Dr. Charles Edward Nguyen, DC

Chiropractors are adept and treating and managing musculoskeletal pain and/or disorders. Muscles being a component of the musculoskeletal system have the potential of being treated by a competent chiropractor. However, I must be clear in saying that treating muscular pain is not our primary objective. The principles and logic upon which Chirpractic was founded upon the premise of the correction of a spinal/extra-spinal subluxation, thereby relieving the pressure of the nerves in order to allow for maximal trophic inner caution to every cell, tissue and organ of the human body.

However, many chiropractors are adept in the various techniques that address primarily muscular issues such as Trigger Point therapy, Myofascial Release therapy and Active Release therapy.

Each of these techniques address specific symptoms of musculotendinous origin. Active Release in particular is very effective in treating various types of tendonitis.

The effectiveness of the therapy really depends on the competency of the practitioner. I would advise you to do your due diligence in researching a specific practitioner before electing to seek care from him or her. I hope this was helpful in answering your question.

Thank you

That is exactly what we do as Chiropactors. Doctors of Osteopathic medicine are adept in spinal/extra-spinal subluxations as well.

The thoroughness of your adjustment truly depends on the competency of the practitioner. I would advise to do your due diligence when selecting one. I hope this answers your question.

Thank you

I’ve been asked this question many times throughout my years of practice. And my answer has always been the same. Trying to differentiate which is better between Chiropractic and Massage therapy is like comparing apples and oranges. They are two totally different disciplines that commonly go hand-in-hand with one another and in fact one will enhance the other.

I have told my patients over the years that are musculoskeletal system is composed of many different facets. You have your muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, joints in the facia ties it all together. So when one thinks of utilizing massage to address the muscles, complementing that with Chiropractic therapy to address the joints is the perfect combination in attaining the more balanced and healthy musculoskeletal system.

And so the patients ask me which one is better in utilizing first and I usually answer by saying that getting a massage prior to visiting your chiropractor is probably the more preferable way to approach the situation. By doing so this allows the muscles to be completely relaxed thus allowing for a more fluid and gentle joint motion when undergoing various Chiropractic adjustments and manipulations. I hope this helps you with your question.

Thank you for your question

You should definitely give a chiropractor a chance. Being a specialist of the spine and vertebral column, If I were you, I would research some of the chiropractors in your area and find out about their education, professional credentials and ratings whether it's Google and/or Yelp, find out about their abilities to provide the best care for you.

Sure it's possible. Anything is possible but I will say this. It's very highly unlikely that a state board certified chiropractor in your area will doing anything to harm you let alone, "break your neck". In my 20+ years of professional experience, i have never heard of a case where a chiropractor broke one of their patient's neck. that is why I said that it's highly unlikely.

As soon as possible. if you think about it, would you go to a gynecologist for a toothache? Or would you to a podiatrist if your dog was throwing up? No, you would go to the dentist and veterinarian, respectively. So if you're experiencing any type of musculoskeletal pain, then give chiropractic a chance. You never know, it might be the best decision of your life. Depending on the competency of the chiropractor of your choosing.

Absolutely. Actually, I would like to that we are considered the 1st line line for therapy for any type of musculoskeletal disorders. That is what we specialize in. Chiropractors deal with all type of musculoskeletal pain on a daily basis.

To better answer your question, I would need to inquire about your pain in more specific terms to determine it’s precise origin and thus be in a position to make the appropriate recommendations in order to provide an effective remedy for it. While it’s been universally understood that excessive sudden or chronic weight gain can cause a nagging type of low back pain, typically from my past experiences, this type of situation has usually been coupled with another precipitating factor/s. For example, a person whom has been suffering from the effects of diabetes which we now know is a universal disease affecting the microvascular vessels which supplies all the organs and tissues of the human body. It is also commonly understood that when a person is afflicted with diabetes, that become less active and tend to Be more sedentary as far as their lifestyle is concerned. This in turn will have a drastic effect on the musculoskeletal system and can manifest in nagging aches and pains throughout the body and the low back being a very common location.

So this is just one example that I tried to make a very important point that for any doctor to determine what is the best scenario to deal with a goal, nagging low back pain, he/she will need to conduct a detailed patient history followed by a focused physical examination in order to attain a complete understanding of its exact precipitating factors and root cause.

Then and only then can possible remedies and recommendations be entertained. I hope this will shed some light to your question.

That all depends on the choice of the chiropractor that you choose to visit, his/her anatomical and physiological knowledge of the various stages of pregnancy and the musculoskeletal changes that specifically occur throughout the various stages. It also depends on their skill set as well. If he/she possesses the hands-on acumen to perform various stretches and "non-invasive" adjusting technique, then absolutely, chiropractic care can not only resolve your "severe" hip pain, but facilitate the delivery of your child as well. By performing various pelvic floor exercises, the delivery process would proceed without any adverse effects.

When we're talking about Gout, this is a medical condition that typically require medications to keep the symptoms from propagating towards Tophi formation at the knee and big toe areas. However, Chiropractors can play a secondary role in managing the musculoskeletal pain and tenderness that is typically associated with Gout. My advice would be to seek out a local Chiropractor that you are comfortable with and explain your condition to him in great detail. Allow him to develop a management protocol and let him treat you for 1-2 months. If you find that chiropractic therapy is indeed helping you with your condition, then keep with it. If you find that are not experiencing any incremental improvements, then you might want to look into other options.

Essentially with Gout, a modification in your diet and a keen awareness of certain triggering foods will typically keep the condition from propagating to a severely symptomatic situation.

This sounds like a "botched" procedure to me. It has all the signs of an under-trained surgeon that reset the fracture in a bad position which led you to have your severe pain postoperative. It also sounds like the surgeon severed some superficial tributaries to a major nerve as well, most likely, the tributaries to your Ulnar nerve.

Absolutely! As a doctor of chiropractic, their isn't a profession that more educated, well trained and experienced as we are when it comes to the realm of neck and back pain. I would think maybe the physical medicine & rehabilitation doctors and doctors of osteopathy would be the next closest physicians that are trained as well as us when it comes to the education, training and experience in any type of back pain.

With that being said, you must understand the fact that their are "bad apples" in every profession. With my 20 plus years of experience in this field, I can confidently state that not all chiropractors are top tier doctors in providing relief of back pain. However, that is not to say that we are not the most well trained to manage such a situation because we are!

You just have to be extremely diligent when researching the specific educational background, amount of training/experience and previous work history when trying to find the best doctor of chiropractic to manage your condition.

Hmm...Sharp knee pain upon running. Very intriguing indeed. Especially in an athlete. My initial thinking would be condition termed, Osgood Schlatter's Disease which presents as a dull to sharp localized pain in the front portion of the knee. The pain is exacerbated by any prolonged and repetitive weightbearing activity. Diagnosis would be confirmed clinically by taking a bilateral x-ray of the knee region.

Another possibility that is quite common cause of knee pain is "shin splints" or a strain of the Tibialis Anterior muscle. This condition is also exacerbated by walking long distances, running, walking up and down the stairs.

So the treatment would absolutely be dependent on the definitive diagnosis. If the diagnosis is indeed Osgood Schlatter's disease, then the recommended treatment multi-dimensional (supportive, RICE-Rest Ice Compression & Elevation, NSAIDs and a Podiatric referral is absolutely warranted).

If however, the diagnosis is Shin Splints, then the treatment would be:
1) Education to avoid all aggravating factors to allow the injury to heal in the shortest amount of time possible.
2) Hydration to allow the muscle cells to function at its optimal capacity.
3) Rest as only time will allow this muscle to regenerate.

If the condition is due to a strain of the Anterior Cruciate ligament or the Medial Collateral ligament (the most common cause of organic knee pain), then an MRI is warranted to determine the extent of damage, thus allowing the practitioner to make the clinical decision accordingly.

**NOTE: In many of my previous cases of non-organic/pathologic causes of knee pain that is misdiagnosed as a ligament strain issue when in reality, it is almost always due to the compensatory muscular hypertonicity of the Vastus Medialis muscle insertion. This can often lead to generalized knee pain in a young healthy adult.
-If this happens to be the case, I would locate and carefully palpate the insertion and the belly of the muscle to check for it's resting tension.
-If it happens to be increased, then a technique termed, "Active Release Technique" when done properly would always resolve the patient's knee pain instantly. This technique has also been proved to be very effective in tendonitis cases as well.

Absolutely! However, when it comes to managing your child's condition, it is always better to have a team of physician's from the different disciplines of healthcare to work together in unison to provide the best available care for your child.

Think of it this way, when you have a network of physician's all working together for a common goal which is much better as opposed to when you only have one particular type of physician. Like the old saying goes, "2 heads are better than 1." In the situation that I'm envisioning, 3-4 heads is much better than 1.

And so for your 5 year old, the answer would be absolutely yes that a chiropractor can be of help to your child but it would be of great benefit to your child if the chiropractor that you chose would be open to referring you to physician's in the other musculoskeletal disciplines to provide the best care for your child as possible.

Also, be wary of the chiropractors that are not keen enough to consider the immaturity of your child's musculoskeletal system and they just get your 5 year old into different positions and start torquing that body into different contorting positions. That is not my philosophy as to how I would go about treating a young child.

Personally, with a keen understanding that until the child's growth plates are closed, than your child's musculoskeletal system is considered to still be growing and immature. That means that it is not all completely calcified into bone. Especially in a 5 year old, there are many portions that are still cartilaginous that are maturing into calcified bone.

When one start messing with a child's maturation of their musculoskeletal system by manual chiropractic manipulations, there's a possibility that the chiropractor can stunt the growth of the child. So how would I go about with my manipulation of this 5 year old?

It has been proven that with application the "Activator technique" on the lowest setting, that this particular technique the most non-invasive, however it is also he most efficient method to manipulate the subluxated segments back into its normal resting position, thus allowing for the maximal nerve supply to the cells and tissues thus maximizing the overall musculoskeletal homeostasis and allowing for the child's optimal growth.

Not if you have just won the Lotto or have a tree that grows money on it! All kidding aside, my answer to you would be absolutely not. First of all, with the limited amount of information that was provided, I'm not completely sure that this diagnosis is correct.

1) My question to you is, where is the exact location of your pain your pain?
2) Is your pain located at the FRONT PORTION of your ankle?
3) Did the pain arise gradually over time or or was the onset of your pain more sudden? Does any activity with prolonged weightbearing always bring on the pain?
4) What are the factors that bring on the pain? What have you done to find relief?
5) Have you ever experienced any similar incidence prior to this episode?
6) Is it affecting only one side or is it affecting both sides?
7) Is the pain localized to one specific area of the foot or does it radiate to another area causing a generalized pain and tenderness?
8) In your own words, how would you characterize the pain that you are experiencing? This is a very important question because the different foot disorders all have their specific character of pain.
9) Does it hurt when you attempt to flex your foot upward towards your shin?
10) Have you noticed any signs of acute inflammation? Redness, painful to touch, warmth over the area of involvement and swelling.

These are some of the more important questions that I would ascertain prior to arriving at any definitive diagnosis. Certainly I would have a small list of differential diagnosis as a possibility, which would include:
1) Plantar Fasciitis
2) Tibialis Anterior strain
3) Achilles Tendonitis
4) Premature Degenerative Joint Disease of the Foot
5) Posterior Tibial Tendonitis vs. Anterior Tibial Tendonitis

After ruling out all of the other common causes of foot and ankle pain in which I would rule in only one to arrive at a definitive diagnosis, depending on which one it is, then I would plan and treat the condition accordingly.

Let's just say that the diagnosis of Anterior Tibial Tendonitis is correct for education sake. Understanding the fact that patients with "high arched" feet are more prone to suffer from this particular condition then a custom foot orthotic would certainly serve to benefit you to find relief. If that is not sufficient then a walking boot is the next option.

If, however, neither of these options are helpful, then a Podiatric consult or a Surgical consult would be warranted for sure.

The reason that your are experiencing "pins and needles" sensations in your legs leading to intense pain and discomfort is because structurally, depending to the exact location of your symptoms, the area of nerve impingement can be ascertained. This is a symptom that is termed, "Paresthesia", which is exactly what your are experiencing, pins and needles sensation. There are a multitude of causes that can result in paresthesia. A complete history, a thorough examination and laboratory investigation must be warranted to give you a better answer to your question.

Are you a diabetic? Is the symptom on one side or is it on both sides? Do you have any back pain. Have ever been diagnosed with the Herpes virus. Sometimes, a space occupying lesion can cause paresthesia when it encroaches on the brain or spinal cord so a CT scan and/or MRI would be crucial in the diagnosis.

And finally, nerve compression syndromes, for example, Meralgia Paresthetica is a common cause of unilateral anterolateral thigh paresthesia due to the entrapment of the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous nerve. So this is the reason why the history and exam is crucial in answering this question in better detail.

Pain in the ankle upon any weight bearing activity must raise the suspicion of some type of inflammatory process of any one of the tendons of the ankle mortise joint. Depending on the specific location of the pain, a more accurate diagnosis could be entertained. An important question to ask would be, have you ever sprained your ankle before? And if so, how many times? The reason being is because instability of the ankle joint is a very common cause of chronic ankle pain. This is primarily due to ligamentous laxity causing the articulations to subluxate leading to structural alterations of the ankle joint thus causing pain upon weight bearing.

Also, a radiographic examination of the foot is also important to rule out an arthritic condition which is a common cause of ankle pain.

This would be dependent on the absolute cause of the shoulder imbalance. Are you right or left side dominant? When you are working out, do you consciously try to work both sides equally? Is the range of motion limited or restricted on either side? Is there any pain involved with or without movement?

A shoulder radiograph would provide some information as to determine if there is a structural cause of the imbalance. Correction can only be made when the root cause is detected. If it is a muscular issue, then exercises (stretching and strengthening) would be the best answer. If the cause is due to a bony defect, then a surgical option must be ascertained.

For myself, being a "dual-doctorate" physician (M.D. and D.C.), I'm am not biased in answering this question. The reason being is because it depends on who you ask. If you ask a medical doctor, he will say absolutely, a surgical consult is warranted. If you ask a chiropractor, he will answer absolutely not.

So with my background and training, I can answer this question without any preconceived notions and/or biases.

How would I personally approach this case? Well for one, I would ask your father how long has he been experiencing this back and hip pain. With his pain, what has it limited him from doing? Is he bedridden? Is he able to perform his normal activities of daily living without any issues or problems. Has he attempted to explore any alternative form of therapies such as chiropractic, physiotherapy or acupuncture? Would he like to entertain the possibility of giving one of these form of alternative form of therapy a try?

If he is all in with chiropractic, then, I would perform a thorough history, a complete physical examination and an x-ray of the Lumbosacral region to determine the extent of structural damage and also ascertain if he need a more detailed examination such as an MRI of the same region.

Depending on those results, I would prepare a "Review of Findings" with the patient. A typical R.O.F consist of 4 important aspects:
1) What is the nature of the condition and extent the extent of the damage.
2) What are your father's options? Both with traditional and alternative treatment. What are the pro's and con's of each?
3) The length of the treatment plan? Including the realistic timeline goals.
4) The cost of therapy from the initial consult to the final examination.

Then, I would leave it up to the patient to make an informed, educated decision as to what would be best for him,

This is the typical presentation for a condition is called, "Slipping Rib Syndrome". It commonly affect females in their 80's. It's actually a rare condition, however, when it occurs, it typically presents with intermittent, sharp, stabbing type of pain in the upper abdomen and at times at the upper back region. The patient will feel an actual click or pop. And usually, the patient will state that any increase in intra-abdominal pressure will cause the rib/s to subluxate.

The treatment of this condition for an older age female would be to adjust the rib that has been subluxated. For the pain, I would recommend a mild Non-steroidal anti inflammatory, such as Ibuprofen However, due to it's chronic effect on the liver, it must be taken cautiously. Then, for stability, I would recommend wearing some type of corset or brassiere to prevent further subluxations of the rib.