Recent Posts

According to research, about 5 percent of the population will experience painful conditions like frozen shoulder syndrome at some time in their lives. That makes shoulder pain a common problem and one that Dr. Jung sees in our Pinole office on a regular basis.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Shoulder Pain

Generally speaking, this issue is more common for people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and it tends to affect women more often than men. While ice, heat, and gentle stretching can sometimes help alleviate the discomfort, so too can chiropractic adjustments.

For example, a study released in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine looked at 50 patients with frozen shoulder who were given chiropractic care. The duration of care varied from 11 days to 51 days, with 28 days being the average.

The authors found that almost all of the study participants fared extremely well with chiropractic care. The study found:

8 of the subjects reported 50-75 percent improvement
25 indicated improvement ranging from 75- 90 percent
1 participant had complete resolution of their frozen shoulder pain

Only one of the original 50 reported an improvement of 50 percent or less, so reports like this demonstrate just how beneficial chiropractic can be when it comes to decreasing shoulder pain and improving quality of life.

We Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Shoulder Pain

Let Dr. Jung help you relieve your suffering by contacting our Pinole office and scheduling your appointment today.

Resources

Murphy F et al. (2012, December). Chiropractic management of frozen shoulder syndrome using a novel technique: a retrospective case series of 50 patients. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine;11(4):267-272

Dr. Jung works with countless sciatica patients here in our Pinole office, and many of these individuals were afraid that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research reveals that a large number of people don't need surgery for this widespread issue, and that chiropractic is more successful at resolving sciatic nerve pain.

A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists examined 80 individuals with sciatica who were referred for this operation.

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

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

Put another way, chiropractic offered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to go through the higher levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often affiliated with that particular treatment choice. Additionally, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery ought to be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Pinole and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Jung a call today at (510) 243-7500. We'll help pinpoint 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.
  

While many women automatically assume that pregnancy and back pain go hand in hand, they are often pleasantly surprised when they learn that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, chiropractic can often help alleviate persistant back pain for pregnant women by as much as 85%.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Pregnancy

We've worked with many pregnant women suffering from back pain in our Pinole office.

One piece of research published in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies involved 115 women who were pregnant (most of which were in their third trimester) and presented with pain in their low back, pelvic area, or both. Data was gathered prior to the study, as well as one week, one month, three months, and one year after treatment commenced. At each follow-up, the participants were asked to rate their level of pain based on a 7-point scale to determine whether it was better, worse, or stayed the same. The results?

More than half reported that their pain was better after one week of chiropractic treatment. After one month, that amount jumped up to 70 percent, climbing even more to 85 percent showing improvement at the three month mark. Positive effects were still reported at six months post-treatment, which was generally after childbirth, and continued to the final data collection one year after treatment commenced.

There are also many additional advantages of chiropractic care during pregnancy. Not only does it effectively ease back pain, but it does it in a completely natural and non-invasive way. This means that you don't have to worry about taking any medications or undergoing any type of treatment that could potentially harm your unborn child.

Dr. Jung Can Help People Find Comfort From Back Pain During Pregnancy

Furthermore, it makes your time spent carrying your baby more pleasant. When you're not distracted with pain, you can enjoy the experience even more as you prepare your home and your life for all of the fun and exciting changes that lie ahead.

We're here in Pinole to help you have a healthy, pain-free pregnancy. Give us a call today at (510) 243-7500 to make an appointment.

Peterson CK, Muhlemann D, & Humphreys BK. Outcomes of pregnant patients with low back pain undergoing chiropractic treatment: a prospective cohort study with short term, medium term and 1 year follow-up. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2014;22(15):doi:10.1186/2045-709X-22-15.

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. On top of that, neck pain is the third most reported type of pain, beat out only by back pain and headaches.

Of course, many patients come to our Pinole office seeking neck pain treatment, and Dr. Jung has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart decision, as some research indicates that over 90% of neck pain patients benefit from chiropractic care.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic's Positive Effects

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

Data was gathered before treatment began and one week after the adjustments. Researchers found that 94 percent of the experimental group reported "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 thinking about the entire spine is a critical part of restoring the body's normal function.

Another study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 participants between the ages of 18 and 60 who were dealing with neck pain. Each individual was randomly allocated 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 discovered that the study patients who received the thrust manipulations (the same adjustments that provided such positive results in the first report) "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 approach offers many benefits.

Help After Failed Neck Surgery

Another study even found the same sort of positive results after thoracic adjustments in a patient 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 reduced 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 substantiate the advantages of chiropractic adjustments, even if you've already attempted medical procedures 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 help you're looking for.

Our office is in Pinole and Dr. Jung can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (510) 243-7500.

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 U.S. (more than diabetes and asthma put together), it's not surprising that Dr. Jung sees a lot of migraine patients in our Pinole office. While some people try to relieve migraine pain with drugs, chiropractic care is a fantastic, all-natural alternative that often produces positive results.

Research Proves Chiropractic Care Helps With Migraines

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

What the investigators discovered is that chiropractic reduced the frequency, duration, and disability of the migraine headaches when compared with the control patients who didn't receive chiropractic. Even better, this enabled them to take less medication for the pain, offering them an all-natural answer for a chronic problem.

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

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

Research Papers

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 problem for people in our Pinole chiropractic practice, and Dr. Jung has successfully provided many of these people relief. This is largely because chiropractic care has been found to help with many types of knee pain.

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

If your knee pain is caused by a medial meniscus tear, chiropractic could likely help with that as well. One case reported that combining chiropractic with soft tissue treatment, rest, ice, and compression on the affected knee helped lower the intensity of the pain.

Clearly, sometimes a knee replacement surgery is necessary in order to rectify the issue, and if that's the case, chiropractic care can also help improve the outcome. How?

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Knee Pain

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

No matter what your knee issue, Dr. Jung can likely help. Call our Pinole clinic today and find out what we can do for you!

References

• 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 lot of individuals with headaches in our Pinole office, and Dr. Jung has been able to assist many of them. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that half of all adults have difficulties with some manner of headache problems, so this certainly isn’t unexpected. One of the most prevalent sorts of headaches that our patients have problems with is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can usually help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from a problem in the cervical spine. It could be generated by an issue with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it might be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine can cause compaction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

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

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is initiating them is corrected, it is vital to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that can provide a great deal of relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers followed 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Half of them received chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the most beneficial effects.

Specifically, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments gave patients greater pain relief and diminished the frequency of headaches that occurred. In addition to that, it also diminished the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Jung can do for you and your headaches, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

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 a number of patients in our Pinole office with ankle sprains but Dr. Jung 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), an estimated 25,000 people in the US sprain their ankles every day. In fact, these injuries make up almost 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 take place 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 Dr. Jung Help?

A study printed in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics set out to discover chiropractic's role when it comes to ankle sprain recovery. Researchers enrolled 33 men and women 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 participants were assigned to receive rehabilitation and the remaining 15 individuals received chiropractic adjustments in addition to rehabilitation. Each individual had five full weeks of treatments, with the rehab group receiving treatment 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 study found that the individuals who participated in both rehab 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 Pinole and you're suffering from an ankle injury, give us a call. We'll do what we can to keep you up and running... 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 are struggling with fibromyalgia, you are not alone, as Dr. Jung sees many patients with this particular syndrome in our Pinole chiropractic office. 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 care is one treatment option that can provide positive results.

Research Shows Chiropractic Eases Fibromyalgia

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

The subjects who received chiropractic care combined with the multi-modal therapy program 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 treatment without chiropractic care. Furthermore, those positive outcomes were lasting as the individuals 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 find out what Dr. Jung can do for your fibromyalgia pain, call our Pinole chiropractic office today.

Resources

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

Research on Chiropractic and Disc Herniations

In one study, specialists from Switzerland recruited 148 patients who were coping with pain in their low back and legs due to a herniated disc (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.

Results were collected after the first treatment session at set intervals--namely, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year--to determine what kind of short-term and long-term effects, if any, chiropractic care offers when it comes to treating this particular problem. Among the information gathered was the individual's self-reported changes in both lumbar and leg pain.

The authors 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 individuals reported that their pain "improved" within the first three months, with 88% still citing improvement one year after their first treatment session.

Even those patients 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.

Case Study Results

In this study, 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 problems for more than two years after sustaining an athletic injury, and his disc herniation was confirmed via MRI.

After receiving chiropractic, "The patient responded favorably and his multi-symptom complex resolved within 90 days of treatment." Furthermore, the patient was still experiencing 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 reducing the symptoms they bring about. So, if you are suffering from back ache caused by a herniated disc and want to find some relief, chiropractic may well be an effective solution.

Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our Pinole office a call today at (510) 243-7500 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.