Common Ailments

We treat a variety of ailments. Some of the more common include:

Neckache, Backache, Headache, Sciatica, Muscle pulls/tears, Sports related injuries and more.

The following are pamphlets in our office that offer information on:

Prolapsed Disc

What is a prolapsed disc?
When you have a prolapsed disc (commonly called a 'slipped disc'), a disc does not actually 'slip'. What happens is that part of the outer part of a disc tears (ruptures) and part of the inner softer part of the disc (the nucleus pulposus) bulges out (herniates). A prolapsed disc is sometimes called a herniated disc. The bulging disc may press on nearby structures such as a nerve coming from the spinal cord. Some inflammation also develops around the damaged disc.

Any disc in the spine can prolapse. However, most prolapsed discs occur in the lumbar part of the spine (lower back). The size of the prolapse can vary. As a rule, the larger the prolapse, the more severe the symptoms are likely to be.

Back pain
The pain is often severe, and usually comes on suddenly. The pain may be eased by lying down flat, and is often made worse if you move your back, cough, or sneeze.

Nerve root pain (usually 'sciatica')
Nerve root pain is pain that occurs because a nerve coming from the spinal cord is pressed on ('trapped') by a prolapsed disc, or is irritated by the inflammation caused by the injured disc. Although the problem is in the back, you feel pain along the course of the nerve in addition to back pain. Therefore, you may feel pain down a leg to the calf or foot. Nerve root pain can range from mild to severe, but it is often worse than the back pain. With a slipped disc, the sciatic nerve is the most commonly affected nerve. (The term 'sciatica' means nerve root pain of the sciatic nerve.) The sciatic nerve is a nerve that is made up from several nerves that come out from the spinal cord in the lower back. It travels deep inside the buttock and down the back of the leg. There is a sciatic nerve for each leg.

Whiplash

What is Whiplash?
Whiplash-a soft tissue injury to the neck-is also called neck sprain or neck strain. It is characterized by a collection of symptoms that occur following damage to the neck, usually because of sudden extension and flexion. The disorder commonly occurs as the result of an automobile accident and may include injury to intervertebral joints, discs, and ligaments, cervical muscles, and nerve roots. Symptoms such as neck pain may be present directly after the injury or may be delayed for several days. In addition to neck pain, other symptoms may include neck stiffness, injuries to the muscles and ligaments (myofascial injuries), headache, dizziness, abnormal sensations such as burning or prickling (paresthesias), or shoulder or back pain.

Carpal tunnel:

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (although not the little finger), as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move. The carpal tunnel - a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand ¾ houses the median nerve and tendons. Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the median nerve to be compressed. The result may be pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm. Although painful sensations may indicate other conditions, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies in which the body's peripheral nerves are compressed or traumatized.