Numbness
Jamie came into Macomb Township Chiropractic complaining of numbness in her legs and back pain with a pain level of 7, from 1-10. She said she had been having the numbness for about a year and it was affecting everything in her everyday life. She was only able to walk short distances, could not climb stairs, and lying flat to sleep was impossible. Besides the numbness, Jamie described a pulling, or tightness in her left leg any time she walked. Her doctor found nothing serious wrong and instructed her to take Advil and Aleve and said eventually it will go away.
Numbness Explained
Numbness is a loss of feeling or sensation in any part of the body, but commonly occurs in the arms, hands, legs, and feet. Numbness can also be described as feeling “pins-and-needles” that comes and goes or is persistent. It can be complete, which is no feeling at all, or partial, which is less feeling than normal. It is also described as a burning sensation. Numbness is usually caused by pinching of nerves, lack of blood supply to arteries, herniated discs, neuropathy, or spinal cord misalignments.
What are the Symptoms of Numbness?
Loss of feeling on one side or both sides of various part of the body, tingling, loss of sensation, inability to identify hot or cold sensations, weakness in affected area, burning or prickly sensation, the feeling of “skin crawling”, or loss of muscle function in the area.
What Kind of Problems Arise from Numbness?
Numbness can cause problems with balance and coordination and can make walking difficult when it affects your legs. Driving can become challenging, and your fall risk increases. Pain insensitivity may occur which can be dangerous when pain recognition is needed. Numbness can lead to pain in other areas of the body. Weakness or paralysis in the limbs, problems with fine motor skills, and a potential for foot ulcers, particularly in people with diabetes, can occur. Numbness can also lead to frustration, anxiety, decreased quality of life and low self-esteem.
How Does Chiropractic Help?
Chiropractic is the number one solution for numbness because it addresses misalignments in the spine that compress nerves. Pinched nerves lead to reduced nerve flow to all areas of the body, thus causing numbness. Manual adjustments to the spine correct misalignments and reduce nerve compression which increases nerve flow.
What Does Macomb Township Chiropractic Offer?
Dr. Chris has helped many people with numbness in the arms, hands, hips, back, legs, and feet. Possible treatments include regular manual adjustments, spinal decompression on our state-of-the art decompression table, postural rehabilitation (to correct the position of the spine), muscle massage stimulation, massage bed, and heat and cold therapy. Each patient will receive a care plan geared specifically to their individual needs for the best possible outcome to alleviate numbness.
