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Dysphagia (swallowing difficulty) is most often related to another health problems, including brain or spinal cord injury, neurological damage, neuromuscular disorders, and anatomical conditions. Dysphagia can have detrimental effects on pulmonary health and also impact nutritional intake. The right treatment depends on the cause established. Cervicogenic dysphagia is a cervical cause of difficulty in swallowing. This report describes a 53-year-old female patient with sore throat, swallowing difficulty for solids, and acid reflux for 2 years. Radiographs revealed anterior osteophytic lipping and kyphosis of the cervical spine and thoracolumbar (right convex) scoliosis. After 6 months of chiropractic treatment, her complaints and spinal deformity were obviously resolved. Our case report is unique in that the patient had an unusual presentation, i.e. cervical osteophytes, cervical kyphosis, and thoracolumbar scoliosis, which are all contributable causes of dysphagia. Correction of spinal deformity could result in positive treatment outcomes in selected patients with symptoms of cervicogenic dysphagia.

The cervical spine is responsible for allowing mobility and stability to the head and neck. Any deviation to the center of gravity of the head results in an increase in cantilever loads, which can be particularly damaging to the upper cervical joints. Excessive neck bending also exaggerates stretching through the cervical spine and all of the spinal structures below. It has been reported that forward head posture (FHP) can cause a multitude of disorders including cervical radiculopathy, cervicogenic headaches and cervicogenic dizziness. Most of these conditions manifest with clusters of painful symptoms and spine dysfunctions. The purpose of this case study is to describe the radiographic imaging considerations and to illustrate the potential impacts in symptomatic adults with FHP. We randomly selected radiographs of three individuals with FHP who had undergone cervical adjustment for cervical pain. The occipito-axial (C0-C2) and atlanto-axial (C1-C2) joints were assessed via the C0-2 distance from the C2 base to the McGregor line (Redlund-Johnell criterion) and the Ranawat C1-2 index, in addition to subjective radiographic parameters. By comparing the radiographs of before-and-after intervention of each patient, a regressive joint spacing was observed from both indices. Such a long-lasting stretching concordant with FHP was assumed to be hazardous to joint stability. A definite conclusion, however, cannot be drawn due to the small sample size and a lack of convincing measurements.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy characterized by progressive muscle weakness and pathognomonic skin eruptions. Systemic corticosteroid with or without an immunosuppressive agent is the current treatment of choice in most cases. Cutaneous disease in DM is often refractory and can become the most challenging component to manage effectively. Here, we report a case of recalcitrant DM in a 66-year-old female who sought chiropractic attention for recent episodes of pain and paresthesia in the neck and exacerbation of joint pain. As expected, the musculoskeletal complaints including neck pain, peripheral arthralgia, and muscle weakness that resolved within 1 month after starting treatment. Unexpectedly, dramatic remission of the characteristic skin rashes occurred concurrently. The underlying therapeutic mechanisms of chiropractic remain elusive. This case highlights the importance of family physicians becoming familiar with diagnosing the condition and using a multidisciplinary team approach to treat recalcitrant DM.

Adjacent segment pathology (ASP) refers to degenerative changes at segments immediately contiguous to previous spinal fusion. Its pathophysiology is hypothesized as being possibly due to altered biomechanical stresses on adjacent levels following spinal fusion or due to patient propensity to develop progressive degenerative change. This case report describes a 61-year-old female who presented with neck pain and cervical radiculopathy attributed to an anterior cervical discectomy and spinal fusion performed for degenerative disc disease 30 years earlier. ASP was seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiograph. Treatment consisted of cervical manipulation, soft-tissue mobilization, flexion-distraction decompression, and therapeutic ultrasound to release restriction and restore muscle strength. Following 34 sessions of chiropractic intervention, her symptoms were resolved. Patients with ASP will have ongoing shared care between general practitioners and secondary or tertiary care pain units. This report aims to build a shared understanding from the wider vision of ASP and help primary practitioners to manage ASP effectively.