Treatment for Extremity Pain or Numbness/Tingling
Are you experiencing radiculopathy of the upper or lower extremities? Radiculopathy, or referred pain or numbness/tingling may be experienced as a result or an acute trauma, such as sports injury, or motor vehicle accident, or may result from an insidious onset, such as repetitive trauma at your workstation. Whatever the origin, it is usually the result of pressure on a nerve root as it exits the spine, and may be an indication of the progression of a disease, which originated in your neck or lower back.
The anatomy is really very simple. There is a space, known as a foramen, between each vertebral segment, with which our nerves leave the spinal cord and travel to the periphery of the body. A subluxation, or misalignment, of the adjacent vertebral segments can decrease the foramen, thus putting pressure on the nerve root. Nerve roots from the neck supply, or innervate, the upper extremities. Nerve roots from the lower back innervate the lower extremities.
These spinal subluxations are mechanical in nature, rather than disease oriented, and, require a mechanical solution. In fact, a basic premise of chiropractic philosophy asserts that a state of dis-ease in the body results directly from these spinal subluxations, and that many common ailments can be avoided by keeping the body well aligned through gentle specific chiropractic adjustments. Dr. Stark examines ranges of motion, muscle tightness and balance, testing the nerves that flow from the neck and lower back, and performing special tests to evaluate joint function and stability..
Extremity pain may also be due to a much more benign cause. Just as a spinal subluxation may occur, so may a subluxation occur within an extremity joint, such as a shoulder, wrist, ankle or knee. Whatever, the origin, Dr. Stark will assess the situation and prescribe a program of conservative chiropractic adjustments with adjunct therapeutic modalities, massage therapy, exercises, and lifestyle management to correct and manage dysfunction of the involved muscles and joints. The staff at Tustin Family Chiropractic will have you feeling better in no time at all.