He performed a through physical exam and reviewed my MRI’s and recommended DRX decompression and rehab exercises. It was painless, but made a huge difference. Within just a few visits I had a significant improvement in my mobility, strength and functioning.

I am now able to work at my job and support my family thanks to Dr Santucci and spinal decompression, I am a true believer.

Joseph A.

About 85 percent of the population will experience disabling, low back pain at least once during their lives!  That’s almost all of us.  The problem is so bad that, at any one time, 6.8 percent of the U.S. adult population is suffering from an episode of back pain lasting more than two weeks.  That’s a lot of bad backs.  The estimated cost of this problem in the U.S. is over $50 billion a year.

The standard medical approach to back pain varies depending on the severity of the condition.  Music relaxers, painkillers, rest, and physical therapy such as traction, diathermy, ultrasound, hot packs, and cold packs are sometimes used.  However, this approach has not been found very helpful.  If the problem doesn’t improve or worsens, then surgery may be performed.

The medical approach is sometimes necessary – even back surgery has a place.  But, according to some studies, most spinal surgery for acute lower back problems should be rarely performed.  Many people who have had back surgery report a recurrence of their symptoms within a year or two of the operation and may return to the operating table.  In some cases, the surgery makes no difference whatsoever.  In other cases, it does bring long-term relief.

I take a different approach to the treatment and prevention of low back pain.  After a thorough neurological examination I determine which part of the nervous system is not functioning properly.  In many low back pain patients I may find a high mesencephalic output.

There are three parts to the brain stem: top, middle, and lower.  The mesencephalon is the top part of the brain stem.  A high output of the mesencephalon will cause an increased pulse and heart rate, inability to sleep or waking up from fitful sleep, urinary tract infection, increase warmth or sweating, and sensitivity to light.

Along with a high mesenphalic output, the low back pain patient may have a decreased output of the cerebellum.  The cerebellum is in the back part of the brain, and it controls all of the involuntary spinal musculature.

No matter what the condition, it is imperative that the chiropractic neurologist performs a thorough and comprehensive exam to determine the exact nature of the patient’s condition.

If you would like to see if BRAIN-BASED CARE might help you or a loved one contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.

If unhealthy, your neck’s normal forward curve may reduce, become straight or “military,” or even reverse its curve.  Over time, arthritic changes in the vertebrae such as lipping or spurring (bony growths), disc-thinning or degeneration, or deterioration of muscles, ligaments and other structures may occur.  However, in spite of all these changes, there may or may not be pain.  In fact, studies show little or no correlation between the degree of pain felt in the neck and arthritis changes found on X-rays and MRI.

Lipping, spurring, and other irregularities (osteoarthritis) do not in themselves constitute a disease but are instead defense mechanisms that arise to stabilize an off-balance spine.  Recent research has shown that manipulative care can reverse some of the effects of osteoarthritis – something that had previously been considered impossible.

I take a different approach to the treatment and prevention of neck pain.  After a thorough neurological examination I determine which part of the nervous system is not functioning properly.  In many neck pain patients I may find a high mesencephalic output.

There are three parts to the brain stem: top, middle, and lower.  The mesencephalon is the top part of the brain stem.  A high output of the mesencephalon will cause an increased pulse and heart rate, inability to sleep or waking up from fitful sleep, urinary tract infection, increase warmth or sweating, and sensitivity to light.

Along with a high mesenphalic output, the neck pain patient may have a decreased output of the cerebellum.  The cerebellum is in the back part of the brain, and it controls all of the involuntary spinal musculature.

No matter what the condition, it is imperative that the doctor performs a thorough and comprehensive exam to determine the exact nature of the patient’s condition.

If you would like to see if BRAIN-BASED CARE might help you or a loved one contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.

The migraine pain is most common in the temple, but it may be experienced anywhere in the head, face and neck.

A variety of headache, closely related to the migraine, is the cluster headache.  Attacks come on abruptly with intense, throbbing pain arising high in the nostril and spreading to behind the eye on the same side.  Sometimes, the forehead is also affected.  The attacks tend to occur from once to several times daily in clusters lasting weeks, or even months.  Without apparent reason, the cluster subsides as quickly as it began.

So what puts the ache in headache?  The pain-sensitive structures of the head are the culprits.  These are the arteries of the brain and skull, the tissues surrounding the head veins, the dura mata covering over the brain, and certain nerves called cranial nerves.  When these parts are inflamed, stretched, pulled, or under pressure, any type of headache may be caused.

Migraine headaches can be classified into two types: classical and common.  The classical migraine is a headache that follows an aura or some type of spontaneous event such as numbness or tingling.  The aura may be flashes of light, squiggly lines, or a halo effect.  The common migraine does not have an aura associated with it.  Most people who suffer from migraines suffer from common migraines – usually at a 3:1 ratio.

Approximately 28 million Americans suffer from migraines, and millions go without treatment.  Scientists once thought migraines were caused by abnormally dilated or enlarged blood vessels.  Now, new imaging devices have allowed them to watch brains during migraine attacks, and scientists are discovering that sufferers have abnormally excitable neurons or brain nerve cells.

The latest migraine research has yielded a mechanism called cortical spreading depression, or CSD.  Prior to the onset of pain in a migraine, researchers have observed a sudden burst of cortical activity that occurs most commonly in the occipital lobes (back part of the brain).  The occipital lobe will increase in frequency of firing, or have a burst of activity, and then there will be an episode of silence or depressed activity.  The actual activity of the brain becomes depressed when compared to normal.  The resulting pain comes from either the brain stem activation or from blood vessels inflamed by rapidly exchanging blood flow – or both.

I take a different approach to the treatment and prevention of headaches and migraines.  After a thorough neurological examination I determine which part of the nervous system is not functioning properly.  In many headache and migraine patients I may find a high mesencephalic output.

There are three parts to the brain stem: top, middle, and lower.  The mesencephalon is the top part of the brain stem.  A high output of the mesencephalon will cause an increased pulse and heart rate, inability to sleep or waking up from fitful sleep, urinary tract infection, increase warmth or sweating, and sensitivity to light.

Along with a high mesenphalic output, the patient may have a decreased output of the cerebellum.  The cerebellum is in the back part of the brain, and it controls all of the involuntary spinal musculature.

No matter what the condition, it is imperative that the chiropractic neurologist performs a thorough and comprehensive exam to determine the exact nature of the patient’s condition.

If you would like to see if BRAIN-BASED CARE might help you or a loved one contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.