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After being diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, it’s associated symptoms are often a cause for anyone to seek immediate medical attention. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition caused when the median nerve, found within the carpal tunnel of the wrist, is compressed as a result of irritation, inflammation, or other underlying condition, and is characterized by symptoms of numbness and tingling sensations, weakness, and pain in part of the hand or certain fingers. Although carpal tunnel syndrome is well-known as a complication of the wrist, spinal chiropractic adjustments can help with the condition. In fact, many cases of carpal tunnel syndrome can relate to complications on the cervical spine or neck. The median nerve or other nerves that travel through the hands may be impinged at the wrist but those same nerves originate from the neck. Any spinal complication causing a subluxation or misalignment of the spine, restricted mobility in the vertebra, or direct trauma from an injury to the spine, can interfere with the nerve impulse transmissions that trail down the arms and into the hands. A neck issue as the origin of carpal tunnel syndrome can commonly be determined when both hands are affected by the condition and its symptoms. A chiropractor can help diagnose the source of an individual’s carpal tunnel syndrome. Chiropractic adjustments to the spine will gradually assist to re-align the spine and slowly release compression of the nerves that could be occurring on the spine.
Chronic stress, is a response to an emotional pressure that occurs for an extended period of time which an individual is unable to control. On a daily basis, people are constantly exposed to situations that could trigger a stress response on their body, whether it’s from a long, hard day at work behind a desk or an upcoming test. For some individuals, the stress on their body becomes overly constant and eventually, they begin to develop chronic pain symptoms. First of all, the position of the body while sitting at a computer is usually that of an incorrect posture. By spending long periods of time in front of a computer screen, a person will gradually start to bend forward from the natural sitting position, creating strain throughout the spine and its surrounding muscles. Also, the incorrect seated position causes the hip flexors to chronically contract, causing low back pain. Any additional stress after this point can often add tension to the shoulders, further straining the muscles around the upper back and neck. Through time, the body recreates this cycle over and over again, leading to chronic pain. Chiropractic care can also help relieve chronic pain caused by chronic stress. Chiropractic adjustments can help break the pain cycle by realigning the spine to help improve posture, decrease the tension on the muscles, and help prevent chronic stress from accumulating in the body.
Headaches, identified as pain or discomfort in the head, are the most frequent form of pain experienced by the general population. While the majority of headaches are relatively simple to reduce or eliminate, many people can experience constant head pain without knowing the true cause of their symptoms. As an individual suffering from chronic headaches, it’s important to foremost determine the origin of the headache. There are many injuries or conditions that could cause chronic headaches but, these are most commonly due to spine-related problems. The most common cause of headaches can relate to neck complications. From spending excessive time looking down at a laptop, desktop, iPad, and even from constant texting, an incorrect posture for extended periods of time can begin to place pressure on the neck and upper back leading to problems that could cause headaches. The majority of these type of headaches occurs as a result of tightness between the shoulder blades, which in turn causes the muscles on the top of the shoulders to also tighten and radiate pain into the head. If the source of the headaches is related to a complication of the cervical spine or other region of the spine and muscles, chiropractic care, such as chiropractic adjustments, manual manipulation, and physical therapy, can be a good treatment option. Also, a chiropractor may often follow up chiropractic treatment with a series of exercises in order to improve posture as well as offering advice for future lifestyle improvements to avoid further complications.
Feeling back pain and being unable to perform daily tasks can be frustrating for anyone and the debilitating symptoms can drive individuals to seek relief fast. But, while a person’s only concern at the time is to fix the day’s pain, fixing the root of the problem can be easily achieved by getting a chiropractic adjustment. After receiving a single adjustment, many people can expect an increase in their range of motion and less pain but, often times, the symptoms might be persistent. Regardless of your reasons for seeking chiropractic treatment, one question always crosses people’s minds, “how often should you see a chiropractor?”. The answer to that question depends on the individual’s goals. Generally, spinal complications are not the result of a single day’s activities but these tend to occur gradually over a period of time. Many spine conditions and injuries result in symptoms that may intermittently increase and decrease over several years, causing constant, nagging pain or sharp, extreme pain due to wear and tear type of injuries that the body is no longer able to heal on its own.
Have you ever experienced feeling pain during cold weather? You had probably been symptom free for a period of time but the day a cold breeze starts up, you’re now feeling pain and stiffness. While it’s not an unknown fact, it’s a fragment of essential information that many people tend to overlook. If you’ve been shivering from the freezing cold weather in the last 24-hours and both your neck and back began to feel sore, its time to take note of your posture. When feeling cold, did you hunch over trying to warm yourself up from the weather? Did you notice your neck being pushed forward while you held your shoulders to the level of your ears? Next time, pay close attention to your posture when you are sitting at your desk in the cold office or walking through the cold weather as you make your way to your car in the parking lot.
During the growing stages of children and adolescents, the structures of the body such as the bones, muscles, tendons and all other tissues begin to grow rapidly. Throughout these years, it’s also common for kids and teens to live active lives and participate in physical activities or sports but, as the body grows, the changing tissues can sometimes develop growth conditions or be more prone to suffer injuries. Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is a common condition causing knee pain in children and growing adolescents. It can be characterized as an inflammation located on the area just below the knee where the patellar tendon from the kneecap attaches to the tibia, or shinbone. Sinding Larsen Johansson syndrome (SLJ) is another condition resulting in knee pain in children and adolescents. This condition also occurs at the bottom of the patella or kneecap.
Nerve injuries can occur from a variety of conditions, disorders, or dysfunctions. From direct trauma to an underlying condition such as diabetes or arthritis, the peripheral nerves are most commonly the ones at a higher risk of suffering from damage or injury. Nerve injuries require a gradual process of treatments and the healing time in which the nerve can regenerate relies on the extent of the nerve damage and type of injury. Neuropraxia is a milder form of nerve injury where the nerve transmissions are completely blocked or interrupted but the nerve fibers, including the axon and protective sheath that make up the nerve, remain intact. The main cause for this condition is bone fracture or dislocation due to the nerve being suddenly stretched. In rare cases, neuropraxia can also occur as a result of blunt injury or prolonged pressure on the nerve. The most common signs and symptoms for neuropraxia include impairment or loss of normal motor or sensory function, weakness or paralysis of the muscles, abnormal sensations such as numbness, tingling, or burning sensations, and pain along the affected region of the nerve. When it comes to nerve injuries where the nerve has not been severed, such as neuropraxia, the healing process is gradual and can regenerate over the course of time. It is also possible to reduce the symptoms of the condition.
Temporomandibular joint disorder, simply abbreviated as TMJ, is a disorder that affects the joint that connects the jaw to the skull, the temporomandibular joint. According to Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology, this joint disorder affects more than 10 million Americans. TMJ causes a variety of symptoms however, this disorder has been known to cause anxiety. Anxiety is a condition that progressively develops over time through an individual’s life experiences or as a result of genetics. Besides these conditions, it is possible for anxiety to occur though other factors including Temporomandibular joint disorder. This condition can be difficult to experience on its own and its associated symptoms, along with anxiety, can challenge any person’s lifestyle.
The shoulders are the most mobile joints in the human body. Since the ball of the upper arm is anatomically larger than the shoulder socket that holds it, the shoulders are supported by muscles, tendons, and ligaments to ensure they remain in a stable or normal position. Because the shoulder can be unstable, it is often a site for many common issues to develop. Below are 5 common causes of shoulder pain and their associatedsymptoms.
Tendonitis is characterized by the inflammation and swelling of a tendon due to irritation. This painful condition most commonly occurs at the site where the tendon attaches to the bone. It may also occur along the length of the tendon, near the area where the muscle and tendon join together. The tendons are band-like structures of fibrous tissue that attach the muscle to bone. There are many tendons housed within the human body, varying in size, from large sized tendons found surrounding the knee joint to the smaller sized tendons found in the fingers. But, when these bands of tissue become irritated, they can swell and become inflamed. Shoulder tendonitis, or rotator cuff tendonitis is among one of the most common sites for damage or injury of the tendon.
An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprain or tear is known as one of the most common knee injuries frequently seen in athletes, although a torn ACL could result from everyday activities as well. High demand sports, such as soccer, football, and basketball, where rapid pivoting and turning are most frequent, can most often result in injury to the ligaments of the knee. An ACL injury can result in various ways but the great majority are non-contact related injuries. Incorrectly landing from a jump or stopping abruptly from a run are distinct causes for a torn ligament. Quickly changing direction may also result in injury. Occasionally, collision or direct contact, as in a football tackle, can also cause an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
The structure of the neck, or cervical spine, consists of 7 vertebrae, extending from the skull to the upper torso, or the thoracic spine. The bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles of the neck function together to support and balance the head as well as provide mobility. But, when a condition or injury causes an abnormality or damage to the cervical spine, the well-known symptoms of pain and stiffness can develop. Neck pain is occasionally experienced by many people although some causes for neck pain are more common than others.
Spasmodic torticollis, also known as cervical dystonia, is a medical condition in which the muscles of the neck involuntarily contract and causes the posture of the head to abnormally twist or turn to it’s side or in some cases, tilt forward or backward. Torticollis may also cause muscle spasms or pinched nerves that could result in symptoms of pain and discomfort. The symptoms are known to progress gradually and reach a stage where the condition stabilizes. A person affected by cervical dystonia may experience abnormal head movements towards a single direction or in different directions. Other symptoms include neck pain that radiates from the neck to the shoulders accompanied by severe headaches.
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Numbness in any portion of the hand or in specific fingers, followed by a tingling sensation and sharp pain traveling through the hands can occur as a result of various underlying conditions. Many people report symptoms suggesting the development of carpal tunnel syndrome but, although diagnosis might indicate the cause for the condition, sometimes a diagnosis could point to the incorrect root of the problem. The median nerve and various other tendons travel from the forearm to the hand through a small indentation in the wrist known as the carpal tunnel. The role of the median nerve is to provide movement and feeling in the thumb and first three fingers, excluding the smallest finger in the hand. When an individual begins experiencing the associated symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, such as tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain in the fingers or hand, these could be the result to an impingement of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel, generally caused by irritation on the nerves of the wrist. Although many people could experience numbness in their fingers, the compression could be occurring at another region within the body. Regardless of the cause of your symptoms, if you’re experienced numbness in the hands and fingers, you should consider seeking chiropractic care.
As an individual suffering from headaches and migraines, you are not alone. A large percentage of people often describe feeling symptoms associated with some form of head pain. While some might be occasional and dull and others may be more frequent and throbbing, headaches or migraine pain can be debilitating, especially depending on the type of injury or condition causing the symptoms. There are various ways to treat head pain but prevention can be one of the best ways to prevent headaches and migraines. Chiropractic care can help both treat and prevent chronic headaches and migraines. The majority of head pain symptoms generally originates from spinal misalignments, improper posture, and reduced spinal mobility as a result of direct injury or an underlying condition. Also, the muscles surrounding the cervical spine may at times develop poor contraction patterns, or scar tissue between the layers of the muscle that could also cause head pain. Many of these complications can improve with chiropractic treatments on the spine, specifically focusing on the neck and upper back. Finally, preventing headaches can simply be accomplished by staying active. However, while resuming back to any physical activities, keep in mind to avoid participating in exercises that could aggravate any injuries or conditions that caused the headaches or migraines in the first place.
Overusing devices, such as constant texting on a smartphone, can create a complication known as “text neck” pain. The majority of people spend an average of 8-10 hours of their day looking at a computer screen. While not using a computer, many people are looking down at a phone, iPad, book, or a kindle. We are often not following an appropriate posture when using these devices and the results are usually neck pain, muscle fatigue, and eventually, headaches. The human spine was naturally designed to support the head in its natural alignment with the spine. The head weighs approximately between 12-15 lbs. and when its supported in its proper posture, the head balances together with the spine and the skeleton. But, with a forward head posture, the weight of the head is supported by the muscles surrounding the neck and upper back instead of the spine. This posture is often the main reason for neck pain.
Waking up every morning with symptoms of neck pain and numbness are well-known among many people. While a sore neck and body weakness can commonly occur during sleep, an individual doesn’t have to live daily with these symptoms and several lifestyle changes can help. It’s important to evaluate the individual’s sleeping posture. Using feather pillows to sleep on which tend to become flat during the night or thin foam pillows are not suitable options to avoid waking up with neck pain and other symptoms. Many people usually read at night before going to bed. The posture used during this nighttime ritual can also strain the neck and lead to symptoms of pain and numbness. Changing bad habits that cause an improper posture and seeing a chiropractor to treat neck misalignments among other conditions is important in order to correct any damage from an improper sleeping position.
The nervous system is an extensive network of nerves that travels throughout the body, maintaining normal functions from breathing to controlling the muscles and regulating body temperature. But occasionally, injury or the development of underlying conditions candamage the complex nerves and result in nerve injuries. Nerve injuries can occur on any nerve within the human body and certain types of nerveinjuries are more frequently diagnosed than others.
At Injury Medical & Chiropractic Clinic, chiropractor Dr. Alex Jimenez offers innovative options and improved assistance for people who have experienced an injury as a result of an auto accident. Dr. Jimenez can provide complete care for automobile accident victims by offering help with legal referral services as well as extended chiropractic options for treating common auto accident injuries, such as soft tissue injuries and whiplash. After being involved in an automobile accident, symptoms of back pain, neck pain, and headaches most commonly result soon after. Whiplash is a soft tissue injury frequently diagnosed after a car crash and results when a person’s body has absorbed the great force of two automobiles impacting into each other. The term whiplash is used to describe a wide variety of injuries of the neck caused by an abrupt and rapid, back and forth snapping motion of the head, such as when an individual is rear-ended in a car. The symptoms for whiplash can range from mild neck pain, stiffness, and discomfort to severe injury on the spinal cord, fractures, or dislocations.
Neuropathy is a term that refers to damage or injury to the nerves. People who suffer from diabetes frequently experience this disorder due to the abnormal range of sugar in their blood. In cases of diabetes where the blood sugar is alarmingly high, the nerves that are passing through the blood vessels can become damaged. Managing diabetes is extremely important to treat neuropathy. With proper treatment, the affected person can lead a normal life. Neuropathy may cause further complications if the blood glucose levels are not within a normal range, therefore, it is essential to continue taking any prescribed diabetes medicines to keep the blood sugar levels under control. People with severe diabetes may be advised to take insulin injections. Diabetes that is not properly controlled can cause many health complications like neuropathy. Following a healthy lifestyle and the best treatment options for each person can play a crucial role in managing diabetes and helping prevent or treat diabetic neuropathy.
Peripheral neuropathy is a medical condition caused by damage to the peripheral nervous system, the central nervous system that transfers information from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the nerves in the body. The damage caused to the peripheral nervous system as a result of neuropathy interferes with the complex connection of nerves and communications. Each peripheral nerve serves a specialized function in every specific portion of the body, which can cause a wide variety of symptoms when the nerves are damaged. Individuals affected by peripheral neuropathy may experience temporary numbness, tingling or prickling sensations known as paresthesia, and sensitivity to touch or muscle weakness. In some cases, severe symptoms of the condition may occur, such as burning pain that intensifies at night, muscle wasting, paralysis, and organ or gland dysfunction.
The shoulder consists of three bones which come together to form the shoulder joint: the arm bone or the humerus, the collarbone or the clavicle, and the shoulder blade or the scapula at the glenoid. When an individual sustains damage or injury to the shoulder, any of these bones may be affected. Shoulder fractures may be characterized as any of the following types of injuries and the proper treatment should follow according to the broken bone.
Shoulder pain can be caused by a variety of factors. Many people usually seek medical help for their symptoms after suffering an accident that results in injury or when age begins to present discomfort in the shoulder joints among other but, a frequent diagnosis for shoulder pain given is shoulder bursitis. Shoulder bursitis is a medical condition which results in the inflammation of the bursa in the shoulder. These can be found near multiple joints and their role is to facilitate smooth movements and decrease friction between the various joints. But, when a bursa housed within the shoulder becomes inflamed, it can eventually lead to shoulder bursitis.
The hamstring muscles are the large group of muscles found on the posterior side of the thigh, extending from the bottom of the pelvis to the back of the shin bone. This set of tendons are essential towards the body’s functions to extend the hip joints and bend the knee joints. The hamstring is used during multiple sporting activities and everyday activities alike but, when you experience a pulled hamstring muscle, its symptoms can affect the body’s movements. There are different types of hamstring injuries and depending on the severity, symptoms can be categorized into three different grades, each varying from each other.
Whiplash is medically defined as an injury produced when the soft tissue in the spine is stretched and strained after the head jolts abruptly in a quick, back-and-forth movement in any direction. This sudden shift of the head often leads to the damage of the ligaments and tendons in the neck, causing the familiar symptoms associated with this type of injury. A whiplash injury commonly occurs during an automobile accident, although strenuous sports and activities, such as swimming, can also cause injury. The most common symptoms of whiplash are pain and stiffness in the neck that, despite being mild in most cases, can cause limited mobility in the individual or may cause headaches as a result.
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Carpal tunnel syndrome is most commonly a condition affecting the median nerve at the wrist but most frequently, this condition could be caused by spinal complications. Chiropractic treatment can help alleviate carpal tunnel syndrome and its symptoms by progressively re-aligning the spine through spine adjustments in order to release the compression of the nerves at the level of the spine that could be resulting in numbness, tingling, and pain in the hands and fingers. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.