Recent Posts

According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more people in the US suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. On top of that, neck pain is the third most documented type of pain, beat out only by back pain and headaches.

Not surprisingly, many people come to our North County, St. Louis, MO office seeking neck pain care, and Dr. Mark Holland has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart choice, as some studies have shown that over 90% of neck pain patients benefit from chiropractic care.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic Works

A report published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy included 64 men and women who were suffering with neck pain. Approximately half were placed in an experimental group and the other half were designated to a comparison group. Both received chiropractic adjustments of the neck as well as a home exercise program, whereas the experimental group also received adjustments of the thoracic spine.

Data was gathered before treatment began and one week after the adjustments. Researchers found that 94 percent of the experimental group claimed "significantly greater improvements" in regard to pain and disability in their neck symptoms. Just 35% of the individuals who received neck adjustments showed the same level of improvement, showing that evaluating the entire spine is a critical part of restoring the body's normal function.

Yet another study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 adults who were dealing with neck pain. Each person was randomly allocated to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with follow-up exams occurring two and four days after the treatments.

The investigators discovered that the study patients who received the thrust manipulations (the same manipulations that provided such positive results in the first study) "experienced greater reductions in disability" than the group that received the non-thrust manipulations. Their pain was lower as well, which shows that this type of approach offers many benefits.

Chiropractic Even Offers Benefits After Failed Neck Surgery

One study also found the same sort of positive outcomes after thoracic adjustments in a woman who had a failed neck surgery. This particular case involved a 46-year-old patient who had recently had neck surgery but still reported neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.

The woman reported reduced pain in her neck and reduced headache intensity, immediately after the first chiropractic treatment session. After six weeks of care, which involved chiropractic, exercise, and patient education, the patient still rated her pain at a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. Her neck disability improved as well, with a rating score that represented that it was a "great deal better."

It is studies like these that prove the advantages of chiropractic techniques, even if you've already attempted neck surgery that didn't provide relief. So, if you are dealing with neck problems and would like to find a solution that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the help you're looking for.

We're located in North County, St. Louis, MO and Dr. Mark Holland can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (314) 867-8888.

References

• AAPM facts and figures on pain. The American Academy of Pain Medicine.
• Masaracchio M, Cleland JA, Hellman M, Hagins M. Short-term combined effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation and cervical spine nonthrust manipulation in individuals with mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2013;43(3):118-127.
• Cleland JA, Glynn P, Whitman JM, Eberhart SL, MacDonald C, Childs JD. Short-term effects of thrust versus nonthrust mobilization/manipulation directed at the thoracic spine in patients with neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Physical Therapy 2007;87(4):431-440.
• Salvatori R, Rowe RH, Osborne R, Beneciuk JM. Use of thoracic spine thrust manipulation for neck pain and headache in a patient following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a case report. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2014;44(6):440-449.
  

With the Migraine Research Foundation reporting that migraines affect 38 million people in the U.S. (more than diabetes and asthma put together), it's no surprise that Dr. Mark Holland sees a lot of headache patients in our North County, St. Louis, MO office. Although some folks choose to relieve migraine pain with drugs, chiropractic is a fantastic, all-natural approach that usually produces positive results.

Research Proves Chiropractic Care Helps With Migraines

For example, one report published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics involved 127 participants ranging in age from 10 to 70-years-old who suffered with regular (at least monthly) headaches. Each subject received up to 16 chiropractic sessions. The subjects noted that their headache frequency, duration, and disability two months before the treatments began, during the duration of the sessions (which was two months), and two months post-treatment.

What the authors discovered is that chiropractic adjustments reduced the frequency, duration, and disability of the migraine pain when compared with the control group who didn't receive chiropractic. Even better, this enabled them to take less medication for the pain, providing them an all-natural solution for a chronic condition.

Another study found that a combination of chiropractic and neck massage reduced migraine pain almost 68%.

If you have migraine pain and are looking for help, call Dr. Mark Holland today and request an appointment in our North County, St. Louis, MO chiropractic office. We'll do what we can to help you become pain-free!

Resources

Migraine Fact Sheet. Migraine Research Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/fact-sheet.html on November 2, 2015
Noudeh Y et al. (2012). Reduction of current migraine headache pain following neck massage and spinal manipulation. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork;5(1):5-13
Tuchin P et al. (2000, February). A randomized controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;23(2):91-5

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.