Charles Archer, D.C.

Patellofemoral (PF) pain (or pain in the area of the knee cap) is a very common problem, especially in women because they naturally have a wider pelvis. A wider pelvis can cause a “knock-knee” effect, which can be exacerbated by flat feet and ankle pronation (rolling in at the ankles). The net result is that [..]

Hip pain is a very common cause for lost time in sports, and it can also interfere with one’s daily activities—including work! So, what are some of the more common injuries of the hip? MUSCLE STRAINS: This is probably the most common injury to the hip and groin because of the weight bearing “job” the [..]

Shoulder pain is common. If fact, it’s highly likely that many of you reading this currently have or have had a shoulder injury, as studies suggest that about 90% of us will tear our rotator cuff, labrum, and/or capsule at some point in time during our lives. So why is this so common? More importantly, [..]

The term “jumper’s knee” was first coined in 1973 to describe an injury to the tendon that attaches the lower (most common) to the prominence (tibial tuberosity) on the proximal shin bone (tibia) or the upper pole of the knee cap or “patella” to the quadriceps femoris muscle. Jumper’s knee is one of the more [..]

There are two types of muscles that help facilitate motion in our hips and lower extremities: tonic and phasic. Tonic (postural) muscles are always working or contracting to keep us upright. Therefore, these muscles tend to be tight and short. When we sleep, they contract or shorten and are taut upon waking and need to [..]

The shoulder is a unique joint because it has a great range of motion. Unfortunately, that benefit is negatively balanced with poor stability. This is likely why between 20-25% of the population is afflicted with shoulder pain at some point in life. One of the greatest challenges in managing shoulder pain of musculoskeletal origin (it [..]

The four compartments of the knee (anterior/front, medial/inside, posterior/back, and lateral/outside) are like dominos. Meaning, when one is injured, the others “start to fall.” This is due to compensatory changes in function—when one compartment is problematic, this places added strain or stress to other compartment(s). Hence, managing knee conditions often requires work on multiple compartments. [..]

WHAT IS IT? Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is one of the most common causes of hip and/or knee pain among athletes. The pain is caused from swelling or inflammation of a muscle group (including the tensor fascia lata or TFL, gluteus medius, and minimus muscles), the tendons that attach muscles to the knee or hip, [..]

Shoulder pain can arise from a multitude of places—from joints, muscles, tendons, and bursa in and around the shoulder region as well as from more distant locations like the neck, upper back, or even referred pain from the gall bladder. The onset of shoulder pain is highly variable as it can arise without an obvious [..]

The knee can be divided in four compartments—the front, inside, back, and outside—which intimately interact with each other. The compartment located in the front of the knee includes the knee cap (or patella), the groove in which it slides in, and the muscles that attach to the patella. The patella is the body’s largest “floating [..]