Recent Posts

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

For instance, some individuals encounter pain in and around the knee tissues due to osteoarthritis. Research has shown that this condition responds very well to chiropractic--and rather quickly, too. In fact, one study published in The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association found that people with osteoarthritis in their knees felt significant pain relief and improved function after just two weeks of chiropractic care.

If your knee pain is as a result of a medial meniscus tear, chiropractic could likely help with that as well. One article 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 repair the problem, and if that's the case, chiropractic can also help improve the outcome. How?

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Knee Pain

Research has shown that patients with low back pain frequently have less positive results after knee surgery. Therefore, dealing with your back pain through chiropractic prior to 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 office today and find out what we can do for you!

Sources

• 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 considerable number of individuals with headaches in our North County St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Mark Holland has been able to aid many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that one half of all adults struggle with some manner of headache problem, so this really isn’t surprising. One of the most typical kinds of headaches which our patients experience is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can generally help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from an issue in the cervical spine. It could be a result of an issue with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine creates squeezing or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can give you headache pain.

How can you know if the headache you are feeling is a cervicogenic headache? Besides being given a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is occasionally followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Headache Relief with Chiropractic

Since cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is causing them is corrected, it is vital to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that provides a great deal of relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts evaluated 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. Half of them received chiropractic care and the other 50% underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic offered the most beneficial results.

Specifically, this study found that chiropractic adjustments offered patients better pain relief and lessened the number of headaches that occurred. Moreover, 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 us 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 quite a few patients in our North County St. Louis, MO office with ankle sprains but Dr. Mark Holland has had a lot of success helping them recover 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. In fact, these injuries make up almost 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 common is inversion, or when the ankle rolls inward. This injury can occur due to one forceful movement, or it can develop over a period of time, and activities that increase the risk for this type of ankle sprain include running and jumping. You're also at risk if you have previous ankle injuries, poor posture or balance, weak muscles, and reduced range of motion.

How Can Chiropractic Treatments and Dr. Mark Holland Help?

A paper published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics set out to identify chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. Researchers enrolled 33 men and women 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.

18 of the subjects were assigned to receive rehabilitation and the remaining 15 patients received chiropractic in addition to rehabilitation. Each individual had five full weeks of treatments, with the rehabilitation group receiving treatment seven days a week and the rehabilitation plus chiropractic group receiving therapy six out of the seven days.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Ankle Sprains

The study found that the individuals who participated in both rehabilitation and chiropractic fared the best at the 4-week mark when it came to pain and joint restriction. Furthermore, no undesirable effects were reported, showing that chiropractic is safe.

If you're near our location 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, many of our Hazelwood & Florissant, MO patients know 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 care can help people recover from this kind of condition.

Research on Herniated Discs and Chiropractic

In one report, doctors from Switzerland selected 148 patients who were suffering 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 location of his or her disc herniation.

Data was obtained after the initial 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 care offers when it comes to resolving this particular problem. Among the information collected was the individual's self-reported changes in both lumbar and leg pain.

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

Even those test subjects 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 paper, a 26-year-old male 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 endured these problems for more than two years after sustaining a sports injury, and his herniated disc was confirmed via MRI.

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

Studies like these show how beneficial chiropractic can be when it comes to alleviating herniated disc pain and treating the symptoms they produce. So, if you are suffering from back pain 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 Hazelwood & Florissant, 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 troubled with carpal tunnel syndrome in our busy Hazelwood & Florissant, MO chiropractic practice. While some people think that the origin of this wrist-related pain is muscular, it's really a condition that arises from the nerves--and not just the nerves in your hands.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Recent research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy assessed 71 women between the ages of 35 and 59 who were diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Upon investigating the subjects' neck range of motion, the doctors found that the women had less cervical mobility when compared to a healthy control group.

In addition, they also discovered that the level of the women's reported carpal tunnel pain was linked to the lateral flexion of the cervical spine. In short, the less mobility in the neck, the greater the level of pain.

This research is very important, as you cannot effectively address a problem until you fully understand its cause. By realizing that the root of carpal tunnel pain is in the neck, this means that natural approaches such as chiropractic can often restore normal function, reducing the need for risky operations.

If you suffer with carpal tunnel pain, call our Hazelwood & Florissant, MO location and ask how Dr. Mark Holland can help you get relief!

Sources

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 quite a few patients with back pain in our Hazelwood & Florissant, MO office, and Dr. Mark Holland has been able to help many of them find relief with chiropractic. However, dealing with back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical care, as many people utilize both types of care with great outcomes.

Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Care Work Well with One Another

In a report published by the journal Spine experts¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who were suffering from both acute discomfort and limited function due to back-related issues. Some of the patients engaged in treatment via standard medical therapy, while the rest were given chiropractic adjustments as well as standard medical care, as the authors wanted to determine which group fared better.

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

Accordingly, integrating these two forms of care can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering advantages when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic care and medicine can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some distinct strengths over medical therapy.

Where Chiropractic Care Pulls Ahead

Although it may seem as if each approach plays a 50/50 role, there is one major advantage that chiropractic care has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a study 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 people undergoing medical care.

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

Chiropractic Is a Natural Approach to Wellness

Certainly, the techniques associated with chiropractic are very different than those provided with medical treatment, but a large amount of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. Instead of focusing on just relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means searching for the primary cause of your pain, which often means greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

In addition, while medication is sometimes helpful for treating certain conditions, many health issues respond well to a natural approach like chiropractic. This means fewer negative side effects from medications and longer-lasting recovery.

You don't have to suffer from back pain or other health issues. Give our Hazelwood & Florissant, MO office a call today at (314) 867-8888. We'll do everything we can to help you get and continue to be 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 Hazelwood & Florissant, MO and you've been in a motor vehicle accident, you need to know that you don't have to suffer from chronic pain.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Pain after an Auto Injury

We treat a lot of auto injury patients in our Hazelwood & Florissant, MO office, and a lot of these folks are dealing with chronic pain caused by an old crash. As a matter of fact, research shows that a significant proportion of rear-end accidents result in pain and disability even ten years after the initial injury.

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

The most frequent causes of chronic pain are reduced flexibility of your spinal column and the development of scar tissue in your spine. The ligaments of your spine can easily be harmed during a collision, and chiropractic care works by minimizing inflammation and restoring normal motion.

We Can Help With Chronic Pain and Auto Injury Recovery

If you're near our Hazelwood & Florissant, MO office, and you've been injured in a collision, don't wait to get treatment. Dr. Mark Holland is here for you. Give us a call today at (314) 867-8888 for an appointment or for more information.

Every year, there are millions of car crashes in the world, and a substantial number of people get hurt in a crash. Although most accidents are "minor," chronic neck and back pain are still common health problems. The good news is that chiropractic is a great way to correct these kinds of injuries.

We have helped many auto injury patients in our Hazelwood & Florissant, MO office, and Dr. Mark Holland has been treating people with these types of injuries since 2000. During a crash, your body is exposed 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 result in damage to the ligaments that hold your neck and back together. A collision can result in a wide variety of pain issues.

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

Dr. Mark Holland Can Help Clients Recover From an Auto Accident

Dr. Mark Holland, your Hazelwood & Florissant, MO chiropractor, can help by reducing inflammation in the injured area and can help minimize the formation 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 recover or call Dr. Mark Holland today at (314) 867-8888.

Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly typical condition reported by people after a car crash, and it can be challenging for some health practitioners to identify the root of the problem. Complicating the issue, very often you won't experience TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after a crash.

Dr. Mark Holland has treated many men and women with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical research explains what produces these types of problems. During a collision, the tissues in your neck are oftentimes stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. This can clearly cause pain in the neck and back, but since your central 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 prickling or pins and needles in the arm and hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured tissues, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Mark Holland sees this very often in our Hazelwood & Florissant, MO office.

Research Proves Chiropractic Lessens TMJ Pain After an Auto Accident

Research shows that the source of many jaw or TMJ symptoms originates in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The trick to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Mark Holland will work to return your spine back to health, decreasing the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and eliminating the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

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

If you live in Hazelwood & Florissant, MO and you've been hurt in a crash, Dr. Mark Holland can help. We've been working with 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 problems at some point in our lives. Researchers 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 Hazelwood & Florissant, 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 prevent future problems.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Back Pain

A recent paper from the University of Utah confirms what our Hazelwood & Florissant, MO patients have experienced: your Hazelwood & Florissant, MO chiropractor is the best first choice for an event of back pain.

In this article, 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, or a physiotherapist.

What the authors discovered is that the individuals who first saw a chiropractor had fewer advanced imaging tests and fewer surgical procedures.

Other papers have found the same results. A 2012 study found 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 People Find Comfort From Back Pain

If you live near our Hazelwood & Florissant, 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.