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Chiropractors/left side of my neck and arm and numbness in fingers

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Expert: Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman - 1/18/2009


Question
About 3 wks ago I started having severe pain in my left side of neck,arm and tingling and numbness in my fingers. I have been taking lots of pain killers which is invain. I have pack injury and had surgery.Could you please advise me what to do. as i am desperate.

Answer
Dear Khateejah,

The first thing I would recommend is that you need to address this with a functional orthopedic examination to determine if the the problem is in the neck or shoulder.  The pain you have described can originate in either area and determining the cause will offer you the best resolution of pain and symptoms.

The fact that you have had a previous surgery complicates the issue..again that areas needs to be assessed.  The pack injury you had I am assuming was a nerve compression injury, which also complicates the issue.  If you had an initial nerve injury that was surgically repaired, scar tissue around the surgery can accumulate and this may have the effect of re-compression on the localized tissue.

Now if the problem is from the neck, then you really only have few main common areas of concern.  Depending on your age, degeneration of the joints can cause bone spurs that place pressure on the nerve roots which result in the symptoms you have described.  A disk bulge can do the same thing by pressing on the nerve roots.  Additionally a stretch injury of the nerve root can cause the pain and numbness you have described.  Either way, this all needs to be determined.

I would recommend that you find a good local chiropractic physician and have them perform a neck and shoulder examination.  They should also take x-rays of the neck to look at the disk and bone structure.  Depending on what the clinical examination indicates, they may want to get an MRI of the neck as well to determine is the disk is bulged or herniated.  Chiropractors have great results in eliminating radiating pain and numbness down the arm, however if you need a surgical consult the chiropractor can refer you directly to the neurosurgeon and usually get the appointment quickly.  Bottom Line:  schedule an examination.

Hope this helps Khateejah.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net

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Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman

Expertise

I can answer questions on general chiropractic care, sports injury, whiplash and auto crash, mild traumatic brain injury, structural and functional rehabilitation of the spine, nutrition for inflammation and repair, fitness training, nutrition for sports performance and other general health and nutrition related inquiries. I currently lecture on automobile trauma, occupant kinematics, and forensic risk analysis to local EMS, Fire and Police, as well as nutrition and sports injury to community groups. Rest assured all answers are generated from my clinical experience, and scientific research.

Experience

I have accumulated over 1100 hours of post-doctoral training to include; Certifications in Spinal Trauma and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego, Certification in Chiropractic Spinal Trauma from the International Chiropractic Association, Certification in Low Speed Auto Crash Reconstruction and Certification in Forensic Risk Analysis from The Center for Research Into Automotive Safety and Health, Certified Proficiency in spinal and extremity diagnostic procedures from The Motion Palpation Institute, Certified in Sports Injury and Rehabilitation from the National University of Health Sciences and The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, Nationally Certified Fellow of Structural Rehabilitation from The Chiropractic Biophysics Organization, and I have advanced training in manipulation under anesthesia and nutrition. Feel free to check out my website for course listings: www.suncoasthealthcare.net

Organizations
International Chiropractic Association, Florida Chiropractic Association, American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, American Academy of Pain Management, Chiropractic Biophysics, Spine Research Institute of San Diego, Center for Research Into Automotive Safety and Health, Motion Palpation Organization, American Academy of Manual and Physical Medicine, Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce

Education/Credentials
B.A. (Psychology)The University of Cincinnati B.S. (Human Biology)Cleveland Chiropractic College D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic) Cleveland Chiropractic College C.C.S.T. (Certification in Chiropractic Spinal Trauma)The International Chiropractic Association C.C.S.P. (Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician)The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians. *CCST and CCSP 120 hour certification courses are not recognized by the Florida Chiropractic Board due to the fact that they are not 300 hour diplomate level courses*

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