Jennifer Stepanek, D.C.

Many of the complaints that patients have when they visit a chiropractic office for the first time are usually linked to little problems that happened years before. For example, a patient may have been involved in a low-speed car accident and now has an issue with their neck. After a thorough examination and x-rays, their [..]

In this months issue we are going to detail the most recent, comprehensive, and authoritative Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain.These guidelines were published in the October 2007 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.An extensive panel of remarkably qualified experts constructed these clinical practice guidelines.These experts performed a review [..]

Most people with carpal tunnel symptoms think the source of their problem is located in the wrist. While the wrist and hand may be the site of most of your symptoms, the real cause or causes can reside elsewhere along the course of the median nerve, even in the neck. For example, a disk injury [..]

Because fibromyalgia patients are often at their wits ends when it comes to finding a solution to their problem, they may be reluctant to consider chiropractic care. Why is that? Maybe it's because they haven't read a good explanation as to how treating joint injuries can result in decreased muscle pain. After all, the pain [..]

Cervicogenic headache is the term used to describe a headache that is caused by dysfunction in the neck. Overall, between 14-17.8% of patients with frequent headaches are believed to suffer from headaches of this nature. The following is a list of clinical characteristics common among those struggling with cervicogenic headaches: Unilateral (one-sided) head or face [..]

People who injure their lower back on the job often consult a chiropractor. A 2007 study (J Occup Environ med 2007;49:1124;Wasiak R, Kim J, Pransky GS) looked at the use of chiropractic care to treat on-the-job low back injuries and found that about 89% of workers included in the study initiated chiropractic care within 30 [..]

Neck sprains that result from a whiplash injury are not simple problems like a sprained ankle because the neck is involved in a lot of important duties other than simple movement. One such function of the neck is to keep you upright and balanced. Balance is complex and involves coordination between your brain and sensations [..]

The Potential Pitfalls Of Clinical Joint Immobilization Back in 1984, orthopedic surgeon Sir James Cyriax, MD, reviewed The Concept Of Motion in his Textbook of Orthopaedic Medicine, Diagnosis of Soft Tissue Lesions (1). In this text, Dr. Cyriax carefully noted that harmful infections create tissue destruction, resulting in inflammation. A current prevailing concept in explaining [..]

Patients with severe carpal tunnel symptoms often become desperate in their search for a cure. Most patients with chronic diseases fall prey to this—looking for the one answer, the one magic pill or magic bullet that will rid them of all their troubles now and forever. In carpal tunnel care, you may have looked for [..]

Fibromyalgia is a frustrating disease for many patients and physicians since drug treatments seem to provide little benefit. As studies accumulate, hopefully this translates into better treatments for patients.One treatment that has been studied extensively is supervised aerobic exercise and strength training. In 2007, the prestigious scientific review group called Cochrane (Cochrane Database Syst Rev [..]

Headaches are one of the common health complaints for which people seek out treatment from a healthcare provider. High blood pressure is also very common, affecting about 50 million Americans. Could the two be linked? Yes, but not in the way you may think. While some doctors question whether taking pain pills actually corrects the [..]

When pain strikes the lower back, we usually think it's a new problem or injury. But why was coughing, shaving, doing the laundry, or whatever activity you were engaged in so different this time? These are things you probably do every day. So, what is the problem? The problem is a joint dysfunction or subluxation [..]