Demyen Family Chiropractic

01/22/2026

Movement is imperative to avoiding this situation. Once you have it, movement is imperative to restore proper function as much as possible. ,,,,,

📌 Spinal Stenosis: Detailed Pathomechanics Explained

Spinal stenosis refers to a pathological narrowing of the spinal canal, lateral recess, or intervertebral foramina, leading to compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots. This narrowing most commonly develops due to age-related degenerative changes, particularly in the cervical and lumbar spine, where mobility and load-bearing demands are greatest.

From a pathomechanical perspective, the process usually begins with intervertebral disc degeneration. As discs lose water content and height, they bulge posteriorly into the spinal canal. Reduced disc height also alters segmental biomechanics, increasing load transfer to the facet joints and ligamentous structures. This shift accelerates degenerative cascades within the motion segment.

The facet joints respond to increased loading by undergoing hypertrophy and osteophyte formation. These bony overgrowths encroach into the spinal canal and lateral recess, further reducing space available for neural tissues. Facet joint degeneration also promotes abnormal spinal motion, contributing to micro-instability and progressive narrowing during extension-based postures.

A critical contributor to stenosis is ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and buckling. Normally elastic, this ligament thickens and loses elasticity with aging and chronic stress. During spinal extension, the thickened ligament buckles inward, significantly reducing canal diameter. This explains why symptoms of spinal stenosis typically worsen in standing and walking and improve with spinal flexion.

As canal dimensions decrease, neural compression and vascular compromise occur simultaneously. Compression of nerve roots disrupts axonal conduction, while reduced blood flow leads to ischemia of neural tissues. In lumbar spinal stenosis, this mechanism produces neurogenic claudication, characterized by leg pain, heaviness, numbness, or weakness that increases with walking and eases with sitting or forward bending.

Posturally and biomechanically, patients often adopt a flexion-biased posture to increase spinal canal area and reduce neural compression. While this strategy provides short-term symptom relief, it alters normal spinal alignment and load distribution, potentially accelerating degeneration at adjacent spinal segments.

🔹 Key pathomechanical takeaway:
Spinal stenosis is not caused by a single structure but results from a multifactorial degenerative process involving discs, facet joints, ligaments, and neural elements. Symptoms arise from the combined effects of mechanical compression, altered spinal kinematics, and compromised neural circulation.

🦴 Spinal stenosis is a dynamic condition—posture and movement play a critical role in both symptom provocation and relief.

01/15/2026

Treat this regularly. These situations are not easy to fix and take time. Fixing it is vital to health and well-being.

Dizziness rarely comes from just one place. Spinning, rocking, floating, or feeling off-balance are signs the brain’s balance system isn’t communicating clearly with the inner ear, eyes, neck, or autonomic nervous system.

Root causes often include vestibular dysfunction, brainstem or cerebellar signaling issues, visual-motor mismatch, neck or jaw input errors, dysautonomia, post-concussion changes, inflammation, or chronic stress keeping the nervous system stuck in survival mode.

When the brain receives mismatched sensory signals, it compensates—leading to instability, fatigue, brain fog, and fear of movement. The key isn’t suppressing symptoms, but identifying which system is driving the imbalance and restoring proper neurological input.

At NWI, care is precise and drug-free, using vestibular and gaze training, balance and posture rehab, autonomic regulation, vagal support, and noninvasive brain and spinal neuromodulation.
Dizziness isn’t a mystery or a life sentence—the brain can recalibrate when given the right signals.

📍 Book a consult — Link in bio
Wood Dale, IL | Chicago, IL | Boca Raton, FL | Waukesha, WI

01/08/2026

Breakdown in biomechanics lead to degeneration and pain. These breakdowns are cumulative and happen over time. When correcting these issues it also takes TIME. Healing and correction is a process .. not an event.

🧠🦴 Imbalances Caused by Micro-Injuries Over Time

Ever wondered why pain shows up in places far away from where the real problem started?

This image perfectly explains how small, repeated stresses (micro-injuries) can slowly disturb the body’s alignment and biomechanics 👇

🔹 Headache in the temple
Often linked to poor neck posture, upper cervical muscle tension, or prolonged screen use.

🔹 Crick or stiffness in the neck
Usually a result of forward head posture and uneven loading of cervical muscles.

🔹 Back ache
Spinal compensations develop when the pelvis or shoulders are misaligned, increasing stress on lumbar and thoracic regions.

🔹 Knee stiffness
Hip or pelvic imbalance alters knee mechanics, increasing rotational and compressive forces.

🔹 Heel discomfort
Faulty alignment above (knee–hip–pelvis) changes foot loading, leading to plantar stress and heel pain.

👉 Key takeaway:
Pain is often a symptom, not the source. The body works as a chain — dysfunction at one level creates compensations elsewhere.

✅ Early correction with posture awareness, mobility work, strength training, and biomechanical assessment can prevent long-term damage.

📌 Treat the cause, not just the pain.

01/08/2026

Everything in your body is linked. Increasing the strength of your diaphragm with exercise and specific diaphragmatic breathing is important for so many reasons..... this is just one!

12/18/2025

Breakdown in health is not an event.. it is a process.... Restoration of health is also a process... do something right enough, long enough, the end results are predictable..

12/11/2025

Another really good breakdown by my colleague Dr. Traster, breaking down what the body needs to keep everything functioning correctly and what happens when it fails. This is what our care helps restore. Your care is important to your longevity..

Why mechanoreceptors are the unsung heroes of balance, clarity, and coordination

12/08/2025

Adjustments improve blood flow, oxygen delivery and healing within the body.....

Resolution of Symptoms Following Chiropractic in a Woman Suffering From Ulcerative Colitis: A Case Study.

Steve Bearden, DC & Dana Mahan, DC.

Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research ~ Volume, 2025. Pages 57-63



https://vertebralsubluxationresearch.com/2025/06/15/1799-resolution-of-symptoms-following-chiropractic-in-a-woman-suffering-from-ulcerative-colitis-a-case-study/

12/06/2025

Whiplash associated disorder can involve breakdown in different areas of you sensory system, which causes the brain and body to struggle to do common everyday things. Unfortunately, if left uncorrected only gets worse over time.

How chiropractic care supports the body’s natural healing after whiplash-associated disorders by restoring alignment, nerve function, and overall balance

10/02/2025

The health benefits from exercise are far greater than you realize! Take ACTION!

Most people think of their calf muscles only in terms of movement, but they play a far greater role. The soleus and gastrocnemius muscles act as a powerful “second heart,” pushing blood back up to your chest every time they contract. Tiny one-way valves in your veins work alongside this pump to keep circulation flowing against gravity.

When the calf pump weakens from too much sitting or lack of activity, circulation slows. This can raise the risk of blood clots, varicose veins, swelling, and even heart strain. But the good news? Just a few minutes of simple daily moves like calf raises, ankle flexes, or walking can keep these muscles strong and your blood flowing.

A healthy calf pump means better circulation, reduced blood pressure, and long-term protection for your heart. Take care of your calves they’re working overtime for your health.

📚 References:

Cleveland Clinic: Why the Calf Muscle Is Called the “Peripheral Heart”

09/02/2025

The sooner a potential problem is identified, the sooner corrective action can be taken, and the better the longterm outcome will be.

This is why I disagree with pediatricians who put “normal” development on a broad scale and tell parents that they shouldn’t be too concerned if their child is late crawling, walking, talking, or achieving other major milestones.

Yes, children are individuals and therefore different, and everyone develops at their own pace. However, this is true only to a degree— and in my experience it is a small degree.

Sure, if a child doesn’t walk exactly at age one, it’s not of immediate concern. But if a child isn’t walking by fourteen months, then it should be a concern.

Developmental problems are not usually considered until a child is three years old and not yet speaking. However, most children could be diagnosed at least a year and sometimes two years earlier if closer attention were paid to their milestones.

⭐An excerpt from the book "Disconnected Kids" by Dr. Robert Melillo
👉 https://amzn.to/3ya3vOE for all of Dr. Melillo's books on Amazon!

07/30/2025

Gabapentin a drug commonly prescribed for back pain, radiating nerve pain and most commonly for peripheral neuropathy has been linked to dementia. Come speak with us regarding corrective, conservative treatment for these conditions, that do NOT involve prescription meds!

A drug widely used to treat nerve pain and epilepsy has been linked with an increase in cases of dementia and mild cognitive impairment.