tingling fingers
after spending a week bodysurfing in some monster tubes in mexico, I developed a pain emanating from a very tight knot next to my right shoulder blade. my sister, who is a massage therapist, was amazed at how hard and unresponsive to massage it was. I had it massaged several times and it finally disappeared, only to be replaced by tingling and numbness in my thumb, index and middle finger, sometimes spreading up my arm to my shoulder.this occurs especially when I extend my arm forward which, as a semi-professional billiard player, I do quite frequently. after returning to switzerland, I visited a chiropractor who, after taking x-rays of my neck, said that it was caused by damage to my spine (C6,C7) incurred 25 years prior in a whiplash accident. Unfortunately, his treatment did nothing to alleviate the numbness. on the contrary, I started feeling pain below the area he was treating. I stopped the treatment and am now looking for other avenues of treatment. any suggestions?
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Dr. Brian
The chiropractors diagnosis seems appropriate, based on the information you provided. It is often the found that patients have a pre-existing osteoarthitis (bone spurs/joint degeneration) that can be caused by previous trauma including whiplash, sports injuries, etc. A large majority of time, this arthritis is asymptomatic, or “inactive.” It is present, but doesn’t cause symptoms. It takes a 2nd injury, like bodysurfing, another whiplash etc, to cause the symptoms to exhibit. In my clinic, I see patients with similar problems. I would add the use of cervical traction both in clinic, and at home for your treatment. Spinal mobilization/chiropractic adjustments will also help.You may ask your chiropractor if he uses any physical therapy modalities or if he refers to any physical therapists. I have found the most success with a combination of chiropractic and spinal rehabilitation.