How We Are Different
Whether it’s neck pain, back pain, sciatica, scoliosis, headaches, injuries, fibromyalgia, migraines: we’ve seen it all!
Obesity
Some people try to blame their pain on their obesity. In some cases this is true, but what I have seen in practice is that this is far less true than you would think. I recently had a lady patient who is over 400 lbs and she had low back pain that was excruciating especially when she worked since she was on her feet all day. She was worried that she would not be able to work and not be able to pay her rent and take care of herself. After a couple weeks of care, she was pain-free and has been pain-free for about 7 months without losing any weight.
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal Neuralgia is a condition where there is excruciating shooting pain in someone’s face. This pain has many triggers and can be set off by even the smallest things such as a gentle brush against the face or jaw movement. If you have ever gotten something stuck in your eye you have experienced Trigeminal Nerve pain. The same nerve that causes all that hurting and scratching and intense irritation in your eye is the same nerve involved in Trigeminal Neuralgia.
Temporomandibular Dysfunction
TMJ is the Temporomandibular Joint itself, while TMD is Temporomandibular Dysfunction of the TMJ.
So first let’s look at the anatomy so that we can understand exactly what is going on and why it is happening. “Temporomandibular” means the place where the Temporal bone of the skull (where your temples are) and the Mandibular Bone (jaw) meet. Take a look at the picture below to see what this looks like.
Scoliosis
The main reason for scoliosis existing is from what is called “Brainstem Pressure.”
Here Is How It Happens
If you have an accident or an injury (for people with scoliosis this happens at birth) that damages the connective tissue in the neck, then the head and neck can shift out of place. This shift of the top of the neck out of place is where the Brainstem Pressure happens. Here is what it looks like.
Plantar Fasciitis
Recently I have had a few patients in a row show up in my office with plantar fasciitis and they were surprised that it improved so much following the correction of their head and neck. As I was explaining to them why this happened, I thought it might be good to write it down for others since it is not a very obvious connection between the two.
Fibromyalgia
FM is a chronic pain disorder (meaning the pain has lasted 3 months or more) that can occur anywhere in the body, whether throughout the body as a whole or in certain regions. FM can change locations day to day or stay consistently in the same place in that person’s body over time.
FM is a very mysterious and misunderstood disorder.
Neck Injuries & Concussions
Anyone who hasn’t heard anything about concussion by now must be living under a rock. Though this article is not really about concussions it is about NECK INJURY, which can mimic almost every concussion symptom. The problem with most people that have concussions is that they don’t know that their injury actually caused two problems: concussion and neck injury. It takes less force to injure the neck than it takes to get a concussion, so if you get a concussion, it is almost guaranteed that you also have a neck injury as well.
The Shift with Dr. Slagel
The Shift Podcast Keep up with the latest with The Shift with Dr. Slagel. Listen here or subscribe from any of the popular podcast apps. Official Podcast Site Spotify RadioPublic Deezer Dr. Jason Slagel The Shift with Dr. Slagel podcast is the place to begin understanding spinal health and the human body in general. As …