Concussions During Football Season
Despite vast improvements in protection equipment, athletes of all skill levels are still experiencing frequent concussions.
While modern medicine has a firm grasp on the dangers of this type of injury, much of the general public remains in the dark. A surprising number of students, parents, coaches and players don’t think concussions are that big of a deal. In fact, countless patients have told me (often with a smile on their face) that they’ve suffered a concussion.
It’s tempting too assume that if brain surgery wasn’t required, then the injury had no effect on them, so it must be okay to play in next week’s game.
According to the Mayo Clinic,
Concussions range in significance from minor to major, but they all share one common factor — they temporarily interfere with the way your brain works. They can affect memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance and coordination.
Usually caused by a blow to the head, concussions don’t always involve a loss of consciousness. In fact, most people who have concussions never black out. Some people have had concussions and not even realized it.
Concussions are common, particularly if you play a contact sport such as football. But every concussion, no matter how mild, injures your brain. This injury needs time and rest to heal properly. Luckily, most concussions are mild and people usually recover fully.
I’d like to append this description by saying that concussions have two things in common. The second being trauma to the neck.
After receiving the proper neurological exam from a medical practitioner, I believe that concussion sufferers should then receive a follow-up examination from their chiropractor. Forces of this magnitude can absolutely cause damage to the spine and it’s supportive muscles, ligaments and soft tissues. Therefore the head and neck should both be properly evaluated.
Unfortunately, a high percentage of people (even some medical providers) aren’t aware that this experience can be the precipitating event for spinal degeneration and health problems which surface months or years down the road. So the earlier you address this damage, the easier it is to correct. In many cases you can limit (and often prevent) subsequent damage by handling it sooner rather than later.
What Relieves Arm Pain Caused by Brachial Plexus Irritation?
The brachial plexus is a delicate bundle of nerves that begins in the neck and travels down the length of the arm, innervating the muscles and skin of the upper limbs. It should come as no surprise that the number one symptom of brachial plexus irritation is arm pain.
The problem with this condition is that it’s oppressively constant. During a flareup, the pain is isolated within the arm, lower neck, and shoulder, but at that same time it’s hard to pinpoint. Perhaps the worst part of this condition is that it makes sleeping nearly impossible. Virtually every position intensifies the pain, and no matter what you do to momentarily ease the tension, it comes back with a vengeance.
Not only have I helped patients with this debilitating condition, but I’ve also experienced it many times in the past… So I can tell you exactly what worked and what didn’t in these instances.
Over-the-counter pain relievers offer a paltry effect at best. Rotational chiropractic manipulation may provide eventual relief, but in my experience it failed to offer “liberation” within a reasonable amount of time. The heat and steam generated from a hot shower proved to be the only at-home remedy I could find that temporarily dampened pain.
It wasn’t until I met a chiropractic instructor who specialized in sports medicine that I discovered effective relief.
During one of my many flareups with this condition, he released trigger points within the scalene muscles of my cervical spine as well as the pectoralis minor. After receiving this treatment, I’d notice that the pain became bearable, and reduced by nearly 50%. Within 2-3 days the pain was gone.
Later I noticed that when I received a precision upper cervical adjustment after having this trigger point work done, the arm pain reduced by nearly 80-90% within just 30-60 minutes, and was gone by the next day.
I wouldn’t say this approach is revolutionary, but through personal and clinical experience, I’ve found dependable outcomes.
The goods news is that virtually any physical therapist, massage therapist or chiropractor is capable of reducing trigger points. So if you suffer from bouts of arm pain associated with brachial plexus irritation, have them palpate the muscle groups mentioned above and see if they’re tender. If that’s the case, what was once an exhaustive recovery process can now be improved much quicker.
As far as the upper cervical correction, make sure you have access to a chiropractor who focuses exclusively on this procedure. I’ve found that the unique approach of Upper Cervical Care not only helps reduce the frequency of flareups, but in many cases can prevent them from happening altogether.
