David Perna, D.C.

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and noticed your hand sleeping to the point where you had to get out of bed and shake or flick your fingers to alleviate the numbness? If the numbness was primarily on the thumb-side half of your hand, it may have been carpal tunnel [..]

A concussion is "traumatic brain injury" (TBI) where the brain is "jarred" and literally bruises as a result of some sort of trauma. What causes a concussion? Causation is usually from some sort of trauma either by being hit by a moving object (like a ball), from hitting the head during a fall, and even [..]

The term "whiplash" was coined by Dr. Harold Crowe in 1928 during an interview on car collision-related neck injuries but he reportedly "…regretted it later." The term "whiplash" quickly became a household word and relates to a sudden movement of the head producing a neck sprain. It is now accepted that not only forward/backward movements [..]

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition that does not limit itself to just one area but rather, it manifests as a generalized, whole body condition where basically, everything hurts. The diagnosis is typically made by exclusion or by eliminating all other possible conditions as there is no single blood test for FM and unless other [..]

Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine that gives it either a "C" or an "S" shape when looking at the person from behind. I’m sure you’ve noticed when you’re at a beach, at a swimming pool, or walking in an airport, some people have a high shoulder, walk with a bit of a limp [..]

Last month, we discussed 10 facts about whiplash in attempt to dispel some of the myths about this topic. Due to the amount of information available, we couldn’t cover them all. So, here are 10 more interesting facts about whiplash: Much has been published on the association between ongoing whiplash symptoms and litigation. There is [..]

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a condition that results from pressure applied to the median nerve on the palm side of the wrist that causes numbness, tingling, weakness, and/or muscle damage affecting the thumb side of the hand and fingers, including the thumb, index, 3rd, and thumb side of the 4th finger. There is literally [..]

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a condition surrounded by much controversy in what establishes a diagnosis, what are the consistent historical features, and most importantly, what can be done about it – the treatment strategies. Doctors seem polarized, either they "believe in it" or they don’t. The result is a frustrated patient because after multiple attempts, they [..]

Many of us have had sinus-related headaches, right? You know, these are the headaches that hurt over the sinuses (above the eyes or in the cheek bones next to your nose) and when you blow your nose, it’s not pretty! Sinus infections often lead to sinus headaches – wouldn’t you say that’s a true statement? [..]

Patient education is a very important aspect of caring for patients. In fact, it can be one of the most important aspects of care. For example, when patients present with a brand new injury and pain levels are off the map, it’s quite common for that acute suffering patient to inappropriately think that, "I’m going [..]

When it comes to research regarding whiplash, many articles have been published that appear to conflict or contradict each other. The goal of this article is to report the "facts" about whiplash.It is more common to have a delay in the onset of whiplash symptoms. Symptoms may start about two hours after the initial injury [..]

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a condition associated with tight, sore muscles with generalized, whole body pain which can dramatically affect a person’s lifestyle. However, there are ways to fight back! Last month, we discussed the benefits of water exercises and this month, we’re going to illustrate some specific exercises that can be performed in water. Remember [..]