Shoulder/Arm/Hand problems

Shoulder and Arm Injuries

Our New York Chiropractor has over 10 years experience treating shoulder injuries with non surgical approaches.

Brachial Plexus Injury
People sometimes blame their joint or organ problems on "old age" even though they have many other joints and organs that are just as old that have no problems. Irritation to the nerves would be a more accurate analysis.
The nerves that make up the brachial plexus may be irritated as they exit the spinal column. This may occur when the spinal bones in the neck and upper back are misaligned and damage the very nerves they are supposed to protect.
What causes the spinal bones to misalign? Dearly any injury or "trauma" could do it. Old injuries such childhood falls, sports mishaps, car accidents (especially whiplash±a situation where the head and neck are suddenly "snapped" forward and backward) and sleeping in an awkward position could damage the spine. Even birth stress could cause spinal nerve damage that can affect the arms, shoulders and hands.

Results Of Brachial Plexus Injury
Depending on which brachial plexus nerves are damaged, different symptoms may be experienced. There may be muscle weakness; there may be neck pain or stiffness with or without pain that spreads or "radiates" to the shoulder, arm, wrist, hand or fingers. Sometimes there is no neck pain but pain in the arm, wrist, fingers or hand. Sometimes there's numbness, sometimes there's pain and numbness and sometimes there are strange nerve sensations ("pins and needles").

Other Conditions
Because of the complicated way nerves interrelate, headache; migraine; facial pain; dizziness; limited, painful or stiff motion of the head and neck; throat conditions; thyroid and nasal problems; epilepsy and even lower back pain have been reported as a result of neck or brachial nerve plexus irritation.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS is now so common it's called an "occupational disease." Symptoms include tingling and numbness in the hand, fingers and wrist pain. intense that it awakens you at night and similar symptoms in the upper arm, elbow, shoulder or neck. "Faulty enervation caused by spinal joint lesions is one of the main factors in the production of wrist swelling, carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow." Increasing numbers of CTS sufferers are seeking out the non-drug, non-surgic approach that chiropractic offers.

The Chiropractic Approach

Cold Laser Therapy coupled with Chiropractic care currently is the most effective treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Brachial Plexus Injury. It is currently FDA approved, No side Effects, No surgery, Non Invasive and effective (see what our New york Chiropractic patients are saying about Cold Laser).
Chiropractic's success with shoulder, arm, wrist and hand problems is well documented, our New York City Chiropractor has advanced training in dealing with both CTS and Brachial Plexus injuries.
The chiropractic approach to shoulder and hand problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, brachial plexus injury or to any health problem is to analyze your spine to locate and correct a serious nerve-damaging spinal condition called the vertebral subluxation complex (VSC).

Vertebral Subluxation Complex
The VSC is a misalignment of your spinal bones that puts stress on your nerves, bones, ligaments, discs, tendons, muscles, tissues and internal organs. Your nervous system coordinates and organizes your entire body and its proper functioning is essential for physical and neurological health. If there is any damage to it, the effects can be profound.
Your doctor of chiropractic is specially trained to locate and correct the VSC. Unless corrected, vertebral subluxations in your body can cause or contribute to many health conditions and prevent or interfere with the normal healing process.

Chiropractic care will "adjust" or correct it. This will release spine and nerve pressure and help restore the healthy flow of nerve impulses between your brain and your body parts and help rebalance your system.

Prevention
Many of the problems caused by an unhealthy spinal column can be corrected and more serious problems prevented by having your and your family's spines checked on a periodic basis. An ancient Chinese medical saying is: "If people paid attention to their little health problems, they wouldn't have big health problems."

references
Wilbourn A, Porter J. Thoracic outlet syndromes. In Spine: State of the Art Reviews. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company. 1988;2:4.
Cailliet R. Neck and Arm Pain. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company. 1979:22.
Spinal nerve damage in the neck could affect nerves going to the shoulder, arm and hand