Shoulder, Arm, Elbow and Hand Problems

 

The Many Names For Shoulder Problems

Neuralgia, rheumatism, neuritis, bursitis, frozen shoulder, strains, sprains and rotator cuff problems are some of the terms used to describe neck, shoulder and arm conditions.

 

Brain Control

What controls your shoulders, arms, elbows and hands and fingers? Your brain and spinal cord interact with the rest of your body through a vast intelligence system made up of nerves called the nervous system. Our Nervous systems are housed in the skull and spinal column. Billions of nerves extend from the brain as a thick bundle called the spinal cord, travel down your spinal column or back and exit between your spinal bones to go nearly every part of your body.

 

Plexus

Some nerves go straight to their point of destination but some first mix with other nerves to form a complicated network called a nerve plexus.

 

Brachial Plexus

The brachial plexus is made up of branches of nerves that come out of the middle, lower neck, and upper back. From the brachial plexus, they branch off to supply different areas, especially the shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, hands, and fingers.

 

Old injuries even birth stress can cause spinal nerve damage that can affect the arms, shoulders, and hands.

 

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 nerves would be a more accurate analysis. This may occur when the spinal bones in the neck and upper back are misaligned (VSC-Vertebral Subluxation Complex) and damage the very nerves they are supposed to protect.

 

What causes the spinal bones to misalign? Nearly any injury or “trauma” could do it. Old injuries as a child when you fell or had a sports injury.  A bicycle or car accident (especially whiplash – An accident where the neck and head are suddenly “snapped” forward and backward) and sleeping in an awkward position could damage the spine further. Even birth stress could cause spinal nerve damage that can affect the arms, shoulder, and hands and effect you later in life.

 

Results of Brachial Plexus Injury

Depending on which brachial plexus nerves are damaged, different symptoms may be experienced. There may be muscles weakness; there may be neck pain or stiffness with or without pain that spreads or “radiates” to the shoulder, arm, wrist, hand, and finger. Sometimes there can be numbness, or numbness and pain or sometimes there are strange nerve sensations like pins and needles.

 

Other Conditions

Because of the complicated way nerves relate to, headaches, migraines; facial pain, dizziness; sore limited or stiff neck; throat conditions; thyroid and nasal problems; epilepsy and thoracic outlet syndrome.

 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS is now so common it’s called an “occupational diseases.” Systems include tingling and numbness in the hand, fingers, and wrist; pain so intense that it awakens you at night and similar symptoms in the upper arm, elbow, shoulder, or neck.

 

Chiropractic Approach

Although chiropractic’s success with shoulder, arm, wrist and hand problems are well documented, the chiropractic approach to shoulder and hand problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, brachial plexus injury or any health problem is to analyze your body structure to locate and correct a nerve-damaging structural condition called the subluxation.

 

Synergy Wellness offers both physical therapy and or chiropractic to achieve the best results for your problem.

 

Subluxation Complex

A subluxation is a misalignment of your spinal bones that put stress on your bones, nerves, ligaments, discs, muscles, tendons, tissues and organs. Your nervous system organizes and coordinates your entire body, and its proper functioning is essential for neurological and physical health if there is any damage to it, the results can be severe.

 

Your doctor of chiropractic is specially trained to locate and correct subluxations. Unless corrected, subluxations in your body can cause or contribute to many conditions and prevent normal ones from healing.

 

After your chiropractor has located your subluxations, whether in the cervical (neck) region, shoulder, elbow or wrist and hand region he or she will “adjust” and correct them.

 

Prevention

Many of the structural problems we commonly see causing unhealthy stress on joints in the body can be corrected and more serious issues prevented by having your, and your family’s bodies checked on a periodic basis or especially after an accident, slip or fall, no matter how minor you may think it is.

Ancient Chinese health saying is:

“If people pay attention to their little health problems, they wouldn’t have big health problems.”