CONDITIONS WE HELP WITH

Sciatica is when the sciatic nerve is being irritated. This nerve starts from the low back and runs through the hips and buttocks and down each leg. The irritation of the sciatic nerve can often lead to pain, numbness or tingling down the affected leg. In severe cases it may even lead to weakness.

Sciatica is often caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve. This can be caused by disc herniations, bone spurs from degeneration and spinal stenosis (narrowing of the vertebral and intervertebral foramen).

Structural chiropractic works very well for sciatica because it looks into correcting the cause of all this. By restoring optimal structure and function of the spine it allows the spine to support itself better through strengthening the deep spinal muscles. By doing so the spine is stronger and can support itself better thus allowing optimal space for the nerves to run through the foramens.

Piriformis syndrome is when the piriformis muscle is in spasm. Because of this buttock pain is one of the most common symptoms. However, it can also present with pain, numbness and tingling along the back of the leg and into the foot, similar to sciatic pain, as it the spasm can irritate the sciatic nerve.

The definition of piriformis syndrome is when the piriformis muscle is in spasm, so on face value it’s a muscular issue. However, if we look into a deeper level at what causes these spasms, most of the time it is due to misalignment and structural issues that causes these problems. People often mistake that sciatica is a condition where as it is actually a symptom. Many things can cause sciatica such as piriformis syndrome, foramen steinosis, disc herniations and many more.

Structural Chiropractic investigates the cause of the issue, finding where the misalignments are and adjusts them. This can create optimal muscle tension that is attached on the joints. This way spasms are less likely to happen. It also creates optimal movements in the joint so it can move freely. So it reduces the chance of the piriformis from over working thus leading to spasms.

Disc herniation, disc prolapse and slipped discs are all the same things just different names. A vertebral disc is made from two main parts: the nucleus pulposus (the liquid in the centre of the disc) and the outer annulus fibres. A disc herniation is when the nucleus pulposus leaks out of the weak disc and compresses on the nerves. As a result, back pain, extremity numbness, tingling and even weakness in severe cases.

Disc herniations can occur in both the neck and the low back. Usually disc herniation in the neck occurs due to repetitive stress that leads to degeneration. While lumbar disc herniation is usually caused by incorrect lifting technique i.e twisting your back while lifting something off the floor.

Structural chiropractic helps with disc herniations as looks at stabilizing the spine. This is especially effective for disc herniations as herniations are often caused by spinal instability. By creating proper motion in the spine, the surrounding muscles around the spine strengthen. This results in the spine being properly stabilized thus allowing healing to happen as much as possible rather than being repetitively stress.

Trauma produces the most common form of disc injury such as twists, bends and falls. Spinal misalignments can cause disc tissue to adapt into a wedge-like shape. This is the earliest stage of disc damage. While this position can encroach upon adjacent nerve tissue, pain or other obvious symptoms may not be present. Even before symptoms appear, chiropractic care can be helpful. Like a blister, disc tissue can bulge. As the soft nucleus of the disc is compressed, it pushes outward where the disc wall is weakest. This distortion can produce obvious symptoms (sciatica) as it affects nerves nearby. Muscles tighten to protect and splint the joint. Chiropractic care has been known to help.

A cervical disc herniation would give you either mild pain and/or stiffness symptoms.. or it would give you severe pain symptoms with or without numbness and tingling down either arm. That’s why you need the help of a health professional who knows this condition very well to tell you what’s going on and how to fix it.

Most cervical disc herniations are misdiagnosed and therefore mistreated.
Sometimes your symptoms may go away on their own or with treatment that is not actually fixing the problem… that doesn’t mean that the condition is any better inside or it wouldn’t come back. In fact, it can come back with vengeance.

An intervertebral disc in the spine is very strong and sturdy. It would take a huge amount of force or lots of repetitive abnormal forces to herniate/injure a disc. So most people with disc herniations in their spine have had abnormal biomechanics and joint movement that has lead to the destruction and injury of the discs over years.

Improving this condition is absolutely possible. But patience is key! As it’s probably taken a long time for the discs to get injured and finally herniate and show you symptoms of neck and back pain, achiness, numbness or tingling down the arms… it’s going to take some time to fix it properly. Especially as the discs in the spine don’t get very good blood flow.

Blood carries nutrients… and for things to improve and heal.. they require nutrients so they require good blood flow.

The body will give on and off symptoms of pain and/or tightness and stiffness for some time before the damage inside gets too much… and that’s where the discs get to a state where they are bulging or herniating to an extent where they are pressing on nerves.. which sometimes would give mild symptoms of pain and sometimes severe symptoms of pain, numbness and tingling down the arm.

So do your spine a favour and get it checked early! The earlier the better.. and stay on top of it.

Facet joint syndrome doesn’t only happen in the neck, it can happen anywhere in the spine but most commonly seen in the lower cervical spine and lower lumbar spine. Facet joint syndrome is a degenerative condition of the spine that can be a significant source of back and neck pain.

This condition can take years of instability and weakness to eventuate.

What causes these instabilities and weaknesses?

Lack of joint motion is due to:

• Abnormal spinal structure (abnormalities in the spinal curves)
• Repetitive postural stress
• Motor vehicle accidents that cause whiplash or other significant injuries
• Other direct impact or trauma to the neck

Lower back pain is caused by overused muscles that lead to constant inflammation. Many things can cause overused muscles such as consistent lifting, repetitive movements, staying in one position too long or bad posture. Another contribution would be joint dysfunction/misalignments/subluxations. This is because, the muscles attached to the spine will be in uneven tension causing one part or side of the muscle being constantly engaged.

Low back stiffness is when there is difficulty moving the low back. This is often seen with a lack of Range of Motion. Joint instability, joint locking, muscle spasm, degeneration are just some of the reason why you are going through low back stiffness. However, it may not always be painful.

Structural chiropractic works very well for lower back pain & stiffness because it looks into correcting the cause of all this. By restoring optimal structure and function of the spine it allows the spine to support itself better through strengthening the deep spinal muscles. Whether the joint is locked up or unstable, the joints, ligaments and muscles are strengthened through adjustments. By doing so the spine is stronger and can support itself better thus allowing optimal muscle. Thus gradually reducing stiffness

Lumbar facet syndrome is when the facet joints, located at the back of the vertebra, become inflamed. This can lead to a series of issues such has localised low back pain and leg pain too. However, unlike typical sciatica and disc herniations, the leg pain that comes with facet syndrome is located only at the back of the thigh and ends around the knee.

Multiple factors can bring lead to Lumbar Facet Syndrome, including:

• Repetitive extension of the low back.
• Traumatic Incidents
• Poor posture
• Aging
• Other spinal injuries such as degeneration and spondylolisthesis

Structural chiropractic works great for lumbar facet syndrome because it looks at the root of the problem. If we look at the reasons listed above, all the issues stem from locking of the spinal joints thus leading to improper movement. Structural chiropractors are trained to find where all these issues are and unlock the joint so the joints can function correctly thus leading to spinal strengthening from the inside.

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is your jaw joint that connects your mandible (jaw) to your skull. This is a sliding hinge joint that should glide smoothly as you open and close your jaw. TMJ dysfunction is any dysfunction of this joint or the surrounding muscles that control the movement of the jaw. This can cause:

• Pain at the jaw joint or surrounding muscles
• Pain when talking, eating, or yawning
• Swelling at the joint
• Clicking or popping when opening or closing the mouth
• Locking of the jaw
• Irregular motion of the jaw

Your neck is the most vulnerable part of your spine. Not only does it support your 5kg head, maintain gentle forward curve but it must also allow the free flow of nerve impulses to the head, face and body. Besides discomfort and pain, neck pain indicates that something is wrong.

Many everyday things such as watching TV, using mobile devices, using computers or falling asleep on a chair in a improper position. The temporary pain that may resolve temporarily but may also indicate a more serious underlying issue. The most common cause of neck pain is functional distortions in the spine which manifest as forward head carriage, whiplash and joint instability. The body responds by tightening muscles in the neck ‘splinting’ the joint to protect it from further insult.

Most of the pain – sensing nerves in the neck are located in the pairs of joints behind each vertebra. The smooth, interlocking surfaces allow you to rotate your head and bend your head up and down. If these joints become locked or fixated, neck pain can result. Chiropractic can help restore proper joint motion.

A more difficult problem to address is the degenerative changes that result from neglect. Years of uncorrected spinal problems can cause bone spurs, disc thinning and other forms of spinal decay. These types of problems respond more slowly to Chiropractic.

Millions of people choose Chiropractic care. Specific Chiropractic Adjustments can help improve pain not just coming from the neck area, but also your spinal function.

Chiropractic is safe. Chiropractic is natural. Chiropractic looks to correct the underlying cause of the problem.

Book an appointment with Revolution Chiropractic to find out how we can help any neck pain that you have been struggling with.

Neck sprain is when the ligaments in the neck are over stretched. This causes the fibres in the ligament to tear apart. As a result, inflammatory symptoms start occurring such as pain, redness, stiffness, and heat. Neck sprains tend to hurt more with movement and even when static, a dull ache is still present

What attributes to neck sprains?

Multiple factors can bring on neck sprains, including:

• sudden movement of the head
• traumatic incidents
• staying in awkward positions for too long
• repetitive movement

Neck Stiffness

If you’re suffering from neck and shoulder/upper back tightness on and off, you may not think much of it. You may take a pain killer or a muscle relaxant, do a couple of stretches and brush it off.

But you may just be making things worse as the on and off tightness and stiffness becomes on and off dull pain. The on and off dull pain becomes on and off sharp pain. The on and off sharp pain becomes persistent pain… and so on. Usually the reason for muscle tightness or neck stiffness comes from a weakness and deep instability inside your spine which can be destroying your spine from the inside without your awareness.

I’m sure many of us have heard of the phrase, prevention is the best form of treatment. Structural chiropractic work so well for neck sprain because it helps strengthen the spine in the first place. This means that you are less susceptible to injure your neck. Additionally, if you have sprained your neck, your joints will have locked up. By creating movement in the joint as soon as possible in the safest way, it allows for healing to occur faster as your body will be able to strengthen quickly from the inside.

Whiplash is an abrupt acceleration-deceleration force, that causes a forward and backward movement of the head and neck can cause a whiplash injury. It’s important to note that a whiplash injury is usually accompanied by concussion (a concussion is a traumatic brain injury that affects your brain function). A whiplash injury can have short term and long term repercussions and side effects if not treated properly which in most cases it is not.

Usually when someone suffers a motor vehicle accident (depending on the severity of the accident), they will either:

• Not get checked by any health professional
• Take some medication without seeing their GP
• Visit their GP and take the prescription
• Visit a physiotherapist
• Visit a Chiropractor

Structural Chiropractors recognise the need for structural integrity and that if the person does not fully recover from a whiplash injury, they may continue to have problems for years after the accident.

Whiplash does not only cause pain and discomfort in the neck, but can also cause:

• Concussion (as mentioned earlier in this article)
• Spasmodic Torticollis (Wry Neck)
• Dizziness
• Hearing loss for low frequencies,
• Dysphonia (difficulty speaking)
• Globus (a sensation of something stuck or of a lump or tightness in the throat).

Begin Chiropractic care early – within a week of being injured from whiplash. At Revolution Chiropractic once we’ve performed a thorough consultation and examination, we compose all our findings and present you with a detailed report of diagnosis and recommendations to go along with it such as:

• Structural exercises and stretches to supplement your chiropractic care to normalise your spine once again
• Nutritional supplementations to help healing
• Proper ergonomics on sit, stand and sleep
• Other lifestyle recommendations (whatever is relatable and will help you)

After each treatment in our office you will also be going straight onto your in-office rehabilitation devices and exercises.

Some of the most common types of shoulder pain include:

• Dislocated Shoulder
• Frozen Shoulder
• Shoulder Bursae
• Rotator Cuff Injury
• Strains & Sprains
• Tendinitis

Frozen shoulder is an exceptionally painful condition faced by clients that come to our chiropractic clinic. In addition to being very painful, it can also be debilitating and disabling. Ordinary activities like putting on a shirt or even brushing your hair can be an ordeal. It can also cause sleep disturbance and insomnia. Without proper treatment and intervention, frozen shoulder pain can persist for years.

The majority of frozen shoulder cases (as well as shoulder pain in general) are related to an irritation of the nerves in the upper back (thoracic spine) and/or lower neck. When shoulder pain has its origins in the back and spinal area, chiropractic care can be highly effective for shoulder pain treatment and shoulder pain relief.

Your chiropractor in Auckland is highly versed in a range of interventions for effective shoulder pain treatment and shoulder pain relief. A first rib subluxation is often at the root of a frozen shoulder and many other types of shoulder pain.

No matter what your specific shoulder issue, your chiropractor in Auckland will begin with a targeted diagnosis and determination of where the source of the irritation begins. Shoulder pain is usually due to an irritation of the nerves, tendons, muscles, ligaments or capsule area.
In some cases, the problem is located on the cervical spine or near the acromioclavicular joint. These areas will all be carefully examined to ensure an accurate diagnosis. The triceps muscle located in the upper arm may also be involved, as well as the subscapularis muscle underneath the shoulder blade.

Once a diagnosis of the precise physical cause is made, treatment for shoulder pain can begin. While relief will begin after the first adjustment, a series of chiropractic adjustments may be required to help your shoulder pain issue to resolve completely.

Arm pain, numbness or tingling can have a few different causes.

One would be that an intervertebral disc inside the spine has bulges or herniated and is pressing on the nerves that innervate the arms/hands.

Another cause could be tightness of chest and/or neck muscles that create thoracic outlet syndrome which can cause arm/hand pain, numbness and tingling.

Both of these conditions have an underlying weakness and structural issue that can absolutely be corrected, given the right advice and care.

The problem these days is that people are misdiagnosed, mistreated and misguided; leading to a disaster that they may not be aware of at first but have to deal with later in life. So it’s best to get yourself checked early – the earlier the better – and stay on top of it!