Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “The Research”
What’s that Cracking Sound? The origin of the noise produced during spinal manipulation has been cause for wonder for as long as joints have made noise. Some popular beliefs for the creation of the cracking noise include ligaments snapping, bones cracking, or bubbles collapsing inside the joint. Research has historically been lacking in its ability to explain the mechanism for …
“Neck pain is the fourth leading cause of disability, with an annual prevalence rate exceeding 30%” (1). Neck pain, while unfortunately very common, can be quite the debilitating condition. Losing the ability to turn your head during simple and necessary daily activities, such as driving, adversely impacts one’s quality of life. Getting through episodes of neck pain quickly is …
So you find out you have a meniscus tear – now what? Is surgery the next step? Could you try physical therapy instead? Are there exercises you can do on your own to make it better? You’ll be surprised by what the research shows below! What is a meniscus and what are symptoms that it may be torn? The meniscus …
September is Drug-Free Pain Management Awareness Month in the State of Iowa! Recently, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation establishing September as Drug-Free Pain Management Awareness Month in the State of Iowa! According to the proclamation, the opioid epidemic among Americans is considered a national crisis. Here are the scary statistics: the leading cause of injury death in the …
Many of our patients experience temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and dysfunction. It can be debilitating, chronic, and can significantly affect quality of life. Eating some of your favorite foods can become painful and limited. TMJ pain can radiate into the neck and even cause headaches. Often, it can feel that TMJ problems will never go away. So, what is TMJ? …
First things first: Is your pain coming from the shoulder or the neck? Shoulder pain affects millions of people each year. According to population surveys, shoulder pain affects 18-26% of adults at any point in time [1–4], making it one of the most common areas of pain. So if you have shoulder pain you are not alone–your pain is not …
Evidence Based Warm Up Before Your Run It’s the time of year that we want to spend more time outside, and runners might be signing up for their races. As the weather is warming up, we are excited to share some rising research on what is recommended for how you can warm up before your run to reduce your risk …
Why do I hurt? When it comes to pain, how an injury was sustained provides valuable information as to what may be going on. In the case of a car accident or sports injury, the cause is more easily identifiable and gives clinicians insight to what tissues may be involved. When a clear reason for one’s pain is not available, …
Feeling it in your bones Do you feel that you have more joint discomfort with cold weather? A study performed at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston found that changes in ambient temperature and barometric pressure can increase joint pain. This has been investigated more so in individuals with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Barometric pressure can vary greatly depending on …
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, was a primary or contributing cause of death for nearly 500,000 people in the United States in 2018 (1). Hypertension is defined as systolic pressure greater than 130mmHg or diastolic pressure greater than 80mmHg. The increased pressure forces the heart to work harder and places additional strain on arteries and veins. This puts you at …
