Posts by Dr. Mark Holland

Dr. Holland works with many sciatica patients here in our North St. Louis, MO office, and quite a few of these men and women were afraid that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The latest research shows that a large number of people don't need surgery for this prevalent issue, and that chiropractic is more successful at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.

A common surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, physicians looked at 80 women and men with sciatica who were referred for this procedure.

Forty patients were then randomly sorted into one of two groups. The first group received surgical microdiscectomy and the second group received chiropractic care.

Both groups got better; however, no apparent difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Additionally, about 60 percent of the participating patients who could not find relief from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

Simply put, chiropractic delivered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to endure the increased levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often affiliated with that specific treatment method. Plus, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, such as nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in North St. Louis, MO and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Holland a call today at (314) 588-9100. We'll help determine the origin of your pain and work hard to get you relief.

References

• McMorland, G et al. Manipulation or microdiskectomy for sciatica? A prospective randomized clinical study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2010;33(8):576-584.
• Solberg TK, Nygaard OP, Sjaavik K, Hofoss D, Ingebrigtsen T. The risk of "getting worse" after lumbar microdiscectomy. European Spine Journal 2005;14(1):49-54.
  

According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more Americans suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. Furthermore, neck pain is the third most reported type of pain, beat out only by back pain and headache.

Not surprisingly, many patients come to our North St. Louis, MO office looking for neck pain treatment, and Dr. Holland has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart decision, as some research indicates that over 90 percent of neck pain patients benefit from chiropractic.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic Works

A report published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy included 64 individuals who were suffering with neck problems. Roughly half were placed in an experimental group and the other half were assigned to a comparison group. Both were given chiropractic adjustments of the neck as well as a home exercise plan, whereas the experimental group also received adjustments of the thoracic spine.

Information was collected before treatment began and one week post-treatment. Researchers found that 94% of the experimental group reported "significantly greater improvements" in regard to pain and disability in their neck symptoms. Just 35% of the patients who received neck adjustments showed the same level of improvement, showing that looking at the entire spinal column is a critical part of restoring the body's normal function.

Another study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 who were suffering with neck pain. Each man or woman was randomly assigned to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with examinations occurring two and four days after the adjustments.

Researchers found that the study participants who received the thrust manipulations (the same adjustments that offered such positive results in the first report) "experienced greater reductions in disability" than the patients who received the non-thrust manipulations. Their pain was lower as well, which shows that this type of approach offers many benefits.

Help After Failed Medical Procedures

Another study also found the same sort of positive outcomes after thoracic adjustments in a woman who had a failed neck surgical treatment. This specific case involved a 46-year-old woman who had recently had neck surgery but still endured neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.

The woman reported reduced pain in her neck and lower headache intensity, right after the first chiropractic adjustments. After six weeks of care, which involved chiropractic, exercise, and patient education, the patient still rated her pain at a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. Her neck disability improved as well, with a rating score that represented that it was a "great deal better."

It is scientific studies like these that demonstrate the effectiveness of chiropractic techniques, even if you've already attempted medical procedures that didn't provide relief. So, if you are suffering with neck problems and would like to find a remedy that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the help you're looking for.

We're located in North St. Louis, MO and Dr. Holland can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (314) 588-9100.

References

• AAPM facts and figures on pain. The American Academy of Pain Medicine.
• Masaracchio M, Cleland JA, Hellman M, Hagins M. Short-term combined effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation and cervical spine nonthrust manipulation in individuals with mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2013;43(3):118-127.
• Cleland JA, Glynn P, Whitman JM, Eberhart SL, MacDonald C, Childs JD. Short-term effects of thrust versus nonthrust mobilization/manipulation directed at the thoracic spine in patients with neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Physical Therapy 2007;87(4):431-440.
• Salvatori R, Rowe RH, Osborne R, Beneciuk JM. Use of thoracic spine thrust manipulation for neck pain and headache in a patient following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a case report. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2014;44(6):440-449.
  

With the Migraine Research Foundation reporting that migraines affect 38 million people in the United States (more than asthma and diabetes put together), it's not surprising that Dr. Holland sees a lot of headache patients in our North St. Louis, MO office. While some folks choose to relieve migraine pain with drugs, chiropractic care is a terrific, all-natural alternative that usually provides positive results.

Research Supports Chiropractic Care Helps With Migraines

For example, one study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics involved 127 patients ranging in age from 10 to 70-years-old who suffered with frequent (at least monthly) migraines. Each subject received up to 16 chiropractic sessions. The patients noted that their headache frequency, duration, and disability two months before the treatments began, during the duration of the sessions (which was two months), and two months post-treatment.

What the authors discovered is that chiropractic reduced the frequency, duration, and disability of the migraine pain when compared with the control group who didn't receive chiropractic. In addition, this enabled them to take less medication for the pain, providing them an all-natural answer for a chronic problem.

Another study found that a combination of chiropractic and neck massage reduced migraine pain almost 68%.

If you have migraine headaches and are looking for relief, call Dr. Holland today and request an appointment in our North St. Louis, MO chiropractic office. We'll do what we can to help you become pain-free!

Sources

Migraine Fact Sheet. Migraine Research Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/fact-sheet.html on November 2, 2015
Noudeh Y et al. (2012). Reduction of current migraine headache pain following neck massage and spinal manipulation. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork;5(1):5-13
Tuchin P et al. (2000, February). A randomized controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;23(2):91-5

Knee pain is a common issue for patients in our North St. Louis, MO chiropractic practice, and Dr. Holland has successfully provided many of these men and women relief. This is mostly because chiropractic care has been found to help with many kinds of knee pain.

For example, some patients encounter pain in and around the knee tissues due to degenerative arthritis. Research has shown that this condition responds very well to chiropractic--and rather quickly, too. In fact, one article published in The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association found that individuals with osteoarthritis in their knees felt considerable pain relief and improved function after just two weeks of chiropractic care.

If your knee pain is as a result of a medial meniscus sprain, chiropractic could likely help with that as well. One case found that combining chiropractic with soft tissue therapy, rest, ice, and compression on the affected knee helped lower the intensity of the pain.

Of course, sometimes a knee replacement surgery is necessary in order to correct the problem, and if that's the case, chiropractic can also help improve the outcome. How?

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Knee Pain

Research has found that people with low back pain often have less positive results after knee surgery. So, dealing with your back pain through chiropractic prior to having a total knee arthroplasty can assist with your post-surgery healing.

No matter what your knee issue, Dr. Holland can likely help. Call our North St. Louis, MO location today and find out what we can do for you!

Resources

• Pollard H et al. (2008, December). The effect of a manual therapy knee protocol on osteoarthritic knee pain: a randomised controlled trial. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association;52(4):229-42
  Boyle J et al. (2014, March). Influence of low back pain on total knee arthroplasty outcome. Knee;21(2):410-4
• Jarosz B & Ames R. (2010, December). Chiropractic management of a medial meniscus tear in a patient with tibiofemoral degeneration: a case report. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine;9(4):200-8

We see a large number of individuals with headaches in our North St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Holland has been able to aid many of them. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50 percent of all adults deal with some type of headache disorder, so this really isn’t surprising. One of the most common kinds of headaches which our patients have problems with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily for us, chiropractic can generally help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from problems in the cervical spine. It can be because of an issue with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be attributed to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine leads to squeezing or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can contribute to headache pain.

How do you distinguish if the headache you are struggling with is a cervicogenic headache? Besides being given a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is occasionally associated with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is inducing them is corrected, it is critical to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that can provide a considerable amount of relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts followed 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent got chiropractic care and the other fifty percent underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic provided the best effects.

In particular, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments offered patients greater pain relief and lessened the frequency of headaches that occurred. Additionally, it also diminished the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Holland can do for you and your headaches, 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 North St. Louis, MO office with ankle sprains but Dr. Holland has had a lot of success helping them heal more quickly. Why are ankle sprains so common and how can chiropractic 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 activities that increase the risk for this type of ankle sprain include running and jumping. You're also at risk if you have pre-existing ankle injuries, poor posture or balance, weak muscles, and reduced range of motion.

How Can Chiropractic Treatments and Dr. Holland Help?

A report printed in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics set out to determine chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. Researchers enrolled 33 individuals 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 ankle in the previous six weeks.

18 of the subjects were assigned to participate in rehabilitation and the remaining 15 individuals received chiropractic in addition to rehab. Each individual had five full weeks of treatment, with the rehab group receiving therapies seven days a week and the rehabilitation plus chiropractic group receiving treatment six out of the seven days.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Ankle Sprains

The authors found that the individuals who participated in both rehabilitation and chiropractic fared the best at the 4-week mark when it came to pain and joint restriction. Additionally, no bad effects were reported, showing that this treatment option is safe.

If you're near our location in North St. Louis, MO and you're recovering from an ankle injury, give us a call. We'll do what we can to keep you up and running... literally!

Citations

• 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

Regrettably, a large number of our North St. Louis, MO patients know the pain associated with a herniated disc all too well. On a positive note, Dr. Holland 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 condition.

Research on Herniated Discs and Chiropractic

In one study, researchers from Switzerland recruited 148 patients who were coping 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 herniation.

Data was gathered after the preliminary treatment session at set intervals--namely, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year--to establish what type of short-term and long-term effects, if any, chiropractic offers when it comes to resolving this particular condition. Among the data gathered was the person's self-reported changes in both back and leg pain.

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

Even those test subjects 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 report, a 26-year-old man had presented with disc herniation symptoms such as pain in the lower back, left leg, and left groin area, along with left foot drop and muscle weakness. He had suffered with these issues for more than two years after sustaining an athletic injury, and his disc herniation 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 beneficial chiropractic can be when it comes to alleviating herniated disc pain and relieving the symptoms they bring about. So, if you are suffering from back pain caused by a herniated disc and wish to find some relief, chiropractic might be an effective solution.

Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our North St. Louis, MO office a call today at (314) 588-9100 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.
  

We see quite a few back pain patients in our North St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Holland has been able to help many of them find relief through various chiropractic techniques. At the same time, recovering from back problems doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical therapy, as many people utilize both types of care with great outcomes.

Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Treatment Work Well Together

In a report published by the academic journal Spine researchers¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who claimed both acute discomfort and restricted function due to back-related issues. Some of the test subjects received treatment via standard medical care, while the rest were given chiropractic care together with regular medical care, as researchers wanted to see which group fared better.

Researchers found that the group that got standard medical care in combination with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the group that received medical care alone; 73 percent reported positive benefits compared to just 17% of the medical treatment only group who reported the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two- and four-week marks.

Accordingly, integrating these two forms of care can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medicine can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some unique advantages over medical treatment.

Where Chiropractic Care Pulls Ahead

Although it might seem as if each method plays a 50-50 role, there is one significant benefit that chiropractic has over medical care and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a piece of research conducted at UCLA² that was printed in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical treatment.

According to the experts, the main aspects that patients preferred over medical treatment were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't surprising, as chiropractors typically spend much more time consulting with their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as explaining more carefully what to expect from chiropractic.

Chiropractic Care Is a Natural Approach to Wellness

Certainly, the methods associated with chiropractic are quite different than those offered with medical care, but a large amount of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a holistic approach to health and wellness. Rather than focusing on simply relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means searching for the primary cause of your pain, which often means greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

Additionally, while medication is sometimes helpful for treating certain conditions, many health issues respond well to a natural approach like chiropractic care. This means fewer negative responses to drugs and lasting recovery.

You don't have to struggle with back pain or other health issues. Give our North St. Louis, MO office a call today at (314) 588-9100. We'll do our best to help you get and remain free from back pain.

References

1. Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
2. Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.

If you live in North St. Louis, MO and you've been in a car accident, you have to know that you don't have to suffer from chronic pain.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Chronic Pain after an Auto Injury

We work with a lot of auto injury sufferers in our North St. Louis, MO office, and many of these people are suffering from chronic pain caused by an old crash. As a matter of fact, research shows that a significant percentage of rear-end collisions trigger pain and disability even ten years after the initial injury.

Dr. Holland is here to help you avoid developing chronic pain by helping to restore the natural function of your spine soon after a crash.

The most common causes of chronic pain are reduced mobility of your spinal column and the formation of scar tissue in your spine. The ligaments of your spine can easily be damaged during a collision, and chiropractic works by minimizing inflammation and restoring normal movement.

We Can Help With Chronic Pain and Auto Injury Recovery

If you're near our North St. Louis, MO office, and you've been hurt in a crash, don't wait to get treatment. Dr. Holland is here for you. Give us a call today at (314) 588-9100 for an appointment or for more information.

Every year, there are millions of auto accidents in the world, and a significant number of men and women end up getting injured in a car wreck. While most collisions are "minor," chronic back and neck pain are still frequent health issues. The good news is that chiropractic care is a fantastic way to treat these kinds of injuries.

We've treated many auto collision patients in our North St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Holland has been helping people with these types of injuries since 2000. During a car wreck, your body is subjected to violent forces that it simply wasn't built to handle. These forces put stress and strain on your neck, shoulder, and back, and can result in damage to the ligaments that hold your spine together. A collision can cause a wide range of pain problems.

A ligament tear in the neck can cause pain, swelling, and radicular pain in the arm and hand. Chiropractic works well for these types of injuries, because chiropractic concentrates on restoring the healthy function and mobility of the injured areas.

Dr. Holland Can Help Patients Recover From an Auto Injury

Dr. Holland, your North St. Louis, MO chiropractor, can help by lowering inflammation in the damaged area and can help reduce the creation of scar tissue that can cause chronic pain and disability.

You don't have to suffer from auto injury pain. Discover more about how we can help you recover or call Dr. Holland today at (314) 588-9100.