Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis affects 9 million Americans, and is a major health care problem in the world today. Osteoporosis is defined as a reduction in an individuals' bone mineral content, or BMC. Osteoporosis weakens the bone structure and leaves the patient susceptible to fractures. Your BMC can be measured by an instrument called a bone densitometer.

Myofascial Pain
Myofascial Pain (MFP) or trigger points (TPs) are areas within muscles that contain "microspasms" which, when pressed on, can cause referred pain. TPs can be caused by injury, stress, poor posture and poor nutrition. TPs in the neck and shoulders are a common source of headaches.

Treatment for MFP consists of nutritional supplements, soft tissue therapy, gentle manipulation, and specific stretches and exercises.

Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic and sometimes debilitating condition characterized by diffuse musculoskeletal pain, nonrejuvenating sleep, fatigue, and intermittent muscle stiffness. The American College of Rheumatology established criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia to include wide-spread pain for at least three months, and a positive reaction to at least 11 of 18 tender points.

FM can be an inherited illness, or due to physical trauma such as an accident. Some patients report psychological problems such as anxiety or depression in addition to their other symptoms.

Although there is no "cure" as of yet; exercise, stretching, soft tissue massage, nutritional supplementation, and chiropractic care minimize FM symptoms and increase overall health and well being.

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Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a sideways curving of the spine and can usually be detected by comparing shoulder and hip heights. The first sign of the condition is often uneven pant leg lengths. Once scoliosis is detected and graded, frequent check-ups for progression are important for administering proper care.

The effects of scoliosis may be minimized with proper spinal manipulations (which improve overall spine movement and flexibility), and specific stretches and exercises. If you or your child are showing signs of scoliosis, please schedule a time for a scoliosis evaluation.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) occurs when a nerve leading into your hand is compressed at the wrist. Think of CTS as being a "pinched nerve" in the wrist caused by swelling , a thickening of the tendons responsible for moving your fingers, or from trauma to the wrist. CTS typically begins as a tingling in the hand (waking the patient at night), which can progress to muscle weakness in the muscles in the effected hand.

This condition is easily managed by gentle passive traction, specific massage techniques, stretches, and physical therapy modalities.

Disc Herniation
The most common cause for a true "pinched nerve" is a disc herniation. A herniated disc is sometimes erroneously called a slipped disc, and is the most common cause of severe back pain and sciatica. A disc becomes herniated when the jelly doughnut-like inside ruptures out to the point that it "pinches" the nerve. Special testing such as CT Scans or MRI's are recommended to assess the severity of the disc disorder, and can be very helpful in determining the best treatment plan.

To treat disc problems, we at Preventive Medicine, PC, utilize a specialized form of passive traction to decompress the disc, thereby relieving symptoms. Additional specialized spinal rehabilitation exercises and stretching programs are recommended.

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Leg Numbness
Leg numbness is the result of pressure along a nerve root. The signals that are coming back from the leg are altered before being received by the spinal cord. This pressure is commonly due to irritated joint capsules, resulting in inflammation and muscle spasm.

Arthritis
Arthritis is a general term meaning "joint Inflammation". The most common type of arthritis is Osteoarthritis, also referred to as OA. There are several causes for OA, such as trauma as a child or young adult, postural imbalances, repetitive stress, and heavy manual labor, to name a few. It is also possible that long standing vertebral subluxation complexes may cause degenerative joint disease or arthritis.

There are two major classifications of arthritic conditions:
Inflammatory (such as rheumatoid arthritis), and non-inflammatory (such as osteoarthritis). The most common medical treatment for OA is over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. NSAIDs have many side effects with chronic use, such as ulcers. Recently, the pharmaceutical industry launched Celebrex, boasting the fact that they don't irritate the lining of the stomach. However, some patients do complain of headaches when taking these medications.

Most Americans are familiar by now with a natural supplement called glucosamine. It is a very good alternative to NSAIDs for controlling joint pain. Many studies on glucosamine versus Ibuprofen have been performed, and they revel that after 6 weeks, glucosamine actually works better for joint pain relief than Ibuprofen.

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Facet Joint Problems
There are six joint surfaces in each of the five lumbar vertebrae (which make up the low back). Above and below are the disk surfaces behind are 4 joint surfaces, the azygapophyseal joints, also called the facet joints. Once irritated, this can result in inflammation and muscle spasm, generating classic belt line low back pain.

Sacroiliac Joint Problems
The Sacroiliac joints facilitate the small motion of the hips with the tailbone. Because of the small amount of movement in the joint they are prone to early degenerative changes and irritation. This irritation can be painful and result in sensitivity of the 'dimples' above the buttocks.

Muscle Spasms
Our spine is made to protect the spinal cord, which extends from behind the brain and controls every function of the human body. In addition to the spine, there are multiple layers of muscle surrounding the spine to stabilize and protect it.  As a result of spine joint irritation, these muscles can tighten up in a protective effort.  Whereas they mean well, these muscle spasms are also powerful pain generators, resulting in dull, achy low back pain.

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Sciatica
Sciatica is an irritation of the sciatic nerve, a nerve that is almost as big around as your pinky finger.  This nerve runs from your lower back into your leg.  Examination can revel the source of the pressure and the condition can be effectively treated.