“Went to Physical Therapy this morning at 11am – you were right!!!!! One session and I can feel the difference but the major part of the problem was solved by your gifted hands!!!!! My instructor made up a plan for my therapy – now the cure-all is for me to do the exercises at home – going back on Friday morning and will be going fishing on Thursday.”

“So, once again you were “right-on” – will keep you posted on my progress but still want to see you every now and then – you have become like “family”!!!!!”

“Say Hi to Debbie and Vicki.”

As an integrative center, I found this corroborative information to be long over due. We see the benefits of combined therapies and excercise for neck, back, shoulder, hip and knee pain every day. Passive to Active care works!!!

Enjoy this article: J. Adam Wagner, D.C.

What’s the best treatment for neck pain?

Seeing a chiropractor or engaging in light exercise relieves neck pain more effectively than relying on pain medication, new research shows.

The new study is one of the few head-to-head comparisons of various treatments for neck pain, a problem that affects three quarters of Americans at some point in their lives but has no proven, first-line treatment. While many people seek out spinal manipulation by chiropractors, the evidence supporting its usefulness has been limited at best.

But the new research, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, found that chiropractic care or simple exercises done at home were better at reducing pain than taking medications like aspirin, ibuprofen or narcotics.

“These changes were diminished over time, but they were still present,” said Dr. Gert Bronfort, an author of the study and research professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota. “Even a year later, there were differences between the spinal manipulation and medication groups.”

Moderate and acute neck pain is one of the most frequent reasons for trips to primary care doctors, prompting millions of visits every year. For patients, it can be a difficult problem to navigate. In some cases the pain and stiffness crop up without explanation, and treatment options are varied. Physical therapy, pain medication and spinal manipulation are popular options, but Dr. Bronfort was inspired to carry out an analysis because so little research exists.

“There was a void in the scientific literature in terms of what the most helpful treatments are,” he said.

To find out, Dr. Bronfort and his colleagues recruited a large group of adults with neck pain that had no known specific cause. The subjects, 272 in all, were mostly recruited from a large HMO and through advertisements. The researchers then split them into three groups and followed them for about three months.

One group was assigned to visit a chiropractor for roughly 20-minute sessions throughout the course of the study, making an average of 15 visits. A second group was assigned to take common pain relievers like acetaminophen and — in some cases, at the discretion of a doctor — stronger drugs like narcotics and muscle relaxants. The third group met on two occasions with physical therapists who gave them instructions on simple, gentle exercises for the neck that they could do at home. They were encouraged to do 5 to 10 repetitions of each exercise up to eight times a day. (A demonstration of the exercises can be found at www.annals.org).

After 12 weeks, the people in the non-medication groups did significantly better than those taking the drugs. About 57 percent of those who met with chiropractors and 48 percent who did the exercises reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, compared to 33 percent of the people in the medication group.

A year later, when the researchers checked back in, 53 percent of the subjects who had received spinal manipulation still reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, similar to the exercise group. That compared to just a 38 percent pain reduction among those who had been taking medication.

Dr. Bronfort said it was a “big surprise” to see that the home exercises were about as effective as the chiropractic sessions. “We hadn’t expected that they would be that close,” he said. “But I guess that’s good news for patients.”

In addition to their limited pain relief, the medications had at least one other downside: people kept taking them. “The people in the medication group kept on using a higher amount of medication more frequently throughout the follow-up period, up to a year later,” Dr. Bronfort said. “If you’re taking medication over a long time, then we’re running into more systemic side effects like gastrointestinal problems.”

He also expressed concern that those on medications were not as empowered or active in their own care as those in the other groups. “We think it’s important that patients are enabled to deal with as much control over their own condition as possible,” he said. “This study shows that they can play a large role in their own care.”

by Anahad O’Connor

Jan 3, 2012

Friday, December 23, 2011

Read all about it! 

Official Re-Naming will occur on

Wednesday, Dec 21st at 11:00am!!!

We will be unveiling our new sign at this event. Ms. Wallace, the sister of a dear friend and local businessman, has generously offered to attend, and will sign autographs for registered attendees.

Actor, Healer, and Best Selling Author, DEE WALLACE, star of more than 90 feature films including  E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial & Cujo, will join us on Wednesday, December 21st at 11:00am for a private photo opportunity and autograph signing.

Space is limited. Patients, friends and family are invited to attend.

RSVP REQUIRED!

215-230-8100

Additional parking is available at the new parking garage on N. Broad St 1 block south of our facility.

First, Discover the Cause

It’s a common misconception that we humans have only one joint at the knee. A joint is the place at which two bones are joined to allow for movement. Technically, we have two joints at each knee. The three bones that make up the two joints are the femur (thighbone), the tibia (shinbone) and the patella (knee cap). The first joint—the patellofemoral, or PFJ—joins the kneecap and thighbone. The second joint—the tibiofemoral, or TFJ—joins the thigh and shinbone.

Every year, millions of Americans replace the TFJ knee joint, though it’s not always the joint causing the pain. In my experience, the PFJ is usually the main culprit behind knee pain, although total knee replacement surgery involves replacing the surfaces of the TFJ.

Pain from PFJ irritation can be severe, even crippling. It starts on the underside of the kneecap, grinding in the hollowed groove of the femur during weightbearing activities, such as walking up and down steps, standing for any length of time, walking, running and participating in sports.

Our physical therapists have had great success eliminating this irritation with simple exercises, stretching and deep-tissue massage. In my experience, the PFJ joint—not the TFJ joint—is the primary source of pain and physical limitation. I’ve helped many patients who had already scheduled a knee replacement to cancel surgery by working on the “correct” knee joint.

The scenario is all too common. A patient visits an orthopedist complaining of fairly sudden knee pain. X-rays taken during the examination reveal arthritis of the TFJ. The “bone-on-bone” appearance of the TFJ on X-rays, along with the patient’s severe knee pain, leads to the diagnosis of osteoarthritis. It can be very easy to link the arthritis of the TFJ to the patient’s severe knee pain, even though the pain is most likely caused by the PFJ.

Unfortunately, the surgical procedure for this diagnosis is a total knee replacement. The point is that although “arthritis” may appear on an X-ray between the tibia and femur, the TFJ may not be the source of the pain.

Physical Therapy Can Help

I have discovered that my patients’ knee pain may be caused by irritation between the patella and femur, the PFJ.

Fortunately, physical therapy treatments have been successful for patients with arthritis of the PFJ. I’ve seen hundreds of patients who have pain at the top and underside of their kneecaps—along with an X-ray diagnosis of “bone-on-bone” osteoarthritis—who never need a total knee replacement after physical therapy treatments.

Are there patients for whom total knee replacement has eliminated their pain? Yes. Had these patients exhausted all less-invasive forms of treatment before visiting the operating room? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

If a patient’s knee pain is caused by the wearing away of cartilage and subsequent “bone-on-bone” of the femur and tibia, I would agree that he or she may benefit from a total knee replacement. However, for most of my patients with knee pain, that pain was brought on by irritation of the PFJ, not by the TFJ that was replaced.

Physical therapy can be a welcome alternative for patients with knee pain, because it is less invasive than total knee replacement surgery. I always tell my patients that unless their pain involves a life-threatening diagnosis, for which their doctor feels immediate surgery is required, the least invasive treatment option is usually best. Physical therapy, in my experience, has provided patients with far more successful outcomes—and the fewest side effects.

If you are experiencing knee pain, a good physical therapist will be able to identify which knee joint is causing your pain and set up a treatment plan. That plan will include deep-tissue massage, stretching, progressive resistive exercises and ultrasound and electrical stimulation. If total knee replacement ultimately is required, knowing that a surgeon already has explored less-invasive forms of treatment may bring some comfort.

Avoid the knee-jerk reaction of going under the knife.

Visit OUR physical therapist first to discover the cause of your pain.

 215-230-8100

*The information for this handout is provided by Parsa Karimi, MSPT, co-owner of PKL Physical Therapy

johnciuppaADVANCE for Physical Therapy & Rehab Medicine

Disclaimer: This handout is a general guide only, intended for distribution to patients. If you have specific questions, be sure to discuss them with your healthcare provider. ©2011 MerionMAtters

September 17th from 10 – 4

WHAT?

Block Party!

Demonstrations, Samples, Raffles, Mini-Massages, Give-Aways, Music, Art, Face Painting, Free SFMA: Selective Functional Movement Assessments, Book Signing: By Local Children’s Author/Illustrator, Kids Learn How To Make “Energy Balls”, Snacks, Pilates, Yoga, & MORE!!!

WHY?

We Are Helping To Celebrate The Grand Opening Of Our Newest Neighbor, the Glu10Free Store.

Joining Us Are 7 Other Great Businesses All Focused On Health,
Wellness And Environmentally Friendly Products And Services.

WHERE?

The Brick Yard at 300 – 340 N. Broad St. Doylestown

Look For Our Ad In This Week’s Intelligencer!!!

Find this ad in The Intelligencer

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What’s Cool at VLC?