Chiropractic and Radiculopathy

For a long time now, chiropractic care has maintained a place on the short list of resources for the management of radiculopathy. The words sciatica and chiropractic just seem to go together-and for good reason. Radiculopathy is when nerves or nerve roots become pinched, disrupted or even damaged where they leave the spine and often elsewhere in the body. This can occur for many reasons: disc bulges, herniations, traumas, injuries, bone spurs, and degenerative changes in the spine or entrapment in the periphery- which is to say the shoulders and arms or the hips and legs. Radiculopathies don’t always have to be a life sentence and can be treated and/or managed.

NOT ALWAYS WHAT IT SEEMS

Symptoms which seem to radiate or travel in the body are not always radiculopathies. Referred pain as well as vascular issues can mimic radiculopathy and your chiropractor is trained to evaluate and either treat or refer you to the care provider you need.

WHEN THE MAIN THING IS NOT THE MAIN THING

As often happens in chiropractic care, a person comes to us describing a problem (chief complaint) which turns out NOT to be the real problem. Long-term success often turns upon discerning whether the presenting complaint is really a caused by another issue which, when resolved, results in the resolution as well of the presenting complaint. For example, with radiculopathies, the symptoms are often thought of as the problem while in reality the circumstances pinching or affecting the nerve are the true cause, and furthermore the cause of the radiculopathy is the correct diagnosis. If we come to realize together the cause of your symptoms, we can together create a game plan to treat and prevent them from causing symptoms in the future.

Upper and lower extremity radiating pain conditions as well as headaches can be the result of nerve entrapment, referred pain or sometimes both. These can respond well and safely to conservative care- the combination of manual care, possible nutritional support as well as physical modalities and self-care counsel.

A nerve functions a little bit like an electric wire and a little bit like a garden hose. A nerve carries an electrical signal of sorts but, like a garden hose, can have its signal disrupted by pressure on the nerve as it carries it’s signal along its surface. To further complicate the process, we find that nerves are susceptible to DOUBLE CRUSH- a response from the nerve wherein multiple points of entrapment, none of which alone would cause a symptom, add up to create symptoms.

The broader approach of articular and myofascial management which has become the care model here at Grovetown Chiropractic has yielded impressive results with radiculopathies like sciatica. If you are suffering from an entrapped nerve, or a radiculopathy, please know that we have worked hard to hold a place in the CSRA as a care resource and we continue to work to provide our best care and counsel to our community.

Donaid Seals D.C