Shoemaker Chiropractic

Fibromyalgia (FM) affects the entire body, which makes the diagnosis challenging! A VERY common issue with patients struggling with FM includes problems related to sleep. This goes beyond the number of hours one “tries to sleep” but rather the quality of sleep and feeling “restored” in the morning. That is, quality is more important than [..]

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is technically a “pinched nerve” in the wrist (carpal tunnel) that results in numbness, tingling, and later, weakness in the distribution of the median nerve (thumb, index, 3rd, and half of the 4th finger). In addition to the median nerve, there are 9 tendons and their sheaths, a network of blood [..]

Neck pain can arise from a number of different tissues in the neck. Quite often, pain is generated from the small joints in the back of the vertebra (called facets). Pain can also arise from disk-related conditions where the liquid-like center part of the disk works its way out through cracks and tears in the [..]

Low back pain (LBP) is a VERY COMMON PROBLEM! Here are some facts about LBP: 1) At ANY given time, 31 million Americans experience LBP; 2) LBP is the single leading cause of disability worldwide; 3) 50% of ALL working Americans admit to having LBP symptoms each year; 4) LBP is the #1 reason for [..]

We’ve previously established that chiropractic (and probably most forms of non-invasive treatment approaches) cannot “cure” cancer. However, we have found that some cancer treatment centers utilize chiropractic care as part of the treatment process. But what about cancer prevention? Is that possible?Up front, we need to acknowledge that there is no one cause of cancer. [..]

Evidence, Pathophysiology, ManagementAt this moment I am co-managing two patients with multiple sclerosis. Both patients have a history of significant cervical spine/head trauma that occurred within a year of initiation of their multiple sclerosis symptoms. The primary symptoms that brought them to my care is spinal stiffness and pain. Both are experiencing significant improvement with [..]

Neck pain is a very common problem. In fact, two-thirds of the population will have neck pain at some point in life. It can arise from stress, lack of sleep, prolonged postures (such as reading or driving), sports injuries. whiplash injuries, arthritis, referred pain from upper back problems, or even from sinusitis! Rarely, it can [..]

Whiplash is a slang term for a condition called cervical acceleration, deceleration syndrome (CAD). There are facts and myths surrounding the subject of whiplash. Let’s look at some of the facts... 1. The origin of CAD. The history of CAD dates back before automobiles were commonplace. The first case of severe neck pain arose from [..]

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a condition with a polarized audience comprised of those who believe it's real and those who don’t. This interesting political-like conflict is, in a large part, centered around the topic we discussed last month concerning the causes of FM. This month's article will focus specifically on the immune system and its relationship [..]

Obviously, the goal of all healthcare providers, including the chiropractic management of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), is to AVOID surgical intervention, but this is not always possible. Last month, we looked at herbal approaches to reduce inflammation with the focused goal of preventing surgical need. But, chiropractors also care for patients following a CTS surgery, [..]

Last month, we started a great discussion on “what NOT to do” when you have low back pain (LBP). Let’s continue that focus this month! 5. STAY STILL: You’ve heard, “…don’t do that – you’ll get a bad back!” There is something to be said about being careful, but one can be too cautious as [..]

The beneficial effects of chiropractic care on the whole body have been reported and previously discussed in prior articles. However, we have not looked at whether chiropractic care can benefit the cancer patient and if so, how?It has been estimated that by 2030, 12 million deaths will result from cancer with 30% having been preventable. [..]