Does Nerve Pain Hinder You From Doing Things You Love? Find Out How Chiropractor Neuropathy Can Help You!

By: Dr. Nicholas Toumazos November 19, 2021

The human body is a fantastic creation that houses hundreds of nerves responsible for making the many processes in your bodywork. The two most common types of nerves are somatic and visceral nerve fibers. Somatic nerve cells control the activities involved with the movement of muscles, while visceral nerve fibers help maintain internal organs such as your heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines. Nerve cells are connected to other nerve cells all over the body through synapses, which happen when an electrical charge meets another cell. The junction of two neurons is called a synapse. While there are many types of neurons in your body, the neurons are divided into three major groups:  sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons.

  • Sensory neurons carry information to the central nervous system about what is happening with your sense organs (i.e., eyes, ears, nose).
  • The inter-neurons communicate between sensory nerve cells for an action (such as moving a muscle).
  • Lastly, the motor neurons are responsible for carrying information from the central nervous system to all of your muscles, thus producing an action.

Types of Neurons

There are three types of neurons based on their function in the body:

  • Excitatory neurons- increase electrical activity in the body.
  • Inhibitory neurons- decrease electrical activity.
  • Sensory neurons - bring information to the central nervous system about the senses.  These types of neurons are bound to an electrical circuit. The neurotransmitter is essential to transmit information from one neuron to another.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that facilitate communication between neurons across the synapse. The two types of neurotransmitters are inhibitory and excitatory. Excitatory neurotransmitters allow a new impulse to begin, while inhibitory neurotransmitters prevent an impulse from firing.

What Is Nerve Pain and What Causes It?

Chiropractor Explaining the Causes of Nerve Pain to a Patient in a Clinic

Have you ever been jolted awake from a deep sleep by a searing pain that shot through your back or an arm? You guessed it right! Nerve pain is the culprit,  this happens when one of your sensory nerves is irritated due to injuries such as fractures, sprains, bruises, cuts, burns, and even surgery.  However, if you are suffering from this pain, your doctor will likely suggest a more severe issue at play, such as arthritis or an autoimmune disease.

Unfortunately, there are many possible causes of nerve pain. Some common causes like diabetes or carpal tunnel syndrome are discussed above, but chiropractic doctors will be able to meet with you and perform a chiropractic exam to determine what is causing your specific issues.

Nerve damage can also come from an accident or injury such as slip and falls on ice or sports-related injuries. While chiropractic neuropathy treatment can help to relieve pain and restore function in some cases, chiropractors may need to refer you to a medical doctor if your condition is more serious.

What Are the Symptoms of Nerve Pain?

First and foremost, you need to be aware that nerve pain is often misdiagnosed because it shares symptoms with other conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia. Here are some of the most common symptoms:

  • Burning sensations
  • Itchiness and tingling
  • Sharp, shooting pain that is only present in one place
  • Numbness or weakness

The sensation that someone is poking you with a hot iron, electric shock, pins and needles, pricking. These symptoms often intensify at night and interfere with your sleep because pressure points become painful.

What Are Common Forms of Nerve Pain?

Nerve pain can specifically refer to neuropathy, which is an enlarged or inflamed nerve due to pressure.  There are several conditions that cause this, such as:

  • Pinched nerves from a herniated disk in your spine- this pressure can happen when the jelly-like center of an intervertebral disk begins to push through a crack in the surrounding, tougher rings.
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome - this is caused by swelling of the median nerve that runs from your forearm to your palm at the wrist. The space around this nerve becomes too narrow, which unlocks pain and tingling sensations in your hands.
  • Sciatica - this is the irritation of the sciatic nerve that runs from the back down through your hip and buttocks to the legs, which results in pain affecting one or both legs, as well as numbness or tingling in your foot or toes.
  • Nerve damage- injury to your peripheral nerves, such as due to trauma or compression, can cause extreme pain.
  • Bulging vertebrae- this is a common reason for neck and back pain, as well as radiating arm or leg pain.
  • Osteoarthritis in the neck region- the cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones can erode, exposing sensitive nerves.
  • Diabetic neuropathy- this is a complication from diabetes that affects up to 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes over time, and up to 30% of those with type 1 diabetes. When you have neuropathy, nerve damage begins from the early stages of diabetes.
  • Damaged blood vessels- the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in your body are an important part of the delivery system, bringing oxygenated blood to your tissues. Damaged or weak blood vessels can cause nerve compression or injury to your muscles, joints, bones, organs, and skin when they are not working properly.

Nerve pain can also refer to radiculopathy, which is associated with damage to nerve roots that often creates pain in your extremities, such as arms and legs. This condition is typically caused by arthritis, autoimmune disorders, tarsal tunnel syndrome, degenerative disk disease, spinal stenosis, and compression fractures in your spine.

Common Remedies to Try at Home 

One of the easiest and most effective ways to treat pain at home is using peppermint oil, lavender oil, or tea tree oil. These natural oils contain high menthol levels, which help relieve pain through a process called counter-irritation. Counter irritation occurs when you rub an ointment containing menthol on your skin. The menthol from the cream causes your nerve cells to release endorphins which block pain signals from reaching the brain.

Wait, if this method works by blocking pain signals, won’t I feel less pain when I stop using it? Yes and no. While counter-irritation initially blocks the pain through endorphin release, you will become immune to the menthol over time because your body builds up a tolerance to it. That means you will have to use more and more of the ointment until your brain becomes desensitized again and pain relief begins. If this is something you find yourself doing, do not worry, counter-irritation is entirely safe and won’t cause any damage to the nerves themselves.

Is Nerve Pain Serious?

Concerned Patient Discussing Nerve Pain Severity with Chiropractor in Clinic

Typically, this is not life-threatening, although the pain can be extremely uncomfortable and even debilitating at times.  It’s important to consult your doctor if you are experiencing any nerve damage or neuropathy symptoms. Your chiropractor will likely perform a chiropractic exam to determine if chiropractic neuropathy treatment is appropriate for your condition. Your chiropractor will also send you to a medical doctor if nerve pain requires additional care or treatment, such as medication or surgery.

Chiropractor neuropathy treatment is one of the most effective ways to treat and manage nerve damage without any negative side effects. It’s safe, gentle on your body, and puts you in control of your health. If you want to learn more about chiropractic neuropathy treatment, contact a chiropractor near you today!

How Can a Chiropractor Help with Nerve Pain?

Chiropractors are chiropractic doctors, not medical doctors. Therefore, chiropractors cannot prescribe medicine or make a diagnosis. At Explore Family Chiropractic Aurora, OH, we focus on the relationship between your muscles and skeletal system in the spine and nervous system to relieve pain. In fact, our chiropractors treat over 100 different types of conditions including but not limited to neck or back pain, headaches, and migraines, sciatica, scoliosis, carpal tunnel syndrome in the arms and legs from typing on a computer all day.

In addition to relieving your current pain issues, chiropractor neuropathy also helps with preventative chiropractic care. This chiropractic type of neuropathy treatment can help to reduce your risk of nerve damage in the future by correcting any abnormalities in the joint from your spinal column.

Chiropractic Therapy for Nerve Pain Relief

Patient Receiving Chiropractic Therapy for Nerve Pain Relief in a Clinic

Many of the problems associated with nerve pain can be relieved through chiropractic therapy. Acute and chronic back pain, neck pain, and headache are treated effectively through spinal manipulations, physical rehabilitation, and ergonomic training at your local chiropractor’s office.

Dr. Nicholas Toumazos will take is to analyze your lifestyle and environment to find out if there is a way to avoid pain symptoms. From there, treatment may include a combination of therapies such as:

  • Physical Rehabilitation - chiropractor neuropathy will give activities that help restore normal movement and flexibility
  • Ergonomic training- allowing you to sit, stand, and sleep in beneficial positions
  • Manipulative Therapy- restoring normal motion of the spine and joints
  • Rehabilitation Exercises- strengthening, stretching, and balancing
  • In addition to the professional treatments, we will also provide you with a list of home exercises.  These are easy but make a big difference in the effectiveness of your treatment plan.

All of these methods work together to provide a holistic treatment plan that can help relieve pain quickly. Chiropractors are well aware of the difficulties that this pain may cause. We are continuously on the lookout for new treatment options and will do everything we can to assist you in obtaining long-term relief.

If this pain is affecting your quality of life, get relief today by calling your local chiropractor. They will set up an individualized treatment method to ensure that your pain is adequately addressed for good.

Conclusion

If you are suffering from nerve pain, don’t suffer any longer. Call Dr. Nicholas Toumazos for help today!

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