Mountain View Chiropractic | Mountain View Chiropractic

Do I Have Carpal Tunnel???

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:43:05 +0000

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is an injury caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist, resulting in pain and numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers along with weakness of the thumb. The carpal tunnel receives its name from the eight bones in the wrist, called carpals, which form a “tunnel” through which the nerve leading to the hand extends.

Signs and Symptoms

Some easy-to-recognize signs and symptoms of CTS include the following.

Nighttime painful tingling in one or both hands, frequently causing sleep disturbance
Feeling of uselessness in the fingers
A sense that fingers are swollen even though little or no swelling is apparent
Daytime tingling in the hands, followed by a decreased ability to squeeze things
Loss of strength in the muscle at the base of the thumb, near the palm
Pain shooting from the hand up the arm as far as the shoulder

What Causes It?

The carpal tunnel is filled with tendons that control finger movement. Tasks requiring highly repetitive and forceful movements of the wrist can cause swelling around the tendons, resulting in a pinched nerve and producing CTS.

Who’s Most At Risk?

People working with small hand tools in manufacturing and those using a computer keyboard on a regular basis are especially at risk.

Women are more likely than men to develop CTS. It most commonly occurs in people between the ages of 40 and 60. CTS is associated with health conditions such as Lyme disease, rubella, pregnancy, and menopause. High caffeine, tobacco, or alcohol intake are contributing risk factors.

You can help prevent CTS or alleviate symptoms by making some simple changes in your work and leisure habits.

Stretch or flex your arms and fingers before beginning work and at frequent intervals.
Alternate tasks to reduce the amount of repetitive movements.
Modify or change daily activities that put pressure on your wrists.
Modify your work environment. If you use a computer, have an adjustable keyboard table and chair, and a wrist rest.

CTS is commonly treated by chiropractors. The methods most chiropractors use to treat CTS include manipulation of the wrist, elbow, and upper spine, ultrasound therapy, and wrist supports. Two studies support the use of chiropractic treatment for CTS.

In the first study, 25 individuals diagnosed with CTS reported significant improvements in several measures of strength, range of motion, and pain after receiving chiropractic treatment. Most of these improvements were maintained for at least 6 months.

A second study compared the effects of chiropractic care with conservative medical care (wrist supports and ibuprofen) among 91 people with CTS. Both groups experienced significant improvement in nerve function, finger sensation, and comfort. The researchers concluded that chiropractic treatment and conservative medical care are equally effective for people with CTS.

Massage

Massage may help prevent or relieve symptoms, especially when rosemary and/or St. John’s wort oil are used.

Prognosis/Possible Complications

Most people’s symptoms clear up within a few months with conventional treatment. If left untreated, CTS in advanced stages can become quite serious, involving a loss of sensation, muscle deterioration, and permanent loss of function.

Following Up

If your wrist is placed in a splint, you’ll need ongoing evaluation by your healthcare provider until treatment is completed. If you undergo surgery for CTS, a single follow-up visit is normally all that is required.

Nutrition

Use of vitamin B₆supplements (50 to 200 mg a day) for up to 3 months provides patients with pain relief and increased function in 85 percent of cases. B-complex may be used as an adjunct to B₆. The following nutrients may have an anti-inflammatory effect: essential fatty acids (1,500 to 3,000 mg a day), and curcumin (250 to 500 mg) and bromelain (250 to 500 mg), both taken between meals. Lipoic acid (100 mg twice a day) can help reduce swelling. Modifying your diet to reduce or eliminate saturated fats and fried foods will also decrease inflammation.

PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:54:14 +0000

Piriformis syndrome is a common condition that develops when there is a chain reaction of nerve irritation in your low back, buttocks and legs. It begins with an aggravated or strained piriformis muscle, which is a muscle in each of your buttocks. That muscle, in turn, irritates small surrounding nerves, which then irritate the larger sciatic nerve that runs from your low back through your buttock and into your leg.

Commonly, patients with piriformis syndrome complain about a deep pain in a buttock, but aren’t able to describe exactly where the pain is coming from. Sitting, climbing stairs or performing squats can make the bothersome, achy pain even worse.

Because the sciatic nerve supplies nerve function to the leg, patients may also experience pain that moves to the outside of the thigh or even as far as the foot. For that reason, piriformis syndrome is classified as a type of sciatica, which is a category of conditions that cause tingling sensations, burning sensations, shooting pain, prickling and even numbness along the lower limb.

When there’s no pain, people usually take piriformis muscles for granted, and don’t realize that they’re responsible for an extremely important movement: external hip rotation. To understand how the muscles work, picture a soccer player trying to kick or pass a ball with the inside of his foot. To perform this motion, he must rotate his leg about 80 degrees, so the foot is pointing outwards.

Without the piriformis muscle, this movement would be impossible. But a number of factors can interfere with the muscle, hindering performance and causing great pain. These include trauma to the sacroiliac joint (a joint in the pelvis that’s comprised of two bones: the sacrum and the ilium), sitting with one leg crossed over the other, having one leg that’s longer than the other, sitting or driving while one leg faces outward, improper walking, poor posture and faulty spine mechanics.

Hormones can also be a factor, and for that reason women are more prone to piriformis syndrome because they experience constant hormonal changes, such as those caused by menstruation, oral contraceptives, pregnancy and menopause. During pregnancy, for example, the body produces a hormone called relaxin to loosen ligaments around the pelvis in preparation for birth. The muscles around the pelvis, including the piriformis muscles, react by tightening up, forcing the piriformis muscles to work harder to stabilize the area.

With all these complications, and mostly because piriformis syndrome produces symptoms that are similar to other forms of sciatica, the condition can be very difficult to diagnose. Once your healthcare practitioner determines the correct cause, however, he or she can provide effective care.

You have two piriformis muscles, one in each buttock beneath the gluteal muscles. Each piriformis muscle begins at the sacral spine in the lower back and stretches across to the top outer surface of its associated thigh, to a bony bump, which is called the greater trochanter.

Below the piriformis muscle sits the sciatic nerve. This nerve, almost the diameter of your thumb, is the thickest one in the body. (In some instances, the sciatic nerve may be found within the piriformis muscle, but this is extremely rare.) It also covers quite a span, running all the way from your lower back into your leg and then branching off into your foot.

Normally, the piriformis muscle gives the sciatic nerve room to function properly, but problems occur when the muscle becomes tight. This causes the chain reaction of nerve irritation mentioned in the About section, which can lead to pain in the back of the thigh and the lower calf.

If you haven’t already started stretching, piriformis syndrome gives you a reason. In fact, this may be the most important thing you can do, especially if your piriformis muscle becomes tight after you perform a specific physical activity.

Your chiropractor can prescribe a number of stretches that can improve the muscle’s functioning, and he or she may also recommend strengthening exercises that focus on the areas surrounding the piriformis. These exercises can help increase blood flow, strengthen weak structures and remove toxic blood products like lactic acid.

In the initial stages, rest and ice can also be helpful. By resting and avoiding activities that exacerbate the pain, you allow the muscle time to heal. By applying ice to the muscle, you help reduce swelling and decrease the amount of painful inflammatory chemicals in the area.

In conjunction with stretching and strengthening, your chiropractor may also use spinal manipulative therapy, also known as adjustment or manipulation. This can help correct spinal joint dysfunction (SJD) in the pelvis and low back. Evidence suggests SJD causes or contributes to tight piriformis muscles and a dysfunctional pelvis.

Three Phases of Care – WHY? Part 1

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:46:51 +0000

I am going to be spending the next few weeks answering some common questions that I am asked in my office. I am often asked why I break my care down into three phases and why it takes so long. PHASE ONE – Relief / Correction: Most patients that enter the office do so with a certain amount of pain and discomfort. My first priority is to address that pain level and begin to bring it down. As the pain begins to change I am also working on making the structural corrections (as seen on x-rays) that is causing the problem in the first place. Making improvements to spinal misalignments often can take weeks to months. Most of the time, the problem has been there for years and 1 treatment cannot undo the past 5 years. After the patient is feeling a decrease in pain and spinal misalignments are improving based on progress x-rays, we can now move to the next phase.

Are you a typical chiropractic patient?

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:37:27 +0000

It seems like there is so much fear and misunderstanding around chiropractic. I understand that it is human nature to fear what you do not understand. True chiropractic should not be fear producing! I am also a realist and know that a lot of individuals have had different experiences in chiropractic offices. Remember that we are all different. If you have a poor experience with your primary care physician, then you leave and go to another one. You continue the process until you find a primary care physician that you feel comfortable with and content. However, the same is not true for chiropractic. If an individual has a bad first experience they do not typically try another chiropractor. This really is a double standard. We are all different and have different styles and techniques. On average, by the time a patient comes into the office, they have thought about it for 2 years, and have exhausted all other means. Why do people wait? I would like to hear your feedback on this topic in order to improve the chiropractic experience and profession.

Dinner on Doc – You could be the winner!!

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:29:21 +0000

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:00:20 +0000

Thank you to all of our patients and community members for a wonderful PATIENT APPRECIATION WEEK! We have been able to collect food and money for our community and the upcoming holidays!! Thank you to everyone for being a blessing me and others!!

Sick and Tired of Hurting?

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 16:27:53 +0000

On November 11th, 2010 we are having our Annual Fall Patient Appreciation Day. As a thank you to the community, Dr. Beighle will be offering a free consult, exam and x rays for new patients. Space is limited so call Kristie at 865-579-4066 to reserve your spot today!!! Find out if Chiropractic can help you!!

Where Does Health Come From?

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:33:37 +0000

Are you feeling stressed 24/7?

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:36:26 +0000

What is arthritis?

Dr. Lisa Beighle — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:43:55 +0000

Arthritis Relief? Get Chiropractic

Millions of people suffer from some form of arthritis. Because arthritis is commonly believed to be incurable, the standard medical response has been simply to prescribe medication to reduce the symptoms. Substantial evidence now shows, however, that the pain and disability caused by arthritis can be alleviated and even prevented through chiropractic, in conjunction with dietary modifications, nutritional supplementation, stress reduction and other alternative therapies.

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Among the oldest known human afflictions, it can affect virtually every part of the body, from the feet to the knees, back, shoulders and fingers. The effects of arthritis range from slight joint pain, stiffness and swelling to crippling disability. The condition can affect people of all ages, but is most common in seniors. There are a variety of arthritic conditions, with the three most common forms of the disease being osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and gout. OA is a degenerative disease of the large weight-bearing joints. It is often associated with aging. People with the condition often have small bony growths, calcium spurs and occasional soft cysts on their bones and in their joints. As the disease progresses, joint cartilage deteriorates to the point where it interferes with movement. RA, while less common than OA, is a serious and painful joint disease that can lead to crippling disability in young and old alike. RA involves damage to synovial tissue, which is the membrane that lines joints and secretes the lubricant that normally allows bones to move painlessly against other bones. Symptoms of RA include fatigue, low-grade fever, weakness, joint stiffness and vague joint pain. Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a buildup in the body of uric acid, which is found in meats and other foods and also produced by the body. When the level of uric acid rises to unhealthy levels in the body, it crystallizes in the joint cartilage and synovial tissue and fluid, causing sharp, needle-like pain in the joints, as well as fever, chills and loss of mobility.

The primary keys for treating and preventing arthritis are proper nutrition, detoxification and stress reduction. Pain management and correction of skeletal and postural problems can be addressed through chiropractic, while other modalities, including herbal medicine, environmental medicine, acupuncture and Ayurvedic medicine, may also help.
Chiropractic has proven highly effective for many who suffer from the disease, especially those with OA, as an estimated 95% of osteoarthritic patients also have misaligned joints. If a joint is out of position and there are abnormal stresses, OA usually occurs.
This is because OA is directly related to skeletal and postural difficulties. Tendons and ligaments can be torn or stretched as a result of injury, exercise or aging. The layers which hold muscles, joints and organs together tend to thicken and rigidify from overuse. When the body tries to compensate, bony spurs may appear in joints and on bones. Regular preventative chiropractic treatments can help to diminish these abnormal stresses and reduce symptoms or even prevent the body changes from occurring.

Another important step in treating arthritis is helping people achieve a normal body weight, as excess weight puts increased stress on weight-bearing joints. A diet rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains can help people reduce weight while maximizing nutritional benefits. Certain foods are known to be beneficial, while others are not. Cold water fish such as mackerel, herring, sardines and salmon and other sources of essential fatty acids are valuable for the prevention of arthritis, because of the anti-inflammatory characteristics of such foods. Caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and sugars are best avoided.