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Question
my son(17) was in a car crash almost a year ago.. He was turning left(stopped) and a car going UMP swerved and ended up hitting him on the right side of the car.. He had a right shoulder AC tear.. it seems to have healed after physical therapy.Two weeks into physical therapy he started having tremors(for lack of better word..) more like seizures.. they start in the middle of the back and move out to the fingers.. they take about 10-30 minutes and he can tell when they are coming and it severely fatigued after they pass. They happen from 3-6 times a day.. He is very athletic and is quite concerned that the fatigue will mess up his track scholarship he just signed.. He has had cervical MRIs and complete cardiac workup with nothing much. He does have chest pain when this happens but it seems skin deep not cardiac.. the neurologists are stumped and the heart is clear.. the orthopedic guy is concerned but has no answer.. Hmmmm if it were the long nerve would he not have pain.. ? he has gripping trouble while the tremors are happening but no pain.. he has very weak legs and after the neurologist pushed on his back last week his ankles have been on fire and stabbing knee pain.. our next stop is a neuromuscular massage therapist.. any suggestions.. ?
thank you..
Dear Diane,
What you have described does not sound like an injury to the long thoracic nerve per se. The long thoracic nerve innervates the serratus muscle which serves to stabilize the motion of the shoulder blade, and when this nerve is injured the shoulder blade will float outward from the torso and leave a visual hump to the side. This is called "winging of the scapula".
The fact that he has chest pain with this can indicate muscular trigger point pain referral, possibly in the anterior scalenes or the serratus anterior. So, a neuromuscular massage therapist would be good for that...I use them in my office daily.
Trouble with grip strength in the hand indicates dysfunction with the median nerve in the arm/hand. When there is an injury to the median nerve, patients will typically have pain into the hands, wrist and forearm, with a lack of muscular strength to the hand especially with the grip. You can also look for muscular wasting in the palm of the hand...just compare the palm musculature near the thumb (palm side) of each hand to look for loss of muscle tone. If this is an issue only when he has the tremors, this is definitely perplexing.
My suggestion to you is not to give up on this as many times the injuries sustained in crashes are often not visualized on x-ray or MRI, and this obviously makes accurate diagnosis much harder.
Lastly, why have you not tried a chiropractic physician? We are very successful in treating car crash injuries, and have the most well respected post-graduate training programs on the subject matter. I would suggest that your son most likely has sustained biomechanical dysfunction injuries in the neck and low back which respond well to gentle chiropractic adjustments by allowing pressure and irritation to be removed from the spinal cord and associated nerve roots of the spine. These nerve roots supply information to the long thoracic nerve and the median nerve as well.
Hope this helps Diane.
Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoastehalthcare.net
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | thank you... and yes the obvious question is why have we not been to the Chiopractor.. we went right after I asked you the question.. and he said the same thing you did and started helping my son.. after the first treatment he is much better..go figure.. The why did we not go.?. we were told at every turn not to go. We did go immedietly after the wreck but insurance told us to follow the traditional path if they were to pay. The last neurologist we saw last friday - was asked "why we are not able to go to the chiopractor?" he said he believes in them but it will not help in this case.. it started out as a money issue and the insurance refusal to pay unless we had a referal.. now it seems silly becausae we have wasted more money and time on no results and we could have just got it cared for.. but we are seeing a wonderful DC and he has already helped and he will see the neuromuscular theramist and hopefully get this taken care of.. and my son is even more sure the medical system is nuts.. His goal is to be a ND... thank you so much for your responce and helping me feel secure in abanding the MD system.. I feel so silly - because I know better..I guess I really thought they would work with the chiopractor world a little better. Now we know.. Diane | ||
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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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