Adjustments and muscle work in the neck can greatly improve neck pain and tingling or numbness in the upper extremity (our arms and hands) and, likewise, chiropractic treatment for low back pain can help treat the lower extremities (our legs and feet).
This is due to the fact that a rotated segment or “subluxation” can create muscle tightness and inflammation in the spine around the nerve roots. These nerve roots under pressure cause spontaneous firing (shooting, burning pain) and loss of sensation (tingling, numbness) down the arms or legs. When one gets adjusted the muscle tension changes, and the nerve root is less compressed.
However, there can be other problems in our body that cause pain in the head, neck, back , hips, arms, and legs. Instead of the nerve root being compressed near the spine, a muscle in the arm or leg could be too tight and compressing the nerve at the site, like “Sciatica.” Chiropractic treatment is wonderful for treating these muscle problems and here’s why.
The muscle is attached to the bone. With an adjustment of the bone, the attached muscle is carefully and quickly stretched. This stretch causes the previously tight muscle to relax or change the muscle tone. Once the muscle tone is lessened, the nerve is no longer compressed; and the tingling and numbness gets better. Unfortunately, our chronic muscle tightness and poor posture can cause that muscle to tighten up again. This does NOT mean that you will have to see a chiropractor for the rest of your life. It means that most often, multiple visits are required to create a permanent change. Making the necessary posture and bad habit changes will greatly speed up your recovery time and get you back doing what you love.
Of course, there can be many other factors to the symptoms discussed above. That is why it is the doctor’s job to do a thorough physical evaluation which will help determine the proper course of treatment. If it is not an issue that chiropractic treatment can fix, a referral will be made to someone who can help.
