Shoulders,
Arms & Hands
The brain "talks"
with the rest of the body through a vast telecommunications system
made up of nerves. Nerves come out of the brain in a large bundle
called the spinal chord, travel down our backs inside the spinal
column and exit at different levels. Some exit through our neck
to go to our throat or heart, while others exit in our lower back
to go to our legs, adrenals, bladder and other organs. Some nerves
go straight to the destination but some first mix with others
to form complicated nerve networks called a plexus.
We have a number of
these nerve plexuses in our body: the cervical plexus on each
side of our neck, the brachial plexus near our shoulders, the
solar plexus near our stomach, and many, many others, both large
and small.
Brachial Plexus
The
brachial plexus is made up of nerves which come out of the middle
and lower neck. After they interconnect to form the brachial plexus,
they branch off to supply different areas, especially the shoulders,
arms, elbows, wrists, hands, and fingers.
Brachial Plexus Injury
The most common form
of brachial plexus damage is really damage to the nerves which
make up the brachial plexus as they exit the spinal column through
openings between the bones (foramina). If the openings become
smaller, the nerves become compressed or impinged (commonly called
"pinched").
What causes the nerves
to get pinched? Many things: long standing spinal stress, old
injuries fromchildhood, new injuries from sports mishaps (especially
raquet sports), car accidents (especially whiplash), arthritis,
sleeping in an awkward position, and even chronic emotional stress.
Results of Brachial
Plexus Injury
Depending on which
brachial plexus nerves are damaged, different symptoms and problems
may be experienced.
There may be neck
stiffness or pain that may radiate to the shoulder, elbow, and
down the arm, wrist, hand or finger(s). Sometimes there's clicking
or extremity pain but not neck pain. Sometimes ther's no pain
but numbness or feelings of heat or cold or swelling; or pain
in one area and numbness in another; or "pins and needles"
or muscle weakness or spasm.
Because of the complicated
way nerves interrelate, conditions such as headache; migraine;
facial pain; dizziness; limited, painful or stiff motion of the
head and neck; throat conditions;thyroid, nasal problems; low
back pain and even epilepsy have been reported as being caused
by brachial plexus damage.
Chiropractic care
is essential for anyone with shoulder, arm, elbow, and hand problems
to relieve nerve stress and permit the spine, as well as the rest
of the body, to function more normally.
>>
Back to Health Conditions
Services:
