The brachial plexus is made up of nerves that come out of the middle and upper back that supply information to the shoulders, arm, elbows, wrist, hand and fingers. According to the Mayo Clinic, the brachial plexus is the network of nerves that sends signals from your spine to your shoulder, arm and hand. Neuritis, bursitis, neuralgia, rheumatism, frozen shoulder, sprain and strains are common terms that refer to neck, shoulder and arm conditions. Brachial plexus injuries can affect anyone from birth to 100 years old.

Could My Hand, Shoulder, and Arm Pain Just Be Minor?

The Mayo clinic advises, “it’s important to be evaluated and treated within six to seven months after the injury. Delays in treatment may compromise outcomes of therapy.” Common symptoms to the shoulder, arm, wrists or hand are: muscle weakness, muscle numbness, neck pain, neck stiffness decreased range of motion in the neck, shoulder, elbow or wrist. When you experience pain get treatment your symptom may indicate a condition that is caused by a nerve problem.

What Could Be the Cause of Shoulder, Arm or Hand Pain?

Damage to the brachial plexus usually results from direct injury. Other common causes of damage to the brachial plexus include…

  • birth trauma (when a baby’s shoulders are wedged in the birth canal)
  • injury from stretching
  • pressure from tumors
  • damage from radiation therapy
  • birth defects
  • inflammatory conditions
  • immune system issues

Let’s say your shoulder is pulled in one direction and your neck in the other, which could happen, for example, in a whiplash injury. As a result, you might begin to suffer from hand, shoulder and arm pain.

What Symptoms Indicate the Condition?

Commonly experienced symptoms from a traumatic injury to your brachial plexus include numbness, weakness, tingling and or pain. In addition to pain and symptoms in your arm or neck, it is not uncommon to experience, headaches, facial pain, dizziness, thyroid or nasal problems as a result of brachial plexus nerve irritation.

Why Consider Chiropractic for your Hand, Arm and Shoulder Treatment?

Often, medical doctors will prescribe medications such as painkillers or steroids to deal with the pain, but it’s critical to be aware this is only masking the problem, and may put you at risk for other health issues as a result of the medication. The road to recovery is to diagnose the condition through testing, such as an MRI of the neck and shoulder, ultrasound, blood test or an electromyogram ( EMG). Braces and splints or physical therapy to increase muscle strength may be suggested.

Chiropractic care treats the underlying condition while avoiding the risk of adverse side effects prescription pain medications and the last resort-surgery. The chiropractic approach analyzes the body’s structure to locate and correct the nerve damaging structural condition known as subluxations. Misalignments in the spine can impede or cause compression of the nerves. Often, after just one chiropractic adjustment, a patient suffering from shoulder, arm or hand pain or numbness will experience immediate relief.

All Star Chiropractic Can Help You With Your Shoulder, Arm, Hand, or Neck Pain.

Contact Us (859-727-6888) for more information!

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About All Star Chiropractic

Unlike conventional medicine, which focuses on attempting to treat disease once it occurs, All Star Chiropractic and Rehabilitation emphasizes improving your health in an effort to reduce the risk of pain and illness in the first place. Most people would rather be healthy and avoid illness, if they could. This is one of the main reasons for the big surge in the popularity of our wellness center.
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