Radiating Nerve Pain and Spinal Decompression

Nerve pain of any sort can be a real killer. If you’ve ever known someone that suffered from sciatica (or a similar nerve condition) or suffer with it yourself, you’ve seen how badly it can work its way into every nook and cranny of your life. You can’t move without pain. You can’t sleep properly because of pain. You sit down, pain. Stand up, pain. Everywhere you look, it’s just pain. What the heck are you supposed to do?

At Living Well Medical, my practice (it's a pain relief center in NYC), we see patients with nerve problems all the time. It’s not uncommon under certain circumstances. Trauma like in traffic accidents can cause spinal discs to tear and herniate. A herniated disc is just one way that people find themselves suffering from sciatica. Age and level of activity play a role in spinal health too, of course, but injuries will often catalyze the actual pain. Nerve pain of this sort can be described as a burning sensation that may radiate to other areas of the body like the legs and buttocks; the lower back isn’t going to be the only part that hurts necessarily.

Once we’ve determined that the source of pain is indeed related to a nerve problem like impingement or sciatica (technology like EMG and NCV is used for this purpose as well as MRI’s and x-rays), we put together a plan to get you back on track. Your personalized plan often includes elements like spinal decompression therapy as a portion of multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Spinal decompression therapy is a potent therapeutic technology that works to relieve pain associated with disc-related nerve pain like sciatica. In concert with other non-surgical treatments, we have seen patients make massive improvements in range of motion, quality of life and, really, overall wellness. Combining spinal decompression with important measures like physical therapy and postural training to try and prevent re-injury is also commonly part of a plan. This varies, of course, from patient to patient as needs will differ greatly.

Nerve pain is a major issue, but with the right help, lots of people can get better without surgery and without pain medication, and that’s a big deal. If you are hurting, give my office a call today at (212) 645-8151 and make an appointment to come in and see us.

- Dr. Shoshany, NYC Chiropractor

Pinched nerve in the neck causing shooting stabbing arm pain NYC

Pinched nerve in the neck causing shooting stabbing arm pain-NYC

Pinched nerve treatment nyc
I wanted to post a brief discussion about a “pinched nerves” and “slipped discs”.
The last several weeks I have seen an influx of patients that can hardly move their neck comfortably in any range of motion and describe their arm pain as stabbing and or shooting.
If the symptoms are in the left arm the patient is concerned that it could be a sign of a heart condition and usually get it checked out by their medical doctor, once it is confirmed that it is not the heart almost always it points to a cervical disc (neck)involvement.
What that means is the disc in the neck is misplaced and can causes pressure or irritation to the very delicate nerves that innervate the hand and arms.
Hence the term” slipped discs”. So the disc themselves don’t necessarily slip they can and do move out of their normal position and the proper medical terminology for a “slipped disc” is either a bulging or herniated disc. To better understand the disc I wanted to go a bit into the disc biomechanics.
Cervical Herniated disc treatment discussion
In people between the ages of 30 and 40 years, their nucleus has a water content of 80% which decreases with age. The average person is 1% shorter in height at the end of the day than on first arising in the morning. This difference is attributed to decreasing water content in the disc, which occurs with advancing age.

The nucleus pulposus, which occupies about half the disc surface area, bears the vertical load, whereas the annulus or outer bands bear the tangential load.
Two terms are used to describe disc degenerative change allowing nuclear herniation. “contained disc” and “noncontained disc” They refer to the state of the annulus fibrosus, that is whether it is intact and restraining the nucleus pulposus ( a contained disc) or whether it has completely radially torn to allow the nuclear material to sequester or free-fragment into the vertebral canal.



Once you start to understand the anatomy of the region it starts to really make sense that the most effective way to not only reduce the pain but correct the problem is to Unload or decompress the area.

In our NYC Physical therapy clinic we utilize a multi pronged approach.
Our first treatment involves the Cox cervical flexion distraction technique.
This is a very gentle movement that allows the doctor to guide the patient’s neck into freeing restricted movement and reducing pressure on discs and spinal nerves.
We also use cervical spinal decompression to reduce intradiscal pressure and help to return disc material back. Cervical spinal decompression is fantastic for patients suffering with cervical herniated disc and arm pain.
The Graston technique is tremendously effective in dealing with “soft tissue” fascia and tight muscles that usually accompany a cervical disc herniation.
Putting together the most effective non-surgical methods to deal with pinched nerves and herniated discs allows us to get our NYC patients back to doing the things enjoy without pain.
Give us a call today if you are suffering with a pinched nerve or have a slipped disc in NYC @ (212)645-8151

Pinched nerve in the cervical spine/ herniated disc cervical spine and shoulder/arm treatment

Pinched nerve in the cervical spine due to a herniated disc.
Cervical spine and shoulder/arm treatment NYC.

Just last night we had a patient come in with extreme neck/shoulder arm pain.
He had just had a MRI that confirmed presence of a C5/C6 disc herniation that was putting pressure on his C5/C6 nerve root and facet joint inflammation (similar to tiger woods recent injury.)
We started him out on some moist heat and electro stimulation,followed by Cox cervical flexion distaction and a gentle Chiropractic adjustment.
We followed that by cervical spinal decompression and then he was worked on by our Massage therapist.
He did a complete 360 in one visit, he left with the biggest smile and almost 75% better in one visit.
Awesome stuff!

www.livingwellnewyork.com
Call (212) 627-8149 for pinched nerve treatment in NYC

Cervical Pain in NYC: What Makes my Neck Hurt?

Next to back pain, neck pain is one of the principle reasons that people miss work in the United States, but of course, there isn’t just one hard and fast reason for neck pain. Each person’s pain will be different based on factors like lifestyle choices, previous injuries and genetic predispositions; however, one thing all types of neck pain have in common is their overwhelming ability to shut down activity, particularly for cases that are severe or chronic.

At our practice, Living Well Medical in NYC, we regularly treat patients with cervical pain (cervical refers to the uppermost portion of the spine and correlates to the neck in vertebrate mammals such as humans), taking a comprehensive approach that combines a variety of non-surgical techniques for pain relief. Below, you will find a few of many causes of neck pain, each of which will contain possibilities for treatment we make available to our patients.

Degenerative Disc Disease

As we age, the spongy material in between the vertebrae can degrade, reducing its ability to act as a shock absorber. The weakening of the outer wall of the disc, the annulus fibrosus, can also lead to bulging or herniation. Degenerative disc disease is not a painful problem for most people as it is a normal part of aging, but can lead to significant impairment in some circumstances. Symptoms of this condition are numerous and can include neck/back pain, tingling, and weakness, among others.

At Living Well Medical in NYC, we bring together a number of non-surgical treatment options for patients suffering with degenerative disc disease. Often that will include non-surgical spinal decompression with the DRX9000, cold laser therapy (which can help encourage faster healing), physical therapy and gentle chiropractic treatments.

Herniated Disc

Spinal discs that develop a tear in the fibrous tissue that surrounds the gel-like center sometimes spill some of their contents out, causing pressure on the sciatic nerve. This can occur in any of the spinal discs, but the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) discs are particularly susceptible. Herniated discs are not always painful, but compression of the nerve roots in the spine associated with disc herniation can be debilitating, causing severe lower back pain, leg pain, and muscle weakness.

For many of our patients, the DRX9000 non-surgical spinal decompression system has proven to be an effective alternative to the surgeries that are often prescribed by traditional medical doctors. Spinal decompression with the DRX9000 is a gentle stretching of the spine that is guided by a computer system. By adjust the angle of the stretch and the force, important nutrients can reach the discs, promoting healing and relieving pain.

Pinched Nerve

A pinched nerve is a broader term for any nerve impingement or irritation as a result of compression. A pinched nerve can be the result of a herniated disc, a bulging disc, facet joint syndrome, or a muscular issue like piriformis syndrome, to name a few. Pain from pinched nerves is often acute, sometimes described as a stabbing pain or a burning sensation. Weakness, numbness and tingling often accompany a pinched nerve. A pinched nerve in the neck can produce an effect called ‘referred pain,’ meaning a patient is experiencing pain in a part of the body that is adjacent to or distant from the actual site of injury. That’s one of the reasons that an extensive evaluation is necessary to pinpoint the actual site of the injury.

Treatment for a pinched nerve will depend on the specific type, but may include elements of non-surgical spinal decompression with the DRX9000, manual therapy, physical therapy, cryotherapy and cold laser treatment.

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Neck pain can be a serious problem without effective treatment. At Living Well Medical in NYC, we can help stop the pain without surgery. If cervical pain has taken control of your life, give us a call at 212-645-8151 to make an appointment.