Niagara’s Spine & Joint Pain Clinic Blog
Gray Chiropractic St.Catharines – Niagara’s Spine & Joint Pain Clinic
At Gray Chiropractic our focus is on the treatment musculo-skeletal conditions such as Back Pain and Sciatica, Foot Pain, Shoulder Pain, and Knee Pain.
Browse our article library to learn more about common muscle and joint conditions, and about our unique approach to care.
Use our website as a guide to explore the causes and best treatment options of common musculoskeletal conditions, and to learn more about our gentle, effective, non-surgical, treatment solution known as Cox Flexion-Distraction.Clinical research and experience has proven this treatment method is a safe and effective treatment for common spinal problems including sciatica, spinal stenosis and spinal arthritis, and disc problems.
I Hurt But I Didn’t Do Anything?
Unfortunately, pain and injury are an inevitable fact of life. In some cases this pain occurs following a traumatic event such as rolling over on an ankle or falling on an outstretched arm. Of course we aren’t happy about these injuries, but at least they make...
Shoulder Bursitis Causes and Best Treatment Options
[gap height="30"]Shoulder Bursitis Causes and Best Treatment Options For This Common Cause of Shoulder Pain Shoulder bursitis is a common cause of shoulder pain characterized by pain on the top of the shoulder that is often exacerbated by lifting and reaching...
Rotator Cuff Problems and Shoulder Pain
Rotator Cuff Problems and the Link to Shoulder Pain Rotator cuff problems are often implicated in shoulder pain. While almost everyone has heard of these important shoulder muscles few people have an understanding of what these muscles do and why they are so...
Foot Pain Due to A Nerve Entrapment
Foot Pain Due to A Nerve Entrapment Heel and foot pain conditions are among the most common and frustrating problems we see in our clinic. While most foot conditions such as plantar fasciitis or metatarsalgia are related to biomechanical problems in the foot itself or...
The Foot Intrinsic Muscles and Their Role in Foot Pain
The Foot Intrinsic Muscles and Their Role in Foot Pain Common foot pain conditions such as arch or heel pain, plantar fasciitis, and metatarsalgia are commonly associated with an over-flexible foot and dropped arch - clinically referred to as over pronation....
Sciatica Due to Piriformis Syndrome
[gap height="30"]Sciatica Due to Piriformis Syndrome Sciatica is a common condition which occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes pinched or irritated. As discussed in the previous two articles this most commonly occurs in lower back due to a disc herniation or spinal...
Sciatica Due To Spinal Stenosis
Sciatica Due To Spinal Stenosis Sciatica due to spinal stenosis is less common that sciatica due to disc herniation (which I discussed in the previous article), however, it is the most common cause of sciatica in individuals over 60. So this will be the topic of this...
The 3 Common Exercises That Lead to Back Pain
The 3 Common Exercises That Lead to Back Pain Step into any fitness club and you will see members performing a variety of exercises in an effort to strengthen their 'core' - the group of muscles that surrounds the spine. The problem is that many of the most common...
Sciatica Due To Disc Injury
Sciatica Due To Disc Injury Sciatica due to disc herniation occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes pinched or irritated - most commonly in the lower back. In this article I will discuss this common cause of sciatica. In this article: Review How the Lumbar Discs Become...
Study Finds Cox Treatment Effective for Sciatica
[gap height="30"]Study Finds Sciatica Relief with Cox Treatment Sciatica is a painful condition that will affect as many as 35-45% of people at some point in their lives (1). If you are one of these people you know how important it is to receive proper and effective...
Testing Your Core: Part 4
Testing Your Core: Part 4 Testing Muscle Balance It is no secret that proper health and function of the muscles that surround the back is critical for spine health. The past three articles in this series have looked at this concept in more detail, and as part of this...
Testing Your Core Part 3
Testing You Core: Part 3 Evaluation and Correction of the Abdominal Muscles We all know that proper strength and endurance of the 'core' muscles that protect and surround your spine is needed to stay healthy and free from back pain. But very few people actually know...
Testing You Core: Part 2
Testing You Core: Part 2 Evaluation and Correction of the Lower Back Muscles We all know that proper strength and endurance of the 'core' muscles that protect and surround your spine is needed to stay healthy and free from back pain. But very few people actually...
Testing You Core: Part 1
Testing You Core: Part 1 The Lateral Trunk The muscles of the spine play an important role in protecting you back from injury. In fact, studies have clearly shown that problems in these muscles such as a lack of endurance and poor muscle balance between these ‘core’...
Scar Tissue and Pain: Part 3
Scar Tissue and Pain: Part 3 Scar Tissue Adhesions and Nerve Restriction As discussed in the previous two articles, as scar tissue adhesions are formed along and between muscles it can restrict the flexibility and relative motion of adjacent muscles necessary for...
Scar Tissue and Pain Part 2
Scar Tissue and Pain: Part 2 Scar Tissue Formation Between Muscle Layers This is the second article in 3 part series discussing the effects of scar tissue on pain and common musculoskeletal conditions. The first article provided background information...
Scar Tissue and Pain – Part 1
Scar Tissue and Pain - Part 1 How Scar Tissue Affects Muscles, Tendons, and Ligaments The body repairs soft tissue injury by forming new tissue in and around the damaged area. This new tissue, commonly referred to as scar tissue or soft tissue adhesions, is very...
Hip Flexor Stretches
Stretching the Hip Flexors Why it matters....How everybody does it wrong...and How to stretch so you actually improve hip mobility By Dr Jason Gray BHK DC MSc Adequate flexibility of the hip flexor muscle group is critical for locomotor activities such as walking or...
IT Band Problems with Cycling
IT Band and the Cyclist By Dr Jason Gray BHK DC MSc Iliotibial band (IT Band) pain and tightness is a common issue for triathletes and cyclist. In this article I will review why this is such a common issue by looking at the mechanics of the IT Band during cycling, and...
Low Back Pain – A Movement Problem
Low Back Pain - A Movement Problem As we walk, reach forward to open a door, or bend forward to put a plate in the dishwasher we rarely think to ourselves how we are going to accomplish these tasks. We simply move. But with any purposeful movement there is actually a...
Resloving Low Back Pain with Cox Flexion Distraction Therapy
Resolving Low Back Pain with Cox Flexion Distraction Treatment Cox Flexion Distraction is a specialized, hands-on treatment method used to treat a number of common spine conditions. Incorporating Cox Flexion Distraction treatment in our clinic procedures has been a...
Joint Hypermobility and Spinal Arthritis
Joint Hyper-mobility and Spinal ArthritisDegeneration In a previous article I discussed how abnormal motion of the spinal joints is a primary cause of joint degeneration. To briefly review, the joints of the spine - including joint cartilage, ligaments, and muscles -...
The Link Between Tight Joints and Spinal Arthritis
The Link Between Tight Joints and Spinal Arthritis Degenerative conditions of the spine such as spinal arthritis and degenerative disc disease can be significant sources of spinal pain and stiffness. One of the most common (but also preventable) causes of joint...
1 Leg Squat Test
The 1 Leg Squat Pattern - Assessment and Correction of Movement Dysfunction By Dr Jason Gray BHK Dc MSc The 1 leg squat test is a very effective and valuable screening tool when looking for the cause of problems in the pelvis, hip, and lower extremity. This...
Squat Test
The Squat Test - Assessment and Correction of Movement Dysfunction The squat is a basic, fundamental movement pattern that involves the lowering and raising of our body weight towards and away from the ground. This is a complex, multi-joint movement that involves...
Flexion-Distraction vs Physiotherapy for Low Back Pain
Flexion-Distraction vs Physiotherapy for Low Back Pain A Review of the Scientific Literature There are many treatment options available to those experiencing lower back pain, and deciding on the best avenue of care can often be a difficult decision for the back pain...
Understanding Repetitive Strain Injuries
When Pain Doesn't Make Sense: Understanding Repetitive Strain Injuries Most people associate muscle or joint pain with some type of trauma or accident. This type of injury is classified as a traumatic injury, and, although unfortunate, at least makes sense to most...
Niagara’s Spine & Joint Pain Clinic
At Gray Chiropractic St.Catharines our focus is on the treatment musculo-skeletal conditions such as Back Pain and Sciatica, Foot Pain, Shoulder Pain, and Knee Pain.
