Michael Dam, D.C.

In this month's edition, we're going to discuss some "intrigue" that has plagued low back treatments—both conservative and aggressive—for many years now. The intrigue being "WHERE" exactly does the pain generate from? What structure? What neurological mechanism? And with some detective work I think we've uncovered some significant findings. The modern era in the understanding [..]

Pain perception and psychology are linked. As with the chicken-and-the-egg scenario, a question arises: what comes first?Does an abnormal psychological profile cause chronic pain?OrDoes chronic pain cause an abnormal psychological profile?The relationship between the link of pain perception and psychology is particularly important in cases where compensation is involved. It is known that pain afferents fire to the limbic system, affecting [..]

Upright posture is a first class lever mechanical system, such as a teeter-totter or seesaw (1, 2). The fulcrum of a first class lever is the place where the force is the greatest: if excessively heavy objects are placed on both ends of the teeter-totter, it will break in the middle, at the fulcrum. In the [..]

Pain is a brain cortical event. Pain does not exist in a back or neck or foot. Pain is perceived by brain cortical neurons. Any intervention that reduces pain is altering the electrical signal depolarization of brain cortical pain perceiving neurons. As stated by Drs. Heidi Haavik-Taylor and Bernadette Murphy in 2007 (8):“Spinal manipulation is [..]

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Degenerative Function Physiological Strategies to Improve and Preserve Brain FunctionOverviewFree radicals are atoms or molecules that have an unpaired set of electrons in their outer shell. Electrons, like shoes, function best in pairs. Free radicals, with their unpaired electrons, are unstable and can damage adjacent cell membranes, proteins, fats, and DNA.The primary source [..]

A Mechanical Model Involving the Spinal Dura Mater and the Suboccipital MusclesFor more than half a century respected authors, clinicians, and journals have claimed that various problems of the cervical spine can cause headaches. As an example, in 1958, Beverly Hills neurosurgeon Emil Seletz, MD, authors an article titled Headache of Extracranial Origin, published in the [..]

The public press and indexed journals have claimed that chiropractic adjustments to the cervical spine can injure the vertebral artery. Students in Chiropractic College are also taught about the vertebral artery injury risk. Specifically, in college, chiropractic students are taught about:The anatomy of the cervical spine and of the vertebral artery.The manipulative maneuvers that theoretically [..]

Massage is the mechanical working of muscles and connective tissues to enhance function, and to improve upon the quality and timing of the healing process. Because massage also promotes relaxation and well-being, it also has pleasurable connotations.Myotherapy is often used synonymously for massage therapy. Myotherapy is the terminology used by many healthcare professionals because it [..]

The “Tissue – Tensegrity” Matrix And Chronic Low Back PainChiropractors primarily look at patient’s problems from a mechanical perspective. A classic chiropractic mechanical analogy is a pinched nerve (compressive neuropathology). Although chiropractors occasionally do treat compressive neuropathology, most chiropractors are aware that there are patients with compressive neuropathology that require a surgical decompression. Overall, compressive [..]

William H. Kirkaldy-Willis, MD, had an accomplished professional career.Dr. Kirkaldy-Willis was trained as an orthopedic surgeon. From 1965 to 1988 he was associated with the University Hospital in Saskatoon, Canada where he became Emeritus Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Head of the Department in 1967.He was President of the East African Association of Surgeons (1959-1960); [..]