Patient Questions

Bradley Shepherd is an Expert Contributor on FindaTopDoc. Here are some of their recent answers to patient questions.

Chiropractor | Nutrition
Bradley M. Shepherd, DC

Vertigo and neck pain can be related. It is important to seek help from a qualified healthcare provider who can identify the underlying cause of both vertigo and neck pain. There may be other serious causes of those symptoms, too that need to be ruled out. A good physical examination and perhaps imaging would be helpful in identifying the underlying cause of your symptoms.

Your symptoms may be related to the 2019 injury, but there may be some other neurological issues going on as well. You need to get this checked out by competent health care professionals, including but not limited to a chiropractor, neurologist, and/or physical therapist.

There could be many causes of upper back pain. These causes could include musculoskeletal problems, spine joint problems, muscle problems and things like that. There could also be problems that involve your liver, gallbladder, pancreas, or stomach. Hormones and nutritional imbalances can cause these types of pains or amplify the pain that you are experiencing. Sometimes medications can cause musculoskeletal problems as well like muscle aches or pains. Numbness and tingling are typically associated with nerves, so you may be pinching a nerve as well. It is important for you to get this checked out by a healthcare professional, and I would recommend

It is really important to determine the underlying cause of your pain before doing any sort of treatment. A competent health care provider will take a good history, perform a thorough examination and make appropriate recommendations. What could cause nerve pain? Muscle pinching on a nerve, a disc herniation in your spine, nutrient deficiency, or other systemic problems. Determining the cause will help guide the treatment. Seek out health from a qualified healthcare professional, like a chiropractor or better yet, a functional diagnostic medicine practitioner.

If something doesn't feel right, something probably isn't right. It could be a lot of different things. It could be a hip or a foot problem, inflammation, or some other disease process. It's best to have it worked up by a healthcare professional that will take a great history, do a thorough examination including x-rays and lab work, and make the appropriate recommendations.

You should get that checked out by a healthcare provider that will take a full history, complete a thorough examination, and make the appropriate recommendations.

If you are having low back pain when you lie down, there is something wrong. There could be many causes of low back pain, including hormon imbalance, nutritional imbalance, muscle spasms, joint inflammation and others. If you are having low back pain, I would encourage you to find a chiropractor that uses diagnostic tools and a comprehensive physical examination to find the cause of the low back pain and make the appropriate recommendations for treatment.

I usually recommend strengthening your postural muscles. Often when we rely

First of all, let's define what scoliosis is. It is simply an abnormal curvature of the spine. The spine naturally curves front to back. Scoliosis is a curvature that goes from side to side. Depending on the severity of scoliosis, you may not feel anything. Severe scoliosis can result in tight muscles or joint pain. If you think you have scoliosis, let your health care professional, ideally, your chiropractor, know. A good examination should be done. Your chiropractor should be able to make recommendations based on their exam findings and x-rays.

The quick answer is it depends. If they can identify the underlying cause of scoliosis, perhaps it can be treated. A thorough exam must be completed. Many times these conditions can be treated, but they may not always resolve 100%. It's best to seek help from an experienced chiropractor if you think you have scoliosis that is causing you problems.

Soreness after a chiropractic adjustment is not uncommon--especially if it has been a long time since your last adjustment, or after your first adjustment. Your chiropractor would hopefully know your situation better than I do, so it would be best to ask your chiropractor. Most of the time, it is okay to exercise after an adjustment, and usually encouraged to strengthen the core muscles that stabilize your spine.

Massage therapy can help relieve the pain symptoms temporarily. In order to avoid pulled muscles in the future, participate in exercise that strengthens those and your core muscles.

Frozen shoulder typically goes through a cycle that lasts 9 months to a year. Once the problem resolves, ideally things go back to normal. Rehab may speed the process along. Also, rule out thyroid problems, as that is an independent risk factor for frozen shoulders. There is some evidence that diabetes may also be a risk factor, so keep that in mind.

Anything activity that increases your pain should be avoided. Be especially careful with lifting and twisting, especially simultaneously. I would avoid squats and deadlifts if you exercise with weights, rather use a hex bar. Please do exercises that strengthen your core muscles and spinal stabilizing muscles. A fitness instructor can help you with those.

That depends on the underlying problem of your shoulder pain. Is it the muscle, joint, nerves, gallbladder, liver? The reason for the pain should be investigated before any treatment is decided on. Please visit your health care provider for a good history and examination to find out what the problem is.

Anytime you have pain, it is an indication that something is wrong. There are a lot of reasons for pain in your calf, so you should get it checked by a health care practitioner.

If your back hurts more after a chiropractic treatment, please let your chiropractor know. You may need additional testing like x-rays or MRIs if they have not been done at this point. Other things you may consider could be are you tensing up during the treatment (this is sometimes sub-coconscious), or are you getting enough B vitamins, calcium, Vitamin D, and essential fatty acids in your diet?

Frozen shoulder is also known as adhesive capsulitis. It is more common in women and may be associated with thyroid disease or diabetes. It results in pain and decreased range of motion. Shoulder impingement, on the other hand, happens when the biceps tendon is pinched by the shoulder joint. Some people have an anatomic difference that makes them more prone to impingement. These explanations are simplified, but I hope that helps. If you think you have one of these conditions, please see a health care professional for a full exam and workup so that the problem can be addressed appropriately.

If you are getting headaches after a chiropractic treatment, please let the chiropractor know. There could me many reasons for this, but I would not think it's normal. Your chiropractor should do more investigation to the cause of these headaches. Do you have an x-ray or MRI of your neck? Do you have muscle spasms? Are you dehydrated? What type of an adjustment was performed? These are all questions (among many more) that I would be asking.

Frozen shoulder can be very painful to treat. It's important to identify the underlying cause of frozen shoulder, and the treatments may vary depending on if it is primary frozen shoulder or secondary frozen shoulder.