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A Diagnosis of “Lower Crossed Syndrome” to Relieve Back Pain

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Holistic Practitioner Spotlight with Dr. Robert M. Press

Chiropractic Physician

We are speaking with Dr. Robert Press, MS, DC, CES who uses a variety of modalities and diagnostic techniques to help resolve complex and chronic pain issues.  As a certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, he also incorporates movement assessment and functional movement therapies into his practice.

Tell Us a Story About  a Patient You Diagnosed with Lower Crossed Syndrome and How Your Treatment Relieved Back Pain

I had the pleasure of evaluating Dawn, a mid-thirties female patient with a history for many years of right-sided lower back pain that she had described as “sciatica”. Dawn acknowledged that she could sit for as long as she wanted, but standing or lying down flat was uncomfortable. Driving longer distances triggered pain radiating down the right leg to the knee. She also worked sitting at a desk pretty much most of her working day. This patient sought chiropractic care in the past, but only had experienced temporary relief.

My neurological and orthopedic evaluations were unremarkable. And except for pain when leaning backward (extension), Dawn’s range of motion in the low back was totally normal. Muscle testing revealed that her hip flexors were in spasm on both sides as was confirmed when assessing the difficulty of bringing her knee towards the chest when the hip flexors contract. In addition to the tight hip flexors, she exhibited other muscle imbalances in the glutes (butt muscles), and other muscle groups. Overactive muscles can force joints and adjacent muscles to work harder to stabilize and counter these unrelenting forces. This added up to a diagnosis of “Lower Crossed Syndrome”.

I explained how prolonged sitting can cause the hip flexor muscles to become shortened. The muscle imbalances affected her lower back , but simply adjusting the spine would not fix her problem. What would provide a durable relief of Dawn’s symptoms of Lower Crossed Syndrome was a muscle therapy called “Pin-and-Stretch” which is a technique that focuses a powerful stretch to a specific region of the target muscle. In this case the stretch encourages the affected section of her hip flexor muscles to lengthen. I taught her how to stretch this muscle group and keep it from tightening up again, and then how to activate and strengthen her inhibited glutes with certain exercises.

Dawn reported feeling significant relief after just the first visit. And after two treatments, she was nearly 100% better! Armed with faithfully applying the knowledge of how to keep this problem of Lower Crossed Syndrome from coming back in the future, Dawn has not had any significant lower back pain in over a year.

Why and When Did You Choose the Holistic Path?

I became a chiropractic doctor because I wanted to help people get out of pain without using drugs or surgery. Back and neck pain make up the significant majority of causes for disability. Being able to help people get out of pain, especially after years of chronic pain, is extremely rewarding.

I decided to pursue a career in chiropractic medicine at least in part because my father, Dr. Stephen J. Press was a very prominent chiropractic doctor, who founded the International Sports Chiropractic Federation (FICS) and was the chief doctor for the Soviet Olympic Team in 1992. Growing up with a chiropractic background certainly influenced my decision to go into this field.

What Lessons Have Your Work and Personal Experiences Taught You?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is not to surrender my clinical judgement to others. If something doesn’t feel quite right, it probably isn’t.

What Would You Like Your Patients to Know About Your Services that They May Not be Aware of?

Chiropractic care is a lot more than just adjusting the spine (although that’s important too). It’s important to remember that muscles move bones and joints, not the other way around. Movement assessment is critical to developing a care plan that results in a permanent improvement.

Biography

Dr. Press graduated from New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Master of Science in Computer Science in 2007

in 2011, Dr. Press graduated with honors from National University of Health Sciences’ Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine program.

He completed a fellowship in research where he served as both the Spinal Morphometry fellow and a research assistant.

Dr. Press is certified as a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and incorporates movement assessment and functional movement therapies into his practice.

Dr, Robert M. Press, MS,DC,CES
North Jersey Whole Health Center, LLC
546 Broad Avenue
Englewood, NJ  07631

Visit Dr Press’ Website

See more Practitioners like Dr Press in our Holistic Health Directory

Andy & Vinny DiLorenzo

About Us

As holistic dentists, we've recommended products and services that supported our patients’ health for decades. In experiencing our own health challenges from mercury toxicity, we worked closely with many natural, alternative, and integrative health practitioners who aided our recovery as well as our patients’. We built this site to provide you with a simple-to-use, comprehensive, informational, and functional resource for your physical, emotional, and spiritual health & well-being.

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