Neck/shoulder and hand/arm symptoms are a common problem in society, in particular among the working population.”
~US National Library of MedicineNational Institutes of Health
How does Neck, Shoulder, Arm, and Hand Pain relate to Chiropractic Care?
Neuritis, bursitis, neuralgia, rheumatism, frozen shoulder, fibrosis, sprain and strains are common terms that refer to neck, shoulder and arm conditions.
The main controller behind your shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers is your brain. Interference between the nerves connecting the brain and shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers will result in weakness, numbness, and pain!
The brain communicates to the rest of your body through billions of nerves that make up your nervous system. Some nerves go straight to their destination point, but others mix with other nerves to form complicated nerve networks called a ‘plexus.’
The brachial plexus is made up of nerves that come out of the middle and upper back that supply information to the shoulders, arm, elbows, wrists, hands and fingers from the brain.
The nerves that make up the brachial plexus may become irritated as they leave the spinal column. This can occur when the spinal bones in the neck and upper back are misaligned or do not have the range of motion they typically should have and damage the nerves they are supposed to protect. Any injury or trauma can cause the bones to become misaligned or lock down, decreasing the range of motion. Things as serious as an accident or falling down from an accident, or even as simple as sleeping in an awkward position can create the vertebrae to become misaligned or not work the way they were designed.
Muscles and joints throughout the chest wall and shoulder can also contribute to tightness around the brachial plexus, causing similar symptoms. This can be caused be shoulder injuries or created by lifestyle (such as sitting at a desk or having a sedentary workplace).
The pressure placed on the nerves and blood vessels can create numbness, tingling and pain down the arm. This can also be known as “thoracic outlet syndrome”.
Symptoms from damage to the brachial plexus can differ depending on location of the trauma.
Common symptoms to the shoulder, arm, wrist or hand are:
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle numbness
- Neck Pain
- Neck stiffness
- Decreased range of motion in the neck, shoulder, elbow or wrist
In addition to pain and symptoms in your arm or neck, it is not uncommon to experience headaches, facial pain, dizziness, thyroid or nasal problems as a result of brachial plexus nerve irritation.
Spinal misalignment symptoms include tingling and numbness in the hand. The pain is described as incredibly intense and has been reported to awaken sufferers at night.
Often time people confuse nerves that are disrupted by the spine, muscles or joints as carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome misdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary injections and/or surgery that could have otherwise been corrected naturally with chiropractic care.
