Recent Posts

We see many back pain patients in our Largo office, and Dr. Mark Carlo has been able to provide a lot of them find relief through various chiropractic techniques. At the same time, recovering from back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical therapy, as many individuals utilize both types of care with great results.

Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Care Work Together

In a report published by the medical journal Spine investigators¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who reported both acute discomfort and limited function due to back-related issues. Some of the patients received treatment via standard medical care, while the remainder were given chiropractic care in addition to regular medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which patients fared better.

Researchers discovered that the group that got standard medical care in combination with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the group that received medical care alone; 73 percent reported positive benefits in comparison to just 17 percent of the medical treatment only group who indicated the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at two and four weeks.

Thus, integrating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering advantages when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medicine can work together, chiropractic offers some distinct advantages over medical therapy.

Where Chiropractic Pulls Ahead

Although it might seem as if each method plays a 50-50 role, there is one significant advantage that chiropractic has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a piece of research done at UCLA² that was printed in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical care.

According to the experts, the main factors that patients liked over medical care were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors typically spend much more time consulting with their patients as to how they can improve their health on their own, as well as explaining more carefully what to expect from chiropractic care.

Chiropractic Offers a Holistic Approach

Certainly, the techniques associated with chiropractic are quite different than those offered with medical therapy, but a great deal of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and well-being. Rather than focusing on just relieving the symptoms, chiropractic involves finding the root cause of your pain, which often results in greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

In addition, while medication is sometimes helpful for treating certain conditions, many health issues respond well to a natural approach like chiropractic. This means fewer negative side effects from medications and longer-lasting results.

You don't have to endure back pain or other health issues. Give our Largo office a call today at (727) 585-8888. We'll do our best to help you get and stay free from back pain.

References

1. Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
2. Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.

We treat many auto injury cases in in our Largo office, and a widespread symptom we see in our patients is shoulder pain. The key to recovering from shoulder pain caused by a crash is to understand the root cause of the problem and how chiropractic care can help.

There are at least two different ways that you can get shoulder problems after an accident: by direct injury to the shoulder joint or by referred pain from the neck.

Direct injury can be caused by striking your shoulder on a hard surface in the car during the impact, or can occur if you have a tight grip on the steering wheel during a rear end crash. With this type of trauma, you'll often be aware of the pain shortly after the crash.

More commonly, Dr. Mark Carlo finds that shoulder or arm pain does not immediately appear after a crash, but starts a few days or weeks after the accident. This type of shoulder pain actually starts in the cervical spine. Injured soft tissue in your neck can tweak nerves in your neck, causing tingling, numbness, or soreness in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

We've treated many types of shoulder pain in our Largo office. This approach involves chiropractic adjustments to restore your spine's natural flexibility and home exercises that strengthen your neck and shoulder.

If you've been injured in a car crash and you're suffering from shoulder pain, Dr. Mark Carlo is here to help. First, we'll do a careful evaluation to determine the root cause of your problem, and then decide how to restore your body's natural functioning. Ready to make an appointment? Give us a call at (727) 585-8888 and we'll get you back on the road to health.

Asthma is a serious issue for many people in Largo and for society as a whole, really, since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that this problem currently affects almost 19 million adults and 7 million kids in the US. A full-blown asthma attack likely means a hospital visit. Fortunately, Dr. Mark Carlo has helped many folks in Largo get relief from asthma symptoms.

The scientific research verifies what we see in our practice. For example, a paper published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy evaluated 31 adult asthma patients after receiving four weeks of chiropractic adjustments. The researchers reported that the individuals who received chiropractic adjustments had a 34% decrease in asthma symptoms.

The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics published another asthma-based study, except this one involved kids. In this paper, the 36 kids ranged from 6 to 17 years in age and their asthma was considered either mild or moderate in severity.

After 12 weeks of chiropractic care, as a whole, the children reported a higher quality of life and a lower level of severity. As a bonus, they also indicated that they depended less on their bronchodilator and these positive effects lasted one year after chiropractic care was complete.

So, whether you're 7 or 70, if you have asthma, be sure to contact Dr. Mark Carlo in Largo and schedule an appointment today. We'll do what we can to help you breathe easier!

Sources

• Asthma. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Bronfort G et al. (2001, July-August). Chronic pediatric asthma and spinal manipulation: a prospective clinical series and randomized clinical pilot study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;24(6):369-77
• Nielsen N et al. (1995, January). Chronic asthma and chiropractic spinal manipulation: a randomized clinical trial. Clinical and Experimental Allergy;25(1):80-8

Neck pain is a common problem after a car accident, and it's something that Dr. Mark Carlo sees frequently in our Largo office. The key to recovering from neck pain caused by a crash is to understand the root cause of the problem and how chiropractic care can help.

It's not surprising that neck pain is the most common symptom experienced after an auto injury. During even a low speed car crash, your head is exposed to very rapid acceleration. In such collisions, a head that normally weighs about 10 pounds can instantly weigh eight times as much. This force exerts a severe strain on the tissues of the neck. The bones of your spine are held together with strong bands of tissue called ligaments, and these ligaments provide stability for your neck. These ligaments can be sprained during a wreck, just as the ligaments in your ankle can be sprained. A sprain means that the ligament is stretched or torn.

When you experience a sprained ligament, the damaged area become swollen and sore, and that's what occurs after a car crash. Chiropractic helps by increasing flexibility in the injured area, which helps the ligaments heal and helps decrease scar tissue.

You don't have to suffer from neck pain. Dr. Mark Carlo is conveniently located in Largo to help you get better, whether you've been in an auto collision or not. The first step is to get an accurate diagnosis to determine what's causing your pain and then we will determine an appropriate treatment strategy. Give our office a call today at (727) 585-8888 to make an appointment.

There are thousands of car accidents every day in America, and many leave their victims injured, sometimes for the rest of their lives. Studies show that many injuries take place in accidents under 20 miles per hour. These car accidents, at extremely low speeds, can cause a serious amount of damage to your body. Even if you don’t experience immediate pain, it is very smart and highly recommended to visit a chiropractor after your accident to make sure that your spine hasn’t become misaligned, and that your body has not sustained any other injuries that are perhaps, at this point in time, unknown to you.

Many that are involved in a car accident think that they are fine because they don’t experience any initial pain. Remember, just because you are not experiencing any pain does not mean that you are not hurt! This is a common misconception made by many, but almost all car crashes injure the body to some degree. Many experience shock, which blocks the pain from being felt. Some people experience pain the next day, while it can takes weeks or months for some to feel the extent of their injuries.

When visiting a chiropractor after a car crash, it is important to tell them as much as possible about the accident, so they can examine all areas that may be affected. If possible, it’s a good idea to jot down notes and bring a summary of everything that you remember about the accident, including the impact area of your car, how you were seated, the position that you ended up in after the accident, and any symptoms that you may feel. 

Whiplash, for instance, is a common auto collision injury caused when a person's head moves backward and then forward very suddenly with great force. Symptoms of whiplash include dizziness, difficulty focusing, headache, muscle spasms, nerve injury, sensation of pins and needles, stiff shoulders, and tenderness of the neck. Immediate chiropractic care will be able to determine the degree of injury and alleviate pain and symptoms. 

If you were involved in a car accident, and are near our Largo, FL office, don’t make the common mistake that several people do by not seeking and avoiding medical attention. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Carlo as soon as possible. Your prospective pain-free future may depend on it. Please call us today to make an appointment (727) 585-8888.

With the Migraine Research Foundation reporting that migraine headaches affect 38 million adults and children in the United States (more than diabetes and asthma put together), it's not surprising that Dr. Mark Carlo sees a lot of headache patients in our Largo office. While some folks try to relieve migraine pain with drugs, chiropractic care is a terrific, all-natural choice that often produces positive results.

For example, one report published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics involved 127 participants ranging in age from 10 to 70-years-old who struggled with frequent (at least monthly) headaches. Each subject engaged in up to 16 chiropractic sessions. The patients noted that their headache frequency, duration, and disability two months before the study began, during the duration of the sessions (which was two months), and two months post-treatment.

What the investigators discovered is that chiropractic reduced the frequency, duration, and disability of the migraine headaches when compared with the control patients who didn't receive chiropractic. In addition, this allowed them to take less medication for the pain, offering them an all-natural solution for a chronic condition.

Another article found that a combination of chiropractic and neck massage reduced migraine pain almost 68%.

If you have migraine pain and are looking for relief, call Dr. Mark Carlo today and request an appointment in our Largo chiropractic office. We'll do what we can to help you become pain-free!

Studies

Migraine Fact Sheet. Migraine Research Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/fact-sheet.html on November 2, 2015
Noudeh Y et al. (2012). Reduction of current migraine headache pain following neck massage and spinal manipulation. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork;5(1):5-13
Tuchin P et al. (2000, February). A randomized controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;23(2):91-5

If you are struggling with fibromyalgia, you are not alone, as Dr. Mark Carlo sees many patients with this particular condition in our Largo chiropractic office. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that roughly two percent of all adults in the United States have fibromyalgia. Fortunately, chiropractic care is one treatment option that can provide positive results.

In a medical study released in mid-2015, 215 adults with fibromyalgia were evaluated based on factors ranging from pain to quality of sleep to the levels of depression and anxiety they felt. Then they were divided into two groups with one group receiving a multi-modal therapy plan for three months and the second group receiving the same program with the addition of chiropractic adjustments (specifically, to the upper neck area) for the same length of time.

The individuals who received chiropractic adjustments in conjunction with the multi-modal therapy approach reported greater results in all areas (pain, sleep, depression, and anxiety) at three months post-treatment when compared to the study patients who received multi-modal treatment without chiropractic care. Furthermore, those positive results were lasting as the patients reported continued improvement one full year later.

Fibromyalgia can greatly decrease your quality of life, both mentally and physically. If you're dealing with fibromyalgia, we might be able to help.

You don't have to suffer! To see what Dr. Mark Carlo can do for your fibromyalgia, call our Largo chiropractic office today.

Sources

• Fibromyalgia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm on November 2, 2015.
• Moustafa I & Diab A. (2015, July). The addition of upper cervical manipulative therapy in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial. Rheumatology International;35(7):1163-74.

Over 2 million people are hurt every year in motor vehicle collisions in the U.S. While most people are able to recover from their injuries fairly quickly, many are left to deal with chronic pain and impairment. We see many of these patients here in our Largo office. Fortunately, Dr. Mark Carlo is here to help you heal from your auto injury.

The science confirms what we see in our office: A British study was conducted on 28 people diagnosed with chronic whiplash syndrome. Each participant received chiropractic care and 93 percent of them experienced improvements following their adjustments, even though 43 percent of whiplash sufferers overall usually never find relief. This confirms that chiropractic care is a great way to avoid chronic pain after an auto injury.

It's important to remember that research has also found that putting off treatment after a car crash can negatively affect healing time, so getting in to see Dr. Mark Carlo as soon as possible is key to having a quicker recovery.

Dr. Mark Carlo has helped many auto injury sufferers, and we're here to help you, too. Call our Largo office today for more information or an appointment.

Sources

• Association for Safe International Road Travel. Retrieved from https://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics
• Dies S & Strapp J. (1992, September). Chiropractic treatment of patients in motor vehicle accidents: a statistical analysis. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 36(3), 139-145.
• Woodward M et al. (1996, November). Chiropractic treatment of chronic 'whiplash' injuries. Injury, 27(9), 643-645.

We tend to a large number of patients in our Largo office, and Dr. Mark Carlo has helped countless people overcome a wide array of health issues. However, the primary concern that seems to stop many men and women from getting treatment is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Luckily, according to three different studies (out of countless on the topic), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first article(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women. Each participant was suffering from spine-related pain, and half of the people received actual chiropractic care visits while the remaining patients received two fake chiropractic adjustments. Information was collected after each real or fake adjustment to identify whether or not any unfavorable reactions were caused by the actual chiropractic adjustments.

The authors reported that no participants documented any significant adverse adverse reactions whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some people did state that they experienced a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the results were not serious.

Large US Survey Finds that Chiropractic is Safe

The second research study(2), also released in the distinguished publication, Spine, was performed in an effort to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The test group was much larger -- 20,000 people. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the experts found no serious adverse side effects. The experts determined the risk of total negative effects to be about 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the previous study, some participants did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4%), and this caused the authors to conclude that "the risk of a serious adverse event, immediately or up to 7 days after treatment, was low to very low."

Chiropractic Is Safe for Your Children

The third study(3) is unique from the previous two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, researchers investigated results reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic treatment sessions.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic appointments made for the young children, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse effects. When parents were surveyed, they indicated only two adverse side effects out of 1,735 visits. Furthermore, both chiropractors and parents reported "a high rate of improvement with respect to the children's presenting complaints."

Based on studies like these, chiropractic care has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic can do for you, call our Largo office and make an appointment today at (727) 585-8888.

References

1. Walker BF, Hebert JJ, Stomski NJ, Clarke BR, Bowden RS, Losco B, French SD. Outcomes of usual chiropractic. The OUCH randomized controlled trial of adverse events. Spine 2013;38(20):1723-9.
2. Thiel HW1, Bolton JE, Docherty S, Portlock JC. Safety of chiropractic manipulation of the cervical spine: a prospective national survey. Spine 2007;32(21):2375-8.
3. Alcantara J, Ohm J, Kunz D. The safety and effectiveness of pediatric chiropractic: a survey of chiropractors and parents in a practice-based research network. Explore NY 2009;5(5): 290-5.