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Archives for 2012

Spinal Joint Mechanoreceptors, Proprioception, and The Pain Gate

William H. Kirkaldy-Willis, MD, had an accomplished professional career.Dr. Kirkaldy-Willis was trained as an orthopedic surgeon. From 1965 to 1988 he was associated with the University Hospital in Saskatoon, Canada where he became Emeritus Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Head of the Department in 1967.He was President of the East African Association of Surgeons (1959-1960); [..]

Low Back Pain & Spinal Manipulation: How Does It Work?

For many years, Chiropractic has been at the forefront of treating low back pain (LBP) with both greater patient satisfaction and less lost time at work when compared with other non-surgical treatment approaches. There have been many explanations as to why chiropractic manipulation therapy (CMT) works but many of these studies include other treatment modalities [..]

The Whiplash Syndrome: Ringing in the Ears

The term "whiplash" usually brings to mind neck pain, headaches, and/or a stiff neck. However, there are other symptoms associated with whiplash that we don’t usually think of, such as ringing in the ears or tinnitus. In the absence of whiplash, there are many people who experience an occasional ringing or sound of some sort [..]

Fibromyalgia: The Challenges of Diagnosis

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition where the diagnosis is made by elimination since there are no specific lab tests for diagnosis. In the past, we’ve discussed the different types of FM, the lack of good diagnostic tests, many management recommendations derived from interviews with FM patients, and more.One of the many causes of FM [..]

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Prevention

People who spend a lot of time performing activities that require a high level of force or repetition, or use vibrating tools are at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Other activities such as driving, playing musical instruments, knitting, using a sander, screw drivers, air wrenches, waitress work, or assembling small parts are also [..]

The Neck & Shoulder Pain Relationship

Given the close anatomical proximity between the neck and shoulder, it’s no wonder the two are intimately related. With our hectic lifestyles that include driving, hunching over computers and electronic devices, and talking on the phone (not to mention stress arising from multiple sources), sometimes it seems like the muscles in the neck, upper back, [..]

Whiplash Injuries Review and Update on Facet Joint Trauma

For 34 years, my academic and clinical interests have primarily centered around whiplash trauma, its understanding and management. I have often heard that the pathology for both acute and chronic whiplash pain are unknown and undiagnosable. It is commonplace to label the pathology of whiplash syndrome as unknown, self limiting, psychometric, secondary gain, biosocial, etc. [..]

The Whiplash Syndrome

The term "whiplash" was coined by Dr. Harold Crowe in 1928 during an interview on car collision-related neck injuries but he reportedly "…regretted it later." The term "whiplash" quickly became a household word and relates to a sudden movement of the head producing a neck sprain. It is now accepted that not only forward/backward movements [..]

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Sleeping

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and noticed your hand sleeping to the point where you had to get out of bed and shake or flick your fingers to alleviate the numbness? If the numbness was primarily on the thumb-side half of your hand, it may have been carpal tunnel [..]

Fibromyalgia: "Why Won't The Pain Stop?"

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition that does not limit itself to just one area but rather, it manifests as a generalized, whole body condition where basically, everything hurts. The diagnosis is typically made by exclusion or by eliminating all other possible conditions as there is no single blood test for FM and unless other [..]