Chapel Hill Chiropractor: Advice on Back and Neck Pain
Have you ever wondered why back or neck pain is so debilitating? For one reason, neck and back pain frequently accompany pain in other areas of the body. We find neck pain in people who have shoulder or arm pain, for instance. Carpal tunnel syndrome exists in people who have cervical spine problems, and tennis elbow sometimes follows irritation of the lower neck vertebrae. Wrist, arm, elbow and shoulder pain all share nerve connection with the neck.
Similarly, inflammation at the lower lumbar spine region many times precedes or follows foot problems such as plantar fasciitis or heel spurs and pain; knee derangement exists in people who have low back pain. The reason why neck and back pain is thus patterned is that the nerves that exit the spine carry messages to specific areas. When the vertebral column is injured and inflamed, the nerves exiting the spine at that level get irritated, pinched and far-reaching symptoms result. A chiropractic physician is a trained professional who can evaluate and treat neck, back, and shoulder, hip or knee pain because they recognize this connection and treat pain at its source.
The cervical spine has seven vertebrae with eight cervical nerves. Messages from the nerves which arise from the neck and exit from cervical vertebrae travel to and from muscles and ligaments of these upper extremity regions. Irritation at any point in the nerve pathway can affect the neck and upper limb. What this means is that problems originating in the wrist, for instance, can irritate the cervical spine, just like inflammation in the neck can hurt the wrist. To heal the system effectively, choose a healthcare provider such as a chiropractor who recognizes and treats the body as a whole.
Treatment of neck and shoulder to wrist pain needs to include vertebral care such as posture assessment and spine mobilization. Additionally, the muscles and ligaments of the upper limb need support to heal; treatment can consist of soft tissue massage and muscle stretches to repair altered nerve messages and pathways. In this multifaceted, holistic approach full recovery is expected sooner. Your chiropractic physician will mobilize vertebral subluxations to restore nerve connections and treat injured distal regions such as the wrist and shoulder using physical modalities such as massage, ultrasound therapy or muscle stretching.
The lumbar spine consists of 5 lumbar vertebrae and five lumbar nerves which travel to the hips, legs, knees, and feet. Treatment of lower extremity pain needs to include evaluation and mobilization of the spine to assist the nerves that signal a change in those areas. Likewise, when problems arise in the feet or knees or hips from injury, for instance, it is crucial to have the spine treated as well as the injured area to keep the nerve messages intact. A chiropractor is well suited to handle many types of upper and lower limb pain and disability and associated neck and low back pain.
If you have neck or back pain and want to avoid or need treatment for shoulder wrist and hip knee problems that follow, call the offices of Acupuncture and Chiropractic offices of Dr. Lisa Oskardmay in Chapel Hill, NC today. She is there to help!