Monday, January 4, 2021

Rotator Cuff

  Sometimes mistakenly thought to mean bones in the shoulder, the Rotator Cuff actually consists of 4 muscles which help maintain shoulder mobility, stability, & function.

These muscles are called the “S.I.T.S.” muscles, an acronym for the 4 components---the Supraspinatous, Infraspinatous, Teres minor, and Subscapularis muscles.

Of these 4, the Supraspinatous is most commonly injured. It attaches across the top of the scapula to the top of the humerus, the upper bone of the arm. “Swimmer’s shoulder” is an injury to the Supraspinatous tendon, caused by repetitive forceful adduction of the arm against the resistance of the water.   


Monday, December 28, 2020

How To Get A Headache

Some very common postures can give you a headache!

        Here's what to watch out for:

Leaning your head back to look upward toward a TV or computer monitor, or tilting the head backward to see a monitor through the near-focus part of bifocals, are common postural producers of headache. 

These postures causes the occiput (the bone across the back of the head)  to be stressed inferiorly. This inferiority may be more on one side or the other (unilateral) or global (bilateral). 

When patients present with this in my office, it may be in combination with a superiority of the posterior part of the second cervical vertebra, an additional complication which makes the headache even worse.

I make gentle, focused, precise adjustments that correct the problems without discomfort to the patient, and I provide ergonomic counseling to help keep this from happening again.  


Monday, December 21, 2020

A Piriformis Predicament

When there is pain, or numbness / tingling going down the leg, a patient’s first thought is often, “Uh-Oh. It must be a disc.”

Impingement of nerve(s) by a bulging disc can be the cause of these symptoms, but in the absence of any history of injury, such as a lifting strain or a fall or accident, or of disc problems, it is not necessarily the first thing suspected.

A common cause of such symptoms is impingement of the sciatic nerve underneath the piriformis muscle in the buttock. The piriformis may be in spasm, or the patient may have been sitting for prolonged times, or on hard surfaces, causing pressure on the sciatic nerve.

I release a piriformis spasm with the Activator instrument, and give the patient home care instructions and stretches to alleviate the problem.  


Monday, December 14, 2020

When The Kneecap Goes Awry

The kneecap (patella), which is embedded in the tendon of the quadraceps (quads) muscle(s) on the front of the thigh, “tracks” in a groove on the front of the femur, or thigh bone. The quadraceps tendon attaches below the knee to the tibia.

As the knee bends back & forth, the kneecap, which effects a mechanical advantage of 30% increase in the power production of our quads, slides in the bony groove.

If the kneecap becomes misaligned, as it slides there is abnormal wear & tear against the groove, and this can be the beginning of arthritis in the knee. There may be an audible “crunch” in the knee with squats. 

As an Activator Chiropractor, I have an effective adjustment for this condition, and I give the patient exercises that will help the kneecap stay in alignment. 

Monday, December 7, 2020

5 Key Facts About the Shoulder

(1)  It is the most complex and most mobile part of the body.

(2)  It consists of 4 articulations---the glenohumeral joint (top of the arm connects at the shoulder), the sternoclavicular joint (the collarbone connects near the throat), the acromioclavicular joint (outer end of the collarbone connects with a bony projection off the shoulderblade, and the scapulothoracic articulation (the scapula, or shoulderblade, contacts the rear chest wall).          

(3)  Pain in the shoulder may not be a shoulder problem, but be referred pain from 3 common sites---the heart, the lungs, and the neck. 

(4)  Shoulder dislocation involving the humerus (bone in the upper arm) is common because of the shallowness of the “cup” holding the humeral head. 


 (5)   Bursitis is common in the shoulder, caused by inflammation due to repetitive motions (e.g. painting, drywalling, throwing sports).