractic concentrates on restoring the healthy function and flexibility of the injured areas.

Dr. Mark Holland Can Help People Recover From an Auto Injury

Dr. Mark Holland, your North County, St. Louis, MO chiropractor, can assist by reducing irritation in the damaged area and can help minimize the creation of scar tissue that can cause chronic pain and disability.

You don't have to suffer from auto injury pain. Discover more about how we can help you get well or call Dr. Mark Holland today at (314) 867-8888.

Jaw pain is a fairly common condition experienced by people after a car wreck, and it can be confusing for some physicians to diagnose the cause of the problem. Complicating the matter, many times you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after a crash.

Dr. Mark Holland has treated many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific literature explains what triggers these types of problems. During a collision, the tissues in your spine are commonly stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve damage. This can obviously cause pain in the neck and back, but since your nervous system is one functioning unit, irritation of the nerves can cause problems in other parts of your body.

For instance, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause tingling or numbness in the arm or hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured area, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the jaw works the same way. Dr. Mark Holland sees this very often in our North County, St. Louis, MO office.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps TMJ Pain After an Auto Injury

Research shows that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems begins in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The trick to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Mark Holland will work to return your spinal column back to health, reducing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured tissues, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

Dr. Mark Holland finds that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.

If you live in North County, St. Louis, MO and you've been hurt in a car crash, Dr. Mark Holland can help. We've been treating auto injury patients since 2000, and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at (314) 867-8888 for an appointment or consultation.

Ciancaglini R, Testa M, Radaelli G. Association of neck pain with symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction in the general adult population. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 1999;31:17-22.

Brantingham JW, Cassa TK, Bonnefin D, Pribicevic M, Robb A, et al. Manipulative and multimodal therapy for upper extremity and temporomandibular disorders: a system review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2013;36(3):143-201.

Most of us suffer from back ache at some point in our lives. Experts estimate that nearly 1 out of 3 adults deal with some kind of regular spinal pain. Dr. Mark Holland and our talented staff see many back pain cases in our North County, St. Louis, MO office, and we've found that chiropractic care is a highly effective way to not only help you heal from back pain, it's also a great way to avoid future episodes.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Back Pain

A recent paper from the University of Utah verifies what our North County, St. Louis, MO patients have reported: your North County, St. Louis, MO chiropractor is the best first option for an episode of back pain.

In this study, 747 participants were treated for low back pain. Each person was assessed based on the first person they sought treatment with, whether it was a primary care physician, a chiropractor, a physiatrist (also known as a rehabilitation physician), or a physical therapist.

What the researchers discovered is that the men and women who first saw a chiropractor had fewer advanced imaging tests and fewer surgeries.

Other papers have found the same results. A 2012 study reported that chiropractic patients had the best functional recovery and pain relief for chronic back pain.

Chiropractic works by restoring the natural, pain-free function of your spine. Dr. Mark Holland and our team help your body heal with gentle chiropractic adjustments that don't use drugs or risky surgical procedures.

Dr. Mark Holland Can Help Patients Find Comfort From Back Pain

If you live near our North County, St. Louis, MO office and would like to get out of pain, give our office a call today at (314) 867-8888 for an appointment.

Reference

Fritz JM, Kim J, Dorius J. Importance of the type of provider seen to begin health care for a new episode of low back pain: associations with future utilization and costs. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. 2015(Sep 29).

Cecchi F, et al. Predictors of functional outcome in patients with chronic low back pain undergoing back school, individual physiotherapy or spinal manipulation. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine 2012;48:371-8.