Isolated spinal nerve injuries following chiropractic manipulation are infrequently reported and are often attributed to pre-existing degenerative disease of the spine. Bilateral phrenic nerve palsy has been reported following chiropractic manipulation of the cervical spine (7) Conclusions Spinal manipulation, particularly when performed on the upper spine, is often associated with mild to moderate adverse effects. It can also cause serious complications, such as dissection of the vertebral artery followed by a stroke. At present, the incidence of such events is unknown.
In the interest of patient safety, we must reconsider our policy on the routine use of spinal manipulation. If left untreated, pinched nerves can cause chronic pain and even permanent nerve damage.
chiropractic care
can be very helpful in treating pinched nerves. An adjustment can relieve pressure on a pinched nerve by eliminating any subluxation.In fact, regular chiropractic care can keep your spine healthy and help you avoid pinching a nerve in the first place. While chiropractic adjustments can cause pain after treatment, they don't cause damage to the spine. Chiropractic treatment offers several approaches to addressing pain caused by damage to peripheral nerves anywhere in the body. Adjustments and manipulations help control nervous symptoms, such as muscle weakness or loss of sensation, such as contact on one side of the foot.
In some cases, the chiropractor may recommend spinal decompression therapy for patients with low back pain secondary to a herniated disc that causes symptoms of sciatica in the legs (pain that shoots from the lower spine to one or more legs). Therapeutic ultrasound allows chiropractors to offer gentle deep tissue stimulation without applying heat directly to the nerve to minimize discomfort. But unfortunately there is more, much more. Several hundred cases have been documented in which patients suffered serious and often permanent harm following chiropractic manipulations.
The latest to hit the headlines was that of a 32-year-old woman from Jakarta who died after being treated by an American chiropractor. What usually happens in these tragic cases is that, after manipulation of the upper part of the spine, an artery that supplies the brain stretches too much and simply ruptures, leading to a stroke that can be fatal. The Wootton Clinic offers a non-surgical alternative for back and sciatic nerve pain, called spinal decompression. This method helps because when the spine is not properly aligned, nerve signals can mix or be sent to areas they aren't supposed to go through, such as muscle groups.
While pressure on the nerves caused by misaligned vertebrae could have caused pain before treatment and this has now been relieved, the nerves have yet to get used to the new space. Chiropractors don't like to hear any of this, and claim that these are extremely rare events or deny any connection to their manipulations. Conservative treatment under the care of a chiropractor often provides significant relief from symptoms. In 22 cases (published in 20 articles) the therapists were chiropractors (Table, 9-28), while in 10 cases (published in nine articles) they were other health professionals (Table,.
Vertebral artery dissection was the most common problem; other complications included tearing of the dura mater, edema, nerve injury, herniated disc, hematoma, and bone fracture. Patients were predominantly women (mean age 39 years) who had seen a chiropractor for neck pain or headache. Chiropractors rely heavily on manipulation of their patients' spine, and the benefits are not entirely clear. It's been used for years in physical therapy settings, and chiropractors now use it well with great success.
If your chiropractor offers tips for dealing with severe neck or back pain after a chiropractic adjustment, follow them, but only after having a post-treatment evaluation. The sciatic nerve is a set of nerves that wind through the spine and join at the base of the spine. Chiropractors can argue that it takes years of experience to learn the fine psychomotor control required for expert manipulations. .
.
