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Chiropractic is centered on the philosophy of helping your body to heal naturally through spinal adjustments and lifestyle changes that stimulate overall health. For Dr. Mulholland, this means working hard to reestablish your body's normal performance to prevent the need for medications or surgical treatments. We see that many of our Anchorage patients are relieved to find a natural solution for their health issues.

One advantage of chiropractic is that it helps people decrease or even eliminate the use of drug treatments. Prescription medications are commonly supplied to patients who have back pain. This is such a significant concern that the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) issued a news release stating that opioid (painkiller) dangers overshadow the benefits when administered for back pain.

Some of the most popular narcotics, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin and Percocet), morphine, and codeine. Numbers presented by the AAN cite the fact that about half of the people taking these drugs for a period of three months are still on them five years down the road. This can further complicate the problem of back pain and healing, especially if an narcotic dependency occurs.

Contrast that to chiropractic care which incorporates natural healing and the advantages are evident. While a drug might be helpful at briefly reducing the symptoms of a health issue, it's not a solution to the problem. Drugs don't fix your damaged back; it will only cover up the pain.

Dr. Mulholland will first examine you to get to the source of your back pain and then work with you to eliminate the spinal interference -- without any risky medications.

If you're ready for relief of your pain, naturally, give our Anchorage office a call at (907) 770-5700 to make an appointment with Dr. Mulholland.

References

• Risk of opioids outweigh benefits for headache, low back pain, other conditions. American Academy of Neurology;September 29, 2014.
• What are opioids? National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-drugs/opioids/what-are-opioids

We treat many auto injury cases in in our Anchorage office, and a widespread symptom we see in our patients is thoracic outlet syndrome. Let's look at the root cause of thoracic outlet syndrome after a car crash and see how chiropractic can help.

The thoracic outlet is a bundle of nerves and blood vessels that travel through your neck and shoulder to your arm. These nerves and blood vessels don't have a lot of room, so they pass under and through the strong bands of muscles that support your head.

In a collision, these muscles can be stretched and strained. If damaged, the muscles become swollen and tender, and they can develop scar tissue which restricts motion and puts pressure on the tissues of the thoracic outlet. Pressure on the nerves can cause tingling or pins and needles in the shoulder, elbow and even the wrist. Pressure on the blood vessels can also cause problems in the arm.

Anchorage Thoracic Outlet Treatment

Chiropractic can be an effective way to treat thoracic outlet syndrome, as Dr. Mulholland will help improve mobility in your spine and restore normal nerve function in your neck and shoulder.

Dr. Mulholland is here in Anchorage to help you recover from thoracic outlet syndrome. We've been helping patients since 1982 and we can probably help you, too. First, we'll do a careful evaluation to determine the root cause of your problem, and then decide how to restore your body's natural functioning. Ready to make an appointment? Give us a call at (907) 770-5700 and we'll get you back on the road to health.

In our Anchorage office, it isn't unusual for us to see people troubled with sciatica pain, and Dr. Mulholland has helped many of them recover with chiropractic. What makes chiropractic care so helpful to those who suffer with this condition? For starters, it reduces their time of recovery and a Norwegian research study confirms it.

In the article, which took place in a Norwegian hospital's orthopedic division, researchers looked at 44 patients who reported abrupt low back pain that was clinically diagnosed as acute sciatic nerve pain. The participants were all treated by a chiropractor, with the average follow-up being two years after treatment.

The researchers found that all but two patients went back to their jobs after receiving chiropractic adjustments, which is a 95% success rate. What's more, the average period of time that the individuals spent off work "was reduced by two thirds as compared with that associated with conventional medical treatment."

Considering that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 170,450 days of work were missed in 2013 due to employees dealing with back or spine-related issues, that is almost 112,500 work days that could potentially be recovered each and every year solely by receiving chiropractic care. Not only would that increase work productivity, but it could also reduce costs to businesses and workers from lost work.

If you live in Anchorage and you suffer with sciatic pain, Dr. Mulholland is here to help. Give us a call at (907) 770-5700 and we'll work with you to find the root cause of your sciatic pain and get you back on the road to health.

Orlin JR, Didriksen A. Results of chiropractic treatment of lumbopelvic fixation in 44 patients admitted to an orthopedic department. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2007;30(2):135-139.

Neck and headache pain are common problems that affect millions of people around the world. If you suffer from this type of condition, you're not alone. The good news is that chiropractic is the best way to not only treat these common problems, but also help prevent future episodes.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Neck Pain and Headaches

For many years, people with neck and headache pain in Anchorage have been helped by the chiropractic care of Dr. Mulholland. Our success is backed up by a recent review done in Canada that found that non-invasive, non-drug treatments are the best choice for neck and headache pain.

The report looked at 15 studies from 1990 to 2015 and found that conservative treatment comprised of chiropractic adjustments, exercises, and stretches was recommended before turning to drugs or more invasive procedures.

Previous studies have shown that chiropractic is effective and safe for neck pain and many other health conditions.

We Can Help Patients Find Relief From Neck Pain and Headaches

If you're struggling with neck pain or headaches, Dr. Mulholland and our staff are here to help you heal. Give our Anchorage office a call today at (907) 770-5700 for an appointment today.

Reference

Varatharajan S, Ferguson B, Chrobak K, et al. Are non-invasive interventions effective for the management of headaches associated with neck pain? An update of the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. European Spine Journal 2016; February 6:1-29.

There are many different kinds of headache, but one of the most common types is known as "cervicogenic headache," or headaches that originate in your neck.

Dr. Mulholland sees a lot of people in our Anchorage office who are suffering with frequent headaches. Fortunately, chiropractic can usually help, potentially reducing these types of headaches by 50%, and research confirms it.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Cervicogenic Headaches

A study was conducted involving 80 participants who reported experiencing at least five cervicogenic headaches during the prior three months. The goal was to discover how effective chiropractic was for this type of head pain, as well as to ascertain the number of treatment sessions required to achieve a positive effect.

The subjects were split into four separate groups, so that each group was similar in age, gender, number of cervicogenic headaches, and their intensity. Of the four groups, two engaged in chiropractic treatments and two received light massage. Furthermore, one group assigned to each treatment received eight sessions and the other group received twice that amount.

Each person was assessed based on head pain, neck pain, and disability prior to the study and 12 and 24 weeks after treatment was complete. The researchers found that those who received chiropractic as opposed to massage reported fewer headaches at the conclusion of the study. Furthermore, improvements were maintained when checked six months after treatment ended.

Additionally, individuals who were taking medications for their headaches were able to lower their intake after completing the study. Those who received chiropractic adjustments had lower drug usage 24 weeks post-study.

We Can Help People Find Relief From Head Pain

Dr. Mulholland has helped many patients who were suffering from headache pain in our Anchorage office. Call us today at (907) 770-5700 for more information or for an appointment.

Reference

Haas M, Spegman A, Peterson D, Aickin M, Vavrek D. Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The Spine Journal 2010; 10: 117-128.

Dr. Mulholland sees many patients weekly in our busy Anchorage chiropractic office who are searching for relief from the pain and suffering they feel due to herniated discs. Our experience isn't unique; the medical research confirms that chiropractic care is a great way to treat herniated disc problems.

Don't Suffer! Dr. Mulholland and Chiropractic Care Helps With Disc Herniation

One particular study involved 27 people, 8 male and 19 female, who had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirming a disc herniation in either their neck or lower back. The people reported that they were experiencing pain, reduced range of motion, and sensory problems bad enough to keep them off work.

Over the course of the research study, the individuals were treated using one of two common chiropractic techniques: traction for herniated discs in the cervical area or flexion distraction for the men and women who had herniation issues in the lumbar area.

Each man or woman was treated four or five times per week for the first two weeks, then three times weekly, and then as needed for the rest of the study. Depending on the seriousness of the disc herniation, treatment varied anywhere from six weeks to six months, with MRIs being performed at various stages to determine what effect, if any, the chiropractic care was having in regard to the disc herniation.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Herniated Disc

The investigators reported that 80 percent of the subjects experienced a "good clinical outcome," meaning reduced pain and a reduction in other issues, such as numbness. Furthermore, 77 percent of these men and women also showed MRI evidence that their disc herniation was either reduced or resolved completely. This resulted in 78 percent of the study subjects being able to return to their place of work and led the authors to conclude that chiropractic is both "safe and helpful" for disc herniations.

If you have a herniated disc and suffer from chronic back pain and are near Dr. Mulholland in Anchorage, contact our office today to see what chiropractic can do for you!

Reference
BenEliyahu, DJ. Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical follow-up: study of 27 patients receiving chiropractic care for cervical and lumbar disc herniations. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1996;19(9):597-606.

In our Anchorage practice, we see many people who are dealing with back pain, and a few of these patients have been advised they might need surgery to recover. Thankfully, Dr. Mulholland has helped many people get pain relief without the need for any type of operation. The scientific literature confirms the results we see in our office. One study published in the journal Spine found that seeing a chiropractor as your first step in overcoming with your back issues may literally keep you out of the operating room.

In this report, medical researchers from Dartmouth analyzed statistics from 1,885 workers from Washington state who first saw either a surgeon or a chiropractor for their back pain issues. They then looked at three years' worth of follow-up medical data to ascertain whether the individuals wound up having back surgery in an effort to treat the issue.

What the authors found was that 42.7% of the individuals who first saw a surgeon for their back problems ended up with surgery in that 3-year time frame, whereas only 1.5 percent of those who first consulted with a chiropractor had the same fate. The authors wrote:

"Even after controlling for injury severity and other measures, workers with an initial visit for the injury to a surgeon had almost nine times the odds of receiving lumbar spine surgery compared to those seeing primary care providers, whereas workers whose first visit was to a chiropractor had significantly lower odds of surgery."

These are impressive results. Visiting a chiropractor drastically decreases your odds of getting back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this study "had lower odds of chronic work disability" and they also had fewer expensive MRI tests.

Let's also consider this important detail: this study was conducted by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and printed in the world's most influential medical publication on spinal injuries.

The Risks of Surgery

Any surgery has risks, but a serious problem linked to spine surgery is that there's a very high rate of failure. In an important analysis in the European Spine Journal, researchers wrote:

"Failed back surgery is a problem that has become sufficiently widespread to even warrant its own special conferences, with recent reviews reporting failure rates ranging from 5 to 50%."

The experts in this same study concluded:

"It is extremely difficult to identify unequivocal predictor factors that can be used to accurately predict the outcome of surgery."

As a chiropractor, Dr. Mulholland believes that surgery should be the absolute last choice for treating back pain. Chiropractic works to restore your spine to its normal function--without the need of risky surgery or drugs--and many studies have established the effectiveness of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in Anchorage and you need relief for your back pain, give our practice a call today at (907) 770-5700 for a consultation or an appointment. We'll help get you back on the road to a pain-free life!

Studies

• Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, Wickizer TM, Chan KC, Franklin GM. Early predictors of lumbar spine surgery after occupational back injury: results from a prospective study of workers in Washington State. Spine 2013;38(11):953-964.
• Mannion AF, Elfering A. Predictors of surgical outcome and their assessment. European Spine Journal 2006;15(Suppl 1):S93-S108.
  

We work with many auto injury cases in in our Anchorage office, and a common symptom we see in our patients is back pain. Why is back pain such a common problem after a car crash? How can your chiropractor help you heal?

During a rear-end car crash, your car and car seat are rapidly accelerated forward against your body. Since car seats don't perfectly align with the curve of your back, the seat can put uneven force on your back. This can cause some of your spinal vertebrae to move in one direction while an adjacent vertebrae might move in another direction. This differential movement can sprain or strain the ligaments that hold your spine together. This type of injury can cause chronic back pain if not treated right away. Thankfully, chiropractic is one of the most effective ways to treat back pain.

Let us help you recover from back pain. Dr. Mulholland has helped many people with the same condition, and we can probably help you, too. Dr. Mulholland will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Ready to make an appointment? Give us a call at (907) 770-5700 and we'll get you back on the road to health.

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

The benefits of chiropractic care for work injuries are well-established. A 2013 survey 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 paper, two of the primary reasons were that they thought they needed a medical 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. Mulholland Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Chronic Pain

If you live in Anchorage and you've been injured at work, we can help. Give our office a call today at (907) 770-5700 for an appointment.

Resources

"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 quite painful, we do our best to help our Anchorage patients find relief as quickly and effectively as possible. In fact, Dr. Mulholland will tell you that the medical literature shows just how much chiropractic care can help ease discomfort in the jaw.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With TMJ Pain and Discomfort

For example, one study published in Physiotherapy Theory and Practice involved 15 patients with jaw pain who were managed with neck adjustments, middle-back adjustments, and trigger point therapy via dry needling. Individuals were evaluated prior to these methods and at two weeks and two months post-treatment. The researchers reported positive outcomes such as reduced pain, greater jaw mobility, and lower disability at both follow-ups.

Another group of researchers conducted an analysis of almost 800 studies involving manual and manipulative therapy for disorders such as TMJ and revealed similar results. The group concluded that there is a "fair...level of evidence" that chiropractic care can help ease pain associated with TMJ and other upper extremity disorders.

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

Dr. Mulholland Can Help Patients Find Comfort From TMJ Pain

No matter what is making your jaw ache, call Dr. Mulholland today and make an appointment to come into our Anchorage practice. We'll do our best to help you smile pain-free!

Resources

• 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