Posts by Dr. Mark Holland

In our North St. Louis, MO practice, it isn't uncommon for us to see people troubled with sciatica pain, and Dr. Holland has helped many of them heal with chiropractic. What makes chiropractic care so useful to those who suffer with this condition? First off, it shortens their time of recovery and a Norwegian research study confirms it.

In the article, which took place in a Norwegian hospital's orthopedic division, the authors looked at 44 patients who had abrupt low back pain that was diagnosed as acute sciatic nerve pain. The participants were all treated by a chiropractor, with the average follow-up being two years after treatment.

The authors discovered that all but two patients returned to work after receiving chiropractic care, which is a 95% success rate. Moreover, the average period of time that the individuals spent off work "was reduced by two thirds as compared with that associated with conventional medical treatment."

Given the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 170,450 days of work were missed in 2013 due to employees dealing with back or spine-related issues, that is about 112,500 work days that could potentially be recovered each and every year solely by receiving chiropractic care. Not only would that increase productivity, but it could also decrease costs to businesses and employees from lost work.

If you live in North St. Louis, MO and you suffer from sciatica, Dr. Holland is here to help. Give us a call at (314) 588-9100 and we'll work with you to find the source of your sciatic pain and get you back on the road to health.

Orlin JR, Didriksen A. Results of chiropractic treatment of lumbopelvic fixation in 44 patients admitted to an orthopedic department. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2007;30(2):135-139.

We see a good number of patients with back pain in our North St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Holland finds that many cases of back pain stem from the sacroiliac (SI) joint. Research has demonstrated that about twenty-five percent of all back pain begins in the SI joint, and now new research ratifies what we see in our office: chiropractic is an effective way to treat this pain.

In the study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, thirty-two women who suffered from sacroiliac joint dysfunction were split into two groups and asked to take part in one of two treatment therapies. one group received a chiropractic adjustment isolated to the sacroiliac joint, and the second group had an adjustment to the sacroiliac joint and the lumbar spine.

Specialists noticed significantly more improvements in both pain and movement immediately following treatment, two days later, and 30 days after for the patients who underwent high-velocity low-amplitude manipulation to both the sacroiliac joint and the lumbar spine. This suggests that chiropractic therapy administered in these two areas offers both short term and lasting results for sacroiliac joint pain sufferers—even after just one treatment session.

Therefore, if you are dealing with sacroiliac joint pain, or cope with back and leg pain and are ready to see whether your sacroiliac joint is the cause, a visit to our North St. Louis, MO office may be the first—and best—step towards recovery. Give our office a call today at (314) 588-9100.

Kamali F, Shokri E. The effect of two manipulative therapy techniques and their outcome in patients with sacroiliac joint syndrome. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 2012;16(1):29-35.

We manage many car accident cases in in our North St. Louis, MO office, and a common symptom we see in our patients is headache. Let's look at why headache is commonly experienced after an auto collision and see how chiropractic can help you recover.

There are many different types of headache. Headache that's caused by a car crash, though, usually begins as tension or strain in the muscle tissue of the cervical spine. In a crash, the neck muscles can be torn, which results in inflammation and pain. These types of headache can be felt in different places, including the back of the head or even the forehead.

Another frequent cause of pain after a crash that we see in our North St. Louis, MO office is cervicogenic headache, or headaches that start in injured ligaments of the neck. Ligament injury is quite common after a crash, and it's important to get treatment for this type of problem to avoid the creation of scar tissue.

Chiropractic care is an excellent way to treat headaches, including those triggered by car crashes. Your chiropractic doctor will help reduce the swelling and tension in your neck, which will help relieve the headache pain.

You don't have to suffer from headache. Dr. Holland is conveniently located in North St. Louis, MO to help you heal, whether you've been in an auto collision or not. Dr. Holland will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Call us today at (314) 588-9100 if you have questions or would like to make an appointment.

In our North St. Louis, MO practice, we see plenty of people who are suffering from back pain, and some of these folks have been advised they might need surgery to recover. Thankfully, Dr. Holland has helped many people get pain relief without the need for any type of operation. The scientific literature agrees with the success we see in our office. One medical study published in the medical journal Spine found that consulting with a chiropractor as your first step in dealing with your back problems may literally keep you off of the operating table.

In this research study, medical professionals from Dartmouth reviewed data from 1,885 workers from the state of Washington who first saw either an orthopedic surgeon or a chiropractic doctor for their back-related issues. They then looked at three years' worth of follow-up medical data to ascertain whether the subjects wound up having back surgery in an effort to treat the problem.

What the researchers observed was that about 43% of the patients who first consulted with a surgeon for their back issues ended up with surgery in that 3-year time span, whereas only 1.5 percent of those who first saw 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 impressive findings. Seeing a chiropractor dramatically reduces your odds of getting back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this study "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 carried out by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and published in the world's most influential medical publication on spinal injury.

The Risks of Surgery

Any surgery has risks, but a serious problem associated with spine surgery is that there's a very high rate of failure. In an important review 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 experts in 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, Dr. Holland is convinced that surgery should be the absolute last choice for treating back pain. Chiropractic works to restore your spine to its normal function--without high-risk surgery or drugs--and many research studies have demonstrated the efficacy of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in North St. Louis, MO and you need relief for your back pain, give our office a call today at (314) 588-9100 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.
  

When you're trying to sustain your family, take care of your home, and pay all of your bills on time, every day at your job counts. Work injuries can be a huge problem for many people, and we see many of these types of injuries in our North St. Louis, MO office. Dr. Holland understands your situation and is here to help.

The advantages of chiropractic for work injuries are well-documented. A 2013 survey involving 651 adults who were suffering with either back or neck pain found that the people who didn't see a chiropractor missed work at twice the rate of those who were seeing a chiropractor.

So, why don't more people use chiropractic care?

According to the respondents in this report, two of the primary reasons were that they thought they needed a referral for chiropractic care (which is typically no longer true) and they overestimated the costs associated with chiropractic treatment sessions by almost 70 percent.

The fact is, chiropractic patients actually spend less on care than medical patients, plus they are less likely to use drugs for their symptoms.

If you live in North St. Louis, MO and you've been injured at work, we can help. Give our office a call today at (314) 588-9100 for an appointment.

Resources

"Thousands of Minnesotans with Back and Neck Pain Don't Seek Treatment." (2013, June 12). ChiroCare.

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

Of course, a lot of patients come to our North St. Louis, MO office looking for neck pain care, and Dr. Holland has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart decision, as some research shows that over 90 percent of neck pain patients improve with chiropractic care.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic Works

A report published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy involved 64 people who were suffering with neck pain. Approximately half were placed in an experimental group and the other half were assigned to a comparison group. Both received chiropractic adjustments of the neck as well as a home exercise program, whereas the experimental group also received adjustments of the thoracic spine.

Data was collected before treatment began and one week post-treatment. The authors found that 94 percent of the experimental group claimed "significantly greater improvements" in regard to pain and disability in their neck symptoms. Just 35% of the individuals who received neck adjustments showed the same level of improvement, illustrating that evaluating the entire spine is a critical part of restoring the body's normal function.

Yet another study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 adults who reported suffering with neck pain. Each person was randomly allocated to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with examinations occurring two and four days after the treatments.

The investigators found that the study participants who received the thrust manipulations (the same manipulations that provided 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 technique offers many benefits.

Help After Failed Neck Surgery

Another study also found the same type of positive results after thoracic adjustments in a patient who had a failed neck surgical procedure. This specific case involved a 46-year-old patient who had recently had neck surgery but still reported neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.

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

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

Our office is 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.
  

Jaw pain is a fairly typical condition experienced by people after a car wreck, and it can be tough for some health practitioners to identify the source of the problem. Complicating the issue, oftentimes you won't experience TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the original injury.

Dr. Holland has helped many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific literature explains what causes these types of problems. During a collision, the tissues in your neck are oftentimes stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve damage. This can clearly cause pain in the neck and back, but since your nervous system is one functioning unit, inflammation of the nerves can cause issues in other parts of your body.

For example, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause tingling or numbness in the arm or hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured area, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a collision are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Holland sees this very often in our North St. Louis, MO office.

Research shows that the root of many jaw or TMJ problems begins in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Holland will work to restore your spine back to health, reducing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured tissues, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

Dr. Holland finds that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.

If you live in North St. Louis, MO and you've been injured in a crash, Dr. Holland can help. We've been treating auto injury patients since 2000, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (314) 588-9100 for an appointment.

Ciancaglini R, Testa M, Radaelli G. Association of neck pain with symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction in the general adult population. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 1999;31:17-22.

Brantingham JW, Cassa TK, Bonnefin D, Pribicevic M, Robb A, et al. Manipulative and multimodal therapy for upper extremity and temporomandibular disorders: a system review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2013;36(3):143-201.

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

Of course, 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 choice, as some studies have shown that over 90% of neck pain patients improve with chiropractic care.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic's Positive Effects

A study published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy included 64 people who were suffering with neck pain. Approximately 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. The authors found that 94% of the experimental group claimed "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, illustrating that looking at the entire spinal column is a critical part of restoring the body's normal function.

Yet another study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 adults 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 follow-up exams occurring two and four days after the adjustments.

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

Help After Failed Medical Procedures

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

The woman reported decreased pain in her neck and lower headache intensity, immediately after the first chiropractic treatment session. 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 studies like these that demonstrate the advantages of chiropractic care, even if you've already attempted neck surgery that didn't provide relief. So, if you are suffering with neck discomfort 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.
  

Neck and headache pain are common problems that affect millions of people around the world. If you suffer from this type of condition, you're not alone. The good news is that chiropractic care is the best way to not only treat these common issues, but also help prevent future episodes.

For many years, people with neck and headache pain in North St. Louis, MO have been helped by the chiropractic adjustments of Dr. Holland. Our experience is supported by a recent review done in Canada that found that non-surgical, non-drug treatments are the best choice for neck and headache pain.

The review looked at 15 studies from 1990 to 2015 and found that conservative treatment comprised of chiropractic adjustments, exercises, and stretches was recommended before turning to drugs or more invasive treatments.

Past scientific studies have shown that chiropractic is effective and safe for neck pain and many other health conditions.

If you're suffering with neck pain or headaches, Dr. Holland and our staff are here to help you recover. Give our North St. Louis, MO office a call today at (314) 588-9100 for an appointment today.

Reference

Varatharajan S, Ferguson B, Chrobak K, et al. Are non-invasive interventions effective for the management of headaches associated with neck pain? An update of the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. European Spine Journal 2016; February 6:1-29.

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

We see many auto injury sufferers in our North St. Louis, MO office, and several of these individuals are dealing with chronic pain caused by an old crash. In fact, research shows that a significant percentage of rear-end crashes 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 healthy function of your spine soon after a collision.

The most frequent causes of chronic problems are reduced mobility of your spine and the development of scar tissue in your spine. The ligaments of your spine can easily be damaged during a collision, and chiropractic works by decreasing inflammation and restoring normal movement.

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