A common diagnosis we see and happily treat is cervical disc issues, this can include: cervical disc herniation or commonly known as a “slipped disc” as well as degenerative disc disease. These diagnoses may walk in the office with neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, numbness or weakness in the arms and hands all potentially from cervical nerve being compressed or simply irritated – or termed cervical radiculopathy. Typically if you walk in already knowing you have this issue you’ve had imaging like an x-ray, CT scan, or MRI performed at some point. So what now?
Obviously treatments are completely dependent on the severity of disc issues but let’s talk about what that looks like. Many studies have shown a positive correlation between chiropractic management and cervical radiculopathy specifically caused by a disc herniation. Regularly scheduled chiropractic adjustments based upon your exam and response to treatment are crucial for correcting misalignments that may be applying pressure on the disc. These adjustments can be administered in many different techniques dependent upon patient preference and response – we are able to use manual manipulation, an activator, the drop table and many more.
Chiropractors can offer more than just adjustments to aid in the treatment of disc issues. Particularly at our office we have access to shockwave therapy in the form of radial pressure waves. This therapy targets inflammation at depths our hands cannot reach. This has been shown to reduce the pain and ache commonly felt with cervical disc issues or cervical radiculopathy. The shockwave also helps improve blood flow and aids in activating connective tissues in the surrounding area. We use different treatment phases with this therapy: the initial phase is focused on pain reduction via a setting known as “pain-zone” and is performed in the areas affected. As the pain begins to lessen we then switch the settings to focus on trigger points and chronic muscle inflammation to the body to heal the areas affected by the cervical nerve irritation.
We also are able to offer electric stimulation therapy- similar to a TENS unit you may have at home but this is much more powerful and targeted tailored to your diagnosis. By placing electrodes via sticky pads onto the affected areas, we are able to send a specific electric current into the musculature to promote muscle relaxation and increase blood flow to the area. The electric stimulation sent via the electrodes promotes pain relief by blocking pain signals sent from the brain – similar to how Hollywood will show a broken leg but the person in pain gets slapped, this is not only to stop the person being in shock but the body can only focus on one sensation at time… so Hollywood got something right! The other use of electric stimulation is for rehabilitation- with the nerve being irritated or compromised, we are able to start “waking it up” and restore the nerve to its normal function which can help lessen the numbness, tingling or weakness felt by patients. This is potentially why electric stimulation or even your home TENS unit can help reduce the severity of symptoms. All of these therapies paired with chiropractic manipulation can be a great place to start in your conservative management of cervical disc issues and only just the beginning of your options! If you think this is something you’d like to explore more and see if these options help you.
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