David Perna, D.C.

Headaches are one of the most common complaints for which patients seek chiropractic care. Chiropractic is especially helpful in the treatment of headaches because the three nerves that exit the top of the spine (upper neck) are often the cause of or directly related to headaches. These three nerves travel into the head and have [..]

"Doctor, is it normal for people after a whiplash injury to notice problems with memory? I can’t seem to remember things I just recently did since my car accident..." Whiplash is an injury that classically occurs as a result of a car crash at any speed, even at a low speed! This is because at [..]

In 1961, Henry Miller published an article in the British Medical Journal titled (1):Accident NeurosisIn this article, Dr. Miller stated that whiplash-injured patients are:“… likely to improve with cessation of litigation”The concept that chronic symptoms following whiplash injury exist as a consequence of an attempt to gain monetarily is often encountered. Insurance adjusters and defense medical experts [..]

Chiropractic care for patients with low back pain (LBP) not only includes spinal manipulation or adjustments but also patient education in regards to heat/ice, performing daily activities, and exercise. Heat vs. Ice: This topic is controversial, as often patients will be told by their friends and family to use the opposite of what a doctor [..]

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS is a very common problem affecting many workers and is one of the most costly conditions afflicting today’s workforce. It is most often caused by repetitive activity involving rapid movements of the arms and hands and can lead to work loss and disability when not properly managed. CTS occurs when [..]

"I am exhausted and hurt all over. I can’t get to sleep at night and when I do, I wake up at the drop of a dime. I went to my doctor and they ran some blood tests and took some x-rays and said that nothing was wrong. I just don’t know what is wrong [..]

"I woke up this morning with an excruciating headache. I thought the top of my head was going to blow off!" "I notice as the day goes on, tightness in my neck worsens and I get a headache usually by 2-3pm." "I don’t know if I can do my work with my headaches." Statements like [..]

Whiplash is a very common problem afflicting millions of people every year. In fact, there are more than 6 million car accidents each year in the United States alone. Death associated with car accidents occurs every 12 minutes and each year, motor vehicle collisions (MVC) kill 40,000 people. For people between 2 and 34 years [..]

Vertigo is defined as:“a condition in which somebody feels a sensation of whirling or tilting that causes a loss of balance.”To describe the sensation of vertigo, patients often use words such as dizziness, giddiness, unsteadiness, or lightheadedness.The neurological vertigo center is called the vestibular nucleus. The vestibular nucleus is located in the brainstem. It occupies a [..]

Every season brings unique activities that require us to perform some physical activity we may not want to do but have no choice. In the winter, shoveling snow comes to mind (at least in some parts of the country) while spring, summer, and fall may include yard clean up, mowing, and raking. All of these [..]

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) may be the most expensive of all work-related injuries, costing the average CTS patient about $30,000 in medical bills and lost productivity over his or her lifetime. CTS is primarily found in adults, is 3x more frequently found in woman, and usually affects the dominant hand first. The pain can be quite [..]

So you think you may suffer from Fibromyalgia (FM) and you’re trying to find out more information about this condition… but where do you start? Certainly you can "Google" the word "fibromyalgia" and spend the rest of the day, week, or maybe month reading about the symptoms, clinical signs, the many treatment options, and the [..]