Dr. Pete Lazarnick "Dr. Pete": Blog

Do you feel soreness in your hip when you walk upstairs or lie on your side? The problem might not be in the joint. At the Carrollton chiropractic office of Dr. Pete Lazarnick (Dr. Pete), we offer a variety of complementary, uninvasive, non-addictive treatments for all sorts of musculoskeletal problems. Among those problems are hip bursitis, the inflammation of bursae. A bursa is a sac of fluid that tendons slide over, sparing them from having to rub directly against bony ridges. There are hundreds of them in the body, but the largest and likeliest to be injured are the trochanteric bursae. The trochanteric bursae are located on the outward facing side of each femur on a notch near the top of the bone. When the bursa suffers an acute injury or becomes overused, it becomes inflamed and develops a dull pain, especially when it is subjected to pressure.  Hip bursitis is more likely to occur in women and older people. We identify it through a combination of x-rays, which may show calcium ...

Given how much time most people spend seated, it’s no surprise that back and neck pain are extremely common. It’s never optimal for people to hold the same position for an extended period, but there are a lot of common mistakes that office workers, in particular, are prone to making. At the Carrollton chiropractic office of Dr. Peter Lazarnick (Dr. Pete), we provide complementary, minimally invasive treatments for subluxations and stiff muscles. But to maintain good musculoskeletal health, people need to know how to stay aligned while they’re at work. When you’re sitting at your desk, you want your feet to be flat on the ground while your back is straight. Sit as far back in your chair as you can, and your legs should only slightly slope downward, with space between your knees and the edge of the chair. Your shoulders should be raised slightly by the armrests, and you should be able to keep your arms straight when you reach for the keyboard. You’ll also want to keep your monitors at e...

When people are suffering from joint problems, they often need pain relief for both their hard and soft tissues. At the Carrollton chiropractic office of Dr. Peter Lazarnick (Dr. Pete), we offer chiropractic adjustments for problems in the spinal column. But to relieve strain on its surrounding muscles, as well as those in the limbs, we provide several safe, complementary options, including electric muscle stimulation. Electric muscle stimulation, or e-stim, is the use of electrical currents to make muscles contract. The currents are generated in a vibrating machine and are delivered to the patient through wired pads placed on their body. The contractions force blood to circulate out of inflamed muscles, allowing blood with fresh nutrients to take its place. This reduces discomfort and allows the muscles to strengthen and heal more quickly. Most people describe electric muscle stimulation as painless, and a few find that it tingles. It is commonly used during physical therapy to help ...

Facet Joint Syndrome is one of the most common of painful conditions. It affects the joints in the back of the spinal column that connect vertebrae together, and the pain it causes can be widespread. Fortunately, with safe, conservative treatment, we at the Carrollton chiropractic office of Dr. Peter Lazarnick (Dr. Pete) can relieve patients from pain while putting their joints in the best position for complete, natural healing. The facet joints allow the spine to move in all directions and are complex structures. They may be damaged by sudden trauma, such as whiplash, or their dysfunction may develop gradually as a result of degeneration in the cartilage or nearby spinal discs. Small tears in the joint’s tissue can cause its components to slide out of place (a subluxation) and trigger spasms in the nearby muscles. Degeneration is likelier to occur when the joints are subjected to excessive weight and are overused in a repetitive manner. It is often difficult for patients to determine ...

When people think about lower back pain, they naturally envision a problem in the lumbar region of the spine. But in fact, pain frequently radiates from the sacroiliac joints, the places where the fused vertebrae at the base of the spinal column (the sacrum) connect with the pelvis. Dr. Peter Lazarnick (Dr. Pete) is an experienced chiropractor in Carrollton, Georgia, who can help patients to better recover from this condition without reliance on dangerous drugs or surgeries. The pelvis bears a lot of weight and the joints in it can easily become worn down. “Sacroiliitis” specifically refers to dysfunction in the sacroiliac joint accompanied by inflammation, but inflammation is not always present. It can also result from a traumatic injury. People with sacroiliitis may experience pain between their lower backs and their thighs, and it is often worse when they have been standing or sitting for a long time or after walking up stairs. The pain may be sharp or achy, and it sometimes only pr...

If you’ve ever played contact sports, you’re doubtlessly familiar with stingers. Also called burners, stingers are injuries felt in the neck and shoulder. Although they are often short-lived, they could be a sign of more trouble to come, which is why we at the Carrolton chiropractic office of Dr. Peter Lazarnick (Dr. Pete) want our patients to seek an evaluation if they suffer one. The nerves to the arm emerge from the neck vertebrae and bundle together in the shoulder. If the head is suddenly pushed too far while the arm is being pushed the other way, the shoulder nerves may be briefly compressed. This would cause a sudden, shooting pain accompanied by a feeling of heat or numbness. A person’s first stinger usually does not last for more than a few minutes, but having suffered one puts them at greater risk for suffering more, which may get worse. We use imaging testing and manual examinations to determine whether a patient has suffered damage to the spinal column itself. If the proble...

Did you know that lower back pain is one of the strongest indicators of whether an older person will suffer a fall? The association isn’t incidental; pain often causes people to change their movements in ways that cause them to lose their balance. At the Carrolton chiropractic office of Dr. Peter Lazarnick (Dr. Pete), we help older patients manage pain without dangerous medications, but fall prevention also requires lifestyle changes. We assess whether a patient’s lower back and limb muscles are doing their part to keep them stable and aligned. We can make chiropractic adjustments to return the joints to their proper position, but exercise is necessary to keep them in place. Older patients often favor low-impact exercises, such as swimming and use of a stationary bicycle, that will not subject their spinal discs to jostling (although they should be mindful to frequently change positons while on the bicycle). It is also crucial to maintain ankle strength and flexibility, since the rest ...

Sciatica can have several causes. There are many places where the sciatic nerve can be pinched, but one of the most common ones is where its crosses the piriformis muscle. We at the Carrollton chiropractic office of Dr. Peter Lazarnick (Dr. Pete) are extensively trained in manipulation of the deep soft tissues, making us uniquely suited to help patients with pain in this region. There are two piriformis muscles. Each originates from the sacrum, the structure of fused vertebrae at the bottom of the spine, and stretches to the top of the femur. These muscles rotate the legs outwards and are directly on top of the sciatic nerves, which lead to the legs. When they are inflamed, experiencing spasms, or out of place, they can compress the sciatic nerve, causing shooting pain, numbness, or tingling down either leg. Usually, only one piriformis muscle is causing problems. Diagnosing Piriformis Syndrome is done through process of elimination. Our doctors will determine whether a patient’s sciat...

Have you developed weakness in your shoulder? Does it often hurt when you wake up? You may be suffering from a rotator cuff tear. Shoulder injuries are one of the most common ailments we treat at the Carrollton chiropractic office of Dr. Peter Lazernick (Dr. Pete). We are experts in soft tissue therapies that will relieve a patient’s pain and allow them to regain their range of motion without drugs or surgery. The rotator cuff is the bundle of tendons that holds the ball of the humerus, or upper arm bone, inside the socket of the shoulder joint. It is lubricated by a bursa located above the joint and below the end of the collar bone, or clavicle. Overuse can cause the fibers making up the tendons and muscles to fray. This is likelier to happen as people age and their muscles aren’t supplied with as much blood. Their bones may also grow spurs, which wear away at soft tissue fiber. Often, damaged muscle becomes inflamed, which puts pressure on the surrounding tissues. We offer several co...