Shoulder Pain
Shoulder, Arm, Hand, & Neck Pain
A sprain, strain, frozen shoulder, bursitis, neuralgia, rheumatism, bursitis, bursitis, and bursitis are all terms that refer to conditions of the neck, shoulders, arms and hands. Your brain is what controls your muscles in your shoulders, arms, and hands. Your nervous system is composed of billions of nerve fibers that carry signals to and from your brain. While some of these nerves go directly to their destination points, others mix with other nerves to form complex nerve networks. Throughout the shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist, hand, and fingers are various nerves that take information from the brachial plexus, situated between the middle and upper back.
It is possible for the nerves in the brachial plexus to become irritated as they leave the spinal column. This can occur when the vertebrae in the neck and upper back are misaligned or don’t have the range of motion they typically should so that they damage the nerves they are supposed to protect. A bone can become misaligned or lock down as a result of injury or trauma, decreasing range of motion. Accidents or falls down can cause the vertebrae to become misaligned, or cause them to not work properly. Even sleeping in an awkward position can cause the vertebrae to become misaligned.
A tight brachial plexus can also be caused by muscle and joint tightness throughout the chest and shoulder. This can be caused by structural characteristics, such as previously sustained shoulder injuries or anatomical variations, or can result from sedentary lifestyles, such as sitting at a desk. Numbness, tingling, and pain in the arm can also be caused by pressure on nerves and blood vessels. This is also known as “thoracic outlet syndrome”.
Brachial plexus damage can produce different symptoms based on its location of the trama.
Common symptoms to the shoulder, arm, wrist or hand are:
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle numbness
- Neck pain
- Neck stiffness
- Decreased range of motion in the neck, shoulder, elbow or wrist
As a result of irritation to the brachial plexus nerve, you may experience headaches, facial pain, dizziness, thyroid or nasal problems, in addition to symptoms in your arm or neck.
Numbness and tingling in the hand are common symptoms. Intense pain causes sufferers to wake up at night. The reason for this pain is the swelling in the wrist. It is common for people to confuse nerves that are disrupted by the spine, muscles, or joints with carpal tunnel syndrome, however, this requires a completely different kind of treatment from a chiropractor. It is possible that these misdiagnosed conditions may lead to unnecessary injections or surgery when they could have been treated comfortably and effectively with conservative chiropractic care and Active Release Technique.
In recent years, the number of people seeking chiropractic treatment for shoulder pain and neurologic symptoms has increased. Chiropractic techniques analyze the body’s structure to identify and correct nerve-damaging structural issues known as subluxations. Chiropractic sports medicine can further help through functional training, rehab exercises, and Active Release Technique (A.R.T. ), a gold standard in soft tissue therapy. As a result, the pain will be eliminated, and the underlying structural problem will be corrected, thereby alleviating arm, wrist, and hand problems.
