Every day, our team of practitioners help people overcome their back pain, neck pain, sciatica and many other musculoskeletal problems. Located in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG), the Freud Clinic has been regarded as a trusted referral source by alternative and medical health practitioners for resolving a wide variety of neurological, muscular and joint condition for over 24 years.
Musculoskeletal conditions affect the body’s muscles, bones and related tissues. They are a major source of pain and disability across the world and contribute to significant emotional health issues as well. If you are suffering with back pain, neck pain or other musculoskeletal problems, you are no doubt familiar with how it can place limits on your normal functioning and have negative effects your mood and relationships.
Everything eventually wears down or breaks down, and our muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and joints are no exception. It’s well known that the risk of musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders increases as we get older. In fact, about one out of two adults, and near three of four people over 65 years old, suffer with the aches and pains related to MSK issues.
These problems typically arise from sudden injuries (car accident, sports, improper lifting, falls, etc.), repetitive movements, poor posture and/or lack of activity.
While the severity of symptoms may vary, the most common ones that patients experience are:
Alignment issues
Like a system of interlocking gears, your body is designed to have a specific alignment to function well. Poor posture can cause your joints to wear out more quickly (osteoarthritis), demand your muscles to work harder, compress nerves and make you more at risk for injury and pain syndromes. We often see spinal misalignments related to neck pain and low back pain.
Strain
Our muscles are anchored to our skeleton and contract to provide movement. A strain, often referred to as a “pulled muscle,” involves an overworked or torn muscle. This most commonly occurs in the lower back, neck, shoulder and hamstring (behind your thigh).
Sprain
Ligaments are like tape that hold our bones together. A sprain occurs when a joint is suddenly forced outside of its usual range of motion causing a ligament to tear or overstretch. A classic example is a misstep causing a “sprained ankle.” Other common sprained areas include the neck (whiplash), knee (ACL injury), wrist and hand.
Bursitis
A bursa is a small fluid-filled sac that sits between a muscle or tendon and a boney surface. It allows for smooth gliding of tissues during muscle contraction. A bursa can become irritated due to improper mechanics and cause inflammation: bursitis. Bursitis is most typically seen in the shoulder, hips (trochanteric bursitis), elbow (olecranon bursitis) and knees (prepatellar bursitis).
Tendonitis/tendinitis/tendinopathy
A tendon is a tough cord extension from a muscle that anchors into bone. With overuse or injury, a tendon may become irritated and inflamed. Common areas of tendonitis include the shoulder (rotator cuff), elbow (tennis elbow) and ankle (Achilles tendinitis). When a tendon and its synovial sheath envelope become inflamed, we call this “tenosynovitis,” typically seen in the hand.
Disc derangement
Cartilage pads function as a cushion between bones. In the spine, intervertebral discs may degenerate, bulge, protrude or herniate and may be associated with neck pain, back pain and nerve compression. In the knee, a meniscus may be torn. In the jaw joint, a disc may become pinched causing a TMJ syndrome.
Nerve compression/pinched nerve
Poor posture, disc herniation, arthritis and muscle imbalances can put pressure on nerves that travel in your body. Symptoms may be close to or far away from the source of the problem. For instance, a sciatic pain felt shooting down your leg may be coming from a tight buttock muscle (piriformis syndrome) or a lumbar disc herniation in the low back. Numbness felt in the hand may be coming from a carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrist or a slouched posture affecting nerves originating in the neck.
The first step in relieving pain and restoring proper function is to get a clear understanding of the cause of your problem. An assessment of your occupation, exercise habits, daily postures and general lifestyle, as well as your past medical history, help identify the factors that may have contributed to the onset. A proper exam establishes the specific tissues that have been affected and reveals the most effective treatment approach to be followed.
The list of health professionals trained to help alleviate musculoskeletal conditions is almost as long as the number MSK conditions that exist.
Indeed, there’s no shortage of people you can consult. But, who’s approach will you respond best to? Here is our advice…
While most causes of back pain and MSK conditions are relatively nonthreatening, some may be associated with more serious problems. Medical physicians and chiropractors are the most highly trained primary contact doctors permitted to detect red flags and make a diagnosis. To determine the source of your problem, we recommend consulting a medical doctor (MD) or doctor of chiropractic (DC) to undergo a thorough examination. With a diagnosis in hand, the best treatment options can be discussed.
There are many therapies available in Montreal that may help you and it is difficult to give general advice as to which one will work best for your specific case. Nonetheless, we have written a simple guideline to help you, based on current scientific research and our multidisciplinary experience:
You can schedule an appointment by calling us (514-483-3444), emailing us or booking online.
If you are not sure what therapy to select for your back pain or other musculoskeletal problem, consider these options:
