Posts by Dr. Mark Holland

We know how difficult chronic headache pain can be. Dr. Holland and our staff have worked with many patients in our North St. Louis, MO chiropractic office, and we've had great success in helping people reduce their headache pain.

A 2016 research study confirms what we see in our practice. In this paper, the authors started with 110 people who were suffering with headache pain that originated in the cervical spine. 58 of these patients were given a series of neck adjustments; 52 were given some stretches and exercises. The treatment period for both groups was four weeks.

The paper found that the patients who received cervical and thoracic spinal adjustments "experienced significantly greater reductions in headache intensity, disability, headache frequency, headache duration, and medication intake as compared to the group that received mobilization and exercise."

The investigation also found that these outcomes were maintained at the three-month follow-up exam.

Chiropractic is a safe and effective way to treat chronic headache pain, back pain, neck pain, and many other health conditions. If you're tired of suffering, give Dr. Holland a call today at our North St. Louis, MO office at (314) 588-9100. We're here to help get out of pain.

Reference

Dunning JR, Butts R, Mourad F, Young I, et al. Upper cervical and upper thoracic manipulation versus mobilization and exercise in patients with cervicogenic headache: a multi-center randomized clinical trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2016;17(1):64.

Although some people are still skeptical about chiropractic, even the American Medical Association (AMA) recommends that adjustments should be tried prior to surgery--the one option that should be a last resort.

Dr. Holland has seen many back pain patients in our North St. Louis, MO office who have been hurting for years and who are worried that they might need an operation for their back pain. Dr. Holland has had great success in helping patients recover and avoid risky surgery, and the science backs up our experience.

For example, in one study carried out on almost 2,000 Washington State employees who suffered from a back injury while on the job, more than 42% who saw a surgeon first following their injury found themselves having back surgery within three years. That compares to just 1.5% of the people who first sought treatment with chiropractic, demonstrating that this non-invasive approach is very effective at keeping you off the operating table.

There are options to risky medical procedures. Chiropractic is a proven effective and safe way to improve the function of your spine, which is the root cause of back pain. Dr. Holland has helped many patients in North St. Louis, MO recover. Give our office a call today at (314) 588-9100 for an appointment.

Goodman DM, Burke AE, Livingston. Low Back Pain. The Journal of the American Medical Association 2013;309(16);1738.

Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, et al. 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.

Approximately 2.3 million people are hurt every year in auto accidents in the U.S. While some people are able to recover from their injuries relatively easily, many folks are left to deal with chronic pain and impairment. We see many of these patients here in our North St. Louis, MO office. Thankfully, Dr. Holland is here to help you heal from your auto injury.

The science confirms what we see in our office: A British study was conducted on 28 men and women diagnosed with chronic whiplash pain. Each participant received chiropractic care and 93 percent of them experienced pain relief following their adjustments, even though 43 percent of whiplash sufferers overall usually never find relief. This confirms that chiropractic is a great way to avoid chronic pain after an auto injury.

It's important to note that studies have also found that delaying treatment after a car crash can adversely affect healing time, so getting in to see Dr. Holland as soon as possible is key to having a quicker recovery.

Dr. Holland has worked with many auto injury patients, and we're here to help you, too. Call our North St. Louis, MO office today for more information or an appointment.

Resources

• Association for Safe International Road Travel. Retrieved from http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics
• Dies S & Strapp J. (1992, September). Chiropractic treatment of patients in motor vehicle accidents: a statistical analysis. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 36(3), 139-145.
• Woodward M et al. (1996, November). Chiropractic treatment of chronic 'whiplash' injuries. Injury, 27(9), 643-645.

Many people suffer from headache pain, and tension headaches are a frequent problem in our busy world. Postural problems and stress are common sources of tension headaches, and ones that Dr. Holland and the team here in our North St. Louis, MO chiropractic office have a lot of experience in treating.

The scientific literature confirms our findings: A 2016 study from Spain treated a group of 76 men and women with chronic tension headaches. The participants were divided into four treatment groups: 19 patients were treated with suboccipital inhibition (the therapist presses on the tight tissues at the top of the spine); 19 with chiropractic adjustments; 19 with both adjustments and suboccipital inhibition; and 19 received no treatment.

The researchers found that the spinal adjustments were helpful at relieving pain, and that the best results were found when spinal adjustments were combined with the suboccipital inhibition.

When we get stressed out, the nerves and tissues in the neck can be disrupted, causing pain. Chiropractic works by eliminating these stresses and restoring the normal nerve function to the tissues.

If you live in North St. Louis, MO and are struggling with any kind of headache, we're here to help you get relief. Call Dr. Holland today at (314) 588-9100 for an appointment or more information.

Source

Espi-Lopez GV, Rodriguez-Blanco C, Oliva-Pascual-Vaca A, et al. Do manual therapy techniques have a positive effect on quality of life in people with tension-type headache? A randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Physical Rehabilitation Medicine 2016; February 29.

Don't Choose Drugs for Back Pain

Here in our North St. Louis, MO office, Dr. Holland has helped several people recover from back pain. If you are dealing with back pain, you've most likely been tempted to take some medications to relieve the discomfort. You should recognize that studies have shown that chiropractic care is usually a better choice than drugs when it comes to relieving this particular type of problem.

In a 2013 report published in the medical journal Spine researchers included 101 people who had suffered back pain for more than two days. Each patient was then designated to one of three groups. The first group, which consisted of 37 individuals, received chiropractic treatment and a placebo of the drug diclofenac. The second group of 38 participants received sham chiropractic treatments and the genuine drug. The third group of 25 people acted as the control as those individuals engaged in sham chiropractic care and also received the placebo, thus having no real care at all.

Both of the groups that received some type of actual treatment, whether through chiropractic care or the medication, fared better than the control group who had no actual care. However, when the two active groups were compared to each other, the people who received chiropractic care had improvements that were "significantly better" than those who took the drug.

Chiropractic Promotes Natural Healing

Because chiropractic care is non-invasive and involves no use of medication, it helps enhance healing without unwanted side effects. For example, NSAIDs can result in ulcers, high blood pressure, and other serious health complications. Plus, the health benefits of chiropractic care last longer as it's designed to correct the source of the spinal interference, not just treat the signs and symptoms.

If you're ready to address your back pain naturally, then chiropractic is for you. Call and make an appointment in our North St. Louis, MO office with Dr. Holland today at (314) 588-9100. We'll help relieve your back pain in a healthy way!

References

von Heymann WJ, Schloemer P, Timm J, Muehlbauer B. Spinal high-velocity low amplitude manipulation in acute nonspecific low back pain: a double-blind randomized controlled trial in comparison with diclofenac and placebo. Spine 2013;38(7):540-548.

If you have thoracic outlet syndrome after an auto injury, you're not alone. Dr. Holland sees this type of condition frequently in our North St. Louis, MO office. Why is thoracic outlet syndrome such a common symptom after an auto collision? How can chiropractic care help you heal?

The thoracic outlet is a bundle of blood vessels and nerves that pass through your neck and shoulder to your arm. These nerves and blood vessels don't have a lot of room, so they pass underneath and between the strong bands of muscles that support your head.

In a collision, these muscles can be stretched and strained. If damaged, the muscles become inflamed and tender, and they can develop scar tissue which limits movement and puts pressure on the tissues of the thoracic outlet. Pressure on the nerves can cause tingling or numbness in the shoulder, elbow and even the wrist. Pressure on the blood vessels can also cause problems in the arm.

North St. Louis, MO Thoracic Outlet Treatment

Chiropractic adjustments can be an effective way to treat thoracic outlet syndrome, as Dr. Holland will help improve mobility in your spine and restore normal nerve function in your neck and shoulder.

Dr. Holland is here in North St. Louis, MO to help you recover from thoracic outlet syndrome. We've been helping patients since 2000 and we can probably 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. Ready to make an appointment? Give us a call at (314) 588-9100 and we'll get you back on the road to health.

When performing activities that demand a lot of lower body motion, like football, soccer, and basketball, it's not uncommon to sustain some type of injury to your hips or legs. Between pulled hamstrings, sprained ankles, knee injuries, and more, many people have found themselves sidelined. Dr. Holland has seen all of these problems in our North St. Louis, MO patients. Fortunately, chiropractic adjustments can help prevent some of these injuries from occurring and research proves it.

Dr. Holland keeps up-to-date with all of the recent scientific research, and in a paper published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, researchers from Macquarie University in Australia studied 59 semi-elite Australian Rules football players. Roughly half were placed in a control group and the others were put in a therapy group that received sports chiropractic care at regular intervals. During the first six weeks, this meant engaging in care once every week. The following three months consisted of an adjustment every two weeks before decreasing those to one visit monthly for the final three months of the study.

The authors noted that there was a "significant" decrease in the number of lower limb strains the players received in the treatment group when compared to the control. Furthermore, they observed that the subjects who received chiropractic also had fewer weeks of missed practice and games as a result of non-contact knee injuries. This led them to conclude that sports chiropractic treatment should be added to "the current best practice management."

Every major sports organization in the US and the US Olympic Team has chiropractors on staff for their athletes, because they know that chiropractic works. If you live near our office in North St. Louis, MO and would like to see if Dr. Holland can help you boost your performance or reduce sports injuries, give our office a call today at (314) 588-9100 for an appointment.

Reference

Hoskins W, Pollard H. The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian rules footballers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2010;11(64).

There are many different kinds of headache, but one of the most common types is known as "cervicogenic headache," or those that start in your neck.

Dr. Holland sees a lot of people in our North St. Louis, MO office who are struggling with frequent headaches. Thankfully, chiropractic can usually help, potentially reducing these types of headaches by 50 percent, and research confirms it.

A study was conducted involving 80 participants who reported experiencing at least five cervicogenic headaches during the prior three months. The goal was to see how effective chiropractic was for this type of head pain, as well as to determine the number of treatment sessions required to achieve a positive effect.

The individuals were divided into four separate groups, so that each group was similar in age, gender, number of cervicogenic headaches, and their intensity. Of the four groups, two engaged in chiropractic treatments and two received light massage. Furthermore, one group assigned to each treatment received eight sessions and the other patients received twice that amount.

Each patient was assessed based on head pain, neck pain, and disability prior to the study and 12 and 24 weeks after treatment was complete. The researchers found that those who received chiropractic as opposed to massage reported fewer headaches at the conclusion of the study. Furthermore, improvements were maintained when checked six months after treatment ended.

Additionally, participants who were taking medications for their headaches were able to lower their intake after completing the study. Those who received chiropractic adjustments had lower medication usage 24 weeks post-study.

Dr. Holland has helped many people who were suffering from headache pain in our North St. Louis, MO office. Call us today at (314) 588-9100 for more information or for an appointment.

Haas M, Spegman A, Peterson D, Aickin M, Vavrek D. Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The Spine Journal 2010; 10: 117-128.

Chiropractic is centered on the concept of helping your body to heal naturally through spinal adjustments and lifestyle changes that encourage wellness. For Dr. Holland, this means working hard to restore your body's normal performance to prevent the need for drugs or surgery. We notice that most of our North St. Louis, MO patients are happy to find a natural solution for their health problems.

One benefit of chiropractic is that it helps people reduce or even eliminate the use of drug treatments. Medications are frequently supplied to patients who have back soreness. This is such a serious concern that the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) issued a news release stating that opioid (painkiller) dangers overshadow the benefits when prescribed for back pain.

Some of the most well-known opiates, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin and Percocet), morphine, and codeine. Figures offered by the AAN mention the fact that about half of the people taking these types of substances for a period of three months are still on them five years down the road. This can further complicate the difficulty of back pain and healing, particularly if an narcotic dependency arises.

Compare that to chiropractic which involves natural healing and the benefits are crystal clear. While a pill might be useful at temporarily reducing the symptoms of a health issue, it's not a solution to the problem. Drugs can't fix your damaged spine; it will only cover up the pain.

Dr. Holland will first examine you to get to the origin of your back problems and then work with you to correct the problem -- without the need for risky drugs.

If you're ready for relief of your pain, naturally, give our North St. Louis, MO office a call at (314) 588-9100 to make an appointment with Dr. Holland.

References

• Risk of opioids outweigh benefits for headache, low back pain, other conditions. American Academy of Neurology;September 29, 2014.
• What are opioids? National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-drugs/opioids/what-are-opioids

We treat many car accident cases in in our North St. Louis, MO office, and a common symptom we see in our patients is back pain. Why is back pain such a common symptom after an auto collision? How can chiropractic care help you get better?

During a rear-end motor vehicle accident, your car and car seat are quickly accelerated forward against your body. Since car seats don't perfectly align with the curve of your back, the seat can put uneven pressure on your back. This can cause some of your spinal vertebrae to move in one direction while an adjacent vertebrae might move in another direction. This differential motion can sprain or strain the ligaments that hold your spine together. This type of injury can cause chronic back pain if not treated right away. Thankfully, chiropractic is one of the most effective ways to treat back pain.

You don't have to suffer from back pain. Dr. Holland is conveniently located in North St. Louis, MO to help you get better, whether you've been in a car crash or not. The first step is to get an accurate diagnosis to determine what's causing your pain and then we will determine an appropriate treatment approach. Give our office a call today at (314) 588-9100 to make an appointment.