Shoulder, Arm and Hand Pain

02/24/07

Commonsense Chiropractic Care
Dr. Lee DeBlon

Shoulder, Arm and Hand Complaints

Problems with any areas of neck, shoulder and the arm down through the hands and fingers are called by numerous names by patients. Depending on the age of the patient I might hear about their rheumatism or their arthritis. With slightly younger people I might hear about frozen shoulder or DJD (degenerative joint disease) which is still called osteoarthritis by many people. Some will know about tendonitis, bursitis, fibromyalgia, fibrositis, strains and sprains and all the inflammatory conditions that go along with their problems. A lot of people blame their conditions on old age.
It’s true that age has a minor role in these types of problems, but why is it that one shoulder hurts and the other doesn’t?. This has to do with a lifetime of injuries, falls, jolts, serious accidents from cars, motorcycles and work. After a time they seem to catch up with all of us and cause us some sort of minor discomfort to extreme pain and dysfunction.
One of the most common injuries to the nerves running from your neck down your arm is called a “Brachial Plexus Injury”. It’s when the nerves become slightly to majorly compressed as they exit the spine to go to the various areas from your neck to the tips of your fingers. Whiplash is a term we’ve all heard at one time or another. This being a violent snapping of the neck. Whiplash along with many other types of injuries can cause this compression or pinching of the nerves. Depending on which nerve is being compressed the symptoms can be minimal or quite complex. They can range from neck soreness, stiffness and pain to;… excruciating pain running the entire length of the arm to the fingers. Sometimes there is pain somewhere in the arm but no neck pain. Sometimes there is no pain but numbness, a positive sign of nerve involvement. But the most severe signs are when a patient has loss of control of the arm, hand and fingers; …or has discoloration of the arm and hand indicating some sort of circulatory problem also. Conditions such as common headache, migraine, facial pain, dizziness, stiff or painful motion of the neck, throat conditions and  nasal problems can all be related to the neck and upper arm and shoulder areas. One of the most common conditions that most people have heard about since the early 90’s is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS. Increasing numbers of people are seeking the corrective care that Chiropractic offers and getting results that other methods were not able to achieve. Although Chiropractic’s success with shoulder, arm and hand problems is well documented, it is not a treatment for these problems. Chiropractic’s approach, is one of total (whole) body health of the patient. We correct the misalignments of the spine, allowing the body’s nerves to gain control once again of the areas of the body they communicate with. If the damage is not permanent in nature,…health and function will return. Many times patients tell us of all their other problems that correct themselves besides the ones that got them into our offices. That’s when we see the understanding set in,…. that Chiropractors treat more than backaches and neck aches and that it’s a lifetime healthcare that keeps the entire body running and properly functioning like a well tuned machine. And no matter what the problem or malfunction is called, …a person is better off having their spine checked periodically than waiting for the signals (symptoms) of  body malfunction to become severe. There’s an old saying,…”If people paid attention to their little health problems, they wouldn’t have big problems”.If anyone wants to call and speak to us,….do not hesitate to call or take advantage of our FREE CONSULTATION which we have always offered for 22 years. The number is 253-0904