BACK OF THE HEAD
Occipital muscle dysfunction
How does it feel?
- Dully achy pain at the back of the scalp
- Pain can be present on one side or on both sides
- Sensitivity to lights and sound
- Scalp maybe tender
Can we help?
Yes
Sub occipital muscle dysfunction
How does it feel?
- Heachaches which starts at the back of the head and move toward the side of the head with a band like pattern
- Stiffness in the base of the skull and upper neck
Can we help?
Yes
Joint restriction (upper neck)
How does it feel?
- Stiffness in the upper neck
- Reduced ability to turn the neck to the right or left
- Headaches (cervicogenic headache)
Can we help?
Yes
NECK (CERVICAL SPINE)
Joint restriction (lower neck)
How does it feel?
- Stiffness in the middle and lower neck
- Reduced ability to extend the neck back or to bend the neck side to side
Can we help?
Yes
Facet Syndrome
How does it feel?
- Pain and felt in the lower neck
- There Is increased pain if you try extending your neck back or turning it towards the side of pain
- Joint will feel sore and swollen
Can we help?
Yes
Cervical disc herniation
How does it feel?
- Dull or sharp pain in the neck
- Pain will radiate down the arm into the hands or fingers
- Numbness and tingling down the arm to the hands or fingers
- Coughing and sneezing may cause a sharp pain in the neck
Can we help?
Yes. However, depending on the severity of the disc herniation, it may need to be co-managed with the family physician
Arthritis
How does it feel?
- Decrease in neck range of motion, specifically rotation
- Waking up with neck stiffness
- Stiffness usually reduces after a warm shower or heat
- Pain and swelling after the neck is in one positon to long
Can we help?
Yes. However nutritional intervention is very important and needs to be co-managed with the family physician
NECK MUSCLES
Cervical muscle dysfunction
How does it feel?
- Pain on flexing the neck forward, or bending away from the side that hurts
- Stiffness in the lower neck
- Stiffness may refer into the upper shoulders
- If there is nerve compression, pain may refer into to the arm or hands
Can we help?
Yes
UPPER BACK (THORACIC SPINE)
Joint restriction
How does it feel?
- Upper back will feel stuck when trying to extend back
- Stiffness in the upper back
Can we help?
Yes
Rib dysfunction
How does it feel?
- Pain is often felt right on the outer portion of the spine
- Pain when breathing, either in the front close to the chest, on the sides, or right next to the back
- Sharp pain which makes it feel like something is stuck in your back
Can we help?
Yes. However, if there is a rib fracture it will need to be co-managed with the family physician
Scheurmann’s disease
How does it feel?
- Individuals will have a very rigid upper back and have a hard time consciously correcting their posture
- Upper back stiffness
- Scheurmanns can also cause middle and lower back pain
Can we help?
Yes. However, since Scheurmanns is a congenital issue we can help will with pain management
Humpback posture
How does it feel?
- Individuals will have a very stiff upper back, unlike sheurmanns disease, they can consciously correct this
- Pain is worse when standing with poor posture, or sitting with poor posture for long periods
- Upper back will feel achy and stuck
Can we help?
Yes
UPPER BACK MUSCLES
Trapezius muscle dysfunction
How does it feel?
- Dull ache or sharp pain in the shoulders that may refer down into the shoulder blades and neck
- Pain is worse after sitting with poor posture for long periods
- Feels like there is a constant weight on your shoulders
- Headaches may develop from tight trapezius muscles
Can we help?
Yes
Rhomboids muscle dysfunction
How does it feel?
- Pain in between the shoulder blades
- Palpable muscle knots can be felt in the upper back and underneath the shoulder blades
- Tenderness in the upper back
- Pain is worse after sitting with poor posture for long periods
Can we help?
Yes
LOWER BACK (LUMBAR SPINE)
Joint restriction
How does it feel?
- Stiffness in the joints
- Pain when trying to extend the lower back, or when twisting side to side
- Joints of the lower back will feel stuck
Can we help?
Yes
Lumbar Facet syndrome
How does it feel?
- Pain and felt in the lower back
- There Is increased pain if you try extending your low back or turning it towards the side of pain
- Joint will feel sore and swollen
Can we help?
Yes
Lumbar disc herniation
How does it feel?
- Dull or sharp pain in the low back
- Pain will refer down the legs into the feet or toes
- Numbness and tingling down the leg to the feet or toes
- Coughing and sneezing or baring down may cause a sharp pain in the low back
Can we help?
Yes. However, depending on the severity of the disc herniation, it may need to be co-managed with the family physician
Arthritis
How does it feel?
- Decrease in lower back range of motion, specifically in rotation or extending the low back
- Waking up with lowback stiffness
- Stiffness usually reduces after a warm shower or heat
- Pain and swelling after the low is in one positon to long
Can we help?
Yes. However nutritional intervention is very important and needs to be co-managed with the family physician
LOWER BACK MUSCLES
Multifidi muscle dysfunction
How does it feel?
- Sharp pains with flexing the low back forward, twisting and bending to the side
- An audible pop is usually heard at the time of injury
- Low back pain with coughing sneezing and possibly deep breathing
Can we help?
Yes
Low back stabilizing muscle dysfunction
How does it feel?
- Dull ache or sharp pain around the low back and upper buttocks
- Flexing forward gives you pain, extending your low back gives you relief
- Low back muscles may go into spasm
Can we help?
Yes
Quadratus Lumborum
How does it feel?
- Pain around the upper part of the hip
- The muscle may go into spasm and cause hip hiking
- Painful to lay on affected side
- Pain with forward flexion and bending away from affected side
Can we help?
Yes
SI JOINTS
Joint restriction
How does it feel?
- Stiffness in the joints
- Pain when trying to extend the lower back, or when twisting side to side
- Dimples in the low back will feel stuck
- Standing for long periods increases the pain
Can we help?
Yes
Sacroiliac ligament dysfunction
How does it feel?
- Standing for long periods increases the pain
- Pain will also increase with sitting and bending forward
- Pain will take a very long time to heal
- Pain is felt deep within joint
Can we help?
Yes
Anterior pelvic tilt
How does it feel?
- Tightness in the front of the hips
- Tightness in the lower back
- You may feel like you stick you butt out too much when standing
Can we help?
Yes
Posterior pelvic tilt
How does it feel?
- Tightness in the hamstrings
- Tightness in the midback and low back
- Rounding of the midback
Can we help?
Yes
ELBOW
Bursitis
How does it feel?
- swelling at the back of the elbow is typical
- pain in the region will begin as the swelling gets worse
- compressing the region will cause an increase in pain
- skin around the region may feel “hot to the touch”
Can we help?
Yes! However, if infection is suspected, this condition must be co-managed with your family physician.
Lateral epicondylitis (Tennis elbow)
How does it feel?
- pain typically begins as ache and then gets worse over time
- typically no specific injury can be blamed
- pain and/or burning on the outer part of the elbow
- pain may feel worse when opening when turning a doorknob
- may have weakened grip strength
Can we help?
Yes!
HIPS
Bursitis
How does it feel?
- pain over the ball of hip joint, especially when compressed or when you lie down on it
- pain may refer down the side of the thigh and around the hip joint
- typically, the pain is worse at night and when sleeping or when getting up from a chair
- pain may also get worse when walking or squatting
Can we help?
Yes!
Impingement (FAI)
How does it feel?
- pain and stiffness in the hip and groin area
- sharp pain in the groin and hip area when squatting or other exercise involving flexing your hip
- inability to bring your knee up towards your chest without pain
- may feel the need to limp on the affected side
Can we help?
Yes! However, this condition may need to be co-managed with your family physician.
Joint restriction
How does it feel?
- stiffness in the joint during active and passive movement
- feeling as if there is a “block” in your hip joint with certain movements
- may have associated pain in your low back it
Can we help?
Yes!
IT band dysfunction
How does it feel?
- pain on the outside of the knee on affected side
- typically the pain begins when walking or running and gets progressively worse
- running downhill will aggravate the pain the most
- pressing on the side of the knee will cause significant pain
- your IT band will feel extremely tight, especially in the middle of the thigh
Can we help?
Yes!
Snapping hip syndrome
How does it feel?
- you will feel a snapping sensation in your hip when flexing and extending
- snapping typically felt/heard when walking, running, getting up from a chair etc.
- pain is not typically felt
- can progress to bursitis of the hip in which case pain will be felt along with snapping
- your IT band will feel extremely tight, especially in the middle of the thigh
Can we help?
Yes!
Labrum dysfunction
How does it feel?
- pain or deep ache in your hip and/or groin
- hip joint will feel stiff and “stuck” with movement
- your hip joint may feel like it “locks” in one position
- may experience weakness in the hip joint
Can we help?
Yes! However, depending on the severity of the injury, this condition may need to be co-managed with your family physician.
BUTTOCKS
Glutes Dysfunction
How does it feel?
- sudden and sharp pain in the buttock muscles
- may be able to continue activity depending on severity
- pain in the buttocks will be worse when going from inactivity to activity
- walking, running, humping, squatting etc. will cause pain in the injured area
- muscle stiffness is common
Can we help?
Yes! However, depending on the severity of the injury, this may need to be co-managed with your family physician.
Piriformis Syndrome
How does it feel?
- pain, ache and/or tenderness over region of piriformis muscle
- no pain or tenderness in the hamstring muscles
- pain may travel down the back of the leg (hamstring), sometimes into the calf
- often confused with sciatica
- turning the hip in causes pain and may reproduce symptoms down the back of the leg
- range of motion of same side hip is reduced (especially internal rotation)
Can we help?
Yes!
Hip Muscle Dysfunction
How does it feel?
- tightness around the hip joints
- may feel pain and/or stiffness in the buttock region as well
- may notice your feet/knees are naturally pointing outwards when standing or lying down on your back
- pain when pressing down in the region right above your hip joint
Can we help?
Yes!
UPPER LEG (BACK)
Hamstrings Dysfunction
How does it feel?
- sudden pain in the muscle felt during exercise or activity
- may feel a snapping or popping sensation
- pain and stiffness when walking or bending down with straight legs
- tenderness in the muscle
- may see bruising in the region
Can we help?
Yes! However, depending on the severity of the injury, this condition may need to be co-managed with your family physician.
LOWER LEG (BACK)
Calf muscle dysfunction
How does it feel?
- typically a sudden and sharp pain is felt at the time of injury
- swelling and bruising in the region may be visible
- calf muscle will feel extremely tight after injury
- may feel weakness in the muscle
- pain at a specific part of the muscle when trying to stretch post injury may be felt
Can we help?
Yes! However, depending on the severity of the injury, this condition may need to be co-managed with your family physician.
Achilles tendon dysfunction
How does it feel?
- pain and discomfort in the back of your heel
- calf muscles may feel tight and stiff
- swelling at the back of your heel is possible
- the skin at the back of your heel may be “hot to the touch”
- pain will become worse when trying to stand on toes or stretching your foot towards your body
Can we help?
Yes! However, depending on the severity of the injury, this condition may need to be co-managed with your family physician.
