Did I Pinch a Nerve?

It might start with just a movement that was a little too quick or a funny position that just didn’t feel right. Maybe you picked up a moving box and felt ‘something pop.’ Before you know it, your in so much pain that you can barely do anything without feeling it. I see people like this all the time at Living Well Medical in SoHo. It doesn’t take much, especially once you get into your late 50’s and higher. Your back gets a little more delicate because the spinal discs don’t work quite like they used to. It’s natural.

So inevitably your mind goes to the worst case scenario: did I pinch a nerve? It’s a scary question.

Everyone knows someone that has had severe back pain. Back pain is one of the most (if not the most) common debilitating conditions in the US. Pinched nerves because of a problem with spinal discs is only one of a host of conditions that lead to serious back pain, but for the purposes of the this blog, we’ll only focus on that (since I deal with them pretty regularly). It takes an MRI to really know if that’s the case, and after you’ve had one you can get cleared for treatment.

Conventional medical clinics will often propose surgical intervention, but no one wants that. If you can avoid the surgical knife and get relief, why the heck not? What’s more, surgery outcomes too often fall short of the hopes of the patients, occasionally having no effect at all (or even worsening things).

Here at Living Well we have a wide variety of non-surgical treatments that we use to get people back in control of their lives and their pain. That might include any number of methods like spinal decompression therapy, Active Release Technique, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, or chiropractic adjustment, - the list goes on - but the specifics of your case and problem will dictate what is chosen.

The main thing is, if your think you have a pinched nerve, go to a doctor! Pain like that doesn’t normally just “go away” on its own; you need a little backup. If you are hurting, give us a call today at 212-645-8151.

Be well!

- Dr. Shoshany, NYC Chiropractor

C5, C6 Herniated Cervical Disc Herniation

Waking up not being able to move your neck seems like a serious issue, most people would definitely freak out a little, running their options through their mind, imagining the worst possible scenarios. Thoughts of the long waiting times in the emergency rooms, the constant pain, the impact on quality of life, and the thought of going under the knife would leave most people feeling defeated.

However giving up and not doing some serious research and seeking out second opinions when it comes to your health options can be a pretty big oversight, because there aren't many more important things in life than health.

Chiropractic adjustments remove interference with the nervous system, allowing the body to heal itself, these interferences can range from tight muscles, muscular imbalances, postural distortions, to herniated or bulging discs. Chiropractic is also the overwhelming alternative to surgery in The U.S.

Here is a Patient Testimonial from Living Well Medical.

What is Sciatica

New York City residents are very likely to suffer from back problems, which can often mean suffering from leg pain or numbness in the form of Sciatica.

Sciatica isn't a condition itself but it is the symptoms of a spinal nerve being impinged, irritated, or otherwise agitated from a bulging, herniated or ruptured spinal disc. Here is a short video about Sciatica, using the "Superspine" spinal model.

What Causes Leg Pain?

As New Yorkers, we are always on the move. Time is money; you’ve got to move fast in this town to succeed. That’s one reason that chronic or severe leg pain is a big problem. More than anything, it’s the pain that’s the problem of course, but the consequences to everyday life are quite noticeable too. So what the heck causes leg pain? How is it capable of so acutely affecting our lives? To the second question, there is probably no satisfactory answer aside from the obvious one (being in constant pain is miserable), but the first is much more quantifiable.

Leg pain is a very general term and doesn’t tell us a lot about the underlying causes, but as far as patients we often see at Living Well Medical here in NYC are concerned, they generally belong to two categories: neurological and musculoskeletal.

Neurological of course means that it involves the nervous system. The legs and lower body is innervated by the sciatic nerve roots that exit the spine in lumbosacral region (lower back and pelvic area). Sometimes, other structures like muscles, fascia or support structures like spinal discs can impinge upon these important nerves. The result can be pain (in the legs, lower back, buttocks, etc.), numbness, tingling, muscle weakness and worse in extreme cases. The most common symptoms are generally associated with sciatica, a group of symptoms related to a pinched sciatic nerve. So essentially, a pinched nerve from something like a bulging or herniated disc might be at the heart of the pain. Spinal decompression, chiropractic adjustment with the Cox flexion technique and even traditional pain management are commonly part of a Living Well Medical complete pain relief programs for leg pain of this type.

Musculoskeletal pain is another common culprit in leg pain, particularly sports-related injuries. If you have ever pulled a hamstring or strained a calf, you know what it feels like. Shin splints, Achilles tendonitis, runner’s knee - there is a world of injuries that come with physical activity. Your legs probably hurt because you have overexerted yourself in some way with these types of injuries. Whether related to repeated stresses on a muscle group or heavy weight bearing activity, your body has a threshold past which you shouldn’t force it. We regularly treat patients like these with non-invasive treatments like Active Release Technique and massage therapy, but the particulars of the case will always determine the course of treatment; there isn’t really a cookie-cutter way to relieve pain. At least, not if you want lasting relief.

So those are the basics of leg pain. It should be noted that this in no way covers everything. It’s mainly meant to show some of our more common leg pain causes. If you have leg pain, we’re here. Call Living Well Medical in SoHo New York and make an appointment - 212-645-8151.

- Dr. Shoshany, NYC Chiropractor

Chiropractic treatment for Lower Back Pain

As the findings of a recent Cochrane study recently confirmed, Chiropractic care for Lower back pain is as safe and effective as traditional medical care, but what may set it apart is its non invasive method, and its track record of safety. Over the past decade there have been about 106,000 deaths per year due to the negative effects of drugs, and drug treatment. NSAID medications alone, produce 10,000-20,000 fatalities from adverse effects on multiple organs, in the United States alone. Chiropractic is the leading choice for alternative pain treatment in the United States, that doesn't involved drugs or medication.

Combining Treatments
Chiropractic treatment is a great method alone, but when combined with other treatment methods, such as the Graston Technique, Cold Laser Therapy, and rehabilitative Physical Therapy, the effects of Chiropractic manipulation can be combined with these advanced treatment methods to create a individualized approach to speeding up the body's natural healing process.

Graston Technique
The Graston Technique is a soft tissue modality that employs several specially designed metal instruments that help treat the build up of scar tissue and other muscular adhesions that may be causing pain, obstructing drainage, resulting in slower healing times, and dysfunction in the body's proper movement patterns.

Cold Laser Therapy
Using a low class laser a beam is focused on to the site of pain, or inflammation for several seconds to minutes depending on the size of the area being treated and the dose provided by the cold laser therapy unit. Low level Laser Therapy may help stimulate the body's healing response and speed up the healing process.

Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy helps the patient return to normal activity through post injury or treatment, by rehabilitating the injured muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons. It also helps find underlying structural and muscular weaknesses, then using strength and flexibility exercises addresses the weakness or imbalances.


A combined approach to helping clear the obstructions in the body's natural drainage and healing systems, allows for a reduction in pain, faster heeling, a correction of underlying physiological causes, a reduction in the need for pain medication, and can also help strengthen underlying structural and muscular faults which may lead to dysfunction in the first place.

Questions on lower back pain.

I often get questions emailed to from people all over the world concerned about their back pain. These people are looking for alternatives to surgery:
When I have permission I post questions and answers:

The first person is from Egypt

Question on lower back pain

Question: I am very worried about the MRI result i recently received and would like an insight on what courses of treatment may be available for this condition. I would also like to know how serious this condition is. The accident referred to in the findings took place more than 10 years ago.

Thanks,


Findings:
- Status post motor car accident, the current study reveals:
- L4-L5 and L5-S1 discs are degenerated and show diffuse bulges
with associated small posterior central component at L5-S1 level
indenting the ventral thecal sac and attenuate the inlets of both
neural foramina at both levels, being slightly more on the left at
L5-S1.
- Buckling of ligamenta flava at L4-L5 level which augments the
discogenic canal stenosis.
- Rest of imaged discs are unremarkable.
- Intact vertebral bodies and neural arches with normal MR signal
intensity of their bone marrow.
- Noligamentum flavum hypertrophy.
- No facet joint arthropathy.
- Noprimary spinal canal stenosis.
- Normal MRI structural appearance and signal intensity of the
conus medullaris.
- Normal MRI appearance of retro and para spinal soft tissue
structures.
OPINION:-
L4-L5 and L5-S1 degenerative disc lesions with neural effects
described above.


This is just one piece of picture, Do you have pain or dysfunction?
Are you able to function without pain? The MRI report does indicate that your lower lumbar spine has degenerative changes and the disc has bulges.
When a patient presents with similar findings in our office. NYC Herniated disc Center. we conduct a thorough exam and run diagnostics to understand the extent of the degeneration, dysfunction and/or disability. We utilize a Non-surgical treatment called Spinal Decompression in conjunction with Physical therapy and Chiropractic care . We also find that the more chronic the condition the more emphasis needs to be placed on soft tissue techniques like the Graston technique or Active Release technique(ART). Chronic soft tissue problems respond well to these therapies and have great benefit in restoring normal pain free function.
What treatments have you tried?
Treatment like Chiropractic and traditional Physical therapy should help you with your alignment and core strength.Good luck with your lower back pain treatment and if you have any more questions please email me.

Spinal Decompression Subject: L5/S1 disc protrusion Question: My MRI report reads: Degenerative lateral canal stenosis and medium size posterocentral protrusion at L5/S1.
I have seen an orthopaedic surgeon who recommended surgery as the only option and that too, by having screws fitted in.

I read about spinal decompression which is unfortunately unavailable in my country. Is my condition a permanent deformation that I need to live with or is it a condition that can be healed. I read that through spinal decompression, the bulged disc repairs itself by taking it's original place.

Just because you have a herniated disc or in your case a disc protrusion doesn't mean you need to rush out and get a surgery.Be sure to get at least two more opinions.
There is a time and place for back surgery but when it comes to a herniated disc be sure to exhaust all non-surgical methods first.Chiropractic care,Physical therapy, and if you can handle Pilates, Yoga and spinal strengthening exercises are all great options.
But to answer your question about spinal decompression,it is a excellent treatment for herniated disc and it does help heal the disc.
I have seen hundreds of patients that have been told they need surgery get better with spinal decompression treatment. These people that undergo this treatment not only get symptom relief but when we order a second MRI 2-3 months after the last visit we see a increase in their disc height and reduction of the herniation.

- Dr. Shoshany is a recognised expert in the field of spinal rehabilitation and pain management. He has been a featured guest on the "Today Show", and his articles on spinal rehabilitation and pain management have been published widely.
- Living Well Medical is a state of the art pain management and treatment center, pioneering an integrated approach to healing, and pain relief. It is located in the SOHO/ Tribeca area in the heart of New York City at 632 Broadway.

Pinched Nerve in the Neck - What to do?

A stiff neck from sleeping funny or bad posture can be a bit of a pain, but for some people with neck problems, it takes on a whole new dimension. A pinched nerve in the neck can be exceedingly painful, so much so that sufferers are often forced to essentially take a break from their lives to recover and get relief from the pain. Here I hope to present a sort of “guide” for someone that believes they have a pinched nerve. But remember, if you are in severe pain, the best route to take is to see an NYC doctor about the problem right away.

Are there any surefire signs of a pinched nerve in the neck?

There is no “absolute” in terms of a pinched nerve in the neck, also called radiculopathy. However, there are some tell-tale signs that may indicate nerve impingement in the cervical vertebrae. That being said, only the proper medical tests like nerve conduction tests and EMG can tell if nerve impulses are indeed being interrupted. They include:

• Headaches in back of head


• Upper shoulder pain


• Burning pain


• Tingling, pins & needles in middle, ringer or little finger

What exactly is going on in a pinched nerve?

Although the physical mechanism can vary from place to place, the common thread in all types of radiculopathy is a nerve that is functioning improperly. It may be due to a herniated disc or scar tissue or a muscular problem, but in each case, a nerve is impinged by surrounding tissue and becomes inflamed, affecting its performance and often causing pain/disability.

What are the treatments for a pinched nerve?

At Living Well Medical in NYC, we have several different therapies available on-site that can help reduce inflammation, pain and swelling. In cases caused by a herniated disc, cervical spinal decompression is one of the more cutting edge treatments we use. It’s a next generation technology that can pinpoint individual spinal discs and may be able to stop the pain completely.

For other causes that are myofascial (related to muscles or the fascia), manual therapies like Active Release Technique, physical therapy and traditional gentle chiropractic methods might be more effective in treating the pinched nerve.

I’m pretty sure I have a nerve problem. What should I do?

The main point is to seek help and get the tests done to find out for sure. X-rays, EMGs and nerve tests can be done by our pain management doctors, and we have a vast referral network if you should need an MRI. But don’t wait. If you would like to speak to one of our experts, call Living Well Medical in NYC’s SoHo/NoHo area at (212) 645-8151.

- Dr. Shoshany, NYC Chiropractor