40 year old female with plantar fasciitis

A forty year old female university lecturer presented with pain underneath and to the front of the calcaneus (heel bone). Her daily activities included a lot of walking between classrooms on campus and standing for long periods whilst teaching. Even without an x-ray her clinical presentation led to a suspected case of plantar fasciitis. Her history provided further relevant information: she mainly wore flat shoes with little or no support. The tissue called fascia underneath the foot requires good arch support - especially for those who spend a lot of time standing. Her x-ray showed a spur similar to the one on the x-ray (right). However, small spurs like these are not always a cause for alarm: they merely indicate the presence of strain at the fascial insertion.  Treatment for her consisted of advice in relation to footwear and supports and chiropractic correction of the lower back and pelvis. These areas had become subluxated (misaligned) after months of limping due to foot soreness.

19 year old student with headaches behind the eyes and base of the skull

A full time university student who had been preparing for yearly exams had noticed dull headaches behind the right eye, at the base of the skull and in the back of the head. As he'd been doing a lot of reading he decided to have his eyes checked. The optometrist confirmed that his eyes were all right, his glasses prescription did not need changing and that there was no indication of problems behind the eye.

Chiropractic investigation revealed that there was a subluxation at the C2 (second cervical vertebra) level. This was of course related to long hours of reading at sitting at a computer screen. Treatment included correction of the C2 subluxation and advice regarding posture and study breaks. The patient was advised to have regular chiropractic check-ups throughout the course of his studies.

The diagram (left) displays the areas related to different cervical spinal segments. The C2 area corresponds with the student's symptoms and clinical findings. 

16 year old soccer player with lumbar spinal strain

An athletic 16 year old boy who plays  football on a daily  basis managed to strain his lower lumbar spine.

The damage was done in a PDHPE session at school when the boys were attempting to do yoga postures. One particular posture which involves reaching towards the toes from a standing position was the cause of the pain. Toe-touching is very bad for the spine. There are plenty of other ways to stretch the hamstring muscles.

Chiropractic assessment determined that the cause of pain was due to overstretched (sprained) spinal ligaments. A joint subluxation could have been easily corrected but because this injury was ligamentous, the most important aspect of management was to refrain from all aggravating activities until pain had completely abated. In this case, no football, running or participation in PDHPE practical sessions was permitted.