Donald Wegener, D.C.

Most people have rolled an ankle in their lifetime.  Usually, an ankle sprain heals without any consequence, but that isn’t always the case. According to the current research, a third or more of lateral ankle sprain patients may experience long-term problems like ankle instability that necessitates splinting or taping the ankle before engaging in sports [..]

Each year, surgeons perform hundreds of thousands of total hip arthroplasties (hip replacements), and the most common reason is osteoarthritis of the hip. This condition isn’t caused by an underlying disease, rather it’s due to wear and tear of the hip joint from everyday activities over time. Not only can osteoarthritis of the hip be [..]

The shoulder is a complex structure that consists of four joints that work together to allow for a large range of motion. Unfortunately, this flexibility results in instability and an elevated risk for injury. Perhaps the well-known shoulder injury is a rotator cuff tear, which will affect at least one-in-five persons during their lifetime. While [..]

In addition to being the largest joint in the body, the knee is also very complex and consists of several components that all work together to help us stand, walk, run, jump, and climb. The patella, or kneecap, is located in the front of the joint at the distal end of the femur and rides [..]

There are many studies that support the theory that kinetic chain dysfunction in the lower extremities—the foot, ankle, knee, or hip injury and/or condition—can alter normal lumbo-pelvic biomechanics, which can lead to low back pain. Let’s take a look at how abnormal motion in the hip can affect the lower back. A 2015 literature review [..]

The shoulder is a very complex region that is comprised of multiple joints and muscle attachments, a strong joint capsular ligament, and multiple nerves and blood vessels that pass into the arm to bring motor and sensory function to the hand and fingers. One condition of the shoulder that may drive a patient to seek [..]

The Cleveland Clinic reports that knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a very common condition that will affect about 46% of us in our lifetime, usually after age 40. The condition is characterized by the gradual breakdown of the cartilage in the knee joint until eventually the bone on either side of the joint rubs together causing [..]

Osteoarthritis is a common chronic joint condition that affects roughly 10% of adults in the United States. Because it’s associated with obesity and advancing age, the condition is becoming more and more common. Two of the most common parts of the body affected by osteoarthritis include the hips and knees, which can cause considerable disability [..]

The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints of the body, which allows us to engage in overhead movements that make life easier. However, this comes at a cost. In order for the shoulder to have such a wide range of motion (ROM), it has less stability than most other joints. In fact, shoulder [..]

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the most performed operating room procedure in the United States, and the number of surgeries is projected to increase by 400% (to 3.5 million a year) in the next twenty years due to prolonged longevity, the rise in obesity, and increasing rates of osteoarthritis. The surgery itself traumatizes the surrounding [..]