Recent Posts

A recent Journal of the American Medical Association article :Trends in Prescription Drug Use Among Adults in the United States From 1999-2012 concluded that "significant increases in overall prescription drug use and polypharmacy were observed. These increases persisted after accounting for changes in the age distribution of the population. The prevalence of prescription drug use increased in the majority of, but not all, drug classes."

It points out that the increase is both in the number of drugs used AND the number of multiple drugs used by individuals, even noting that the increase is specific to an aging population. Despite all of the dependency on pharma, the country is faced with crushing healthcare costs and rising chornic diseases.

It is time to rethink the medical model.

Ready to begin feeling better? Click here to schedule online (easiest) or reach us by phone 610-494-0412

"Treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI) with emphasis on transcranial near-infrared laser phototherapy" is a study which was performed in August which is part of an exciting breakthrough in High Power Laser Therapy. The first phase of the project was "Near-infrared photonic energy penetration: can infrared phototherapy effectively reach the human brain?" which examined the depth of penetration of various lasers and found that high power class IV lasers can penetrate through bone. The second phase applied the laser to subjects who had suffered brain traumas and had symptoms including: headaches, sleep disturbances, cognition, mood dysregulation, anxiety, and irritability. They found that by using a laser in the power range of 10–15 W at 810 nm and 980 nm can safely and effectively treat chronic symptoms of TBI. They noted appreciable improvements in the test subjects over the course of the study.

I am excited about this research not only because I use this type of laser in my office but also due to my history of having a TBI myself when I was 19.
I have struggled with many of the symptoms addressed in the study so I am both personally and professionally intrigued by the potential benefits of laser therapy in treating brain injuries.

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Class IV Laser Therapy Interventional and case reports confirm positive therapeutic outcomes in multiple clinical indications  was a study on class 4 laser use conducted through the University of Delaware in 2009. It provides insight into the mechanisms of laser therapy, sample treatment plans for several conditions and case studies including:

•  Pain post surgical rotator cuff repair
•  Right hip and leg pain  
•  Lateral elbow and arm pain 
•  Chronic pain in right trap muscle and neck  
•  Chronic plantar fasciitis  
•  Right lateral epicondylitis  

All case studies resutled in favorable outcomes. High power laer therapy is a fantastic treatment option for muscular conditions as well as many neurological, soft tissue and joint complaints.

Ready to begin feeling better? Click Here to schedule online (easiest) or reach us by phone 610-494-0412

I am now seeing patients at All Pro Chiropractic located in the Stoney Pond Plaza at 478 Conchester Hwy, Aston, PA 19014. This location will provide a better facility for chiropractic care and laser pain therapy. With the move comes improved parking, a fantastic staff and a beautiful office. The online scheduler is available and the phone number is now 610-494-0412 

Ready to begin feeling better? Click here to schedule online (easiest) or reach us by phone 610-494-0412

Last Sunday night I started to feel a pain in my right lower back. I had been walking earlier that day in the park and I wore shoes that I had not worn in a few years, in fact I think I had only worn them a few times back then. By Monday morning my back was really hurting me and sleeping was difficult. I started to think back to what events could have contributed to my back hurting. Wearing different shoes most likely ill not cause the strain and joint irritation that I was experiencing unless there was an underlying condition prior to the walking. Then I realized that for the past two weeks I had been feeling pain in my right heel and even some in my knee.  I have been sleeping on the couch more because it is cooler downstairs 
I could have spent all day trying to find a singular cause of my pain but the truth was that it didn't matter WHY I was hurting. Had I fallen out of a tree, landed on my hand and then experienced swelling and pain in the hand, well then it would be easy to assume that I broke or sprained my limb. But this wasn't a clear cut case; it was a gradual onset which was made worse by one event which, In itself, was most likely unimportant. It was the straw that broke the doctors back.

So by Tuesday morning the pain was serious and limited my movement. I called a friend to come to the office and apply my laser to my low back and treat me with a special little "muscle jackhammer" to reduce the spasms. I felt much better a few hours later and had some pain during the night.
 

On Wednesday morning I had her come in again and repeat the procedures and then at lunch I went and got adjusted. By Wednesday evening I felt fine and the pain has not returned.

Would the pain have gone away without treatment? Maybe....but if it did, most likely it would return and with it an increase in the knee and foot pain. Treating conditions as soon as possible is the key to reducing he pain and, more importantly, reducing scar formation and degeneration.

Chiropractors are human too..we hurt and sometimes we try to ignore it like everyone else. I like feeling pain ( once in a while) because it reminds me of the frustration and agony my patients present with and better allows me understand their expectations.

Ready to begin feeling better? Click here to schedule online (easiest) or reach us by phone 610-494-0412

Healthline: Volume 5 Issue 2 July December 2014

Background: Hair-stylists and barbers face the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to awkward postures.

Study Objectives: The purpose of the study was to assess upper extremity and neck disability in  hairdressers.

Results: There was increasing disability with increase in age and increase in work experience.

Conclusions: It can be concluded that awkward neck posture and repetitive work done by upper extremity exacerbates degenerative changes and increases risk of disability in hairdressers with increase in age and experience.

Musculoskeletal Disorders among Cosmetologists

95 female and seven male beauty therapists were studied:

Neck pain was reported by 58% of the subjects while chronic neck pain was experienced by 10%.  Hand and low-back complaints were almost as prevalent as neck pain, but chronic pain was reported more frequently for these sites. Hand/wrist and low back complaints resulted more time lost from work and doctors visits. Neck and knee pain resulted less  sickness absence than the other complaints. It seems that regarding the burden of the specific complaints, hand/wrist and back pain followed by shoulder were the most important complaints among cosmetologists

The physical demands this profession strain the upper body more than in any other profession:

Work long periods

Use both arms

Stand/ sit for  long periods

Move the fingers  and hand constantly

Stay in one place for long periods

Bend and move in awkward positions

Due to these stresses,  hairdressers have a greater likelihood of developing the following:

Neck, shoulder, arm, elbow and/or wrist pain, numbness or tingling

Hip/knee/low back pain

Headaches

Plantar fasciitis

Carpal Tunnel

Over time, the continued stress put on the body may speed up degeneration and lead to other musculoskeletal conditions.

These studies point out the need for early treatment and intervention. Chronic low back and wrist/hand pain can threaten the livelihood of those in the beauty industry.

Ready to begin feeling better? Click Here to schedule online (easiest) or reach us by phone 610-494-0412

Patients frequently present with complaints that they have been experiencing for weeks, months and even years. Sadly, much of their suffering and possibly a great deal of their degeneration most likely would have been reduced or eliminated with prompt care.

According to the Chiropractic Rehabilitation Association, the following 5 situations as to when an individual should seek out a chiropractor with a complaint:

1. All traumatic joint injuries: All injuries to a joint and its ligaments should be examined by a chiropractor because these injuries have the potential of becoming permanent and debilitating if proper treatment is not administered.
2. Any injury accompanied by severe pain: Pain is a message that something is wrong. Blocking the pain does not correct the problem.
3. Any pain in a joint, muscle or bone that lasts for than two weeks: Persistent pain may be an indication of a more serious problem or a sign of improper healing.
4. Any injury that doesn't heal in three weeks: Again, if an injury does not heal in three weeks, there may be an underlying structural abnormality.
5. Any injury that returns after rest: When pain returns after rest alone and without any treatment it is usually a sign of structural defect.

Ready to begin feeling better? Click Here to schedule online (easiest) or reach us by phone 610-494-0412

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Last week I turned to social media and asked: what has kept you from seeking chiropractic care and the #1 responce was cost. I have to admit that I was not surprised as we live in a cost conscious society which often overlooks the efficiency or quality of services or products. 

The rising cost of health-care is a misnomner. What has risen in the cost of health insurance in the form of premiums, co-pays and deductibles, not the actual care. Now the health care consumer is forced to pay more while those providing the care get less and the insurance company benefits from the diffrence between the two.

Providers fees are already set by the insurance company. They pay a flat rate depending on the service performed so there isn't much room for them to increase profits by paying the providers of care less. As we have seen over the past ten years, th cost of insurance, for most people, has risen yet their benefits have decreased either in quality or quantity.

As a result, many people are settling for only the care that is covered or partially covered by their insurance. Too often patients care is 75 %  diagnostic (MRI's, XRAYS, bloodwork ect) and 25% treatment. You would think that with the imergance of so many diagnostic centers and specialists that we would see far fewer "sick" people and that the high quality healthcare system would decrease in cost because there would be fewer " sick" people but, as we have seen, that is not the case.

Why do we have so many people addicted to pain killers?

Why were more than 1 million joints replaced last year?

Why is it that the percentage of disabled people in the United States is nearly 25% higher than in the rest of the world?

The reliance on treating pain and not the actual cause of the pain can be attributed to not only why so many people are taking drugs but also to the increased incidences of degeneration and arthritis leading to joint failure and as such an increase in not only the number of people claiming disability but also the cost of health care to everyone. 

Ready to begin feeling better? Click here to schedule online (easiest) or reach us by phone 610-494-0412

Gout (also referred to as gouty arthritis) is a painful form of arthritis caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in the joints and tendons. Gout can affect many joints such as the ankle, knee, digits and spine with the most frequent location of symptoms being the big or 1st toe. Gout may be associated with renal disease, diabetes, obesity, leukemia and also the result of the use of diuretics.

In the early stages of gout, the flare ups may be spread out over months and as the disease progresses these painful events often increase in both frequency and intensity. According to the study: Gout—Current Diagnosis and Treatment , after the first onset of pain is noticed : "treatment of gouty arthritis should be followed by determination of the cause of hyperuricemia, and long-term treatment to lower the uric acid level is usually necessary. The goal of treatment is to diminish the body‘s stores of uric acid crystal deposits and thereby to prevent the inflammatory processes that they cause".

High Power Laser Medicine is an extremely effective way to manage gout pain during a flare up and according to the study Photobiomodulation of pain and inflammation in microcrystalline arthropathies: "Both laser therapy and diclofenac ( a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) achieved rapid pain relief in patients with acute gouty arthritis without significant differences in efficacy. Laser therapy was more effective than diclofenac in patients with chronic pyrophosphate arthropathy and in patients with chronic apatite deposition disease"

This study showed that the laser treatment decreased inflammation which was measured by blood tests and that it also was more effective than the drug in treating chronic gouty conditions.

It is important to be properly diagnosed when experiencing joint pain as many different conditions present with similar symptoms. Once the diagnosis of gout has been made, all conservative and dietary measures should be taken to reduce the crystal formation in the joints and to slow the progression of the disease. 

Click here for a list of food to avoid

If you are suffering from a flare up of your gout, High Power Laser Therapy is available to quickly reduce your discomfort. 

Ready to begin feeling better? Click Here to schedule online (easiest) or reach us by phone 610-494-0412

Ready to begin feeling better? Click Here to schedule online (easiest) or reach us by phone 610-494-0412