I've never had a true case of piriformis syndrome in my office. For those of you who have been previously diagnosed with this condition, this is going to be controversial. Now, I can't say with absolute certainty that I've never had a case because I've treated a lot of patients over the years. Perhaps I am forgetting one. But, this condition is rare and overdiagnosed and I can't think of a single one in recent memory. How can this be?…
This topic was chosen by popular request from you, our patients! There's so much information available these days that it's hard to narrow down the essentials. So, when trying to create a daily stretching routine, how do you know which exercises to include? Take it from an expert of the musculoskeletal system, me, Dr. Wasserman! Allow me to show you 5 exercises to make a part of your easy daily stretching routine. 1. Levator Stretch Let's face it, a majority…
Have you ever felt a sudden onset of pain in the butt, hamstring or down the calf? Maybe it even felt like burning or tingling? Your back may hurt too, and getting up from sitting feels brutal. Your first instinct to to try to stretch your legs, and it actually feels worse! Unfortunately, you may be experiencing sciatica. Sciatica is one of the most common conditions we treat in our clinic, so don't worry, we're here to help! What is…
Has another chiropractor ever told you your rib is out? Or you threw your back out? Or your legs are uneven? Because every week our patients come in with these supposed diagnoses. These are painfully inaccurate descriptions that come from trying to turn a complex topic into a simple explanation. A big part of a doctor's job is to translating complex medical concepts into easily understood language. There is a a certain balance that we need to achieve when explaining…
"So Doc, I was at work yesterday and my buddy told me he got an inversion table. He's been using it every night and says his back is feeling great! What's the deal? Are these things safe to use?" Lots more patients are asking about inversion tables and if I think it can help them. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry. We're going to dive into what exactly inversion tables are, what they are used…
About 80% of Americans suffer debilitating low back pain at some point in their life. This fact is staggering, yet it doesn’t have to be this common. The key to staying out of this group of low back pain sufferers comes down to one word: Prevention. If I had to choose one common problem amongst all low back pain sufferers, it would be bad low back position during common activities such as brushing your teeth, bending over, picking up a…
The popularity of using a standing desk has many people asking, "how long should I stand for? Does everyone need a standing desk?" Recently a study came out from The British Journal of Sports Medicine with the title of “Associations of occupational standing with musculoskeletal symptoms: a systematic review with meta-analysis.” The full abstract can be found here: http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/3/176 The essence of the study’s findings are outlined in the objective and conclusion here: Objective: Given the high exposure to occupational…
I often get asked about if there is an ideal sleep position, and if so, what does that look like? We spend an average of a third of our lives laying in our beds, shouldn't we make sure that we aren't injuring ourselves while doing so? So, today we're going to discuss best sleeping postures and best practices for each position. I know that some people can never sleep in certain positions because they are uncomfortable, or they simply cannot…
In the midst of a viral outbreak sweeping the globe, we have been relegated to staying at home in order to contain the spread. All this extra time at home has lead to increased amount of time sitting down for long periods of time. This is a perfect example of when sciatica may make an appearance. What is sciatica? Sciatica is a symptom that can occur as a result of a few different conditions. Yes, that's right; sciatica is a…
