Question
I received an injury to T4 2 years ago from heavy lifting (CNA. X-Rays were done but no MRI on C7 T1-T3 Sublaxate often leaving me with nerve pain down both arms for 2 years. Last 2 months nerve pain became a tickling sensation along with heaviness in all extremities.  Does this mean my problem which is unknown is getting worse or better? The heaviness is scary, I get adjustments & massage therapy every other week.

Answer
Dear Gregor,

Not quite sure what kind of injury you have here, but the nerves associated with T4 do not go down the arms, however, the nerve supply at C7/T1 (which are the C7, C8 and T1 nerve root) does innervate some portions of the arms.  

I am not sure what to make of the heaviness you are feeling...is this because you feel weakness, or like the arms are full and movements are slow (for instance, ever wake up with one arm lying off the bed and the blood flow into the arm has been increased...the arm feels really sluggish until you place it overhead for a minute so the blood flow can return to normal?)  Is that like the heaviness you feel?

One thing though, if you are getting frequent subluxations in the same place, over and over again, it must be due to poor posture, muscular asymmetry, or repetitive motion....something chronic rather than acute.  So my advice for you is that you need to have some form of rehabilitation in the area, not just spinal adjustments.  If you control the abnormal muscular loading from poor postural positions, or reverse the repetitive motion, that should help to rebalance the associated musculature in the area.  This will help to normalize proper joint position and motion while creating stability around the spine.  Adjustments are great, but the surrounding tissue must be addressed as well.

Now, it is likely that you have a fair amount of scar tissue in the area of the upper back and lower neck.  Fibrous tissue is what forms scars, and this tissue is less elastic, less resilient, more painful, and prone to reinjury.  This can be a significant source of pain referral into the arms due to sclerotogenous pain referral...arising from the soft tissue and not following traditional nerve pathways. For a more detailed description of sclerotogenous pain, copy and paste the link below and look under the "S" section.

http://suncoasthealthcare.net/glossaryofterms/

One of the best ways to work on this is with deep tissue techniques such as: Graston, Active release Technique (A.R.T.), or S.A.S.T.M., you can look them all up on the Internet for more information.  

The change in symptoms can indicate that the problem is becoming worse.   However, the main thing you need to look out for is weakness.  If you are becoming weak in the arm or hands, then you need to have further diagnostic testing performed such as an MRI or a NCV (nerve conduction velocity).  This way you can look at the spinal cord, nerve roots, and the transmission along the peripheral nerves in the arms.

Voice your concerns to the chiropractor you are currently treating with and make sure that you are getting periodic re-examinations to look not only at pain levels but your functional range of motion and use of the arms.  If this is met with any resistance, then I would suggest that you seek out the opinion of another chiropractor, one who will take the time to evaluate your problem thoroughly and compare findings to the other doctors notes.  Good luck Gregor.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net