The quadriceps and hip flexors are powerful muscles in the front of the hip and thigh. They are controlled by the femoral nerve which originates from the first to fourth lumbar vertebrae.
Some conditions and injuries are able to cause weakness in the thigh and effect the femoral nerve. One such condition is diabetes. The nerve may also be effected by childbirth or injuries to the front of the hip. In such cases the quadriceps muscles become rapidly weaker and a person may have a hard time rising from a seated position or go up stairs.
Numbness in the front or side of the thigh is also known as meralgia paresthetica. In this condition the sensory nerves of the spine become entraped and the result is numbness in the thigh. Often with this type of condition the skin becomes sensitive to touch but strength and muscle tone is unaffected. Some causes of meralgia paresthetica include obesity and wearing a belt or truss for work purposes. Pregnancy may also cause the condition to occur.
Dr. Tom Etter is a Chiropractor and graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. Dr. Etter’s Chiropractic practice focus is back pain, neck pain and sports injuries.
Problems with the lumbar discs are often difficult to diagnose and treat. Often many symptoms of the various causes of back pain overlap. Disc problems are frequently linked with events such as lifting, bending and sneezing. While a disc condition may be linked to one event that strains the back the actual process that causes the disc to fail can take years. Highly stressing a lumbar disc through lifting or other causes often may stress a slightly abnormal disc beyond its capability to recover and cause the process of disc herniation to accelerate.
One of the most troublesome effects of a disc problem is nerve impingement. When the disc herniates it may put pressure on the lumbar nerve roots. The actual moment in which the disc material impinges the nerve roots may happen suddenly even though the process was years in the making. Some of the events that may precipitate the nerve impingement are sneezing, lifting or straining at the stool.
Back pain is a common symptoms of a disc that is abnormal. Sciatica is the predominant symptom when the disc contacts the nerve. Sciatica is a key feature that helps a Chiropractors and other clinicians determine if an episode of sciatica is due to a disc condition or other factors. Many back conditions can be associated with leg pain but only nerve root irritation in the lumbar spine can produce pain along the distribution of the sciatic nerve.
Another key feature that is often overlooked with sciatica and nerve root irritation due to the disc is muscle tenderness. With acute attacks of nerve impingement the buttocks, thigh and calf can be very tender.
Dr. Tom Etter is a Chiropractor and graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. His Chiropractic practice focus is back pain, neck pain, whiplash and sciatica.
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Tagged arthritis, back ache, back pain, back spasms, chiropractic, chiropractor, disc bulge, muscle pain, olathe chiropractor, pain management, pinched nerve, sciatica, slipped disc, whiplash
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One of the most common causes of lower back pain seen by Chiropractors involves a strain of the lower back muscles. The joint between the pelvis and and lumbar spine is especially prone to a painful sprain due to the fact it acts as a fulcrum as a persons bends at the waist. Usually this type of injury results from lifting a load while bent at the waist. Often the spine is more susceptible to injury while in the bend and twisted position. A sprain of the lower back is said to always have a lag time between the event of injury and the onset of symptoms. Usually the lag is hours to days depending on the severity of the injury. Usually this type of injury will cause a person to walk slowly because movement of the spine is painful. The most comfortable position may be of slight forward bend or leaning to one side. The muscles of the back are usually very tight and have a feeling of being taut and hard. Back spasms usually limit all movements of the back. The type of pain felt in a sprain of the lower back is a catching, sharp pain in the lower back. The pain may also be diffuse on rest and radiate down into the thighs or buttocks or even upwards towards the neck.
Chiropractic management of acute sprain of the back and back spasms involves intersegmental stretching of the back along with gentle mobilization of the spine. Ice may be helpful in the first week of a back sprain as well. Resting is generally recommended in the initial phases of an acute back sprain. The pelvic tilt exercise is also helpful.
Dr. Tom Etter is a Chiropractor with over ten years of practice experience. Dr. Etter’s Chiropractic practice serves Olathe, Kansas, Lenexa, Kansas and Overland Park, Kansas.
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Tagged back ache, back hurts, back injury, back pain, back pain treatment, back spasms, chiropractic, chiropractic care, chiropractor, olathe chiropractor, pain management, sciatica
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This blog post will discuss neck pain, headaches and other syptoms that may originate from a whiplash injury and the Chiropractic approach to these problems.
Neck pain is the most common complication from a whiplash injury. The neck pain may be immediate in onset or may be delayed as much as 48 hours in some cases. Delayed onset of neck pain is one factor that makes the effects of whiplash much harder to study. Some studies have even suggested that pain may appear several weeks after an accident. One line of thinking asserts that it is injury to the muscles and other soft tissues such as ligaments that accounts for the delay in symptoms in some people. Muscle injuries generally take longer to present than do injuries to the neck itself. Problems with the muscles and joints of the neck can refer pain into the face or head.
Most persons who suffer a whiplash experience a loss of range of motion (stiff neck) and even passive motions of the neck may be painful. The muscles are usually tender to the touch and some people may have such severe discomfort they actually hold their head with their hands.
The incidence of neck pain after a whiplash has been estimated at anywhere between 60 and 98%. Women are at higher risk of neck injury than men due to the fact that women have generally less muscle mass in the neck than men. Neck pain may often be a long lasting effect of whiplash. One proposed reason for extended pain is the effect of whiplash on ligaments. Whiplash injuries tend to stretch and loosen ligaments which causes the neck to have abnormal or altered ranges of motion. Damage to the muscles can act as an extended source of pain in the neck and stiff neck. Healing of the muscles and tendons is a slow process. The Chiropractic technique that most effectively addresses the issue of muscle injury is myofascial release.
Headaches are another very common effect of whiplash type injuries. Headache is second to neck pain in reported frequency. Heache is very commonly reported with moderate to severe injury to the neck in both sports and auto accidents. One study found that about 70% of persons suffering a whiplash reported headaches. Headaches often follow no observable pattern. They may be constant or intermittent and involve different areas of the head or face. The most common type of headache relating to whiplash is the muscle tension or tension headache. This type of headache is generally associated with pain in the base of the neck, front of the head or behind the eyes. Whiplash often may irritate arthritic conditions in the neck and exacerbate headaches. Injury to the muscles of the neck have also been associated with headaches. Forward head posture or loss of the normal curve of the neck is one factor that tends to prolong or aggrevate neck pain. Persons with straigh neck curvature or forward head position tend to be more sucsecptible to prolongs irritation from neck injury.
Dr. Tom Etter is a Chiropractor with oven ten years of practice experience. Etter Chiropractic serves Olathe, Kansas, Lenexa, Kansas and the surrounding areas.
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Tagged back ache, back pain, car accident injury, chiropractic, chiropractor, lenexa chiropractor, muscle injury, neck injury, neck pain, olathe chiropractor, stiff back, stiff neck, whiplash
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Whiplash often presents with a confusing array of symptoms. Such symptoms as headaches, arm pain, weakness and Carpal tunnel syndrome are not uncommon. Chiropractors are among the leading providers treating whiplash in the United States.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is often not considered a prime symptom of whiplash but may be a complication in some people. One possible explaination of the link between carpal tunnel and whiplash is that the wrist and forearm may be injured or overstretched during the impact. Chronic overuse of the hands in occupational or sports is the most common cause of carpal tunnel. Often a whiplash injury may irritate the nerves to the hand (median nerves) in what is referred to as a double crush injury. Double crush refers to whiplash injury to nerves already impinged by carpal tunnel. Another fact to remember is that the leading cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is fluid retention. Whether fluid retention due to whiplash trauma is a factor in carpal tunnel is unclear.
Injury to the discs of the neck is a more severe injury associated with whiplash. One common symptom of disc injury is pain that radiates down the arm. In whiplash this symptom is often confusing since referred pain from damaged muscles and ligaments in the neck may also radiate pain down the arm. In some persons who have had a disc injury in the neck as a result of whiplash the only symptom is headaches. In others there may be pain and sensitivity to pressure over the joints and muscles of the neck which may be severe or relatively mild. Most headaches of this type tend to be in the base of the neck and head. Other confusing pains from whiplash can be felt in the shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand. The joints of the neck (called facet joints) are often the culprit in neck pain. It is also known that the joints of the upper neck are associated with headaches. Chiropractic adjustments are especially effective in addressing joint associated aspects of neck pain and headaches from whiplash.
Dr. Tom Etter is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and has over ten years of experience as a Chiropractor treating back pain,neck pain and whiplash. Dr. Etter’s Chiropractic practice serves Olathe, Kansas, Lenexa, Kansas and the surrounding areas.
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Tagged back ache, car accident care, care accident injury, carpal tunnel syndrome, chiropractic, chiropractor, headaches, lenexa chiropractor, neck ache, neck injury, olathe chiropractor, pain relief, whiplash
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