Conditions we treat

Chronic headaches

Posted by Marc Croker | 3 comments

I have recently treated two women who have suffered from headaches for as long as they could remember.  Nora, a 49 year old woman, reported having migraines since she was a teenager.  Her headaches would last for a few days at a time with pain in and around her eyes.  She would be light sensitive and would have blurry vision.  Nora had no neck pain.

Li, a 41 year old woman, reported having headaches around her forehead for as long as she could remember.  Li had nausea, and vomiting with a throbbing headache.  She reported that vomiting used to relieve her headache but not any more. She also had neck pain and lower back pain.

On examination both women were found to have acute inflammation of the facet joints at C23 with muscle spasm of their sub occipital muscles.  Both women had acutely inflamed rib joints at T4 and tight scalene muscles. Both women were treated using chiropractic manipulation, massage and stretching techniques.

Nora found relief from her headaches after the first adjustment.  She has not suffered from a headache since her first adjustment on the 3 June 2011.  Nora found her headaches were originally preceded by light sensitivity.  She still suffered from some light sensitivity after the first visit but it didn’t result in a headache which she found surprising.  By the fourth visit Nora was no longer feeling any light sensitivity and was generally feeling much better.  She found that she was sleeping better and was beginning to feel less stressed about getting a headache.  It has now been over four months since her last headache.  Nora had a total of 8 chiropractic treatments over the last four months.  Her last visit was 6 weeks ago.

Li has had 6 chiropractic treatments since 10 September 2011.  It took three chiropractic treatments before her headaches disappeared.  It has now been two weeks since her last appointment and she has been headache free and feeling much better.

One of the common things that we find with pain is that the longer you suffer from the symptoms the harder it is to fully alleviate them.  There are of course exceptions to the rule.  Nora and Li are the cases in point.  Here we have two women that have suffered from headaches for decades and their symptoms were completely alleviated within a few treatments.  So what was the cause of their headaches?  In most cases there is inflammation of one of the joints of the upper cervical spine.  This could have been caused by just about anything.  Once pain and inflammation have started there is often a heightened sensitivity which can trigger headaches from even the slightest stress.  The most common causes of neck pain and headaches are poor sleeping positions, working on the computer and stress.

Related posts:

Pregnancy and Chiropractic.

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

One of the most common symptoms that women suffer during pregnancy is back pain. So much so, that if you mention that you are suffering lower back pain during pregnancy to a doctor or an obstetrician they will reassure you that it is a normal symptom of pregnancy. However back pain is not normal. Pain is a sign that something is inflamed and with appropriate treatment your pregnancy can be wonderfully free of lower back pain.

The difference with lower back pain in pregnancy is just that there is extra weight on the joints of the lower back. Once the inflamed joint has been identified and treated the pregnancy can continue without the lower back pain.
The major concern for pregnant women is that chiropractic treatments might have an adverse affect on the unborn baby. Chiropractic manipulation can be safely performed on all levels of the spine throughout pregnancy. This is especially true if you have had chiropractic treatment prior to being pregnant, as your body is already used to being treated and the treatment should only involve a little fine tuning to keep the spine healthy and mobile. If your body has never had any treatment before then it will take time to adapt and respond to the manipulation. Whilst this is not a contraindication to manipulation during the first trimester many women choose to wait until they are past the first three months before beginning treatment. In many cases though your body will be much better for having had treatment and this can only be of benefit to mother and baby.

Pubic symphysis pain and headaches are common symptoms of pregnancy and these symptoms often continue for weeks to months after the baby has been delivered.  The forces applied to the pubic bones can cause misalignment of the pubic bones and even separation of the pubic symphysis.  Recurring headaches are common to women after delivering their baby.  It is not uncommon for the headaches to persist until the pubic pain has subsided.  There are a number of effective chiropractic treatments for misalignment of the pubic bones.

Another common pain during pregnancy is pain around the lower rib cage in the region of the kidneys.  This is often due to pressure from the pregnancy on the lower rib cage towards the end of the pregnancy.  Sore ribs can manifest as either a constant localised ache or it can be sharp catching pain that hurts when breathing.  Certain movements will also cause this pain.

Apart from pain relief during pregnancy, chiropractic manipulation also has the benefit of freeing up restriction in the joints of the pelvis and lower back. This may aid in providing a less stressful delivery as the pelvis is more flexible than it would have been without manipulation.

Related posts:

Tinnitus

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

A 54 year old man presented to this clinic in October 2010 complaining of a high pitched ringing sound in his ears.  He had been suffering with this tinnitus for the last eight months.  His GP could not find any medical reason for the tinnitus.  He found that the tinnitus was aggravated by certain neck movements and also by putting pressure on his head.  Thinking that it might be coming from his neck he decided to give chiropractic a chance to alleviate his symptoms.  He had previously seen a chiropractor 20 years ago.  In the last two years he had also suffered from a headache on a weekly or fortnightly basis.  The headache was accompanied by some blurry vision and loss of balance.

The short movie below shows how the middle ear works.

On examination it was found that the tinnitus was aggravated by all movements of his neck and by compression of the cervical spine.  It was found that there was acute inflammation of the C12 facet joint on the right side of his neck and there was muscle spasm and pain in his suboccipital muscles.  He also had acutely inflammed ribs on both sides at the level of T34.  Otherwise the rest of his spine and musculoskeletal system was unremarkable.

An upper cervical adjustment was performed on the initial consultation and there was an immediate relief of the tinnitus in the right ear.  There was no change in the tinnitus in the L ear.  By the third consultation there was a definite improvement in the tinnitus in both ears.  By the fifth and final consultation the patient reported that there was no longer any tinnitus, and that he had complete relief of his headaches.

This patient suffered from subjective tinnitus and the most common cause of this disorder in the absence of any ear pathology is inflammation of the upper cervical spine or inflammation of the tempero-mandibular joint.  It is thought to be the result of abnormal neuronal activity caused by inflamed structures immediately adjacent to the ear canal.

Related posts:

Dizziness

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

Dizziness, or vertigo, is a very debilitating symptom to suffer from. Many people with pain can simply put up with it and get on with their day however the feeling of dizziness can stop you dead in your tracks.  It is not easily ignored and many people are left to suffer with it for many years.

The most common causes of vertigo are middle ear infection, Meniere’s disease, and positional vertigo.  It is this latter cause that is the most responsive to chiropractic care.  Positional vertigo (also called Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) is triggered when the head is placed in a particular position and severe dizziness is felt until the head is moved into a different position.  Nystagmus (rapid involuntary movements of the eyes) also occurs with positional vertigo. It is often the result of head or neck injury that may not necessarily be traumatic in nature.  Anything that causes inflammation to arise in the upper cervical spine has the potential to cause dizziness.  It is thought that the reason for this is that there is irritation to the proprioceptors of muscles, tendons and joints in the neck which causes abnormal positional messages back to the brain effectively confusing the brain as to where the head is in space.

As the vertigo is triggered by neck movement, chiropractors find that restoring normal neck function by way of manipulation, massage and stretching, can significantly alleviate the dizziness symptoms.  The most common tissues involved in patients presenting with vertigo are the suboccipital muscles which are taut and tender to touch, and the facet joints of C12 and C23.  Of course the biggest concern that chiropractors have with regards to dizziness is that a rare cause of this disorder is vertebral artery insufficiency.  In this condition sudden strong rotational or extension movements of the neck can cause vertigo by reducing blood flow to the brain.  This can also give rise to stroke or stroke like symptoms.  As such it is imperative that vascular insufficiency be ruled out as a cause of vertigo.  This can be done by doppler ultrasound or to a lesser extent by a vertebral artery occlusion test.

Clinically many patients with vertigo respond very well to chiropractic care and are grateful for being able to live without this debilitating condition.  Positional vertigo does tend to recur in much the same way that headaches or general neck pain recurs due to the activities of daily living.

Related posts:

Shoulder Injuries

Posted by Marc Croker | 3 comments

As a chiropractor, I am always suprised when people ask me ‘do chiropractors do anything for shoulder injuries?’. In fact chiropractors successfully treat all joints and their associated structures (muscle, tendon, ligament, bursa, fascia) including shoulders, knees, ankles, thumbs, ribs and even jaws.

The most common shoulder injury is rotator cuff tendonitis. The rotator cuff muscles are four muscles around the shoulder which anchor and stabilise the shoulder to the shoulder blade. Of these rotator cuff muscles the infraspinatus, supraspinatus and teres minor muscles and the most commonly injured of all shoulder muscles. These muscles are the most susceptible to tendonitis injury.  The reason for  this is that as a shoulder stabiliser they are always in use and so tension is developing in them every day, and they are muscles that are rarely stretched so they are often too short.

Biceps tendonitis is another common shoulder injury that responds well to chiropractic therapy.  It is a muscle that is used everyday to lift and carry things.  It is commonly injured because it is very difficult to stretch.  As you lengthen the biceps muscle the elbow locks when your arm straightens and this limits the length that you can get in this muscle.  There is a technique for stretching the bicep muscle that involves anchoring the bicep muscle and then stretching it but this is best achieved with the help of a qualified professional.

Tendonitis occurs when the muscle is spasmed or shortened through repetitive use and pulls so hard on the tendon that it strains the tendon causing inflammation. This ailment is quite easily corrected with the use of chiropractic adjustive therapy, muscle release techniques and tendon release techniques. Treatment of most tendonitis injuries lasts for four to six weeks.

Some people have the misfortune of suffering from a frozen shoulder.  This is a very painful and debilitating condition.  It is characterised by several different shoulder injuries occurring simultaneously resulting in significant reduction of movement in the shoulder due to pain, weakness and stiffness.  Treatment of this painful condition involves intensive massage, stretching and adjustive techniques.

Other common causes of shoulder injuries include referral of pain from neck or thoracic subluxations, impingement syndromes caused by subacromial bursitis, rotator cuff tears in the elderly or young (associated with severe trauma and often dislocation), and osteoarthritis. All of the above conditions can be treated successfully with chiropractic care.

It is important to get the advice of a chiropractor on shoulder injuries as we may be able to save you from unnecessary surgery, or if necessary guide you on to the appropriate specialist.

Related posts:

Osteoporosis

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

The human body is an amazingly efficient machine. It requires a lot of energy for your body to maintain strong healthy bones. If you do not do any physically demanding activites then your body determines that you have no need for strong bones. As a result your body diverts its energy into other activities like digestion and tissue repair and you develop osteoporosis. If however you are always stressing your body with weight bearing activities then your body responds by maintaining strong healthy bones. You have control over how you age.

It is generally more difficult to treat people chiropractically if they have osteoporosis. The greatest fear with treatment is that the chiropractor will fracture an osteoporotic bone. There are a number of ways of using chiropractic techniques that do not involve high force and hence are safe to use on patients with osteoporosis. It is however always best to prevent this condition.

10 Tips for Preventing Osteoporosis

1. Eat calcium rich foods throughout life. This will increase peak bone mass when you are young and decrease bone loss as you age. Foods rich in calcium include cheese, milk, yoghurt, canned salmon, broccoli, soy bean curd and flour.
2. Spend 30 minutes outside in the sun to maintain Vitamin D adequacy. Vitamin D is made by the action of sunlight in the skin. It then increases the amount of calcium which can be absorbed in the intestine and as a result increases bone mineralisation.
3. Eat a varied diet. This ensures the body has all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and prevent sickness and disease.
4. Reduce sodium intake. A high salt intake increases the amount of calcium that is lost in urine.
5. Exercise regularly – especially weight bearing exercise. Weight bearing exercise keeps bones strong – immobilisation osteoporosis. Exercise 3-4 times per week for 30-60 minutes.
6. Maintain ideal body weight. Being under or overweight can predispose to osteoporosis.
7. Don’t diet or exercise so hard that it adversely affects the menstrual cycle. A disturbance of the menstrual cycle can cause a fall in the production of oestrogen which can cause an increase in the resorption of bone.
8. Don’t smoke cigarettes. The metabolic products of tobacco cause a decrease in oestrogen production and an increase in oestrogen breakdown.
9. Limit the consumption of alcohol. Excessive intake of alcohol probably acts by depressing bone formation.
10. Use HRT or a natural alternative at menopause (NB The use of some HRT preparations may result in an increase in cell turnover and therefore an increase in tumour growth in some patients.)

Related posts: