Tag: back pain

Frozen shoulder, neck pain and back pain; what is the connection?

Frozen shoulder, neck, and back pain; what is the connection? A patient developed lower back and shoulder pain over the pandemic and believed it was due to working at home with less-than-perfect ergonomic conditions. Her lower back pain evolved into shoulder pain which took months of therapy to improve.   More recently the pain developed into the right shoulder and she endured months of therapy again which did little to resolve her pain.  She was told numerous things by the orthopedic who had ordered MRI scans of the shoulders, and lower back and was told she had conditions that did not Read More »

Wearing Foot Orthotics: Is It a Life-Long Necessity?

Wearing Foot Orthotics: Is It a Life-Long Necessity? One of the most common reasons for back, neck, shoulder, and even knee pain begins at the feet.   While having low arches or flat feet does not necessarily cause back and neck problems, asymmetry of the feet is an inherited trait. You look like your parents and probably walk like them too because of genetics.  Some of us need help to be more symmetrical in how we walk and move about which reduces stress on our bodies. What do foot orthotics do? Foot orthotics level the hips.  While they do provide arch Read More »

What are your core muscles and why is your core stability so important?

What are your core muscles and why is your core stability so important? Dozens of articles regarding the importance of a strong core have been written but what is the core and why does it need to be strong? According to Wikipedia, The body’s core region is sometimes referred to as the torso or the trunk, although there are some differences in the muscles identified as constituting them. The major muscles involved in core stability include the pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae (sacrospinalis) especially the longissimus thoracis, and the diaphragm. ” While this sounds complicated, the core is required for proper breathing and movement. A Read More »

We must end one size fits all healthcare for musculoskeletal back and neck pain. Here’s what you can do about it.

We must end one size fits all healthcare for musculoskeletal back and neck pain. Here’s what you can do about it. A common conversation I have with new patients is that we tailor the care to your needs.   the conversation begins with what is normal and then what is normal for you.  Normal is what you have always known and felt such as your neck always being tight, never being able to touch your toes, or knees always cracking when you squat. They are normal to you because this is what you always remember feeling from the time you were Read More »

Opioids are over rated for some types of back pain.

Opioids are overrated for some types of back pain. Unless you are living under a rock, you have likely heard about the devastating effects the overprescription of opioid drugs has had in certain communities. For years, doctors have prescribed these drugs for problems such as back pain thinking that their patient would have relief. It’s not just opioids that are the problem with the medical approach to back pain.   The truth is that drugs do not solve back problems; they make them more chronic which is why so many people have been seeing physical therapists or chiropractors first. The newest Read More »