The word scoliosis is a word we have all heard before; it is the lateral bending of the spine mostly observed to the left and right and back again to form the letter ‘S’. Two other terms that you may have heard somewhere are Lordosis and Kyphosis, and these are forward bending of the spine and backward bending of the spine, respectively. At the time of birth we all have a spine shaped in a ‘C’ or in the fetal…
Neck Pain
Martha had dropped her cup of tea more than once and naturally began to worry about what that meant. Her doctor had her undergo an MRI of the neck area and the results were quite shocking to her since she had so little neck complaints over the years. What was so surprising was the advanced levels of spinal disc degeneration with associated disc bulging that was there in black and grey on the MRI image and how the discs had…
Mary’s hands hurt and some times more than others, depending on how much she does things with her hands. She is wondering what type of arthritis she has. Arthritis is a word with two parts: Arthro meaning joint and ‘itis’ that is used to describe the process of inflammation in some part of the body. So arthritis is an inflammation of the joint, any joint and it can be caused by a number of things. Three most common types of arthritis…
Does cracking your joints hurt your joints? The answer is YES, inappropriate repetitive cracking of the joins hurts them… not because of the “crack” but because of ligament and cartilage damage. If you repeatedly crack your joints they become somewhat unstable by producing laxity in the ligaments that hold the joint together so the joint loses its stability. Stressful micro-movements of the joint make it arthritic with the cartilage deteriorating. What is that sound in the first place you ask?…
Did you know that people have the same number of neck bones as a Giraffe? Yes it’s true. There are seven bones. In a previous blog I mentioned how the upper part of the neck is known as the “headache zone” and today we will discuss the other common problems related to misalignments of the seven bones in the neck. Pain in the neck comes from actual damage being reported to the brain in any of the tissues or structures of the…
Almost every Filipino is well aware of prioritizing dental health. Getting their teeth cleaned, managed and sometimes restored. But when it comes to spinal health, the average Pinoy is often left in the dark. “Chiropractic in the Philippines? What is that?” Sad to say, many people no longer have their teeth or the need for a Dentist any more; but, last time we looked, people always have their spine. IMAGINE… what if there were NO DENTISTS in the Philippines? What…
Masakit ang Balikat! Paul hurt his shoulder while lifting heavy luggage during one of his business trips. Like most men, Paul thought the problem was just a minor thing. You know the expression: “Maybe it will go away.” So months later the shoulder hurt everyday with various activities. Shoulder pain is a common complaint expressed to the Doctor of Chiropractic during a spinal evaluation. Actually there are three categories of shoulder pains: Joint problems Peripheral soft tissue injuries General discomfort or tension…
Paul suffers from lower back pain and the doctors said he had a slipped disc. The lower back, the lumbar region of the spine, is the most common area where intervertebral discs will “slip” or more accurately bulge, herniate or rupture. Symptoms of lower back pain are present, with or without leg pain or numbness. Sounds serious? When the topic of spinal surgery is mentioned it becomes serious indeed. Complicated? Well it could be but fortunately there are spinal experts available to evaluate and…
Martha has been suffering from arm and hand pain and numbness with gradually increasing severity. It all began with frequent earlier neck pains and some reoccurring headaches. These are symptoms of a neck in trouble that is now pinching or irritating nerves that go into the arms and hands and / or other nerves that go from the neck up into the head. Signs to look for are limited neck movements; that is, the neck exhibits a restricted range of motion. IT’S EASY TO CHECK… Turn…