David Perna, D.C.

TerminologyDissection:A disruption or tearing of the inner layer of an artery.Embolus (singular) or emboli (plural):An arterial dissection may form a clot that is capable of lodging free and traveling down the source artery.Stroke:When a traveling embolus plugs and disrupts arterial blood flow, it is known as a stroke. Strokes result in a variety of neurological [..]

Around the world, low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability and ranks sixth in terms of “overall disease burden.” Chronic low back pain (cLBP) has a profound socioeconomic impact on individuals, families, and communities—so much so that the World Health Organization has identified LBP as a major disabling condition. Older people tend [..]

For most of us, neck pain has reared its ugly head more than once. In fact, there are estimates that anywhere from one-in-ten to one-in-five people will experience an episode of neck pain in a given year. Though some studies report that between 33% and 65% of these people will recover within twelve months, many [..]

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) represents a collection of signs and symptoms resulting from the compression or pinching of the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel at the wrist. In this overview, you will see why CTS can be a challenging ailment to diagnose and treat. SYMPTOMS: Numbness, tingling, and pain. Less commonly, [..]

Shoulder pain is common. If fact, it’s highly likely that many of you reading this currently have or have had a shoulder injury, as studies suggest that about 90% of us will tear our rotator cuff, labrum, and/or capsule at some point in time during our lives. So why is this so common? More importantly, [..]

Though most patients with a whiplash injury improve within a few months, about 25% have long-term pain and disability that may persist for many months or years. Now, a team of scientists from Northwestern Medicine Feinberg school of Medicine reports that it may be possible to determine which whiplash patients will develop chronic pain, disability, [..]

Gluten is found in wheat, oats, barley, and rye, and for those with Celiac Disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), gluten can be very dangerous, even lethal. But many people opt to avoid foods containing gluten as part of an anti-inflammatory diet and there seems to be little-to-no argument that anti-inflammatory diets are indeed a [..]

Low back pain (LBP) affects about 80% of adults at some point in their life, and its impact on work, recreation, and overall quality of life can be devastating if it transitions into chronic LBP (low back pain that persists for more than three months). So, is there really a simple remedy for chronic LBP [..]

According to a World Health Report, migraines are the nineteenth most common patient complaint worldwide with an 18% of women and 6% of men in the United States experiencing at least one migraine headache episode each year. There is evidence that patients with migraines have an energy deficit disorder associated with their glucose intake. As [..]

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common condition that affects around 6-12% of the population and can result in significant pain and disability. The financial costs associated with CTS can be staggering – ranging from $45,000 to $89,000 per patient over a six-year period when productivity loses are taken into account. Historically, doctors and researchers [..]

The term “jumper’s knee” was first coined in 1973 to describe an injury to the tendon that attaches the lower (most common) to the prominence (tibial tuberosity) on the proximal shin bone (tibia) or the upper pole of the knee cap or “patella” to the quadriceps femoris muscle. Jumper’s knee is one of the more [..]

When viewing the human spinal column from directly in front or directly behind, it should be straight and without lateral (sideways) deviation. The health and function of the human spinal column is optimum when there is no lateral (sideways) deviation into the coronal plane. This concept is well-noted by Joel Goldthwait, MD, and well-reviewed by [..]