If you suffer from shoulder pain after an auto collision, you're not alone. Dr. Amodeo sees this type of problem frequently in our Memphis office. What causes shoulder pain after a car crash? How can chiropractic care help?

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

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

More commonly, Dr. Amodeo finds that shoulder or arm pain doesn't immediately appear after a collision, but begins a few days or weeks after the accident. This type of shoulder discomfort actually starts in the cervical spine. Injured soft tissue in your neck can squeeze nerves in your neck, causing tingling, numbness, or soreness in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

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

Dr. Amodeo is here in Memphis to help you recover from shoulder pain. We've been helping patients since 2011 and we can probably help you, too. The first step is to get an accurate diagnosis to determine what's causing your pain and then we will determine an appropriate treatment approach. Give our office a call today at (901) 757-8311 to make an appointment.

Asthma is a significant worry for many people in Memphis and for a society as a whole, since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that this condition currently affects almost 19 million adults and 7 million kids in the US. A full-blown asthma attack likely means a emergency room visit. Thankfully, Dr. Amodeo has helped many folks in Memphis get relief from asthma symptoms.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Asthma

The scientific research confirms what we see in our practice. For example, a paper published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy assessed 31 adult asthma patients after getting four weeks of chiropractic adjustments. The authors found that the participants who received chiropractic adjustments had a 34% decrease in asthma symptoms.

The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics printed another asthma-based study, except this one involved kids. In this report, the 36 participants 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 adjustments, as a whole, the children reported a higher quality of life and a reduced 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.

We Can Help Clients Find Relief From Asthma

So, whether you're 9 or 90, if you have asthma, be sure to contact Dr. Amodeo in Memphis and schedule an appointment today. We'll do what we can to help you breathe easier!

References

• 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 patients in our Memphis clinic, and Dr. Amodeo has helped many people overcome a variety of health problems. However, a common issue that seems to stop many men and women from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Well, according to three different studies (out of quite a few on the subject), the answer to this concern 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 women and men between the ages of 20 and 85. Each person reported suffering from some kind of back pain, and half of the people received actual chiropractic care visits while the other half were given two fake chiropractic adjustments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unpleasant negative effects occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic treatments.

Researchers reported that no participants documented any serious adverse adverse reactions in any way after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did report that they had a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Nationwide Survey Finds that Chiropractic is Safe

A second research study(2), also released in the distinguished journal, Spine, was performed in an effort to establish the safety of chiropractic. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the experts found no serious adverse side effects. The authors determined the risk of total adverse reactions to be about 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the previous study, some participants 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 prompted the researchers to conclude that "the risk of a serious adverse event, immediately or up to 7 days after treatment, was low to very low."

Chiropractic Care Is Safe for Kids

The third research paper(3) is unique from the first two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, 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 ones, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse reactions. When parents were surveyed, they indicated only two adverse side effects out of 1,735 visits. Furthermore, both chiropractors and parents reported "a high rate of improvement with respect to the children's presenting complaints."

Based on these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic care has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Memphis clinic and schedule an appointment today at (901) 757-8311.

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.

When you're trying to support your family, take care of your home, and pay all of your bills on time, every day at work counts. Work injuries can be a big problem for many folks, and we see many of these types of injuries in our Memphis office. Dr. Amodeo appreciates your situation and is here to help.

The advantages of chiropractic care for work injuries are well-established. A 2013 research paper involving over 600 adults who were troubled with either back or neck pain found that the individuals 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 participants in this report, two of the primary factors 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 reality is, chiropractic patients actually spend less on care than medical patients, plus they are less likely to use drugs for their symptoms.

Dr. Amodeo Can Help Clients Find Relief From Chronic Pain

If you live in Memphis and you've been injured at work, we can help. Give our office a call today at (901) 757-8311 for an appointment.

References

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

As trauma to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is often rather painful, we do our best to help our Memphis patients find relief as quickly and effectively as possible. In fact, Dr. Amodeo will tell you that the medical literature shows just how much your chiropractor can help ease pain in the jaw.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With TMJ Pain and Discomfort

For example, a study published in Physiotherapy Theory and Practice included 15 people with TMJ pain who were managed with neck adjustments, middle-back adjustments, and trigger point therapy via dry needling. Subjects were evaluated prior to these methods and at 15 days and two months post-treatment. The authors reported positive results such as reduced discomfort, greater jaw movement, and lower impairment at both follow-ups.

Another group of researchers carried out a review of almost 800 studies involving manual and manipulative therapy for disorders such as TMJ and revealed similar findings. The authors concluded that there is a "fair...level of evidence" that chiropractic care can help ease symptoms associated with jaw pain and other upper extremity disorders.

This is great news since the origins of TMJ are largely unknown. While trauma to the jaw or neck can cause pain symptoms, there are other causes to consider as well, such as grinding teeth, arthritis, and clenching of the jaw due to stress.

Dr. Amodeo Can Help People Find Relief From TMJ Pain

No matter what is making your jaw hurt, call Dr. Amodeo now and schedule an appointment to come into our Memphis practice. We'll do our best to help you smile pain-free!

References

• Gonzalez-Iglesias J et al. (2013, November). Mobilization with movement, thoracic spine manipulation, and dry needling for the management of temporomandibular disorder: a prospective case series. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice;29(8):586-95
• Brantingham J et al. (2013, March-April). Manipulative and multimodal therapy for upper extremity and temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;36(3):143-201
• Oral Care. WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders-tmd on November 2, 2015

We see a lot of sports injuries in our Memphis clinic, and Dr. Amodeo is usually able to help these athletes. Stanford Children’s Hospital states that over 3.5 million children of the ages 14 and younger are hurt each year while playing sports. Add that to the close to 2 million adults hurt each year while taking part in sports-related activities, according to statistics collected by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and you can begin to see the necessity of preventing these sorts of widespread injuries. One approach to potentially realize that goal, as reported by a study published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, is to engage in routine chiropractic care.

In Australian Rules football, hamstring and other leg traumas are commonplace, frequently sidelining the players and impacting their team's likelihood of securing a win. One particular study was conducted using 59 semi-elite Australian Rules footballers to see whether chiropractic could cut down on these injuries and help keep them playing.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps in Treating Sports Injuries

For this study in particular, every one of the players received medical treatment. In addition, half of them also received chiropractic sessions at the rate of one session each week for the first six weeks, biweekly sessions for the following three months, and one session a month for the last 3 months of the study. The remaining group had no chiropractic intervention at all and acted as the control group to assess the benefits of chiropractic.

After twenty-four matches, researchers noticed a lessened amount of lower limb muscle strains in the group that had received chiropractic care. Furthermore, that very group also missed fewer matches connected to non-contact knee injuries. This lead the researchers to conclude that chiropractic should be made an addition to sports training programs to effectively reduce the number of leg injuries.

Dr. Amodeo Can Help Patients Find Relief From Sports Injuries & Help You Recover Faster

If you or your child plays sports and you want to ensure more time is spent on the field versus on the sidelines, call our Memphis office at (901) 757-8311 and schedule an appointment today. We will do our best to keep you in the game!

References

• Hoskins, W, & Pollard, H. (2010, April 8). The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian Rules footballers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 11(64), doi:10.1186/1471-2474-11-64
• Misra, A. (2014, March 17). Common sports injuries: Incidence and average charges. Department of Health & Human Services.
• Stanford Children’s Hospital. (n.d.). Sports injury statistics.

According to research, approximately 2-5 percent of the population will experience painful conditions like frozen shoulder syndrome at some point in their lives. That makes shoulder-related pain a common occurrence and one that Dr. Amodeo sees in our Memphis practice on a regular basis.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Shoulder Pain

In general, this condition is more common for people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and it tends to affect women more frequently than men. While ice, heat, and gentle stretches can often times help alleviate the pain, so too can chiropractic adjustments.

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

The researchers found that almost all of the study participants fared very well with chiropractic care. Here are the results:

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 studies like this demonstrate just how beneficial chiropractic care can be when it comes to decreasing shoulder pain and improving quality of life.

We Can Help People Find Comfort From Shoulder Pain

Let Dr. Amodeo help you ease your suffering by contacting our Memphis 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. Amodeo works with many sciatica patients here in our Memphis office, and quite a few of these individuals were concerned that they might require surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research shows that many people don't need surgery for this widespread issue, and that chiropractic is more successful at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.

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

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

Both groups got better; however, no noticeable difference in outcome was recorded one year post-treatment between either group. In addition, about sixty percent 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 delivered the same positive benefits as surgery without having to undergo the increased amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often associated with that specific treatment option. Additionally, you also don't run the risks affiliated with surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery ought to be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Memphis and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Amodeo a call today at (901) 757-8311. We'll help pinpoint the source 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 back pain and pregnancy go hand in hand, they are often pleasantly surprised when they discover that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, chiropractic care can often help reduce persistant back pain for pregnant women by as much as 85%.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Pregnancy

Dr. Amodeo has helped many pregnant women with back pain in our Memphis office.

A research study published in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies involved 115 women who were pregnant (most of which were in their third trimester) and reported 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. Improvement was 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 benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy. Not only does it efficiently relieve 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 drugs or undergoing any type of treatment that could potentially harm your unborn child.

Dr. Amodeo Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Back Pain During Pregnancy

Furthermore, it makes your time spent carrying your baby more pleasant. When you're not distracted with aches and pains, 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.

You don't have to suffer from back pain during pregnancy. We're here in Memphis to help with natural chiropractic care. Give us a call today at (901) 757-8311 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. In addition, neck pain is the third most reported type of pain, beat out only by lower back pain and headaches.

As a result, many people come to our Memphis office seeking neck pain care, and Dr. Amodeo has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart decision, as some studies have shown that over 90 percent 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 men and women who were suffering with neck pain. 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.

Information was gathered 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, showing that thinking about the entire spine is an important 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 person was randomly assigned to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with examinations occurring two and four days after the treatments.

Researchers found that the study patients who received the thrust manipulations (the same adjustments 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 Neck Surgery

Another study found the same kind of positive results 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 experienced neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.

The patient 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 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 studies like these that prove the effectiveness of chiropractic adjustments, even if you've already attempted neck surgery that didn't provide relief. So, if you are suffering with neck pain and would like to find a solution that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the relief you're looking for.

We're located in Memphis and Dr. Amodeo can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (901) 757-8311.

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.