TruMotion Therapy Blogs

Chiropractic solutions utilize manual manipulation to realign the body into positions that promote health and well-being. A chiropractor in Charlotte, NC, can help you find relief for neck pain, back pain, and more. If you’ve been struggling with pain with no relief, chiropractic treatment from TruMotion is highly recommended.

Neck pain is a common issue for cyclists, regardless of whether they ride on road bike, mountain bike, or gravel bike. This discomfort stems from the posture cyclists adopt while riding, especially on road bikes. When leaning forward on aero bars, the back rounds, putting strain on the neck to keep the eyes aligned with […]

Achilles tendinitis is a common condition that causes pain in the Achilles tendon, a thick band of tissue connecting the calf muscles to the heel bone. It often affects athletes and individuals engaged in physical activities that involve repetitive stress on the Achilles tendon.  While often referred to as achilles tendinitis, the more correct term […]

Soreness or aches throughout the body may be due to a pinched nerve, causing considerable discomfort that disrupts everyday routines and makes even minor movements challenging or painful.  Pinched nerves can occur when the nerve is compressed, which usually happens due to surrounding soft tissues applying pressure on a specific area, leading to nerve irritation.   […]

TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint and is the joint formed between the temporal and mandibular bones.  When someone has pain or dysfunction of the TMJ we call it temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD).  The pain experienced with TMD can have a couple different sources.   Joint source of jaw pain In some cases of TMD the main […]

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of inflammatory arthritis.  Unlike the more common osteoarthritis, which can result from previous injury and/or age, AS is an autoimmune condition.  AS involves pain and inflammation in the spine eventually leading to the individual spinal joints fusing together.   Ankylosing spondylitis typically begins in late adolescence or early adulthood and […]

The shoulder is a dynamic joint that offers a great range of motion and contributes to many of our everyday movements. When in pain, the dysfunction can make everything from getting dressed to lifting to working out challenging.   Frozen shoulder is common among those who can’t move their shoulder joint for an extended period. This […]

Whether you’re tired of hobbling up the stairs from sore legs, looking to bolster your warmup routine, or just need some relaxing time off your feet, the NormaTec Recovery Boots may become your newest obsession! The NormaTec Recovery Boots utilize air pressure and a dynamic compression system to provide a relaxing, deep-pressure massage over your […]

Exercise-related injuries are frustratingly common.  The gut reaction following an injury is to let it rest until the pain is gone, then return to activity.  This period of rest may only happen after several attempts to ignore the pain… I’m looking at you, runners.  Regardless, most of us have had to take some time off […]

Neck pain and headaches are some of the most common ailments seen by chiropractors.  Postural stress, emotional stress, and motor vehicle accidents are all major contributors to these issues.  The level of pain can vary from a minor neck tension to debilitating pain that radiates down the arm.   Fortunately, most cases of neck pain can […]

Identifying Deep Knots in Shoulder Blades Symptoms If you have ever experienced a tender spot on the inside edge of your shoulder blade, you know how annoying that shoulder blade knot can be. Rubbing it against the corner of a wall or smashing it with a lacrosse ball never does the trick.  What if I […]

“They call it golf because all the other four letter words were taken.”  -Raymond Floyd Anyone who has ever swung a club knows the excitement of perfect contact with the ball as well as the (more frequent) frustration with a bad shot.  Trying to simply master the act of hitting the ball well is difficult […]

Shoulder injuries are one of the more common causes of pain in active people.  Since the shoulder is a complex joint with a lot of moving parts, finding the “right stretch” or exercise to fix shoulder issues is difficult.  Throughout my years of practice I’ve found the below framework to work well for creating strong […]

If there’s one condition that’s a true pain in the butt (and leg) it’s sciatica.  Named after the largest nerve in the body, sciatica is a painful condition that is caused by irritation to the sciatic nerve.   The sciatic nerve is formed when 3 nerve roots emerge from the lower spine and come together to […]

Massage guns have exploded in popularity over the last couple of years.  High end “designer” brands can go for as much as $600, and of course, there are the cheaper Amazon alternatives.   Massage guns are a form of therapy called percussion therapy, and there is actually merit to its usefulness for reducing perceived muscle soreness.   […]

Strength training does not need to be complicated or time consuming, but it cannot be neglected.  Unfortunately, strength training is an afterthought for most runners and is only done when an injury needs to be rehabbed.   Seeing your monthly mileage on Strava go up is so satisfying, and don’t even get me started on segments!  […]

If you’re troubled by the appearance of a hump on your upper back, you’re not alone.  This is called a hyperkyphosis and is prevalent in 20-40% of older adults and is becoming more and more prevalent in younger people. The upper spine has a natural curvature called a kyphosis, and when that curvature becomes overly […]

What causes running injuries? Aside from slipping off a curb and spraining an ankle, most running injuries are caused by “training errors.”  Training errors happen when the stress of running exceeds our body’s ability to handle that stress.  We call the stress running places on the body “training load.”  There are two main types of […]

Bulging discs can occur in the low back, neck, and rarely the upper back.  Disc injuries are some of the most common causes of low back and neck pain.  They vary in terms of severity from mild irritations to bulges to herniations.  The good news is, even some of the most severe types of disc […]

IT band syndrome is one of the more common running related injuries.  It involves pain and sometimes a snapping sensation on the outside portion of the knee.  Running certainly makes it worse, and rest makes it feel better.   So, what is the IT band?  The IT band is a thick band of connective tissue […]

The eight bones of your wrist form a U-shaped channel that houses several tendons and your Median nerve. This channel is called the Carpal tunnel. Your median nerve is responsible for sensation on the palm side of your first 3 ½ fingers. Compression or irritation of this nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel […]

A muscle strain, or pulled muscle, occurs when your muscle is overstretched. This usually occurs as a result of a quick explosive movement, fatigue, overuse, or improper use of a muscle. Strains can happen in any muscle, but they’re most common in your legs, lower back, and neck. Occasionally there will be bruising over the […]

There are several different types of headaches ranging from common and benign to rare and serious. Fortunately, the majority of headaches, although possibly debilitating, are not caused by anything serious. The two most common types of headaches we treat in our office are cervicogenic headaches and migraine headaches.   Cervicogenic Headaches Fifteen to twenty percent […]

There are several types of neck pain that all behave differently and require different treatment approaches.   The level of pain someone experiences is not necessarily correlated with the severity of the cause.  Some serious conditions begin as a mild ache, while simply sleeping wrong one night can lead to excruciating pain.  Fortunately, out of […]

The “Plantar fascia” is a fibrous band running from the under surface of your heel to the ball of your foot. “Plantar fasciitis” is a painful irritation of this tissue caused by chronic over stretching and mild tearing.   Plantar fasciitis affects 10% of the population and is more common in women. Approximately one fourth […]

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) describes a painful irritation of the cartilage behind your kneecap. Although anyone may be affected, it is often the result of overuse of the knee in sports that require jumping or running so it is sometimes referred to as “Runner’s knee”. PFPS is the most common cause of knee pain in […]

The shoulder is one of the more complex joints in the human body. The main players include the: Glenohumeral Joint: the joint formed by the upper arm bone and shoulder blade Labrum: the cartilage that helps support the glenohumeral joint Rotator Cuff: a series of 4 muscles that hold the glenohumeral joint in place AC […]

Shin splints, also called “Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome,” is caused when the muscles of your lower leg pull too hard on your bone, causing local pain and inflammation. Over half of all leg pain in athletes is caused from shin splints. Up to 1/3 of runners and soldiers experience shin splints at some point in […]

Tendinitis can occur in many places in the body, the most common areas being the ankle, knee, hamstring, and shoulder.  The term tendinitis is a bit of a misnomer since the suffix “-itis” implies inflammation, which is why we have gravitated more recently to the term tendinopathy.  We may see inflammation in the very early […]

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is characterized by pain on the outside portion of the elbow.  Although it’s common in tennis players, anyone can get tennis elbow especially people who use their hands a lot, i.e. golfers, rock climbers, handymen (and women), etc.  It’s essentially tendinitis that’s caused by overuse.  The tendon in […]

Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) is a term used to describe a group of problems that cause pain in the temporomandibular joint, also called the TMJ. These problems can arise from the muscles around the joint, the disc within the joint or the bony portion of the joint itself.   Imbalances between the muscles that open and […]

Ankle sprains are the most common traumatic sports injury. They are frequently seen in sports that involve sudden changes of direction like soccer, lacrosse, tennis, and basketball. The most common type of ankle sprain is an inversion ankle sprain where the bottom of the foot rolls inward injuring a ligament on the outer portion of […]

1. Rest Fixes All Many people think that if they simply rest an injury it will go away.  Most running injuries are due to repetitive stress.  The miles/intensity of miles we put on the body exceeds what the body can tolerate.  Time off can be a nice reset, and may be necessary for a short period, […]

Time to shed some light on this common question I get asked as a chiropractor all the time.   What is causing the popping? It’s usually from the formation and release of gas that builds up in the joint space.  As you take a joint towards the end of its range of motion a vacuum […]

Pregnancy is a wonderful process, but throw some nausea and back pain in the mix and it can be a long 9 months.  As I’m writing this my wife is in her second trimester with our first child. The first trimester was filled with nausea.  As she creeps through her second tri the nausea is […]

Ever wonder why a broken bone doesn’t hurt right away? How about why the sign of a heart attack is pain in the left arm?  Pain is more than being pinched and saying “OW!”  It’s complex and will present differently for different people at different times, even in the same injury.  By understanding how pain […]

Running seems like a simple enough task, but like any movement in athletics, it’s a skill. Unfortunately, most people don’t view running as a skill, so attention is not given to ensure people are doing it efficiently.  There are subtle nuances in the running stride that can lead to an excess loss of energy, something […]

Patients tell me everyday how tight their hamstrings are.  There are several reasons someone may feel tight but may not actually be tight. Additionally, if someone has been labeled as “tight” does it really matter?   This post will focus on runners, because we (yeah I’ll include myself in this) love to talk about how tight […]

My Embarrassing History At the beginning of my junior year of collegiate cross country, besides having a questionable hairstyle, I began noticing a pain in my heel.  At first I would only feel it when I was running.  Soon my first few steps each morning felt like walking on broken glass. It quickly began hurting […]

Our goal at TruMotion Therapy is to provide our patients with the most cutting edge, evidence-based treatments to get you out of pain and moving better.  Deep tissue laser therapy is the new addition to our line-up of therapies that already includes chiropractic care, myofascial release, dry needling, and functional movement training.   Is Laser […]

I have a love-hate relationship with the IT band.  It was my first injury as a runner.  As a high school freshman, I had to stop and walk on several runs because the pain on the outside of my knee was so bad. On one occasion it hurt too much to walk.  Fortunately, this brought […]

Waking up with aches and pains is not normal, especially if you didn’t fall asleep feeling that way.  You should feel refreshed when rolling out of bed.  If the mornings are rough your sleep position may be to blame.   When choosing the best sleep position it’s important to look at a couple factors: Does […]

Found in the mountains of Austria, Otzi “The Iceman” was well preserved for a 5,300 year old corpse.  What set Otzi apart from other ice-preserved bodies were the tattoos he had inked all over his body. Those studying The Iceman found the tattoos corresponded to traditional Chinese acupuncture points.  An autopsy of the body revealed […]

Chiropractic involves adjusting the joints of the spine and extremities.   Adjustments improve motion and neurologic function.   BENEFITS OF CHIROPRACTIC Chiropractic seeks to treat the root cause of your complaint, not just put a bandage on the symptoms. This ensures lasting results. Chiropractic is a safe, evidence-based treatment option for back pain, headaches, neck […]

BACK FACTS Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. It’s estimated that around 80% of people will experience back pain at least once in their lives. Most instances of LBP are mechanical and do not require drugs or surgery.   X-RAY VISION Having advanced diagnostic imaging has benefited the medical community […]

Everyone should have a basic physical maintenance routine to ensure longevity.  The goal of this routine should be to prevent injuries from happening and not as a treatment for once they’ve occurred.  The hard part is knowing where to start.  I’ve included 7 videos of mobility drills aimed at helping the running athlete, but they can […]

I see that sheepish look all the time from my runner patients when they tell me, “I definitely don’t stretch enough…”  Let’s take a step back for a moment and ask the question, do runners really need to stretch?   First off, does stretching even do what we think it does?  Does stretching make our […]

The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the body.  It begins in the calf muscle and attaches to the heel bone.  The tendon twists 90 degrees between the muscle and bone giving it the ability to act as a spring while running. Having a tendon that can store and release energy is one of […]

A couple weeks back I put out a blog post on Foods to Avoid. The food listed in that post promote inflammation, which is a major component of disease and injury. So now that you know which foods to avoid, you may be asking what should I be eating? Great question. Below are the foods […]