Posts by BodyMind

We see a lot of men and women with headaches in our Tenino office, and Mr. Kenney has been able to provide relief for many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50 percent of all adults have a problem with some type of headache disorder, so this actually isn’t surprising. One of the most common types of headaches that our patients struggle with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily for us, chiropractic can usually help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from a problem in the cervical spine. It could be thanks to a condition with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it could be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine brings about compaction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can contribute to headache pain.

How do you recognize if the headache you are feeling is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from getting a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Because cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is inducing them is corrected, it is critical to get treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that provides a great deal of relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists followed 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent received chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic delivered the best results.

In particular, this study found that chiropractic adjustments provided patients better pain relief and lowered the number of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also mitigated the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Mr. Kenney can do for you and your headache pain, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you need!

References

• Haas M, Schneider M, Vavrek D. Illustrating risk difference and number needed to treat from a randomized controlled trial of spinal manipulation for cervicogenic headache. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010 18(9).
• World Health Organization. (2012, October). Headache disorders. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs277/en/

We see many patients in our Tenino office with ankle sprains but Mr. Kenney has had a lot of success helping them recover more quickly. Why are ankle sprains so common and how can chiropractic care help?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), approximately 25,000 people in the US sprain their ankles every day. In fact, these injuries make up nearly half of all sports injuries, causing people to spend time away from the activities they enjoy most.

Like any injury, there are many causes of ankle sprains. The most frequent is inversion, or when the ankle rolls inward. This injury can occur due to one forceful movement, or it can develop over a period of time, and exercises that increase the risk for this type of ankle sprain include running and jumping. You're also at risk if you have previous ankle injuries, poor posture or balance, weak muscles, and reduced range of motion.

How Can Chiropractic Treatments and Mr. Kenney Help?

A report published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics set out to discover chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. The authors recruited 33 people between the ages of 18 and 45 who had a history of ankle inversion sprains, who were experiencing tenderness and/or pain, and had not re-injured the area in the previous six weeks.

Eighteen of the subjects were assigned to participate in rehabilitation and the other 15 people received chiropractic in addition to rehabilitation. Each person had five full weeks of therapy, with the rehabilitation group receiving treatment seven days a week and the rehab plus chiropractic group receiving care six out of the seven days.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Ankle Sprains

Researchers found that the people who had both rehab and chiropractic fared the best at the 4-week mark when it came to pain and joint restriction. In addition, no bad effects were reported, showing that this treatment option is safe.

If you're near our location in Tenino and you're struggling with an ankle injury, give us a call. We'll do what we can to keep you up and moving... literally!

Bibliography

• American College of Sports Medicine. (n.d.). Ankle sprains and the athlete. Retrieved from https://www.acsm.org/docs/current-comments/anklesprainstemp.pdf
• Lubbe, D et al. (2015, January). Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation for recurrent ankle sprain with functional instability: a short-term, assessor-blind, parallel-group randomized trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 38(1), 22-34, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.10.001

If you suffer with fibromyalgia, you are not alone, as Mr. Kenney sees many people with this particular syndrome in our Tenino chiropractic practice. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that roughly two percent of all adults in the United States have fibromyalgia. Thankfully, chiropractic is one treatment option that can provide positive results.

In a medical study published in mid-2015, 215 adults with fibromyalgia were assessed based on factors ranging from pain to quality of sleep to the levels of depression or anxiety they felt. Then they were divided into two groups with one group receiving a multi-modal therapy plan for three months and the second group receiving the same program plus chiropractic care (specifically, to the upper neck area) for the same length of time.

The subjects who received chiropractic adjustments in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary treatment approach reported greater benefits in all areas (pain, sleep, depression, and anxiety) at 12 weeks post-treatment when compared to the study participants who received multi-modal therapy without chiropractic care. In addition, those positive outcomes were lasting as the people reported continued improvement one full year later.

Fibromyalgia can substantially decrease your quality of life, both mentally and physically. If you're suffering from fibromyalgia, we might be able to help.

You don't have to suffer! To see what Mr. Kenney can do for your fibromyalgia, call our Tenino chiropractic office today.

References

• Fibromyalgia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm on November 2, 2015.
• Moustafa I & Diab A. (2015, July). The addition of upper cervical manipulative therapy in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial. Rheumatology International;35(7):1163-74.

Unfortunately, a large number of our Tenino patients are familiar with the pain associated with a herniated disc all too well. On a positive note, Mr. Kenney has helped many people with disc pain, and a number of scientific studies have verified that chiropractic care can help people recover from this kind of problem.

Research on Chiropractic and Disc Herniations

In one study, doctors from Switzerland recruited 148 patients who were suffering with pain in their lower back and legs due to a disc herniation (which was confirmed through magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI). Each individual then received chiropractic adjustments that focused on the location of his or her disc problem.

Data was collected after the first treatment session at set intervals--namely, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year--to find out what kind of short-term and long-term effects, if any, chiropractic offers when it comes to treating this particular condition. Among the data obtained was the individual's self-reported changes in both low back and leg pain.

The authors found that, overall, the patients reported "significant improvement" for both types of pain every time the results were collected. In fact, over 90% of the study participants claimed that their pain "improved" within the first three months, with 88% still citing improvement one year after their first treatment session.

Even those people who were defined as "chronic" still reported an improvement in pain at a rate of 89 percent one year beyond when treatment first began. This is the same positive effect that was found in the following case study.

Disc Herniation and Chiropractic: A Case Study

In this paper, a 26-year-old man had presented with disc herniation symptoms such as pain in the low back, left leg, and left groin area, along with left foot drop and muscle weakness. He had suffered with these symptoms for more than two years after sustaining a sports injury, and his herniated disc was confirmed via MRI.

After receiving chiropractic care, "The patient responded favorably and his multi-symptom complex resolved within 90 days of treatment." In addition, the patient was still enjoying relief one year after the chiropractic intervention.

Studies like these show how helpful chiropractic can be when it comes to alleviating herniated disc pain and treating the symptoms they produce. So, if you are suffering from back pain caused by a herniated disc and wish to find some relief, chiropractic may be an effective solution.

Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our Tenino office a call today at (360) 866-3731 for a consultation or appointment.

References

• Leemann S, Peterson CK, Schmid C, Anklin B, Humphreys BK. Outcomes of acute and chronic patients with magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed symptomatic lumbar disc herniations receiving high-velocity, low-amplitude, spinal manipulative therapy: a prospective observational cohort study with one-year follow-up. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;37(3):155-163.
• Polkinghorn BS, Colloca CJ. Treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation using activator methods chiropractic technique. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1998;21(3):187-196.
  

Mr. Kenney sees a lot of people troubled with carpal tunnel syndrome in our busy Tenino chiropractic office. While some people think that the origin of this wrist-related pain is muscular, it's actually a condition that stems from the nerves--and not just the nerves in your hands.

Recent research printed in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy assessed 71 women between the ages of 35 and 59 who were diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Upon studying the subjects' neck range of motion, the researchers found that the women had reduced cervical flexibility when compared to a healthy control group.

In addition, it was also found that the degree of the women's reported carpal tunnel discomfort was connected to the lateral flexion of the cervical spine. In other words, the less flexibility in the neck, the higher the level of pain.

This study is very important, as you cannot effectively resolve a condition until you fully understand its source. By realizing that the root of carpal tunnel symptoms is in the neck, this means that all-natural approaches such as chiropractic can often restore normal function, eliminating the need for risky surgical procedures.

If you are suffering from carpal tunnel pain, call our Tenino office and ask how Mr. Kenney can help you get relief!

Resources

De-la-Llave-Rincon A et al. (2011, May). Women with carpal tunnel syndrome show restricted cervical range of motion. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy;41(5):305-10.
Simon H. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. University of Maryland Medical Center. Updated May 6, 2012. Retrieved from https://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/carpal-tunnel-syndrome on November 2, 2015.

In our Tenino office, we see a large number of patients who are troubled with back pain, and a few of these patients have been told they might need surgery to recover. Fortunately, Mr. Kenney has helped many people get pain relief without the need for any type of operation. The science confirms the success we see in our practice. One study published in the journal Spine found that seeing a chiropractor as your first step in dealing with your back pain may literally keep you out of the operating room.

In this report, medical professionals from Dartmouth reviewed data from 1,885 workers from Washington state who first saw either an orthopedic surgeon or a chiropractor for their back pain issues. They then examined three years' worth of follow-up medical data to ascertain whether the subjects wound up having back surgery in an effort to correct the problem.

What the authors found was that about 43% of the people who first consulted with a surgeon for their back issues ended up with surgery in that 3-year time span, whereas only 1.5% of those who first consulted with a chiropractor had the same fate. The authors wrote:

"Even after controlling for injury severity and other measures, workers with an initial visit for the injury to a surgeon had almost nine times the odds of receiving lumbar spine surgery compared to those seeing primary care providers, whereas workers whose first visit was to a chiropractor had significantly lower odds of surgery."

These are remarkable outcomes. Visiting a chiropractor dramatically decreases your odds of having back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this report "had lower odds of chronic work disability" and they also had fewer expensive MRI tests.

Let's also take into account this important detail: this study was performed by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and published in the world's most prestigious medical journal on spinal injury.

The Risks of Surgery

Any surgical procedure has risks, but a serious downside related to spinal surgery is that there is a very high rate of failure. In an important analysis in the European Spine Journal, researchers wrote:

"Failed back surgery is a problem that has become sufficiently widespread to even warrant its own special conferences, with recent reviews reporting failure rates ranging from 5 to 50%."

The authors of this same study concluded:

"It is extremely difficult to identify unequivocal predictor factors that can be used to accurately predict the outcome of surgery."

As a chiropractor, Mr. Kenney believes that surgery should be the absolute last resort for treating back pain. Chiropractic care works to restore your spine to its normal function--without the need of high-risk surgery or drugs--and many research studies have confirmed the usefulness of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in Tenino and you need relief for your back pain, give our office a call today at (360) 866-3731 for a consultation or an appointment. We'll help get you back on the road to a pain-free life!

Studies

• Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, Wickizer TM, Chan KC, Franklin GM. Early predictors of lumbar spine surgery after occupational back injury: results from a prospective study of workers in Washington State. Spine 2013;38(11):953-964.
• Mannion AF, Elfering A. Predictors of surgical outcome and their assessment. European Spine Journal 2006;15(Suppl 1):S93-S108.
  

If you have shoulder pain after an auto collision, don't despair. Mr. Kenney sees this type of condition often in our Tenino office. Why is shoulder pain such a common symptom after a car accident? How can chiropractic care help you get better?

There are at least two ways that you can develop shoulder pain after an accident: by direct injury to the shoulder joint or by radiating pain from the neck.

Direct trauma can be caused by striking your shoulder on a hard object in the car during the impact, or can occur if you have a tight grip on the steering wheel during a rear end collision. With this type of trauma, you'll often be aware of the pain soon after the crash.

More frequently, Mr. Kenney finds that shoulder or arm pain does not immediately appear after a crash, but begins a few days or weeks after the injury. This type of shoulder discomfort actually starts in the neck. Injured soft tissue in your spine can tweak nerves in your neck, causing tingling, numbness, or soreness in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

We've worked with both types of shoulder problems in our Tenino office. This treatment involves chiropractic adjustments to restore your spine's natural flexibility and home exercises that strengthen your neck and shoulder.

Mr. Kenney has been helping patients in Tenino since 2009, so we know what you're going through. We're here to help you, too. The first step is to get an accurate diagnosis to determine what's causing your pain and then we will determine an appropriate treatment plan of action. Give our office a call today at (360) 866-3731 to make an appointment.

Asthma is a significant issue for many people in Tenino and for society as a whole, truly, since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that this problem currently affects almost 19 million adults and 7 million children in the United States. A full-blown asthma attack likely means a hospital visit. Fortunately, Mr. Kenney has helped many people in Tenino get relief from asthma symptoms.

The medical literature confirms what we see in our office. For example, a study published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy assessed 31 adult asthma patients after receiving four weeks of chiropractic adjustments. The researchers reported that the patients who received chiropractic adjustments had a 34% decrease in asthma symptoms.

The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics printed another asthma-based study, except this one involved kids. In this article, the 36 kids ranged from 6 to 17 years in age and their asthma was regarded as either mild or moderate in severity.

After 12 weeks of chiropractic adjustments, as a whole, the patients reported a higher quality of life and a decreased level of severity. As a bonus, they also reported that they relied less on their bronchodilator and these positive effects were still being demonstrated one year after chiropractic care was finished.

So, whether you're 9 or 90, if you have asthma, be sure to contact Mr. Kenney in Tenino and schedule an appointment today. We'll do what we can to help you breathe easier!

Sources

• Asthma. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Bronfort G et al. (2001, July-August). Chronic pediatric asthma and spinal manipulation: a prospective clinical series and randomized clinical pilot study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;24(6):369-77
• Nielsen N et al. (1995, January). Chronic asthma and chiropractic spinal manipulation: a randomized clinical trial. Clinical and Experimental Allergy;25(1):80-8

Mr. Kenney sees many people weekly in our busy Tenino chiropractic office who are searching for relief from the pain and agony they feel due to herniated discs. Our experience isn't unique; the medical literature verifies that chiropractic is a great way to treat herniated disc problems.

Don't Suffer! Mr. Kenney and Chiropractic Care Helps With Disc Herniation

One particular research project involved 27 people, 8 male and 19 female, who had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirming a disc herniation in either their neck or lower back. The subjects documented that they were experiencing pain, reduced range of motion, and sensory problems bad enough to keep them off work.

Over the course of the research study, the individuals were managed using one of two common chiropractic methods: traction for herniated discs in the cervical area or flexion distraction for the people who had herniation issues in the lumbar area.

Each person was seen four or five times per week for the first two weeks, then three times weekly, and then as needed for the rest of the study. Based on the seriousness of the disc herniation, therapy ranged anywhere from six weeks to six months, with MRIs being carried out at a variety of stages to identify what effect, if any, the chiropractic care was having in regard to the disc herniation.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Herniated Disc

The authors found that 80 percent of the patients enjoyed a "good clinical outcome," meaning reduced pain and a reduction in other issues, such as numbness. Furthermore, 77 percent of these people also showed MRI evidence that their disc herniation was either reduced or resolved completely. This resulted in 78 percent of the study subjects being able to return to their place of work and led the authors to conclude that chiropractic is both "safe and helpful" for disc herniations.

If you have a herniated disc and suffer from chronic back pain and are near Mr. Kenney in Tenino, contact our office today to see what chiropractic can do for you!

Reference
BenEliyahu, DJ. Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical follow-up: study of 27 patients receiving chiropractic care for cervical and lumbar disc herniations. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1996;19(9):597-606.

Mr. Kenney sees a lot of back pain patients in our busy Tenino chiropractic office. Many of our patients have some type of spinal issue that is causing them pain and distress. Fortunately, Mr. Kenney has found that spinal decompression treatment is a great way to help these individuals.

What is Spinal Decompression and How Can it Help Me?

Non-surgical spinal decompression is a treatment approach that takes all of the positive benefits that one normally gets from chiropractic adjustments, traction, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, and myofascial therapy and integrates them all into one.

The objective of decompression is to keep you out of the operating room, and that is precisely what it's achieved for a number of people, as it has a documented 85% success rate.

Some of the problems spinal decompression helps with include generalized back pain, sciatic nerve pain, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, compression fractures, and joint pain.

Spinal decompression works by reversing the influences of wear, tear, and the force of gravity that compresses the intervertebral discs in your spine. The video below shows how it works to eliminate pressure on your back and helps eliminate pain and disability.

Mr. Kenney Can Help People Find Relief From Chronic Back Pain

If you live in Tenino and you're suffering with back pain, spinal decompression therapy might be the fix. Call Mr. Kenney today at (360) 866-3731 for a consultation or appointment.