Michael Zola, D.C.

Low back pain (LBP) is a global health problem that will affect most adults at least once in their lifetime. For many, LBP may become a chronic issue that can significantly affect their ability to work and carry out normal activities of daily living. While we often discuss how chiropractic care serves as an excellent [..]

After low back pain, neck pain is the most common reason for a visit to a chiropractic office. There are many risk factors for neck pain including postural faults in the neck and upper torso. Let’s look at how common poor posture is among youths and what can be done to reduce the risk for [..]

The Importance of Double Crush and Postural Distortions Background Nerves emanating from the neck (cervical spine) travel into the arm (shoulder, arm, forearm wrist, hand, fingers). When a patient presents with radiating symptoms (pain, tingling, numbness, etc.) into the arm, default thinking is that the patient has a neck problem. Therefore, the initial examination, imaging, [..]

The condition that’s often referred to as frozen shoulder goes by many monikers: adhesive capsulitis, painful stiff shoulder, periarthritis, and idiopathic restriction of shoulder movement. Regardless of the name, frozen shoulder presents itself as a stiff, inflexible, and painful shoulder joint and it often arises in a mysterious way that’s sometimes difficult to trace. The [..]

Vitamin D, also referred to as calciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin that is present in a few foods, is added to others, can be taken as a dietary supplement, and is produced endogenously when ultraviolet rays from sunlight reach the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis.  While many people associate a lack of vitamin D [..]

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a fairly common condition that occurs when the median nerve is compressed or its movement is restricted as it passes through the wrist. There can be many potential causes median nerve entrapment in the carpal tunnel from inflammation caused by overuse or chronic health conditions to mechanical injury. Treatment guidelines [..]

Whiplash injury can occur from any rapid acceleration/deceleration of the head and neck, and it can lead to a cluster of symptoms including neck pain, headache, dizziness/balance loss, fatigue, depression, irritability, mental fog, tinnitus, and more that is collected under the umbrella term whiplash associated disorders (WAD). The current data suggest that roughly half of [..]

The thoracolumbar fascia is a structure in the lower back that is comprised of layers of densely packed collagen and elastic fibers separated by loose connective tissue that allow the deep stabilizing muscles in the lower back to move independently of the superficial muscles used for twisting and bending forward and backward. When adhesions form [..]

It’s estimated that about 38 million American adults suffer from migraines and nine-in-ten report that to some degree, migraines affect their ability to carry out their normal social, leisure, work, and everyday activities. Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment for migraines as the condition is not well understood and management tends to focus on lifestyle [..]

In 2018, Eduardo Hariton, MD, and Joseph Locascio, PhD, from Massachusetts General Hospital, published an article in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology titled (1): Randomised Controlled Trials—The Gold Standard for Effectiveness Research As stated in the title, the authors reaffirm that the gold standard for healthcare scientific research is the Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). In 2020, [..]

Royal jelly is a milk–like secretion of honeybees that is used to feed the larvae in the honeycomb to facilitate development into drones (males), worker bees (infertile females), and queens (fertile females).  The National Institutes of Health notes that royal jelly consists of water, proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, simple carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals and [..]

Cervical spinal stenosis (CSS) is a condition characterized by the narrowing of the spaces within the spine through which the spinal cord and the nerves pass. The condition becomes more common with age, affecting 6.8% of adults over age 50 and 9% of those over age 70. While it’s not unusual for a CSS patient [..]