A basic history and exam allow us to determine WHAT tissue was injured, and possibly WHY that tissue was predisposed to injury. But we will be only able to determine HOW an injury occurred by carefully listening to our patients. Complete resolution of symptoms requires an understanding of the HOW, WHAT, and WHY.

Approximately 34-43% of the population suffers from neck pain in any given year. (1) This complaint comprises almost half of the office visits seen in primary practice. There is little question that manual therapy and cervical spine manipulation alleviate neck pain symptoms. However, there is also a growing body of literature that suggests thoracic spine manipulation may have a positive additive effect. How would an evidence-based chiropractor predict if thoracic spine manipulation will help a patient suffering from neck symptoms? Here’s one test that applies what we already know about coupled spinal motion.

Problems involving the hip are some of the most frequently misdiagnosed conditions. When a patient presents with hip pain, evidence-based chiropractors immediately consider the most probable culprits –like greater throchanteric pain syndrome and osteoarthritis. But what if the diagnosis is not so straightforward? A new paper by Lee identifies the 4 top undiagnosed causes of hip pain.

ChiroUp reviewed over 1,000 new chiropractic abstracts from February 2019. Check out the top 18 summaries that will impact your management from head-to-toe.

Predicting responders vs. non-responders for any given treatment can be difficult; and estimating recovery is even more burdensome.  While there is no foolproof way of answering either question, there is a concept to help you make more informed treatment decisions for LBP.  Many clinicians grade patient improvement by decreases in pain scores and mechanical sensitivity.  However, some clinicians use Centralization of symptoms as more effective a metric of success.

While chiropractors have enjoyed a recent surge of research supporting spinal manipulation over pharmaceutical options, not all medical physicians have heard that news - in no small part because big pharma’s collective marketing voice is far louder than ours. This blog will go in-depth on a January 2019 JAMA study that details pharmaceutical spending trends.

The pathogenesis of tendinopathy is well-defined.  Regardless of location, the progression of tendinitis to tendinopathy (and eventually tearing) is fairly uniform in all tendons.  Tendinopathies require a multimodal approach - heavy in rehabilitation and patient education. This blog will discuss why treatment timing and preventing re-injury are so crucial in this patient population.

The research is in! Check out our collection of 15 chiropractic studies from January 2019 that will optimize the way you practice each day- 5 treatments that work, 5 that don’t, and 5 studies that are simply intriguing.

Active shoulder movement requires well-timed coordination between shoulder and scapular muscles. Purposeful and injury-free movement is also dependent on adequate passive structural constraints including the bony architecture, tendons, and ligaments. This blog will explain the importance of inferior glide and provide a safe and effective treatment to restore normal joint function.

The chiropractic management, treatment, and exercises for Fibromyalgia are all found within ChiroUp’s software platform. Check it out.

After countless conversations, many meetings with large chiropractic clinic systems, and learning from hundreds of ChiroUp members; there is one differentiator that successful chiropractors possess—those who “classify” and those who don’t. There are outliers in any patient population, but the remainder of patients generally fall into a diagnosis “bucket.” Classification of customized care pathways allows for greater organization, patient compliance, and let’s be honest--your sanity.

Spinal manipulation is a safe and effective tool for pregnancy-related low back pain (P-LBP). Multiple studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of manipulation for this population. Evidence-based recommendations for OB/Gyn’s include referral for chiropractic spinal manipulation. This blog will discuss the prevalence, predisposing factors, and treatment of pregnancy low back pain.

Plantar fasciosis (PF) is a prevalent diagnosis, and if treated effectively, can help build your reputation. There is a better option than treating a non-inflammatory condition with anti-inflammatories and disuse. Check out the following blog that describes ONE essential exercise that needs to be in the plantar fascia toolbox of every evidence-based chiropractor.

In chiropractic colleges, there are very few unchallenged theories. One exception is that most schools teach the well-established model of spinal degeneration as described by Kirkaldy-Willis. This model of repetitive motion explains how small sprains lead to disc pathology and eventually spondylosis. A new paper by Wang et al. provides an alternate explanation for the onset of spondylosis. This model explains why some patients experience significant degeneration without an active lifestyle.

Shoulder pain is one of the most common presentations in a chiropractic office. This malady is responsible for nearly 5 million physician visits each year. Contrary to public opinion, there is no rotator cuff fairy that randomly taps a patient on the shoulder with lasting gifts of dysfunction and pain. Check out this blog to review this one critical contributor to your patients’ shoulder pain.

Many chiropractors fit every patient with orthotics. The reason to great lengths that orthotics improve global proprioception and muscle activation. Therefore, all patients with diagnoses ranging from headaches to hip impingement can benefit from custom orthotics.

Quadrilateral Space Syndrome (QSS), aka Quadrangular Space Syndrome, an under-recognized condition that can test our diagnostic ability. QSS is frequently misdiagnosed as cervical radiculopathy or shoulder impingement. Check out the following video and blog for the current best practice evaluation, treatment, and management of QSS.

Rotator cuff injuries account for 4.5 million physician office visits per year. Management of this problem can range from frustrating to rewarding depending on the depth of the provider's training.  Check out the following video to learn the four essential components of successful rotator cuff management for evidence-based chiropractors.

To simplify your job of managing groin strains, the ChiroUp advisory board has scoured the evidence-based literature and collaborated to create another “best practice” chiropractic protocol. Here are our top ten clinical pearls for Adductor Strains, including a video demonstration of a useful orthopedic test to help localize the site of groin injury.