David Perna, D.C.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a condition associated with pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the wrist and parts of the hand, which is caused by compression of the median nerve as it passes through the wrist. Due to this common condition having such a dramatic effect on one’s ability to carry out work and [..]

There are several musculoskeletal disorders associated with the disks of the cervical spine that can cause pain and affect function. Let’s discuss the various types of these pain-generating disk derangements, including one that had been ignored until recently. The intervertebral disk is a fibroelastic cartilaginous shock absorber that sits between two vertebral bodies, which are [..]

Functional loss is a term used to describe the inability to carry out necessary activities of daily living such as bathing, getting dressed, getting out of bed, standing up, walking, using the bathroom, and eating. According to experts, spinal pain is a leading cause of functional loss, especially among older adults, often due to age-associated [..]

Chiropractic care is a highly effective form of treatment for many cervical or neck-related conditions. But how do chiropractors determine what’s causing the pain and what approach to take to manage the patient’s condition? Let’s take a look at what chiropractors do when a patient presents with neck pain. HISTORY: In the detective part of [..]

In his 1985 book, The Dental Physician (1), dentist Alfred Fonder, DDS, presents a series of case studies showing the integrated posture between the feet, legs, pelvis, lumbar spine, thoracic spine, cervical spine and temporomandibular joint. His message is simple: a mechanical problem in any one part of the human body will affect and cause [..]

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral neuropathy, and it is estimated to affect up to 4.9% of the population. Because the condition is characterized by symptoms like pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in parts of one or both hands, it’s easy to understand why CTS can have such a negative impact on [..]

The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints of the body, which allows us to engage in overhead movements that make life easier. However, this comes at a cost. In order for the shoulder to have such a wide range of motion (ROM), it has less stability than most other joints. In fact, shoulder [..]

Whiplash associated disorders (WAD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) share symptoms such as neck pain, headache, dizziness, concentration deficits (mental fog), noise/light sensitivity, and fatigue. Given these common symptoms and the proximity of the head and neck, these conditions may be related. However, the current state of the literature and educational process continues to separate [..]

When an individual decides to seek out chiropractic care, it’s typically for musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints such as low back and neck pain, headaches, and/or shoulder/hip/wrist/knee problems. However, there is a growing body of evidence that some services offered by doctors of chiropractic can provide some benefit to patients with ailments that do not fall into [..]

Chiropractic care is a great conservative treatment option for the low back pain patient. While many patients visit a chiropractor to avoid progressing to surgery, there are individuals with a history of back pain who did opt for surgery but continue to experience pain and disability. Can a doctor of chiropractic help the post-surgery low [..]

Historical Context Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, and businessman. He was born in 1833 and died in 1896. He held 355 patents in his lifetime, the most notorious of which was for dynamite. Dynamite used the explosive power of nitroglycerin. Nobel patented dynamite in 1867. Nobel amassed a fortune during his [..]

The term whiplash refers to a sudden forward (acceleration) and backward (deceleration) movement that results in hyperextension of the cervical spine. This process can injure the various soft tissues in proximity of the neck, which can lead to a wide collection of symptoms that fall under the umbrella term whiplash associated disorders (WAD). While this [..]