His message is simple: a mechanical problem in any one part of the human body will affect and cause mechanical problems in the entire kinetic chain of alignment and motion.<\/strong><\/p>\n In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered x-rays and radiographs. For this discovery, in 1901, he was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics. With the addition of spinal x-rays, the understanding of spinal and whole-body biomechanics drastically changed.<\/p>\n In 1916, Harvard Orthopedic Surgeon Robert W. Lovett, MD, published the third edition of his book Lateral Curvature of the Spine and Round Shoulders<\/u>. This text has many examples of spinal radiographs, showing a biomechanical relationship between leg length, pelvic leveling, spinal scoliosis, and back pain.<\/p>\n In 1927, American surgeon Dudley Joy Morton, MD, described a common foot problem that caused not only chronic foot pain and disability, but also affected the ankle, knee, pelvis and spine. Dr. Morton named the problem \u201cMorton\u2019s Toe.\u201d Morton\u2019s Toe is an anatomically short first metatarsal, giving the foot the appearance of an abnormally long second toe. The syndrome would cause abnormal stress at the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint, and the patient would compensate with altered foot and kinetic ambulatory function which could influence whole body mechanical functions, symptoms, and signs.<\/p>\n The work of Morton became instrumental in the treatment of senator John F. Kennedy\u2019s chronic low back pain by physician Janet Travell, MD, in 1955. Then Lieutenant Kennedy\u2019s notorious back problems were triggered during the legendary sinking of his boat PT-109 in the Pacific during WWII.<\/p>\n Kennedy never fully recovered from his back injuries. In 1954, Kennedy underwent a second attempted spinal fusion operation, and it did not go well. He nearly died, and his recovery took 8 months. The following year, Kennedy came under the care of myofascial pain expert Janet Travell, MD. After studying the work of Dr. Morton, Dr. Travell realized that all mechanical problems could cause compensatory contraction in the musculature system, leading to treatable findings called trigger points<\/u><\/em> and a diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome<\/u><\/em>.<\/p>\n Dr. Travell\u2019s treatment of Senator Kennedy in 1955 was a resounding success, and it was headline news. When Kennedy was elected president of the United States (taking office in 1961), he chose Dr. Travell to be his personal White House Physician. Dr. Travell was the first female and civilian physician to hold this prestigious office.<\/p>\n When Dr. Travell first began treating Senator Kennedy\u2019s mechanical problems and associated trigger points, he was non-ambulatory. His improvement was so impressive that Dr. Travell\u2019s daughter wrote:<\/p>\n \u201cSenator Kennedy received so much relief of pain from my mother\u2019s medical treatments that he had \u2018new hope for a life free from crutches if not from backache.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2003, James Bagg wrote [pertaining to Dr. Travell]:<\/p>\n \u201cJack Kennedy saw a great many physicians over the course of his short life, but one of them, according to his brother Bobby, enabled Jack to become President of the United States.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The use of x-ray has also contributed to the uniqueness of chiropractic treatment. In 1946, Lieutenant Colonel Weaver A. Rush and Captain Howard A. Steiner of the X-Ray Department of the Regional Station Hospital of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, exposed upright lumbosacral x-rays on 1,000 soldiers. All study subjects suffered from low back pain. These authors noted:<\/p>\n These authors noted that the short leg was associated with a tilt of the pelvis and a scoliosis. They noted:<\/p>\n \u201c[Whenever there is a pelvic tilt], there exists coincidentally a scoliosis of the lumbar spine.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cBecause this scoliosis, in all instances, compensates for the tilt of the pelvis, it is referred to by us as compensatory scoliosis.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe existence of this compensatory scoliosis in the presence of a tilted pelvis due to shortening of one or the other lower extremity is believed by us to have clinical significance.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt was a general consistent observation that the degree of scoliosis was proportionate to the degree of pelvic tilt. An individual who has a shortened leg will have to compensate completely if he intends to hold the upper portion of his body erect or in the midsagittal plane.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cA consistent observation which has been made is that in those cases with a shortened leg there is a corresponding tilt of the pelvis and a compensatory scoliosis of the lumbar spine.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Lieutenant Colonel Rush and Captain Steiner observed that leg length differences exceeding 5 mm were associated with the greatest low back pain or disability, and therefore 5 mm is labeled as being a \u201cmarked difference.\u201d The authors stated:<\/p>\n \u201cFor this reason, it is our opinion that the existence of such a condition [a short leg exceeding 5 mm] is significant from the standpoint of symptomatology and disability.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Travell measured Senator Kennedy\u2019s left short leg at about three quarters of an inch, or about 18 mm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 1980, physician, neurologist, and chiropractor Scott Haldeman wrote:<\/p>\n \u201cIf one leg is only a quarter of an inch shorter, the entire body can be tilted enough to cause pain throughout the skeletal system. So slight a difference can distort the entire skeleton, causing a \u2018seesaw\u2019 condition that pulls one shoulder down a full inch. This may never be recognized until the person is hurt in a fall or an accident.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Haldeman is from the Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, California. The shoulder tilt magnification compensation to a pelvic unleveling may result in symptoms including neck pain and headaches. Once again, it is noted that the different regions of the spine are mechanically interconnected.<\/p>\n Based on an in-depth interpretation of body mechanics and anatomy, the idea of how the body functions took on quite the significance. As the uniqueness of chiropractic treatment continued to grow, the idea that function was valuable to improving quality of life and treatment outcomes for pain related problems also grew.<\/p>\n In 1982, Richard Rothman, MD, PhD, and Frederick Simeone, MD, published the second edition of their book, The Spine<\/u>. Dr. Rothman was a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia (d. 2018). Dr. Simeone was a Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Chief of Neurosurgery at the Pennsylvania Hospital, and Director of Neurosurgery at the Elliott Neurological Center of Pennsylvania Hospital.<\/p>\n Chapter 2 of Drs. Rothman\u2019s and Simeone\u2019s book is titled:<\/p>\n This chapter is written by Wesley Parke, PhD. In 1982, Dr. Parke was a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine (d. 2005). In this chapter, Dr. Parke writes:<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough the 23 or 24 individual motor segments must be considered in relation to spinal column as a whole, no congenital or acquired disorder of a single major component of a unit can exist without affecting first the functions of the other components of the same unit and then the functions of other levels of the spine.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Parke is also noting that the entire spinal column is an integrated functioning unit.<\/p>\n In 1987, an important addition to the understanding of modern integrative biomechanics was published by Finish physician Ora Friberg, MD. Dr. Friberg exposed standing radiographs of the pelvis and lumbar spine in 288 consecutive patients with chronic low back pain and in 366 asymptomatic controls. His findings showed that 73% of the subjects assessed had meaningful inequality of a lower limb (>5 mm shortness). The incidence of leg length inequality in low back pain patients was significantly higher than in asymptomatic controls (more than twice as much).<\/p>\n Importantly, Dr. Friberg emphasized the existence of counter-rotational stresses on the L5-S1 intervertebral disc in the presence of pelvic unleveling. The lumbar intervertebral discs are intolerant of chronic rotational stress because the nature of the crisscross annulus orientation essentially reduces mechanical integrity by half. This concept would have a particular relevance to the chronic back problems and failed surgeries of former US President John Kennedy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Short Left Leg<\/strong>\u00a0 Long Right Leg<\/strong><\/p>\n The L5 spinous process will rotate to the right of midline, towards the side of the long leg (counterclockwise rotation).<\/p>\n The pubic symphysis and pelvis will also rotate to the right of midline, towards the side of the long leg (clockwise rotation).<\/p>\n This results in clinically meaningful counter-rotational stresses<\/u><\/em>, primarily at the L5-S1 intervertebral disc. The consequences of these counter-rotational stresses at the L5 disc are accelerated disc degeneration and degradation, back pain, and sciatica.<\/p>\n The concept of the entire spine functioning as a single integrated unit was nicely noted in the reference books written by rheumatologist John Bland, MD (d. 2008). Dr. Bland was a Professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. His books were titled:<\/p>\n In this book, Dr. Bland states:<\/p>\n \u201cWe tend to divide the examination of the spine into regions: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine clinical studies.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is a mistake.<\/strong><\/p>\n The three units are closely interrelated structurally and functionally \u2013 a whole person with a whole spine.<\/strong><\/p>\n The cervical spine may be symptomatic because of a thoracic or lumbar spine abnormality, and vice versa!<\/strong><\/p>\n Sometimes treating a lumbar spine will relieve a cervical spine syndrome, or proper management of the cervical spine will relieve low backache.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In 1989, podiatrist Steven Subotnick, DPM, published his book titled Sports Medicine of the Lower Extremity<\/u>. Dr. Subotnick was a Clinical Professor in the Departments of Biomechanics and Surgery at the California College of Podiatric Medicine, San Francisco, California. In his book, Dr. Subotnick notes that a pronation of the foot would result in a functionally short leg and a compensatory scoliosis. The scoliosis would affect the thoracic spine, the scapula, and result in a \u201ccompensation on the cervical area.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Subotnick is another provider noting the integrated function between the foot, leg, pelvis, and entire spinal column.<\/p>\n Recently, three reference texts have been published emphasizing the integrative nature of whole-body biomechanics:<\/p>\n As function and structure continued to take on more of a significant role in back pain and neck pain, there evolved another perspective in the uniqueness of chiropractic treatment. Building on the idea that the body is more than the sum of its parts, a more neurological and energetic basis for conditions in the body was becoming evident in the research and literature.<\/p>\n In his 2000 book Energy Medicine, The Scientific Basis<\/u>, James Oschman, PhD, notes that the entire body is mechanically interconnected via a connective tissue cytoskeletal matrix called the \u201ctensegrity matrix.\u201d He notes that mechanical providers of care, including chiropractors, solve health problems by attending to the quality of the tensegrity matrix.<\/p>\n Dr. Oschman notes that gravity is the most potent physical influence in any human life. He notes that tensegrity accounts for the fact that inflexibility or shortening in one tissue influences structure and movement in other tissues. He notes that the entire body is mechanically integrated and interconnected. An imbalance in one part of the body will affect the whole body. He states:<\/p>\n \u201cThe basic principle of gravitational biology is known to any child who plays with blocks. The center of gravity of each block must be vertically above the center of gravity of the one below, to have a stable, balanced arrangement. If the center of gravity of one block lies outside of the gravity line, stability is compromised.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In her 2017 book Move Your DNA<\/u>: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement<\/u>, biomechanist Katy Bowman agrees with Dr. Oschman, noting, \u201cgravity is one force your body responds to constantly.\u201d Ms. Bowman discusses the importance of understanding that humans experience loads 100% percent of the time while existing and functioning in a gravity environment.<\/p>\n Each tissue type responds differently to a load, yet \u201cthey are all connected, which means that a load you perceive as only happening in one part of your body is actually affecting all other parts of you, and affecting each part uniquely.\u201d Once again, this is an understanding and statement that the whole body is mechanically integrated and interconnected. Ms. Bowman notes:<\/p>\n \u201cTissues that spend most of their time in a fixed position will adapt to that position by making alterations that are fairly permanent.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAn under-moved area of the body will experience increases in the connective tissues.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n Ms. Bowman calls these \u201cextra- connected\u201d areas of the body \u201csticky spots.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOn the cellular level, a sticky spot interferes with the transmission of forces throughout your tissues\u2014mechanical signals that give cells context about loads placed upon them as well as position.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe need a tool to measure the loads, both on the whole body and on every body part. The tool I use is alignment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The \u201csticky spots\u201d discussed by Ms. Bowman are an orthopedic component of the joint dysfunction that chiropractors describe as the subluxation. Common terminology for \u201csticky spots\u201d within chiropractic education and clinical practice is \u201cthe fibrosis of repair.\u201d Chiropractors are well aware that mechanical care given to a \u201csticky spot\u201d will mechanically influence the entire system. Chiropractors are also aware that compensatory sticky spots also require mechanical care to enhance optimum and speedy resolution of clinical symptoms and signs.<\/p>\n In 2004, clinicians from Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain, published a randomized control trial of mechanical based care for the management of whiplash injury. The aim of this clinical trial was to compare the results obtained with a manipulative protocol from the results obtained with a conventional physiotherapy treatment in patients suffering from whiplash injury. The authors used 380 acute whiplash injury (less than 3 months duration) subjects. All subjects were Quebec Task Force grades II and III:<\/p>\n GRADE II = neck complaint and musculoskeletal signs<\/p>\n GRADE III = neck complaint, musculoskeletal signs, and neurologic signs<\/p>\n The authors note:<\/p>\n \u201cOur clinical experience with these patients [whiplash-injured] has demonstrated that manipulative treatment gives better results than conventional physiotherapy treatment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Manipulation is \u201ceffective in the management of whiplash injury.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cManipulative treatment is more effective in the management of whiplash injury than conventional physiotherapy treatment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n An interesting observation by these authors is that optimal management of the neck and head complaints required that manipulation also had to be applied to mechanical findings in the lumbar spine and pelvis. Once again, this concept supports the concept that the spine is a single functioning unit: a whole person with a whole spine.<\/p>\n In 2005, physician Steven Glassman, MD, and colleagues, published a study of 752 patients by looking at the effect of sagittal spinal balance on pain and health profiles. Using a plumb line, the authors assessed the magnitude of a forward head\/neck complex and how it affected low back pain and disability. The authors noted:<\/p>\n \u201cThere was clear evidence of increased pain and decreased function as the magnitude of positive sagittal balance increased.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Once again, it is clear that neck alignment has a significant influence on low back pain.<\/p>\n In 2015, a group of physicians from New York, Chicago, Virginia, Oregon, Texas, California, Colorado, and the International Spine Study Group, published a study documenting the influence of the neck on the low back. Similar to the Glassman study above, the authors measured sagittal spinal balance using a plumb line.<\/p>\n The authors note that when the head is sagittally forward of the sacrum, the patient will have an increase in low back pain and disability. They also note that any improvement in cervical spinal sagittal alignment will proportionally improve low back pain and disability.<\/p>\n Patients present to chiropractors with a variety of musculoskeletal complaints, primarily back and neck pain. The information presented here shows that the entire body is mechanically integrated. It is standard for a chiropractor to evaluate the entire body mechanically, regardless as to the actual location of the patient\u2019s primary complaint. Examining and treating the entire spine, including regions that may be asymptomatic, will as a rule enhance optimal clinical improvement. Such care will logically expand to include the feet, knees, and hips.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Our office is a member of ChiroTrust and has taken The ChiroTrust Pledge: A part of the uniqueness of chiropractic treatment comes from the idea that the body is very much an interconnected whole. Instead of simply being the sum of its parts like a care or a house, the body is much more than the sum of its parts. This article, reprinted from the blog site found […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3,51,4,19,232,225,233,234,235,10,77,55,227,267,11,72,80,13],"class_list":["post-10728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-back-pain","tag-back-pain-toronto","tag-back-pain-treatment","tag-back-treatment","tag-chiropractor-davisville","tag-chiropractor-in-toronto","tag-chiropractor-midtown","tag-chiropractor-midtown-toronto","tag-chiropractor-yonge-and-davisville","tag-low-back-pain","tag-low-back-pain-toronto","tag-low-back-pain-treatment","tag-midtown-chiropractor","tag-midtown-toronto-chiropractor","tag-neck-pain","tag-neck-pain-toronto","tag-neck-pain-treatment","tag-toronto-chiropractor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The entire body is mechanically integrated.<\/strong><\/h6>\n
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The major revelation of Dr. Travell was that a toe problem would cause a foot problem which would cause a leg problem which would cause a spine problem. The resolution of the spinal complaints would require first rectifying the toe problem. Dr. Travell realized that both a toe problem and an anatomical short leg could both, independently, cause a spine problem. Dr. Travell realized that Senator Kennedy\u2019s left leg was three-quarters of an inch shorter than that of his right leg.<\/h5>\n
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\u201cApplied Anatomy of the Spine\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n
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\u00a0Crisscross Annular Fibers of the Intervertebral Disc<\/strong><\/h6>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Intervertebral-Disc.png\")
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Disorders of the Cervical Spine<\/u><\/strong><\/h6>\n
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\u201cThere is only one stable, strain-free arrangement of the parts of the human body. Any variation from this orientation will require corresponding compensations in other parts of the support system. Misalignment of any part will affect the whole system.\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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When a joint has a sticky spot, \u201cyou compensate by moving other joints,\u201d which may \u201ccome with a heavy dose of damage.\u201d Areas just outside of the sticky spot \u201cexperience unnaturally high loads.\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n
![\"Low](\"https:\/\/torontoneckandbackpain.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/neonbrand-i_bXP0ftyyY-unsplash-200x300.jpg\")
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\u201cThe goal of joint manipulation is to restore maximal, pain-free movement of the musculoskeletal system.\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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Putting It All Together<\/u><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\n\u201cTo the best of my ability, I agree to provide my patients convenient, affordable, and mainstream Chiropractic care. I will not use unnecessary long-term treatment plans and\/or therapies.\u201d
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\nToronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic
\n1849 Yonge Street #412 Toronto ON M4S1Y2
\nwww.DKChiroBlog.com<\/a>
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\nOpen:
\nMon \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8-10, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 12-1, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3-6
\nTue \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8-10, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 12-1
\nWed \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3-6
\nThu \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8-10, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 12-1,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3-6
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\nWalk-Ins Welcome or To Make an Appointment,
\nCall 416-960-9355
\nOr visit www.torontoneckandbackpain.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"