Jennifer Stepanek, D.C.

Back surgery is quite common in the United States with hundreds of thousands of operations performed each year. Sometimes these are laminectomies and diskectomies, and other times the spine is fused together so certain joints no longer move—a critical spinal function. The conservative medical approach/thinking to back pain is rest, medications, exercise, and physical therapy. [..]

Manual techniques refers to massage, deep tissue mobilization, and manipulation of the joints. These procedures are performed by chiropractors as a mainstay of their treatment. Several studies have shown that these techniques are helpful at reducing carpal tunnel symptoms. Sometimes scar tissue and tightness of the muscles of the forearms develop. Specific stretching exercises are [..]

The fibromyalgia diagnosis is based on widespread bodily AND spinal pain. Most patients think that fibromyalgia is more a problem related to how intensely the brain  perceives pain. While this is important, you have to also consider why the fibromyalgia patient is susceptible to such little pressure at various points. What makes their nerves so [..]

We often think headaches are caused by different stressful triggers. It could be long days at work, staring at a computer screen all night, or the aggravation of spending an extended amount of time stuck in traffic. Some of us get headaches after drinking red wine or eating certain foods. While these triggers make headaches [..]

Torticollis is a condition where a joint or disk is injured and you can't move your neck. Sometimes the head is bent or turned a little to one side, and sometimes it's straight but can barely move in any direction. This type of problem is usually caused by a disk injury. Whiplash can cause this [..]

Getting your health back after a spinal injury can be problematic if you do not approach it holistically. What is meant by the term holistic? In general, it is caring for the person as a whole vs. individual parts, and using techniques that assist different bodily systems. When dealing with a mechanical spinal problem, the [..]

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which starts at the neck and runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes compressed or squeezed at the wrist. In some cases, there may also be compression at other anatomical locations along the course of the nerve, like the neck.The median nerve controls sensations to the [..]

Syndrome X is called the lifestyle disease or metabolic syndrome. Patients with this disorder are overweight, have high "bad" cholesterol (i.e. LDLs) levels, and high blood pressure. They may also have insulin resistance or even be diabetic. This syndrome leads to heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and even certain types of cancer. Most of [..]

It's remarkable to consider how many different types of pain relievers there are for headaches—not just  at the corner drug stores but also supermarkets, convenience stores, and gas stations. Drugs like aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen are consumed daily in America by the truckloads.Have you ever thought about how we approach a health problem or symptom? [..]

Whiplash involves the over-stretching of nerves, muscles, and ligaments. The forces are so great during even low speed collisions that the muscles cannot resist the forces. The injury of whiplash produces inflammation to repair the damaged tissues. During this time, fast movements of your head and neck will result in pain, so most patients become [..]

Losing weight is important to your health for a variety of reasons. Your heart health is especially affected by excess weight. Diabetes, stroke, and back pain are also more common in persons with excess weight. However, most of us do not have enough lean body mass and need to do something about changing our nutrition [..]

Fibromyagia is a debilitating disease that affects millions of Americans, with most sufferers being female. Research has explored a lot of different possibilities, but fibromyalgia remains a poorly understood disorder with no known single cause.Fibromyalgia can be more thought of as a global disease with likely many different factors coming together to create the painful [..]