The Chiro Practice - Patient Information



Neck Pain

Your cervical spine connects your brain stem to your spinal cord. It is an area rich in blood vessels and other soft tissue structures such as ligaments and tendons.

Common causes of neck pain include, but are not limited to:

Cervical herniated disc.

Cervical stenosis, which is caused by a herniated disc or degenerative joint, it may cause pain to radiate down the arms, and lead to shooting pain and coordination problems in the arms and legs.

Muscle strain.

Degeneration of the facet joint cartilage.

Osteoarthritis of weight-bearing joints such as hips and knees.

A sprain of the muscles, ligaments, or tendons in the neck usually causes acute neck pain.

Car accidents, repeated carrying of heavy items such as luggage, or awkward sleeping positions are often the culprits. Most minor ligament or tendon injuries in the neck will subside with proper care, including rest, ice or heat application, and rehabilitation such as chiropractic care.

One common symptom of chronic neck pain is an ache that that radiates down the arm, sometimes into the hands and fingers, accompanied by numbness or tingling.

Foraminal stenosis, a condition caused by degenerative changes in the neck joints, involves a herniated disc or a pinched nerve. This in turn causes chronic neck pain.

Back Pain

Lower back pain is often caused by a muscle strain. The erector spinae, or large paired muscles in the lower back that help keep your spine erect, can become inflamed and spasm. In more serious cases, the pain may be caused by a degenerative condition, such as arthritis, disc disease, or disc herniation.

A degenerative disc condition can sometimes cause a chain reaction of other events in your spine; when a disc is not in its proper place, or is malformed from disease or some other condition, it can allow additional undue pressure on other healthy structures such as neighbouring discs, nerves, muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons.

Rest, ice or heat therapy, and chiropractic manipulation are often the first course of treatment for mild lower back pain. This allows your muscles to return to their normal position and begin to heal.

Because the thoracic spine is the sturdiest part of the spine, it is less prone to injury. That said, upper back pain, while less common than lower back pain, is often caused by irritation of the muscles or a problem with a joint. Other less common causes of upper back pain include herniated or degenerative discs.

However, rest for a sore back is no longer recommended and if needed should be limited to no more than a few days. Otherwise, the muscles in the lower back begin to atrophy, and can become significantly weak and leave you open to further pain and injury.

Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain can be caused by a wide variety of things, a spinal vertebra misalignment, or direct trauma.

Most often, shoulder pain can be traced to tenderness or soreness of the rotator cuff tendon. The rotator cuff is the part of the shoulder that allows you move your arms in a circular motion.

In other cases, the bursa, or fluid sack, in your upper shoulder can become inflamed after a period of heavy lifting or physical activity involving repeated raising and lowering of the arms.

Elbow Pain

If you experience pain in your elbow, chances are very good it occured as a resulted of a repetitive physical activity, such as certain sports.

"Golfer's elbow" is a type of elbow pain that originates near the inside part of the bony protrusion. This type of pain is also caused by a tear or rupture in the tendon supporting the elbow bone.

"Locked elbow" is a type of pain that occurs when the elbow bones or their surrounding muscle fibres become stiff or immobile from disease or injury.

"Student's elbow" is another term for bursitis, or swollen sacks under the elbow joint. This is often caused by repeated rubbing of the elbow on a hard surface, such as a desk.

"Tennis elbow" is a layman's term for pain on the lateral, or outside part of the elbow, on or near the bony protrusion. Tennis elbow is caused when the tendon from the elbow bone tears or is ruptured. It's no surprise that professional tennis players can become afflicted by this with all of the stress and strain they place on the joint during play.

Carpal tunnel syndrome, while chiefly affecting the wrist, can cause elbow pain if an inflamed tendon pinches a nerve going to the elbow.

Tendonitis can cause elbow pain and is caused by an elbow tendon that has become swollen or inflamed when the forearm tendon is damaged.

Wrist Pain

Carpal tunnel syndrome is probably the most common source of wrist pain. Symptoms may include soreness, numbness or tingling, or a burning sensation.

Carpal tunnel is caused by compression in the median nerve of your hand. The compression causes swelling.

Carpal tunnel is more common among people who have repetitive wrist movements, such as sewing, painting, and writing; using a computer; and playing racquetball or handball.

 Diabetes, arthritis, pregnancy, and obesity have also been linked with carpal tunnel as well.

Other causes of wrist pain include:

Arthritis (joint inflammation), including osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease).

Bursitis (inflammation of the bursa, the small sac containing fluid that lies between tendons and bones).

Fracture or other injury.

Gout (a form of arthritis that occurs as a result of the build-up of uric acid in the body and the joint fluid).

Muscle sprain or strain.

Tendonitis (irritation of a muscle tendon, which is the rope-like muscle that attaches to the bone).

Sciatica

The largest nerve in the human body may be responsible for one of the most common causes of leg pain. The sciatic nerve connects the spinal cord with the leg and foot muscles, and runs down both sides of the lumbar spine, through the buttock and back of the thigh, and down to the foot.

Many kinds of leg pain can be traced to problems with the sciatic nerve. Sciatica pain occurs when one or more of the spinal nerves become compressed. A disc herniation is often the culprit. Other causes include spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and arthritis.

While the pain typically travels down, or radiates, along the sciatic nerve, it is often felt in the lower buttocks, the back of the leg, and even the bottom of the foot. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, and/or a burning or prickling sensation.

Knee Pain

Arthritis of the knee - Arthritis most often causes problems with the knee joint, but also can affect other structures such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis in the knee, is caused by the gradual degradation of the cartilage in the joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis causes the joint to become inflamed and can often cause destruction of the surrounding cartilage. A deformity often leads to arthritis in the knee, but more often, obesity or excess weight, or repetitive stress injuries from sports, are the culprit. Symptoms include stiffness or locking joints.

Cartilage injuries - including:

Chondromalaciapatellae, a softening of the knee cap cartilage. This disorder occurs most often in runners, skiers, cyclists, and soccer players.

Iliotibial band syndrome - Inflammation of a tendon and its subsequent rubbing over the outer knee bone is most often caused by the stress of long-term overuse, such as sports training. Symptoms of iliotibial band syndrome include aches or burning sensations at the side of the knee; sometimes, the pain can radiate up the side of the thigh.

Ligament injuries - The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) can become sprained, and cause a great deal of pain. Injury to the cruciate ligaments is sometimes referred to as a "sprain." The ACL can become stretched or torn by a sudden twisting motion. The PCL is most often injured by a direct impact, such as in an automobile accident or football tackle. Injuries to the medial collateral ligaments are often caused by a blow to the outer side of the knee that stretches and tears the ligament on the inner side of the knee. Football and hockey players often incur these kinds of injuries. The injury is often accompanied by a "pop" sound, followed by a buckling of the knee sideways.

Meniscus injuries - Quick twists or rotations of the upper leg or repetitive rotations of the knee while bearing weight can tear the meniscus.

Osgood-Schlatter disease - This condition is caused by repetitive stress or tension on the upper tibia, or leg bone. The patellar tendon and surrounding soft tissues at the point where the tendon attaches to the tibia can become inflammed. Pre-adolescent boys involved in sports that include frequent running or jumping are particularly prone to this.

Tendon injuries - Tendon injuries in the knee can be caused by anything from tendonitis to a ruptured or torn tendon. Overuse can cause the tendon to stretch like a rubber band, later becoming inflamed.

Heel Pain

Heel pain, like ankle pain, can be caused by something as simple as bad shoes or an injury. But more often than not, heel pain is associated with problems with the nerves, tendons and ligaments of the foot. The repetitive pounding of one's heel on hard surfaces, to which women who wear high heels can attest, can cause painful heels.

Other sources of heel pain:

Achilles tendonitis, which is caused by repeated and sudden contraction of the calf muscles.

Heel bursitis, which is essentially an inflamed rear heel and is often caused by falls.

Plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the ligament running from the front of the heel bone through the bottom of the foot. Repetitive motions such as quick stops and starts during sports, or long distance running, have sometimes been associated with Plantar fasciitis.

Ankle/FootPain

Ankle pain can be caused by something as minor as an ill-fitting shoe or as major as an injury. Many kinds of ankle pain originate on the outer, or lateral, side of the ankle. People with ankle pain often complain about difficulty walking or participating in sports. Some types of ankle pain are constant and dull and can be accompanied by imbalance, swelling, stiffness, or tenderness.

Other sources of ankle pain include:

A torn or inflamed tendon

Arthritis of the ankle joint

A fracture

Synovium, which is inflammation of the joint lining
Scar tissue formation in an ankle joint following a sprain; the scar tissue fills up the space in the joint, putting pressure on the ligaments

 

No individual should use the information provided on this website to diagnose or treat any health-related condition. Diagnosis and treatment of all health conditions should only be performed by a licensed health care professional.