Many people suffer from CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) and unfortunately, avoid prompt treatment and often ignore the initial symptoms of numbness or tingling in the hand(s). These early symptoms are typically not too alarming and hence, they often do not raise the level of concern until more intense symptoms occur; such as waking up from sleep due to numbness, dropping items, difficulty buttoning clothing, needing to switch hands when driving, difficulty writing, typing, knitting, as well as work related pain. There may also be fear of job loss associated with CTS, especially in these hard economic times with frequent lay offs, prompting CTS sufferers to postpone initial care. Unfortunately, delaying treatment is associated with a longer recovery time when compared to prompt management which usually results in a quicker, less complicated and more satisfying recovery.

There are many causes and contributing factors of CTS. The most prevalent cause is mechanical irritation from simply moving the hands too fast for too long, without enough rest. Another risk factor is age (over 50 years old). In this era of an aging workforce, this may be a significant issue. Fast, repetitive movements of the arms and hands are often a direct cause and can be appreciated by watching someone knit rapidly and/or performing line work using fast, repetitive movements. If the hands/wrists have to bend in awkward positions to accomplish a work task, or if a tool that is frequently used places pressure in the palm of the hand, these can also contribute to the onset or perpetuation of CTS. Other conditions can also contribute to CTS including inflammatory arthritis like rheumatoid, diabetes, pregnancy, the use of birth control pills, obesity and hypothyroidism.

The management of CTS is case specific, and is dependant on which of the above mentioned causes or contributors are present. Management of any metabolic disorder such as diabetes or hypothyroid is important, especially compliance with taking appropriate medication, when indicated. The management of weight, hormone replacement therapy, and fluid retention all play a roll in CTS management. Ergonomic or job-related management strategies are very important and can include work station modifications so that unnecessary awkward arm/wrist/hand positions can be avoided. This may require moving the item being worked on to a less stressful position, using a different type of tool handle (screw driver, etc.), changing the height or reach distance at which the material is worked on, and taking “mini-breaks” every ½ to 1 hour when the lack of rest is a contributor. Frequently, the combination of pinching a phone between the head and shoulder, typing data into a computer where the monitor is positioned too high or off to one side, and excessive arm motions using a computer mouse can contribute to pinching the nerve in the neck and/or arm, resulting in CTS. Remedies for this situation include the use of a head set, repositioning the computer monitor so that it is in front of the worker, and using a trackball type of mouse to eliminate arm motion can be extremely helpful.

Treatment strategies offered by chiropractors include the use of night splinting to avoid awkward wrist/hand positions during sleep. In addition, manual therapy to the wrist and the tight muscles in the front of the forearm, as well as other nerve constriction areas such as the elbow, shoulder, and neck, manipulation of the joints in hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and/or neck, depending on what is unique and needed for that patient, and the use of physiological therapeutics such as low level laser light therapy, electrical stimulation, and/or ultrasound have all been shown to offer beneficial effects. Nutritional recommendations include Vitamin B6 (150mg/day), magnesium, calcium, Co-Q10, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D3. Reducing glutens (wheat, oats, barley, and rye) is also very important due to the inflammatory response of these foods. Surgery is typically, the last treatment resort and is appropriate, “when all else fails.” We welcome you to our clinic and are proud to offer you a non-drug, non-surgical solution for CTS and its disabling symptoms.  Visit our website at www.southingtonchiropractor.com to find out more about us.

Patients that present to my Chiropractic office with neck pain along with arm numbness, pain, and/or weakness, often ask, “…what’s causing this pain down my arm, is it a disc herniation?” The condition is often caused from a bulging or herniated disk pinching a nerve in the neck. The cause of this complaint can include both trauma as well as non-traumatic events. In fact, sometimes, the patient has no idea what started their condition, as they cannot tie any specific event to the onset.

The classic presentation to a chiropractor of a neck disc herniation, includes neck pain that radiates into the arm in a specific area as each nerve affects different parts of the arm and hand. Describing the exact location of the arm complaint such as, “I have numbness in the arm and hand that makes my 4th and pinky fingers feel half asleep,” tells us that you have a pinched C8 nerve. This nerve can also be pinched at the elbow and make the same two fingers

In my chiropractic office still find myself surprised when I see a person with a brace on their wrist because of Carpal Tunnel, it never fails. It could be the waitress at my favorite restaurant or the cashier at the supermarket, but that little wrist brace always gives me pause and compels me to ask the question, “what’s wrong with your wrist?”

Almost to a person the answer is: carpal tunnel. But the thing that surprises me more is that the person usually says how much pain they’re still in, despite the brace. Maybe it’s because their work is so stressful on the wrist. Serving tables is hard work and holding a couple of heavy plates with one hand can put a considerable strain on the wrist.

For many patients, the brace can be a life saver, getting us back to work and providing for our families. But for many others, they don’t solve the problem. That’s because simply limiting motion, while good in theory, could make the muscles of the wrist weaker. Also, wrist problems aren’t always just a problem in the wrist. If the wrist and hand pain is actually coming from a pinched nerve in the neck, then the wrist brace will do little to help.

The important thing is to get the problem checked out. Is a small bone of the wrist out of its normal position? Is the mobility of the wrist asymmetrical and uneven? Is there a double-crush problem, with a pinched nerve not just in the carpal tunnel, but also where the nerves exit the neck area?

Our clinic does our best to help the pain of carpal tunnel. Usually a comprehensive approach is needed and we may need to adjust the bones of your neck and wrist to help restore proper alignment. If the vertebrae are twisted in the neck, they can narrow the openings where the delicate nerves emerge and travel down the arm to the hand. Sometimes the posture of the neck is affected and there is a loss of the normal forward curve of the neck. This can cause a stretch to the spinal cord and nerve roots.

If possible, we try to limit the use of braces and instead focus on strengthening the muscles of the forearm, or use deep tissue massage and stretching to increase muscle flexibility.

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This information is solely advisory, and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all health care concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a health care professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.

Avoiding disc surgery can be accomplished with Chiropractic care. Disc herniations with the resulting sciatic nerve pain can be very painful and debilitating. But treating the injury with surgery before trying all types of care may make the problem worse.

In my chiropractic office we treat disc herniations with gentle non invasive techniques. My website: www. southingtonchiropractor.com has examples of the types of treatment that we perform to help these types of people. Things like flexion/distraction has an over 80% success rate which is just as effective as the expensive spinal decompressive programs.

If you have symptoms including low back pain, leg pain, weakness, tingling etc, you may have a disc herniation but you could have something else as well.  A Chiropractor is well trained to identify the types of problems causing disc herniations from conditions that require medical intervention.   If you have symptoms such as bowl or bladder problems, that may require emergency intervention.  Discuss your symptoms with your Chiropractor or call 860-620-9523 and one of the doctors would be happy to give you some guidence.

There has been a debate for years regarding the use of Chiropractic care and spinal manipulation and its benefits in the treatment of low back pain. Since the founding of chiropractic in 1895, the initial reaction against the early pioneer chiropractors resulted in doctors of chiropractic (DC’s) being incarcerated for “…practicing medicine without a license.” But chiropractors kept forging ahead and because of obtaining good results and helping millions of people, by 1971, Medicare adopted coverage for chiropractic – a first in chiropractic’s history. In 1975, the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare invited an international group of health care provider types (MD’s, DC’s, DO’s, etc.), to share with each other at the National Institute of Health, and determine what the “current” research status of spinal manipulative therapy was at that time. Recommendations for future needed research resulted and the proceedings were published in: The DHEW Publication No. (NIH) 76-998 “The Research Status of Spinal Manipulative Therapy.” That landmark gathering stimulated a plethora of research that was to follow over the course of the next 30+ years and continues today. Due to the overwhelming positive benefits of chiropractic

As a Chiropractor and health care provider, when patients are interested in there nutritional status, I give them a questionnaire which helps me assess their nutritional health.  There are a number of well established clinical signs and symptoms associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  Additionally, certain nutrition and lifestyle behaviors and the use of certain medications can promote vitamin and mineral deficiencies, usually from a lack of intake or accelerated depletion of specific nutrients.

Studies indicate that 91 percent of North Americans are nutritionally deficient and do not ingest the RDA levels for each vitamin and mineral on a daily basis. Further, those levels for many nutrients are considered to be suboptimal according to many anti-aging and nutrition experts, especially in regard to certain antioxidants, vitamin D and

I have noticed over the years as a chiropractor that people who exercise, have good nutritional habits and receive regular Chiropractic care are is great shape.  Have you ever noticed that people who are in good physical shape are in better mental shape? I see that in my office especially with the older population of people. And from an evolutionary perspective we are better equipped to adapt to stress and change if we are mentally and physically in shape.

Exercise and good nutrition benefits the brain in two major ways. First, it helps generate new brain cells. And second, it strengthens the connections between those cells, providing more mental agility and actually allowing the brain to stay young even as the body ages. There has been scientific research showing that the body continues to make new brain cells later in life. The general assumption was that around 50 we stop making new cell but now it is understood

Many times low back, hip and knee pain can be traced to the feet. Even if your feet don’t hurt, they may be a major factor contributing to your health problems. I find that if a patient doesn’t respond to treatment, addressing any foot issues can result in dramatic improvement. A foot problem may be the cause of discomfort or pain in your leg/hip, back, arm/shoulder or even your neck. Take the following test and if you answer yes to any of the following questions, you need to have your feet addressed.

Low back pain caused by foot issues are triggered by many things.  Answer the following questions:  Do you stand or walk on hard surfaces for more than 4 hours daily? Don you participate regularly in any physical sport such as basketball, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling etc.? Are you over 40?

Other questions which need to be answered to identify low back pain from feet problems are:  Have you had a prior knee injury, back injury or neck injury? Do your shoes wear unevenly? Do you have joint pain while standing,

You probably already know that Chiropractors treat low back pain but what you may not know is that we feel the cause of the pain is a injury called subluxations.  Subluxation means a vertebral joint of the spine is out of its normal position. It’s the same as a sprain because the ligaments are stretched when this occurs. But how does a joint get out of its normal position? Usually, the culprit is some sort of trauma but not necessarily at the level of a high fall or a major car accident (although these trauma do cause problems).

Many times subluxations causing low back pain are caused by injury and the spine can be injured because it is more vulnerable in awkward positions, such as when we bend forward and add a little twist to a lift. Perhaps it’s putting a baby seat into the back

In my Chiropractic office we treat a lot of neck injuries along with headaches and other problems that start at the top of the spine. We find a lot of weak muscles which cause instability and perpetuate the problems the patient has come in for. The neck is the most flexible part of your spine and just like any other area of the body, movement exercises and good postures are important to maintain its health. Neck pains can be brought on or aggravated by how you treat this vital structure. We often neglect our neck when it comes to exercises, focusing instead on our legs or heart. So try these helpful hints and incorporate them into your daily routine.
Exercising your neck by slowly moving it through all its ranges is key. It is important to do pure movements rather than combinations, rolling the neck around like a ball and socket joint (such as the hip or shoulder) is to be avoided. What I find is that if there is any joint in the neck that are not working perfectly, combination movements can further jam these joints. Instead, flex the neck forward until your chin touches the top of your chest. Then, slowly bend your neck backwards, chin to the sky. These movements should not cause pain if they are done slowly and you have no