“Can't turn head right after alignment”
I have been getting alignments for years after an accident to deal with chronic back pain. After this last alignment two days ago, something didn't feel right. When I went home I could not turn my head right without shooting pain down my arm. Is something wrong? What should I do?
35 Answers
Go back to the doctor that did your alignment and have them assess you. It is possible it can be a muscle spasm pinching the nerve. Also, it is important to know how far down your arm the pain is shooting and if you have lost any strength in the arm and in your hand.
As a practicing chiropractic physician with 40 years experience, I have seen at times, patients who would respond with more symptoms after the adjustment. You should ice the sore neck and call your chiropractor. Assuming that the chiropractic doctor did a specific spinal corection, this "flare-up" is a common occurance of this type of injury/ condition. Removing the swelling with ice therapy, "micro-current" modality, and non-force adjustments will get you out of this. I would also suggest anti-inflamatories, ie. boswella, tumeric, curcumin, nettles root, etc.
I recommend you get a cervical mri to determine integrity of your cervical discs
Go back to your chiropractor and tell them what is going on. It sounds like they have done a good job for 2 years. If they take x-rays they may want to take one, they may also wait. Our bodies will have weird random symptoms sometimes, I have been getting adjusted 10 years and every once in a while it happens to me. So, go see your chiropractor.
Call your Chiropractor and allow them to re-exam you. Perhaps a new X-ray is needed. Don't stay in pain. If you are not comfortable going back to your previous Chiro, then make an appointment for a new one.
You need to revisit with your Doctor and let him address your concerns.
Get back into your Chiropractor and describe your symptoms. They should be able to help. Sometimes it may take a series of adjustments to fully correct a complaint.
Address the problem with the doctor that delivered the alignment first and see what he/she suspects that it is. Get second opinion if you need to. There can be multiple reasons as to why this is happening.
Pain down the arm typically indicates something is bothering the nerve root that comes out of the space between the bones in the neck. It sounds like it could be something physical like a disc bulge possibly narrowing the space between the bones that the nerve exits. It is also possible there is a strain or sprain element to the joint and surrounding soft tissues. Unfortunately if symptoms do not improve shortly an MRI may be needed to rule out physical damage. I would also recommend no further adjustments to that area to try and "fix it" until you see significant improvement on its own or rule out physical damage with an MRI.
You should see your chiropractor again and tell him what you felt. He really should send you out for X-rays.
It is recommended that you contact your chiropractor and return for a follow-up evaluation. It sounds like there could be more muscle involvement that originally thought or a compensatory reaction to the adjustment.
Was this alignment done by a chiropractor? If so I would recommend returning to the office and telling them what has happened and they should be able to rectify the problem quickly. This can sometimes happen following manipulation but it is unusual. It sounds like a muscle went into spasm. So depending on the situation I would either use ice or heat but since I cannot personally examine you I would go back to the practitioner.
I would go back and let the doctor know that new symptoms began and may need to have a further examination to see what is going on. After an accident, problems can persist if not corrected or not finishing a rehabilitation program.
Harry Shao
Chiropractor
Sorry to hear you are in pain. Chiropractic adjustments are to correct the
joint misalignment; after the treatment you'll have the benefit of pain
relief, increased range of motion and other neuromusculoskeletal
improvement. Your pain might be a pinched nerve from one of your injured
muscles and it might be temporary. My suggestion is to ice the area then
consult with your chiropractic physician as soon as possible.
joint misalignment; after the treatment you'll have the benefit of pain
relief, increased range of motion and other neuromusculoskeletal
improvement. Your pain might be a pinched nerve from one of your injured
muscles and it might be temporary. My suggestion is to ice the area then
consult with your chiropractic physician as soon as possible.
Hi,
Sorry to read about your troubles, hope I can guide you in the right
direction here.
A few questions for you first:
These "alignments" have been performed by what type of doctor?
Did they take x-rays of all areas they are "aligning"?
Is there anything else that could possibly be contributing here? Like
sleeping on it in a weird position, doing a lot of physical avtivity or
work, just took a long trip, watching tv laying down on a couch, just
painted a room, had a slip or fall, doing a lot of reading with neck
flexed...
This infornation will help me to understand what is going on much better
here.
Thank you for your input.
I hope I can help,
Dr Robert Arnone
Upper Cervical Specific Doctor
222 S. 2nd Streer
St Charles, MO 63301
(314)283-2248
Sorry to read about your troubles, hope I can guide you in the right
direction here.
A few questions for you first:
These "alignments" have been performed by what type of doctor?
Did they take x-rays of all areas they are "aligning"?
Is there anything else that could possibly be contributing here? Like
sleeping on it in a weird position, doing a lot of physical avtivity or
work, just took a long trip, watching tv laying down on a couch, just
painted a room, had a slip or fall, doing a lot of reading with neck
flexed...
This infornation will help me to understand what is going on much better
here.
Thank you for your input.
I hope I can help,
Dr Robert Arnone
Upper Cervical Specific Doctor
222 S. 2nd Streer
St Charles, MO 63301
(314)283-2248
It's hard to say exactly what's going on without knowing your history. But the first thing I would ask is are you have muscle spasms? Typically if your having moderate to severe muscle spasms you may get shooting pain down your arm and that will go away when the spasm and inflammations stops. Another question would do you have arthritis in your spine as this could also be in issue?
Hello. I don't know if your Doctor explained to you in the beginning that 50% of the time when you get adjusted you will feel better, 40% of the time you will feel no change, and 10% of the time you will feel worse. The reason why is because when you get adjusted, the doc is moving your spine from where it is used to be, to where it is suppose to be. And in the process the muscles will pull the spine back. My advice is to let your doctor know how you reacted to the adjustment and see if he does any muscle work to help.
Hi there...first off I would call the Chiropractor that treated you. The body is not black and white and something could have moved different than normal. It could be a very easy follow-up fix. More than likely you have had some muscle spasms, in particular the Levator Scapula or the Scalene muscle on the right. Moist heat can help the area and relax the muscle and therefore leave the nerve alone that is going down your arm.
Hi,
Not being able to turn your head and having shooting pain isn't usually a normal reaction to an adjustment so I would advise you to call the doctor who performed the adjustment and explain the situation. He should be able to evaluate you again and advise you on what to do from there.
Because I am not familiar with your history and symptoms, it would be hard for me to explain exactly why you are feeling this way after your last adjustment.
And remember to always trust your instincts if you feel something isn't right.
Hope you feel better soon
Not being able to turn your head and having shooting pain isn't usually a normal reaction to an adjustment so I would advise you to call the doctor who performed the adjustment and explain the situation. He should be able to evaluate you again and advise you on what to do from there.
Because I am not familiar with your history and symptoms, it would be hard for me to explain exactly why you are feeling this way after your last adjustment.
And remember to always trust your instincts if you feel something isn't right.
Hope you feel better soon
Even though we have years of school and hands on experience, occasionally the body doesn't react the way we are taught. I guess it didn't read the same book! While annoying, this is not a serious problem. Go back to your doctor and let him know the symptom, he should be able to correct the arm pain with a minor adjustment.
There are many things that can cause the symptoms you are experiencing, I would recommend you call your chiropractor and let him/her know what has happened and have them exam. If you are in severe pain, have any numbness or loss of arm strength or control please go directly to the emergency room and then follow up with your chiropractor.
Vicki Gazdacka, DC
Verdant Health
www.verdanthealthinc.com
(630) 297-1464
Vicki Gazdacka, DC
Verdant Health
www.verdanthealthinc.com
(630) 297-1464
Anytime pain travels or shoots especially upon movement, it is strongly a disc bulge. Difficult to determine the size in millimeters. It's not necessarily the size of the bulge rather direction. The disc is also flatten or lost height. I don't believe in rotating the neck to correct a radiating pain, rather reduce the bulge with gentle traction. Our practice can & does reduce bulges on a daily basis for 35 years and is rare to submit to surgery. Also there are advanced home traction units for purchase that are simple to operate and will save you money.
Have you spoke with your doctor? Sounds like there could be a pinched nerve. Please consult your chiropractor or any physician you trust. There is a possibility some underlying issues not previously known are causing this. Getting imaging such as an x-ray will give you more information.
I'm so sorry that happened to you. Unfortunately sometimes this can happen after an adjustment. It is not common but happens every so often. Sometimes it could be from being to tense while the doctor is treating you. My advice is to ice the area on and off for 15 minutes. Call your current doctor and tell him what happebed. More than likely he will have you come back in. Some offices have tens units or ems therapy that can be used to help with the pain. If you already have a tens unit at home that will help as well. If the pain continues then I would recommend an MRI to see what is happening. There are more gentle ways your doctor can adjust you such as an activator or other types of devices. If you have more questions you may call us at any time. 770-545-8888
Go back to that Dr. immediately.
you have a pinched nerve ---go see the chiropractor
Seems like you are having a spasm in your muscles of your neck after an adjustment. You should go straight back to your chiropractor and have him do trigger point therapy only on your neck
Contact your chiropractor assp
You should first notify your chiropractor of this problem and then I would get immediate care, from either your current chiropractor or a different one. Shooting pain is not something you should ignore.
Go back right away and tell him something didn't go right the last time. If he cannot fix it then find a different doc. I would seek out a Gonstead chiropractor.
Sometimes muscles will splint and guard causing pain after an adjustment. Go back and let the Doc work on you again.
That should help correct the situation.
That should help correct the situation.
If by alignment, you mean chiropractic adjustment, then you should call your chiropractor and express your concern. A chiropractic adjustment relaxes the muscles around a stuck joint. Life is dynamic, we move, we abuse our body. If this happened several days after your adjustment, it may not be related at all to the adjustment. Shooting pain down your arm is always something to be concerned about. Express your concerns with your doctor, get it fixed. Sounds like a specific adjustment would set you straight and get you pain-free again. FYI, an adjustment can be deep,, and it can also be not deep enough. If you ever feel discomfort after a treatment, you ahould call them right away.
You need to Ice & Heat but to you may need to come in for a couple of days of physical therapy with out the Adjustments..
Go back to your doctor right away, further assessment may be needed.
Dr. Hussey
Dr. Hussey
Your question is a little vague. You are talking about back pain after an accident. If your pain is on your neck, the pain you are experiencing could be related, but also could be just muscular. A proper and more extensive evaluation would be necessary to get to the root of your concern. You should call your doctor/chiropractor and get re-evaluated and get neck radiographs. A proper medical history would give more precise information.
