Nerve pain, also known as neuropathic pain, happens when your nervous system is malfunctioning, either due to nerve damage or other health conditions. Nerve pain can be difficult to diagnose and treat since there are many possible causes. Luckily, people who suffer from nerve pain can find relief through many different treatment options, including chiropractic care.

What Is Nerve Pain?

The nervous system has two different components: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system includes the brain and the spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system comprises all the nerves that spread throughout the rest of the body and into the extremities.

The nervous system is responsible for sending signals throughout the body. When it’s not working correctly or has sustained damage, nerves send the wrong signals to the brain, causing nerve pain. 

Symptoms

Nerve pain can be spontaneous, meaning it comes without stimulation. It can feel like a shooting, stabbing, or burning pain; numbness, tingling, or a pins-and-needles feeling may also occur. 

Neuropathic pain can also include evoked pain, which is brought on by normally non-painful stimuli including gentle brushing or pressure against the skin. Evoked pain may also mean normally painful stimuli, such as heat or pinpricks, are even more painful.

People with nerve pain may also have trouble sleeping and emotional problems caused by lack of sleep and pain.

Causes

In order to figure out the cause of nerve pain, your healthcare provider will go over your medical history and perform a physical exam in order to find the underlying issue and trace the symptoms.

About 30 percent of all neuropathic pain is caused by diabetes, but there are many other medical conditions and other factors that can cause nerve pain, including:

• Alcoholism
• HIV infection or AIDS
• Disorders affecting the central nervous system including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Shingles
• Chemotherapy and radiation therapy
• Amputation, which can cause phantom pain
• Spinal nerve inflammation or compression
• Trauma or surgeries with resulting nerve damage
• Nerve compression by tumors

Treatment

When treating nerve pain, the goals are to provide pain relief, maintain functionality, and improve the quality of life for the patient along with treating the underlying disease causing the pain. Usually, multimodal therapy, which includes medications, psychological counseling, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery, is needed to treat nerve pain.

Topical treatments like patches, ointments, or creams that contain capsaicin or lidocaine can relieve nerve pain. Opioid analgesics, however, are less effective in treating neuropathic pain, and their negative effects may prevent long-term use. 

Nerve blocks given by pain specialists can also relieve neuropathic pain. These treatments include the injection of steroids or anesthetics into the affected nerves. 

If nerve pain has not responded to these treatments, spinal cord stimulation, brain stimulation, and peripheral nerve stimulation might help.

Chiropractic Care

Additionally, some causes of nerve pain, including pinched nerves, sciatica, and neuropathy, can be treated with chiropractic care. 

Pinched nerves occur when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding cartilage, bones, tendons, or muscles. With sciatica, the sciatic nerve in the lower back is compressed by a herniated disk or bone spur on the spine. Chiropractic treatment can ease some of the pressure on the nerve, therefore decreasing neuropathic pain.

Prevention

The best way to prevent neuropathic pain is to manage medical conditions that increase your risk of developing it. The details of prevention depend on the specific condition you have, but in general, the following actions help promote nerve health:

• Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Ensure you get enough vitamin B-12 by eating meats, eggs, fish, low-fat dairy products, and fortified cereals. 
• Exercise regularly (with permission from your doctor). At least 30 minutes of exercise three times per week is a good rule of thumb.
• Avoid factors that may cause nerve damage, including smoking, repetitive motions, exposure to toxic chemicals, and excessive alcohol use.

Nerve Pain Treatment at Elevate Wellness

At Elevate Wellness, we provide comprehensive chiropractic care for all kinds of musculoskeletal issues, not just nerve pain. If you have lower back pain, headaches or migraines, neck pain or whiplash, injuries related to an auto accident, or sports injuries, we can help you find relief through a personalized care plan and get you back to normal. 
To schedule an appointment, contact us online or call our office in Bountiful, Utah. We can’t wait to help relieve your pain and improve your quality of life!

In today’s modern world, we spend a lot of time sitting, whether it be in the car, at our desks at work, or in front of the TV at home. Modern technology has made our lives a lot easier and more convenient, but all of that rest can take a toll on a person’s health. However, there is hope for those who suffer from the effects of a sedentary lifestyle in the form of chiropractic care.

Understanding Sedentary Lifestyles

Studies have shown that the average person sits for around eight hours a day. This doesn’t necessarily mean people who live sedentary lifestyles are lazy or unmotivated; often, people’s jobs necessitate long amounts of time spent sitting at a desk or behind the wheel of a car.

Sedentary lifestyles, also known as “sitting disease,” are linked to a number of different health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and unhealthy cholesterol levels. Additionally, sedentary lifestyles can cause musculoskeletal issues, including tight hip flexors, lower back pain, and weak posture.

The Role of Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care aims to improve an individual’s whole-body health through holistic methods and focuses on the relationship between the spine and the nervous system. Chiropractors use adjustments and modulations to correct misalignments in the body resulting from sedentary habits. By correcting these misalignments, chiropractors can relieve pain, restore proper nerve function, and improve overall health.

Addressing Postural Imbalances

Good posture has a number of benefits to overall health. Improving one’s posture reduces back pain and increases one’s confidence and energy levels. On the other hand, those with incorrect posture experience muscle tension, pain, and fatigue.

Individuals who live sedentary lifestyles often have imbalances in their posture. Constantly hunching over a desk, laptop, or phone can result in rounded shoulders, weak core muscles, and forward head posture. Chiropractors have the skills and training necessary to identify and correct these problems, relieving patients’ pain and enhancing the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Alleviating Back and Neck Pain

Because improper sitting posture can put extra strain on the spine and surrounding muscles, back and neck pain are other common issues among those who live sedentary lives. Chiropractors are able to pinpoint the root cause of this pain and use targeted adjustments to restore proper alignment in the spine.

Promoting Spinal Health

Chiropractic care isn’t just useful for acute incidents. Regular chiropractic adjustments are a good idea for anyone, especially those who live sedentary lifestyles. Maintaining optimal spinal health can prevent serious spinal conditions from developing and decrease the risk of pain and disability.

Complementary Wellness Strategies

In addition to chiropractic care, individuals suffering from the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle may benefit from complementary wellness strategies. Chiropractors can recommend exercises that work in conjunction with chiropractic adjustments to improve patients’ overall quality of life.

These complementary strategies may include exercises to strengthen the core, stretches to improve flexibility and relieve tightness, ergonomic devices for one’s desk, and lifestyle modifications to incorporate more movement into one’s daily routines.

To live a healthier lifestyle, try these simple tips:

• When sitting for long periods of time, take a break and stand every 30 minutes.
• While watching television, playing video games, or using your phone, stand instead of sitting.
• If possible, use a standing desk for work. Additionally, you can place a small treadmill under your desk so you can exercise while you work.

Chiropractic Care from Elevate Wellness

Living a sedentary lifestyle can pose a significant threat to one’s health, wellness, and happiness. However, there are many steps people can take to be proactive about their health and limit these negative effects. Chiropractic care, in conjunction with lifestyle changes, exercises, and stretches, can make a big difference in the lives of individuals who spend a significant amount of time sitting or lying down.

If you’re struggling with postural imbalances, musculoskeletal pain, muscle weakness or tightness, or poor overall health due to a sedentary lifestyle, reach out to the professional team at Elevate Wellness. Our innovative treatments can address these issues and more. We treat patients of all ages who suffer from migraines and headaches, sciatica, whiplash, neuropathy, auto injuries, and sports injuries, empowering them to live more active, pain-free lives and restoring their vitality.

Proactivity is the best strategy when it comes to combating the issues that sedentary lifestyles can cause. Schedule an appointment at Elevate Wellness today before your problems have a chance to escalate. It’s never too late to make positive changes for a healthier future!

If you’re receiving chiropractic treatment for an ailment, you want the most effective treatment possible, but may not have considered how your diet can affect the efficacy of chiropractic treatment. Keep reading to discover three ways your diet goes hand in hand with chiropractic care.

Full-Body Health

Chiropractic care is part of whole-body wellness. A good diet and proper nutrition complement chiropractic care and contribute to your overall health. In order to get the most out of your chiropractic treatment and reach your individual health goals, you need to make sure you are paying attention to the foods you eat and how they affect your body.

If you have bad eating habits, your body won’t be able to perform efficiently and you may find yourself feeling sluggish and tired. An improper diet affects your nerves’ ability to share information, your organs’ functionality, and your body’s ability to repair muscle. As a result, your body may begin to break down, exacerbating the issues for which you’re receiving chiropractic treatment.

On the other hand, if you follow proper nutrition guidelines along with receiving chiropractic treatment, your body will have the vitamins and nutrients it needs to function properly and repair itself, increasing the efficacy of the treatment. 

Your chiropractor can help you evaluate the foods you eat and give you suggestions on how to improve your overall health through your diet. You may also want to consider consulting with a dietician, since they have specialized knowledge about nutrition and its effects on the body.

Inflammation Reduction

Many physical ailments are caused by inflammation. When your immune system is activated, your body sends out inflammatory cells, which attack bacteria or heal damaged tissue. This is a helpful, necessary bodily function; however, some people experience chronic inflammation, in which the body sends inflammatory cells even when there is no danger. 

Chronic inflammation occurs in people who have conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune diseases, and cancer, among others. It can also affect people who smoke or drink alcohol in excess, exercise too much or too little, experience chronic stress, or are obese.

Chiropractic care is known to help relieve inflammation by identifying the root cause of the problem and treating the musculoskeletal system through modalities and adjustments.

In addition, many foods are known to be anti-inflammatory and work in tandem with chiropractic treatment to help you find relief. Including the following foods in your diet will help improve chronic inflammation and complement your chiropractic care:

• Leafy greens like spinach and kale
• Oily or fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel
• Olive oil and coconut oil
• Vegetables like tomatoes, avocados, artichokes, red beets, and broccoli sprouts
• Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, pineapple, papaya, grapes, pomegranate, and oranges
• Tree nuts such as almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and Brazil nuts
• Foods high in fiber such as quinoa, ground flaxseed, and oatmeal
• Herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, rosemary, and garlic
• Greek yogurt
• Green tea and matcha tea

If reducing inflammation is your goal, you should steer clear of these foods:

• Refined carbohydrates (found in white flour, white bread, and white rice)
• Processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs, and cold cuts
• Full-fat dairy
• Baked goods
• Sweetened beverages like soda, hot chocolate, and coffee
• Trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils (found in margarine, shortening, fried foods, and processed snacks)

Healthy Bones and Joints

Many people seek chiropractic care for issues with bone and joint health. People with poor posture, aching joints, broken or fractured bones, or even conditions such as osteoporosis or osteoarthritis can all benefit from chiropractic treatment. 

Your diet also affects your bones and joints. Eating too many fatty foods with lots of calories can cause you to gain weight, which puts stress on your joints. This extra stress can lead to wear and tear in your bones, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments, causing pain and stiffness, which exacerbates the need for chiropractic care.

In addition to chiropractic treatment, in order to strengthen your bones and joints, you can make sure you get enough calcium, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants while avoiding foods that will cause weight gain. 

Chiropractic Care From Elevate Wellness

At Elevate Wellness, we help patients find relief from lower back pain, migraines and headaches, sciatica, neck pain and whiplash, neuropathy, spinal disc injuries, sports injuries, and more. We are proud to use cutting-edge technology and proven techniques to restore the body to its proper form and function. If you think chiropractic care can help you, schedule an appointment today. We can’t wait to see you!