The causes of shoulder and arm pain include tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, and gout. Whiplash injuries, common in auto accidents, can also cause shoulder and arm pain. But there are other, less-obvious causes of shoulder or arm pain. Each is distinguished by where it is felt, whether it comes on suddenly or over time, when it is at its worst, if the pain extends to other joints in your body, and if other symptoms--such as swelling, numbness, tingling, fever, fatigue, and insomnia--accompany the pain. Shoulder and arm pain may be referred from some other region of the body, as when someone suffering a heart attack feels pain in the left shoulder and down the left arm. The pain may also be referred from nerves associated with the joints in the upper spine or "trigger points" in the back, which are particularly responsive to chiropractic spinal adjustments designed to treat such problems.
The nerves in your arms originate in your neck, while nerves in your legs come from the lower back. If your spine shifts due to trauma or muscle imbalance, the nerves may become irritated and can cause pain and weakness. Your chiropractor will isolate the cause and discuss options with you to correct the problem. In the lower region of the neck, a network is created by several of the nerves exiting the spine. This wiring harness controls and coordinates the activities of the arm, forearm and hand. A similar network, created by nerves exiting the lower back, sends messages to the thighs, legs and feet. If you desire to ring a doorbell, pick-up and dial your cell phone, brush your teeth or take a walk in the park, the brain operates your upper and lower extremities through these hard-wired pathways. Even radiation of symptoms into the chest, head, face or jaw may have a spinal origin.
There are thirty bones, over forty muscles and fourteen major nerves making your arm more diligent, dexterous and adaptable than any tool mankind can emulate. Arm pain is a warning signal and should not be ignored. Often arm pain is caused by injury to the area of pain but it can also be an indication of a more serious underlying problem. Positions that strain muscles repetitively are likely to result in an insidious onset of wrist or forearm pain such as carpal tunnel syndrome orlateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).
Knee & Leg Pain
Our knees are subject to a tremendous amount of weight-bearing forces. These forces are best handled in a straight forward to backward motion. This is the primary motion the knee joint was designed for. Shearing force (force from the sides) and torque (rotational force) are more difficult for the knee joint to handle. Shear and torque account for many of the sports related knee injuries.
Direct trauma to the knee from falls, motor vehicle accidents, and other sources also lead to acute knee conditions. Poor alignment, over-use, genetic weakness, disease, and malignancy lead to chronic knee conditions. With both chronic and acute knee conditions, a Chiropractor can be an invaluable resource in the diagnosis and treatment of your knee condition.
Knee problems can develop in and around the knee joint and can be caused by dysfunction or disease in the patella (kneecap) meniscus (knee joint) or in the surrounding ligaments or tendons. The muscles that attach to the knee may also experience problems. For instance, a quadriceps strain (the big muscle that runs down the front of the leg) can cause difficulty and pain when bending the knee joint.
A knee will experience undo stress when the joint is unable to glide in a nearly straight line. Over time, excessive side to side motion (shearing force) can cause serious joint problems. One of the more common problems from improper knee tracking is called Runner’s Knee. The over-use stress and jarring of routine running activities coupled with a poor tracking ability of the kneecap will wear down and inflame the knee joint cartilage. The result will be pain, swelling, and dysfunction. Left untreated, these inflammatory knee disorders will lead to arthritis.
Knee alignment can be improved though therapeutic measures. Such measures include joint manipulation as well as stretching and to strengthening the muscles that support the knee. In addition, proper footwear with special attention to arch support, cushioning, and hyperpronation reduction (rapid turning in of the foot while walking or running) may greatly improve a knee condition.
As just mentioned, hyperpronation of the foot can contribute to your knee joint problem. A simple check to see if a foot is hyperpronating can be easily done as follows: Simply examine the heels of your shoes and look for patterns of wear. If a heel is worn off excessively at the outside edge, hyperpronation is evident. This excessive heel wear is caused from exaggerated rolling in of the foot. After the foot comes down normally on the outer edge the foot should gradually begin to roll inward to disperse the shock of heel strike. This is normal pronation. When the foot rapidly rolls in, hyperpronation is present. This rapid rolling in effect sands off the outer edge of the heel, which gives the uneven wear appearance when your shoes are examined. Hyperpronation of the foot translates to poor tracking of the knee joint and may result in the onset or contribute to the worsening of a knee condition.
Whether a knee condition is acute (injury related) or chronic (wear and tear related) the importance of getting a good diagnosis and receiving the proper treatment cannot be understated. A Chiropractor is specially trained to treat these types of conditions at this level. A consultation with a chiropractor could help you determine just how much you can do to improve the condition of your knees.
Your Chiropractor can determine how your knee is tracking while watching you walk or run. In addition, a measurement called the Q-Angle can be made to help determine how much tracking stress is being exerted on a knee joint. The Q-Angle is measured as the deviation that exists from an imaginary line drawn made between the hip, the knee, and the ankle. The more inward or outward the kneecap is in relation to the hip and ankle, the greater the tracking stress on the knee joint will be.
Common Foot & Leg Conditions Treated:
Injuries such as ankle strains, muscle strains,tendonitis, bursitis, and joint problems to the in the wrist, shoulder, hand, hip, ankle, knee and foot can all be treated with chiropractic care. Chiropractic is not only drug-free, it is preventative and performance-enhancing.
Sciatica and/or Nerve Irritation Nerve irritation is a major cause of leg pain. For example, sciatica is the term used to describe the many symptoms that occur due to the inflammation, irritation, and compression of the sciatic nerve.
In many cases, this nerve irritation occurs as the result of a misalignment, or subluxation, in the spine. For leg pain/sciatica patients, this misalignment may be present in the lower spine, and the nerves may become pinched or compressed when the spine is not aligned correctly. Chiropractic care can help by realigning the spine and correcting postural issues. This takes the pressure off of nerves and relieves leg pain.
Piriformis syndrome is another cause of sciatica. The piriformis muscle lies directly over the sciatic nerve. If this muscle tightens or spasms, it puts pressure directly on the sciatic nerve. In men, sciatic pain is sometimes caused by sitting on a wallet.
Leg Pain and Trauma Injuries from auto accidents, sports, or other traumas can cause muscle strain and tears. Tendonitis is also associated with leg pain and can be caused by long-term trauma or overuse. After trauma of any type, inflammation in one area (such as the leg) can wreak havoc on the health of the entire body.
Using a hands-on, manual approach, chiropractic care addresses inflammation. When the spine is adjusted, the result is often a reduction in low-grade and/or long term inflammation that can occur after an injury. In order to improve movement in the leg and alleviate pain, chiropractic treatment may also involve applying a controlled force to restricted joints (such as the knee joint).