Knee Surgery for Torn Meniscus – Best to Leave it Alone?

Knee Surgery for Torn Meniscus – Best to Leave it Alone?

When you have a knee injury, you need the help of a knee pain doctor, Mesa AZ residents rely on. There are a few things that have managed to make it into “everyday thinking” despite the fact that it is more dogma than reality. Knee injuries are one of these things.

If you injure your knee and tear something, whether one of the supporting ligaments or one of the two meniscus (or is it menisci??), you’re going to have to have surgery, as a knee pain doctor in Mesa, Arizona can explain.

I, as a Mesa, AZ knee pain doctor, was personally one of these back in 1987 when I tore the medial meniscus of my right knee and had a portion of it removed surgically. If only I had known then what I know now…

The problem with evaluating whether or not surgery for a particular condition works is that we just don’t do placebo surgeries—it’s an ethical problem. Kind of like a placebo-controlled trial on whether parachutes are safer while skydiving. We just don’t do placebo surgeries. Or at least we didn’t until 2002 when the Houston VA medical center decided to do a placebo-controlled surgical trial of patients with knee pain who went under the knife for “debridement,” or a clean-out to get rid of damaged tissue hanging around in the knee joint.

Turns out there was no difference between those who had the full surgery and those who had the placebo surgery, as a knee pain doctor in Mesa, AZ can explain. Truly ground shaking outcomes considering that this type of procedure is done some 800,000 times per year in the US alone.

But I really don’t think that many surgeons truly changed based on the evidence of this study over a decade ago. From an insurance standpoint, it was pretty easy for the surgeon to just say he was going in to fix a meniscal tear. And this sounded like a good idea because the back part of the medial meniscus (posterior horn) is commonly torn and it does not have a very good blood supply so healing just isn’t going to happen without surgical intervention to go in and remove the torn meniscus.

There are a couple of problems with this thinking.

The first problem is a biggie and has to do with how we determine whether or not there is any damage to the knee using MRI, knee pain doctor in Mesa, AZ knows. Many people mistakenly believe that MRI is an exact science and that, if something is “found” on MRI, it’s the thing that is causing the problem.

Study and after has concluded that there is very little correlation to what is found on MRI and a patient’s symptoms. That’s not to say that that torn medial meniscus on your MRI is not causing you pain, it’s just that we can’t know for sure. And I can tell you, from treating hundreds of knees over the years, that a huge chunk of knee pain comes from the soft tissues surrounding the knees (muscles, ligaments, fascia) and not from what is going on inside the knee.

Fix these tissues and the knee pain goes away, regardless of whether or not the meniscus is affected by the treatment. But very few knee pain patients manage to find their way into physician’s offices that are truly competent with addressing these tissues. Part of this may be because they aren’t aware that these types of treatments even exist—It’s the surgeon’s office to MRI to physical therapy and back to the surgeon to schedule the procedure. Kind of circular.

The second problem has to do with this particular study. In it, researchers looked to answer the question about whether surgery to repair a degenerative meniscus tear (as opposed to one that happens from trauma) actually does squat. Specifically, they were interested in whether self-reported locking or catching would be improved by partial meniscectomy (since it is increasingly well-established that doing the surgery for pain alone is not beneficial).

Seventy patients underwent the real surgery to remove a portion of the medial meniscus and 76 had a sham surgery done. Here’s what they found:

• Thirty-two patients (46%) in the true surgery group reported catching or locking before surgery; after surgery that number was 49%.
• Of the fake surgery group, 37 (49%) reported catching or locking before surgery; after “surgery” the number was 43%.

In other words, some $50,000 later, risk of injection and time off and pain for rehab, there was pretty much no difference between the groups.

Studies like these and the other ones mentioned in this article are blowing open the doors of the dogma that surrounds knees injuries, findings on MRIs, and the value of arthroscopic surgery. This is not to say that there is not value to the surgical options, but you better damn well be sure you see someone who truly understands how to assess and treat the soft tissues surrounding the knee before you go under the knife.

A Knee Pain Doctor in Mesa, AZ Discusses ACL Injuries

Sports injuries can happen quickly and unexpectedly. Depending upon the severity of the injury, an athlete or weekend warrior may be out for a few games, the season, and sometimes, a career.

What is an ACL injury?

ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries are common among athletes who engage in high demand sports like football, soccer, and basketball. Cruciate ligaments are located inside the knee joint. They control the back and forth motions of the knee. They cross one another to form an “X” with the ACL in front and the PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) in back.

The ACL prevents the shin bone (tibia) from sliding out in front of the thigh bone (femur). It also provides the knee with rotational stability.

Injured ligaments are typically considered “sprains” and are classified on a grading system that takes into account the severity of the injury. They include:

• Grade 1 Sprain. The ligament is only mildly damaged. It may have been slightly stretched, but still functions capably to stabilize the knee joint.

• Grade 2 Sprain. This injury is often referred to as a partial ligament tear. In this injury, the ligament is stretched to the point where it becomes loose. Partial tears of the ACL are uncommon; most ACL injuries are near complete or complete tears.

• Grade 3 Sprain. This type of sprain is typically referred to as a complete ligament tear. The injury has split the ligament into two pieces, and the knee joint has become unstable.

A Knee Pain Doctor Mesa, Arizona Patients Relies On Discusses Treatment of ACL Injuries

Treatments for ACL injuries can vary depending upon a patient’s individual needs.

Nonsurgical Treatment

Nonsurgical treatment can be an effective alternative for patients who have a very low activity level or are elderly. A Mesa, AZ knee pain doctor may recommend less complicated, nonsurgical options, including:

Bracing. A knee brace can help to protect the knee from instability. Crutches may be needed to prevent full weight placed on the knee.

Physical Therapy. As the inflammation and swelling subside, a rehabilitation program can begin. Specifically targeted exercises can strengthen the muscles that support the knee and restore function to it.

Additionally, aquatic therapy, medication, ultrasounds, and injections may provide some healing and relief.

Surgical Treatment

Ligament Reconstruction. For the most part, ACL tears can’t be stitched (sutured) back together. The ligament must be surgically reconstructed. A knee doctor will replace the torn ligament with a soft tissue graft. Grafts are frequently taken from other leg tendons or cadaver grafts.This graft acts as a scaffold-like structure for a new ligament to grow upon. The regrowth of the ACL takes time, likely six months or more after surgery, before a patient can return to sports. While surgery is always an option, consult with your knee pain doctor in Mesa, AZ first about other options.

Procedure. Surgery to reconstruct an ACL is typically done with an arthroscope. Arthroscopic surgery uses small incisions and is less invasive than a full surgical procedure. Arthroscopic surgery can offer reduced postoperative pain, a shorter hospital stay, and a speedier recovery.

In summary, an ACL injury can be one of the most unwanted and unfortunate injuries. That’s why it’s critical to get sports injuries checked out by a knee doctor as soon as possible after they happen. Contact a knee doctor in your local area to schedule an appointment and evaluation.

For more information, contact a knee pain doctor in Mesa, AZ at LifeCare Chiropractic today.

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“Mistie was fantastic! I felt like a new person after I walked out of there”
Eric M

Had a Rotator Cuff MRI? 4 Things to Know Before Surgery

There are times when I, as a rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, Arizona, wish MRI and CT scans were never invented.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to explain to patients that what was found on the MRI that his or her PCP ordered has absolutely nothing to do with the pain currently experienced.

Low back, knees and shoulder seem to be the worst, as any Mesa, AZ rotator cuff doctor can attest.  I certainly have ranted in the past about the massive overuse of technology and medical imaging in medicine today.  As strange as it may be, the pathway is very clear: Having a MRI makes that person more likely to undergo epidurals and surgery.  Having an epidural leads to surgery as well. So, unless you’re willing to go under the knife, don’t even consider an MRI. The ONLY time to order advanced imaging is when your provider thinks that there is a high likelihood that the information obtain will make an important change in your treatment plan.

Imaging is not used just to confirm what a physician has already determined.  It’s really not that hard to determine if someone has a disc problem or if someone with advanced arthritis is dealing with spinal stenosis.  If signs point to a disc problem, why on Earth would you waste the time and resources to order an MRI at that point? Just treat the condition as if it’s a disc (which, in our office, would involve flexion / distraction technique).

Now, if you don’t respond within expected timeframes (30 days is a safe bet) or if your condition worsens while getting treatment, then imaging becomes more important to see if some underlying factor is affecting your response to treatment.  Our rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ is pretty conservative when it comes to ordering advanced imaging. I’d say that I personally order an MRI less than a handful of times per year. However, it seems like at least this same number of times each month we’re requesting the results of an MRI or CT scan that was ordered by another provider and probably shouldn’t have been.

This is when I have to battle against the perception that a MRI or CT scan is exact and answers all questions.  Far too often, a MRI comes back with some type of disc bulge, and yet the patient has absolutely no signs that a disc is involved in his or her condition, as a rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ can explain.  Only rarely does an MRI ordered by another provider come back with valuable information that changes the treatment we’re doing in the office.

All this would be fine if MRIs and CTs didn’t come with significant problems beyond the cost.  CT scans, despite still being handed out like candy (had a patient in yesterday whose son was given a head CT recently in the ER when an MRI would have been a better choice to look at the brain) have a tremendous amount of radiation exposure associated with them and have been linked to some 14,500 cancer deaths per YEAR.  MRIs, as mentioned, begin the dangerous pathway towards more invasive treatment measures and surgery.

All of this brings us back to this particular study.  Researchers looked at a group of postmenopausal women with NO shoulder pain and compared them with premenopausal women with no shoulder pain to see what there rotator cuffs looked like in an MRI.  Here’s what they found:

1. 8.9% had full-thickness tears (mainly localized in the supraspinatus tendon of the dominant side) in the postmenopausal group.
2. Non-painful, full thickness tears in the premenopausal group was 3.1%.
3. Women with tears were more likely to have higher BMI, higher fasting glucose and lower HDL cholesterol.
4. Overall, higher BMI and lower levels of HDL cholesterol increased the risk of having a tear.

Wow!  Quite a few take home messages.  First, we need to see that a decent size chunk of females, both pre and postmenopausal, have complete thickness rotator cuff tears that are painless.  I can’t tell you how important that little factoid is.  Just because you see a tear on a MRI does NOT mean that this is the problem.

Second, lifestyle choices (as evidenced by cholesterol and BMI relationships) played a large role in the tendon damage.  This isn’t really hard to envision since tissue healing and inflammation are going to be effected by the choices we make.

So, just because you have shoulder pain does NOT mean that you need to have an MRI (and X-rays are just short of worthless for shoulders anyway…) unless you have failed a course of conservative care, which, in my clearly biased opinion, would involve a Mesa, AZ rotator cuff doctor or chiropractor who does advanced soft tissue techniques…

What Should You Expect at Your First Appointment with Rotator Cuff Doctor in Mesa, AZ

Visiting a new healthcare provider can be a little intimidating. It’s said that knowledge is power. When you know what to expect at your first appointment with a rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ  you can relax and make sure you provide the right information.Your Mesa, AZ rotator cuff doctor wants to alleviate your symptoms as quickly as possible, but they cannot do that without a clinical exam.

When you make your appointment, your rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ may discuss his or her general approach, philosophy and your symptoms. This does not take the place of the exam during the first appointment. Once you’re in the office, your appointment should consist of these components.

1. History and symptoms
   Be prepared to discuss how your pain started. You’ll want to describe your pain, is it sharp or dull. Does it come and go or is it constant? Where is your pain? Does anything make the pain better? What types of things make it worse? Your doctor may also want to know about other medical conditions and prior injuries. You may need to provide information on your family’s medical history. You should also bring a list of current medications and your healthcare providers. 
2. The clinical exam
   Your Mesa , AZ rotator cuff doctor may perform some of the same tests your primary doctor does, such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration and reflexes. In addition, your doctor will want to assess the range of motion on your affected body part – in this case the shoulder area.  He or she may check muscle tone and strength. You may be required to move around to demonstrate movement of your shoulder or another area. .

3. Diagnostic tests
   Your doctor may request x-rays or other imaging tests to help provide information about your body. If you have imaging from an MRI or x-rays taken previously, it can be helpful to send that information to your chiropractor before your appointment.

Diagnosis and Treatment

At the end of your appointment, your LifeCare Chiropractic rotator cuff doctor will explain your diagnosis and discuss whether chiropractic treatment, regenerative medicine, or another type of care will help your condition. Before treatment begins, you should receive information on an individualized treatment plan and how long it will last.

As part of your treatment plan, you should get information on which treatment modalities will help and why. Your doctor may also give you strengthening exercise or education to improve your symptoms at home. He or she may also suggest other treatment options, such as massage or heat and cold application.

To learn more about how a rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ may be able to help you, call LifeCare Chiropractic.

Client Review

“Had a great experience. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I am looking forward to seeing great results on my treatment. I’d highly recommend LifeCare chiropractic.”
Francisco C

Will I Need Surgery for My Carpal Tunnel?

There are some conditions that we have been conditioned to believe need surgery, as a wrist pain doctor in Mesa, Arizona can attest.  Knee meniscus injuries, disc herniations, rotator cuff tears. Carpal tunnel is on the list as well

As a Mesa, AZ wrist pain doctor, I recently had a new patient come into my office on a Monday.  He’s 66 and had been scheduled for shoulder replacement surgery 4 days later on Thursday, with the other shoulder to follow a few months later.  Not an easy surgery nor an easy recovery.

However, he started to develop numbness over both of his hands, with the numbness covering all 5 fingers.  He mentioned to his orthopedic surgeon that he did not think he could manage the rehab from the shoulder with his hands being this numb.  So this man has an NCV test done (a nerve conduction velocity test that can tell how well the nerves in your arms or legs are firing) that came back with a diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome.

I’m pretty sure that every NCV test report I, as a wrist pain doctor in Mesa, AZ, have ever read comes back with carpal tunnel.  Even the ones done on the legs… I think it is just a factor of how much we use overuse our hands in daily life on the computer, texting, and writing.

So, with the NCV in hand, the surgeon cancels the shoulder surgery and slides a carpal tunnel surgery in place instead.  So, now this patient is facing 4 surgeries in the next 6 months or so.

For those of you shaking your head in disbelief, let me reaffirm your wonder.  No conservative care. No rehab. No splinting. No injections. Nothing. Just straight to the knife.

For those who are not well versed in anatomy let me, as a Mesa, AZ wrist pain doctor, give you a little tidbit on what fingers the median nerve (the nerve affected by carpal tunnel) feeds.  Basically, it’s the thumb and next digit (technically, it’s the lateral 2.5 digits, but most patients can’t notice the ½ so they just note numbness over the thumb and adjacent 2 fingers). It does NOT feed the palm—the superficial palmar branch of the median nerve branches off just before the carpal tunnel.

Now that you’ve brushed up on your anatomy, we can go back to my patient.  Remember when I said his entire hands were involved? That is absolutely, positively not consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome and is usually more related to the shoulder (subscap trigger point referral or anterior scalene or pec minor impingements).  That’s not to say this gentleman did not have carpal tunnel, but the picture was far more complex.

I explained all of this to the patient as well as giving my opinion that surgery was completely inappropriate without at least a trial of some type of conservative care.  We treated him that first day and left the decisions up to him.

Needless to say, he canceled his surgery, we saw him again on Wednesday and on Friday, before he was treated, he was shocked that the numbness in his hands was completely gone and was asking what we might be able to do for his shoulders.  There’s a chance I’m going to have one pissed off orthopedic surgeon on my hands.

This doesn’t mean that he was cured after 2 visits, but it certainly means we’re on the right track.  But all of this leads back to this particular article, looking at how much injections for carpal tunnel work or don’t work.

Three groups (37 patients each) of patients received 80 mg of methylprednisolone, 40 mg of methylprednisolone, or placebo injections for carpal tunnel.  All of these patients had been given a splint to help treat his or her carpal tunnel and it was unsuccessful. Here’s the results:

1. At 10 weeks, those who got the injections did better (36% @ 80 and 12% @ 40).
2. One year later, there were no differences between the groups.
3. The 1-year rates of surgery were 73%, 81%, and 92% in the 80, 40 and placebo groups.

Basically, 75% of carpal tunnel syndrome patients in this study had surgery.  That pretty much means that injections for carpal tunnel suck at actually fixing the problem.

Lest the carpal tunnel sufferers out there begin to despair, let me throw in a few comments.

First, there is much evidence that both NSAIDs and steroids actually interfere with healing.  It may very well be that the injections themselves will prevent long term healing.

Second, the carpal tunnel is a tight tunnel, made of bone on one side and the steel-like flexor retinaculum on the other side, as a wrist pain doctor in Mesa, AZ can explain.  Through this tunnels, 9 tendons and one tiny little soft nerve run. When the tendons swell, the median nerve is smashed like a toddler stuck in an elevator with the entire defensive line of the Vikings.  So we put blinders on and try to control the swelling with drugs or injections, and when that fails we just go in there and make some snips, so the swelling can continue without creating a problem.

But what caused the swelling in the first place?  While it seems like the obvious question, it’s almost never asked.  In my experience, fascial / muscular problems in the forearm (both the front and back side) create a situation where the tendons are put under increased strain and begin to swell, creating the symptoms known as carpal tunnel.

ANY treatment of carpal tunnel has to address this aspect of the problem.  If not, treatment is doomed to fail from the start. And this does NOT involve exercise; rather, it involves competent soft tissue work to the forearm and shoulder if needed.

In this study, all the patients received was splinting, which does nothing to fix the problem but just allows the swelling to go away for a short period of time.  It was doomed to fail from the start. For more information, contact a wrist pain doctor in Mesa, AZ, today.

What Your First Chiropractic Visit May Entail

Doing something for the first time is often unnerving. You don’t know what to expect, you’ve possibly heard stories about other people’s experiences, and you’re worried it won’t go as planned. The good news is going to the chiropractor is nothing to worry about. The following are some things your first visit might entail.

Patient History

More than likely, you’ll be handed some paperwork upon entering the office and checking in with the receptionist. This paperwork will ask for specific information about your medical history, as well as information regarding the reason for your visit. You may be asked when the pain began, what it feels like, where it’s located, if a sport injury was involved, if there’s anything that makes it feel worse and other similar questions.

You may also be asked questions about pre-existing medical conditions, previous surgeries, previous injuries and the types of treatments you underwent for those issues. Although you’ll probably put this all on paper, the chiropractor may discuss your history with you as well.

General Examination

In addition to discussing your medical history, the chiropractor may test your pulse, blood pressure, reflexes, and respiration. You may undergo neurological and orthopedic tests that help the chiropractor get a better understanding of your muscle strength and tone, range of motion, and neurological integrity. During this time, the chiropractor may ask you to move in certain ways so he or she can observe your posture and motion.

Diagnostics

Not every patient will need diagnostic testing, but based on the patient history and general exam, some patients will. Diagnostic studies help a chiropractor determine structural abnormalities and pathologies, as well as aiding in diagnosis. Some common tests that may be included are MRIs and X-rays. If more extensive imaging is required, a patient could be asked to receive it somewhere else before proceeding.

Adjustments

In many cases, a chiropractor will begin adjustments during the first appointment. After understanding everything there is to know about a patient, the chiropractor can determine where the vertebra needs to be adjusted, and in which direction. It’s possible that there will be multiple vertebrae out of place, requiring multiple visits, and your chiropractor can discuss a treatment schedule with you at that time.

Getting Started

Chiropractic care is a great way to deal with a variety of issues, including wrist pain. Whether you’ve got chronic headaches, are feeling extreme nausea during pregnancy, or just feel out of sorts, contact a chiropractor to learn more about how treatment can help you. To see how we can help with something like wrist pain, contact a wrist pain doctor in Mesa, AZ from Lifecare Chiropractic. 

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“Great, professional service here. I went for the laser lipo. Can’t say I’ve seen results but have only had 4 treatments so far. Love the whole body vibration plate though!”
Angela G.

Arthritis Doctor Mesa AZ

The preconceptions surrounding chiropractic care are legendary. For those who have seen a Mesa chiropractor or Mesa, Arizona arthritis doctor, the advantages are usually clear.

For those who have never been to a chiropractor or arthritis doctor in Mesa, however, there are a long list of fears and incorrect ideas.  Unfortunately, many physicians outside of chiropractic share the same fears and misconceptions.  If these erroneous thoughts were non-existent, I personally think the musculoskeletal health of this country (and globally) would be in a much better state.

One of these misconceptions deals with chiropractic care being useful only for acute, non-specific low back pain.  Neck pain, disc injuries, arthritis of the spine, knee pain, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel—none of these are on the list of generally acceptable conditions that chiropractic can treat.  However, these conditions and more are seen quite commonly in our office.

There is research on the effectiveness of chiropractic care with a Mesa, AZ arthritis doctor for some of these conditions, but it is usually limited to manipulation only, yet many musculoskeletal conditions have a pretty significant soft tissue component to can’t be addressed with joint manipulation.

So anytime I see a study that shows a positive effect with manipulation alone, I can feel confident that, which the addition of competent soft tissue work, the outcomes in real life (outside of a research study) are going to be pretty darn good.

All of this leads me to this particular study.  In it, researchers looked at 40 men who had been diagnosed with degenerative lumbar disease at L5-S1.  These men were divided into an adjustment group, who only received a single adjustment (L5-S1 “pull move”) or into a control group with no treatment.  They were then evaluated for various outcomes, including:

• Participants’ height using a stadiometer (that height bar thingee on your doctor’s scale)
• Perceived low back pain (measured using a a10 point VAS scale)
• Neural mechanosensitivity (how much tension was in the nerves using a passive straight-leg raise
• The amount of spinal mobility in flexion (measured using the finger-to-floor distance test)

If you understand chiropractic care with a skilled Mesa, AZ arthritis doctor, you will not be surprised to find that all of these measurements were improved in the chiropractic treatment group over the placebo group.

It would be easy for detractors to say that this was a single treatment that really doesn’t mean anything long-term.  The easy response to this would be to ask what medical treatment for degenerative disc disease is anything other them temporary?  And how many of these have a very small list of only minor side effects?

The answer is, of course, none of them.  Even if chiropractic care provided no long-term benefit in this situation, if you suffer from chronic low back pain, even a single days’ relief is valuable.  And none of this looks into whether or not a course of chiropractic care from a Mesa, AZ arthritis doctor can have more long-lasting effects, but I can tell you from personal experience that the results can be very strong.

So if this fits you and you have not been to a arthritis doctor in Mesa, AZ what are you waiting for?

What can I expect during my first visit to an arthritis doctor?

If you are planning to visit an arthritis doctor in Mesa, AZ from LifeCare Chiropractic, you can feel peace of mind in knowing that you are on the right path towards feeling better. According to research, the sooner you are treated for arthritis, the more likely you will feel less pain and able to stay active longer.

What is an Arthritis Doctor?

An arthritis doctor is also known as a rheumatologist and is a type of internalist or pediatrician. They have focused their career on arthritis, which is an umbrella term for a medical condition that affects the joints, muscles, and bones. Conditions treated by a Mesa, AZ arthritis doctor may include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Gout
• Chronic joint pain
• Chronic back pain
• Lupus
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Tendinitis

During your first visit with an arthritis doctor Mesa, AZ has to offer, you can expect a thorough conversation about your symptoms and medical history followed by an examination. The appointment can take one hour or more, depending on your needs.

Questions that May be Asked By Your Arthritis Doctor in Mesa, AZ

Your arthritis doctor in Mesa, AZ may begin your appointment by asking you what brings you to see him or her. You will then have the opportunity to explain how your arthritis is affecting your daily life.

• What symptoms are you experiencing?
• How often are you having these symptoms?
• Is there anything you do that helps you to feel better or worse?
• Are there any specific activities that cause you pain?
• Where and how bad is your pain?
• Can you describe your pain?
• When you feel the pain, do you get sick, tired, angry, etc.?
• Are your symptoms hindering your ability to enjoy life?
• Do you have any other symptoms like dry mouth, headaches, fevers, etc.?

Even if you feel like these questions are not relevant, there is a reason for your Mesa arthritis doctor to be asking them. Do your best to answer them; afterwhich, you may want to proceed with your own questions.

The Exam

Your physical exam may include:

• A head to toe check
• Looking for signs of inflammation
• Checking of the pulse
• Listening to the heart and lungs
• Application of pressure to the joints

You may also be asked to extend, flex, bend, and stretch your joints. The doctor may compare your joints on each side of the body. This is an important part of the exam and will help the doctor to see how you move.

Tests that May Be Ordered By the Doctor

Depending on your exam, your arthritis doctor in Mesa, AZ may order various tests including:

• Blood tests
• Urine tests
• Joint fluid tests
• MRIs
• Ultrasounds
• X-rays

Once the above is completed, your arthritis doctor should have enough information to decide on the next best steps to take. These may include medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy, holistic therapy, and chiropractic care.

Why do your joints pop when you get adjustments for arthritis treatment in Mesa, Arizona? Some people love the sound, while others find it a bit worrying. Regardless, the cracking or popping sound you hear when you receive an arthritis treatment is nothing to be concerned about.

Joint Cavitation Is the Technical Term

The sound you hear during an arthritis treatment at our Mesa, AZ clinic is called joint cavitation. That’s just a technical way of saying a bubble is created in the joint fluid as it’s moved, and then it rapidly collapses.

This is associated with the joints involved in the adjustment moving, of course, but the loudness or quality of the sound doesn’t matter. It’s affected by a number of factors, none of which have much to do with the effectiveness of the arthritis treatment.

The adjustment itself is the manipulation of the joints to increase range of motion, circulation, and other factors. The joint space tends to open up as a result of the manipulation, which promotes all of these things, along with lessening muscle tension, which is often the source of spinal and joint pain. Opening up that joint space is what can cause the cavitation. It can also promote healing and restore function to the spine or the joints in question.

The Popping Is Not Like the Sounds During Joint Injury

One potential reason for concern is that people may associate the gentle cracking or popping sound with sounds they’ve heard when a joint was injured. This may be a sound they’ve heard on the football field, or in a movie. By the way, keep in mind that movie sound effects are not always realistic. The loud crack heard when a ligament or tendon is injured is not at all like the light popping sound heard during an arthritis treatment. Mesa, AZ chiropractors are trained to use very little force during an adjustment and to keep the joint within a safe range of motion.

Previously Injured Joints May Pop or Squeak

Arthritic, previously injured, or artificial joints also sometimes make popping or squeaking noises. These noises can be due to scar tissue, wear, or other factors. Again, these sounds are different and are being caused by different mechanisms. A chiropractor can help with joints like these by providing manipulations and suggestions for exercises to strengthen the muscles around the joint. Be sure to tell your chiropractor about any previous injuries or if you have artificial joints.

That popping sound is heavily associated with arthritis treatment Mesa, AZ patients recommend, but it’s not something to worry about nor does it mean the care wasn’t effective if you don’t hear it. The important thing is to keep your spine and joints healthy with routine chiropractic care. To learn more, call Lifecare Chiropractic to schedule an appointment with a back pain doctor Mesa AZ our clinic offers.

To learn more about arthritis and how an arthritis doctor in Mesa, AZ can help you, please call LifeCare Chiropractic.

Client Review

“Had a great experience. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I am looking forward to seeing great results on my treatment. I’d highly recommend LifeCare chiropractic.”
Francisco C

Graston Technique Mesa AZ

Are you experiencing aches and pains in your body? Perhaps you have been in an accident and feel that your spine is out of alignment? You might even have heard about the benefits of chiropractic care and would like a “tune up” to ensure your body is functioning optimally. Whatever the reason you may be interested in scheduling an appointment with a doctor who can offer you the Graston technique in Mesa AZ. You have made the right decision by seeking help from LifeCare Chiropractic.

A Mesa AZ doctor has used the Graston technique to treat a number of elbow issues experienced by patients. Golfer’s elbow.  Tennis elbow. Little Leaguer’s elbow. Medial epicondylitis. Lateral epicondylitis. The condition goes by many names, but they all suck.

Regardless of what you call it, all names relate to some type of elbow pain that LifeCare Chiropractic frequently sees in the office.  There are a few exceptions, however, most of our patients respond very well to the type of treatment approach we use. Our main approach offered by our Mesa AZ practitioners is the Graston technique. The Graston technique administers treatments for soft tissue pain and injuries with the assistance of an instrument.

Typical medical treatment may often consist of anti-inflammatories, exercises/physical therapy and possibly steroid injections.  A doctor skilled in the Graston technique in Mesa AZ, has seen firsthand how ineffective steroid injections for elbow pain are in the long run.

The mainstream approach for treatment of elbow pain has focused on the actual site where pain is experienced.  Often steroid injections are administered to the affected area of the elbow where the patient may be experiencing pain. Additionally, a provider may pursue a different route by recommending and prescribing oral anti-inflammatories that will affect the entire body, not just the problem area. Often, this does not even begin to address the problem because the issue is not actually inflammation-driven. Overall, skilled doctors who provide the Graston technique in Mesa AZ take a different approach than that of traditional medicine.

Although rehab approaches may focus on curbing inflammation using ultrasound or electrical modalities. However, often the cause of the condition requires addressing soft tissue problems in the way that doctors experienced in the Graston technique in Mesa AZ may be able to.

This particular article addresses just how important the soft tissue (muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia) are in lateral epicondylalgia (aka tennis elbow).  In it, researchers reviewed several available clinical studies that have demonstrated the presence of myofascial trigger points (MTrPts) in patients with elbow pain.

For anyone to even suggest that the soft tissues would NOT play a role in this type of elbow pain must not treat elbows in the way that a doctor from Mesa AZ experienced in the Graston Technique may be able to.  Often, the problem starts in the soft tissues surrounding the elbow long before elbow pain develops. The pain in the elbow is just the stress point where you feel the imbalance that is present in the soft tissues.  These tissues HAVE to be addressed if you want your elbow pain to resolve. Massage, instrument-assisted soft tissue techniques (like Graston technique in Mesa, AZ for elbow pain), Fascial Manipulation or Active Release Technique (ART) need to be part of your treatment plan.  Any treatment from your doctor that doesn’t include these types of treatments should be avoided.

In addition to in-office treatments, there are elbow bands that can take the stress off of the area that hurts (you can find high quality braces on Amazon) as well as the Tyler twist using a Therabar (again–you can buy a Therabar on Amazon).  Combining these approaches should help to resolve some of the toughest cases of elbow pain.

We Go Beyond Pain Relief for Our Patients

As doctors practicing the Graston technique in Mesa AZ, we, at LifeCare Chiropractic, believe that chiropractic treatment is more than pain relief. Rather, this form of research-backed care assists in keeping the spine and nervous system healthy. When these elements are healthy, the mind and body feels at it’s best.

Chiropractic treatment is considered to be an alternative medicine that focuses on the alignment of the spine and body as a whole. You might not know it, but a majority of adult men and women are actually misaligned. This does not have to be a result of an old injury or accident, but rather is a part of aging and complemented by poor posture, too much sitting, frequent standing, lack of exercise, and poor diets. What this means is that most people will benefit from seeing a doctor in Mesa AZ who practices the Graston technique through chiropractics.

At LifeCare Chiropractic, our doctors practicing the Graston technique in Mesa AZ are committed to listening to your concerns and exploring the methods in which chiropractic treatment might best suit you. With this information in mind, we will proceed to create you a custom plan that encourages a long term solution and a lasting recovery.

For an immediate appointment with a chiropractor, please call LifeCare Chiropractic today.

Premium Care at LifeCare Chiropractic

At our clinic, patients come to us for a broad number of reasons. They are of all ages, every background and profession, and of any gender. Our doctors practicing the Graston technique in Mesa AZ have successfully performed chiropractic care on adults, elderly, and adolescents. The treatment is non-invasive, may not require the use of pain medications, is safe, and effective. If you are suffering from any of the following conditions, consider talking with a chiropractor for treatment:

• Low back pain
• Mid-upper back pain

• Neck pain

• Shoulder pain

• Stiffness

• Joint pain

• Chronic headaches

• Allergies

• Ear infections

• Sciatica

• Plantar fasciitis

• Vertigo

• Fibromyalgia

• Back pain due to pregnancy

• Osteoarthritis

• Whiplash

• Depression

• Anxiety

What You Can Expect from Your First Visit

Your first visit with a Mesa AZ Graston technique doctor will include an in depth conversation that discusses your medical history, background, symptoms, concerns, and goals. A physical exam will follow, and may include:

• A postural assessment
• Testing of your muscles

• Orthopedic testing

• Neurological testing

• Digital scans

• X-rays

• MRIs

Bear in mind some tests, such as X rays, are only needed when absolutely necessary. As a Graston technique doctor practicing chiropractics, we try to minimize the use of digital and radiographic testing. If you require these tests, we will arrange them to be done as quickly as possible. Once complete, your practitioner at LifeCare Chiropractic can make a diagnosis and establish an individual plan of treatment. Your treatment may include chiropractic adjustments, spinal traction, electric stimulation, cold or heat compression, soft tissue work, massage and the Graston technique, all offered in our Mesa AZ office. The number of sessions you require can vary, however, our doctors will work closely with you to determine the length of time treatments from LifeCare makes sense. To schedule an appointment with a doctor to obtain chiropractic treatment, please call LifeCare Chiropractic today.

For more information on the Graston technique in Mesa AZ contact a doctor from LifeCare Chiropractic today.

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