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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.
  

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

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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

Furthermore, it was also discovered that the degree of the women's reported carpal tunnel pain was connected to the lateral flexion of the cervical spine. In other words, the less mobility in the neck area, the higher the level of pain.

This study is extremely important, as you can't successfully resolve a problem until you fully understand its cause. By realizing that the root of carpal tunnel symptoms is in the neck, this means that natural approaches like chiropractic can often restore normal function, eliminating the need for risky surgery.

If you suffer with carpal tunnel pain, call our Pinole location and ask how Dr. Jung can help you get relief!

Studies

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

We see quite a few patients with back pain in our Pinole office, and Dr. Jung has been able to help many of them get relief with chiropractic. At the same time, dealing with back problems doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical treatment, as many individuals use both types of care with great outcomes.

Study Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Treatment Work Well Together

In a study published by the medical journal Spine investigators¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who were suffering from both acute discomfort and limited function due to back-related issues. Some of the test subjects received treatment via standard medical care, while the rest were given chiropractic adjustments as well as regular medical care, as researchers wanted to see which patients fared better.

Researchers determined that the patients who got standard medical care along with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the group that got medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits compared to just 17 percent of the medical care only group who reported the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at two and four weeks.

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

Where Chiropractic Care Pulls Ahead

Although it may seem as if each approach plays a 50-50 role, there is one major 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 reports that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than people undergoing medical treatment.

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

Chiropractic Care Is a Natural Approach to Wellness

Certainly, the techniques associated with chiropractic are quite different than those offered with medical care, but a large amount of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. Instead of focusing on just relieving the symptoms, chiropractic involves tracking down the primary cause of your pain, which often means greater improvement as you are addressing the problem at its source.

In addition, 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 prescriptions and more permanent recovery.

You don't have to suffer from back pain or other health problems. Give our Pinole office a call today at (510) 243-7500. We'll do everything we can 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 are suffering from shoulder pain after an auto collision, don't despair. Dr. Jung sees this type of condition often in our Pinole office. What causes shoulder pain after an auto injury? How can chiropractic help?

There are at least two ways that you can develop shoulder problems after a crash: by direct trauma to the shoulder joint or by referred pain from the neck.

Direct damage can be caused by striking your shoulder on a hard surface in the car during the crash, or can occur if you have a tight grip on the steering wheel during a rear end impact. With this type of injury, you'll usually be aware of the pain shortly after the wreck.

More frequently, Dr. Jung finds that shoulder or arm pain doesn't immediately appear after a crash, but starts a few days or weeks after the injury. This type of shoulder pain actually starts in the neck. Injured ligaments or muscles in your spine can pinch nerves in your neck, causing tingling, numbness, or soreness in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

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

Dr. Jung is here in Pinole to help you recover from shoulder pain. We've been helping patients since 2003 and we can probably help you, too. Dr. Jung will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Give our office a call today at (510) 243-7500 to make an appointment.

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

The scientific literature verifies what we see in our office. For example, a study published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy evaluated 31 adult asthma patients after getting four weeks of chiropractic treatments. The authors reported that the patients who received chiropractic adjustments had a 34% decrease in asthma symptoms.

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

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

So, whether you're 6 or 60, if you have asthma, be sure to contact Dr. Jung in Pinole and schedule an appointment today. We'll do what we can to help you breathe easier!

Studies

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

We care for a large number of people in our Pinole clinic, and Dr. Jung has helped countless people eliminate a variety of health issues. However, the primary concern that seems to stop some women and men from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of many on the issue), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first article(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each participant reported affected by some kind of back pain, and half of the individuals received actual chiropractic care visits while the remaining patients were given two fake chiropractic treatment sessions. Data was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to identify if any unpleasant reactions occurred as a result of the actual chiropractic treatments.

The doctors reported that no participants documented any significant negative adverse reactions in any way after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did report that they got a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.

Nationwide Survey Finds that Chiropractic is Safe

The next article(2), also published in the distinguished journal, Spine, was performed in an attempt to ascertain the safety of chiropractic. The test group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 people. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the researchers discovered no serious adverse side effects. The authors determined the risk of total adverse reactions to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous study, some individuals did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (16 out of every 1,000 treatment consultations and 15 out of every 1,000 treatment sessions) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this caused the authors to conclude that "the risk of a serious adverse event, immediately or up to 7 days after treatment, was low to very low."

Chiropractic Is Safe for Children

This third study(3) is unique from the first two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, the researchers investigated data reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic treatment sessions.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic visits made for the young children, chiropractors responding to the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse effects. When parents were questioned, they indicated only two adverse side effects out of 1,735 visits. Additionally, both chiropractors and parents reported "a high rate of improvement with respect to the children's presenting complaints."

Based on studies like these, chiropractic care has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Pinole clinic and schedule an appointment today at (510) 243-7500.

References

1. Walker BF, Hebert JJ, Stomski NJ, Clarke BR, Bowden RS, Losco B, French SD. Outcomes of usual chiropractic. The OUCH randomized controlled trial of adverse events. Spine 2013;38(20):1723-9.
2. Thiel HW1, Bolton JE, Docherty S, Portlock JC. Safety of chiropractic manipulation of the cervical spine: a prospective national survey. Spine 2007;32(21):2375-8.
3. Alcantara J, Ohm J, Kunz D. The safety and effectiveness of pediatric chiropractic: a survey of chiropractors and parents in a practice-based research network. Explore NY 2009;5(5): 290-5.