Jaw, Neck and Shoulder Pain

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a median entrapment neuropathy that causes paresthesia, pain, numbness, and other symptoms in the distribution of the median nerve due to its compression at the wrist in the carpal tunnel. The pathophysiology is not completely understood but can be considered compression of the median nerve traveling through the carpal tunnel. It appears to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

The main symptom of CTS is intermittent numbness of the thumb, index, long and radial half of the ring finger. The numbness often occurs at night, with the hypothesis that the wrists are held flexed during sleep. Recent literature suggests that sleep positioning, such as sleeping on one’s side, might be an associated factor. It can be relieved by wearing a wrist splint that prevents flexion. Long-standing CTS leads to permanent nerve damage with constant numbness, atrophy of some of the muscles of the thenar eminence, and weakness of palmar abduction.

Manual therapy can be highly effective in reducing CTS pain by relieving the stress, tension, inflammation and impingement of the nerves and muscles in the neck, arms and wrists.

A strain is an injury to a muscle in which the muscle fibers tear as a result of overstretching. A strain is also colloquially known as a pulled muscle. The equivalent injury to a ligament is a sprain.

Manual therapy can be highly effective in reducing the symptoms and addressing the causes of strain/sprain pain by relieving the stress, tension and inflammation of the nerves, tendons and muscles in the local and surrounding effected area.

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (sometimes abbreviated to TMD or TMJD and also termed temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome, temporomandibular disorder or many other names), is anumbrella term covering pain and dysfunction of the muscles of mastication (the muscles that move the jaw) and thetemporomandibular joints (the joints which connect the mandible to the skull). The most important feature is pain, followed by restricted mandibular movement, and noises from the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) during jaw movement. Although TMD is not life-threatening, it can be detrimental to quality of life, because the symptoms can become chronic and difficult to manage.

TMJD is thought to be very common. About 20-30% of the adult population are affected to some degree. Usually people affected by TMD are between 20 and 40 years of age, and it is more common in females than males. TMJD is the second most frequent cause of orofacial pain after dental pain (i.e. toothache).

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a syndrome involving compression at the superior thoracic outlet resulting from excess pressure placed on a neurovascular bundle passing between the anterior scalene and middle scalene muscles (area between chest and collarbone). It can affect one or more of the nerves that innervate the upper limb and/or blood vessels as they pass between the chest and upper extremity, specifically in the brachial plexus, the subclavian vein, and, rarely, the subclavian artery, which does not normally pass through the scalene hiatus.

TOS may result from a positional cause, for example, by abnormal compression from the clavicle (collarbone) and shoulder girdle on arm movement.

Manual therapy can be highly effective in reducing the symptoms and addressing the causes of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome pain by relieving the stress, tension, inflammation and impingement of the nerves and soft tissue of the upper chest area .

Frozen shoulder, medically referred to as adhesive capsulitis, is a disorder in which the shoulder capsule, the connective tissue surrounding the glenohumeral joint of the shoulder, becomes inflamed and stiff, greatly restricting motion and causing chronic pain.

Adhesive capsulitis is a painful and disabling condition that often causes great frustration for patients and caregivers due to slow recovery. Movement of the shoulder is severely restricted. Pain is usually constant, worse at night, and when the weather is colder; and along with the restricted movement can make even small tasks impossible. Certain movements or bumps can cause sudden onset of tremendous pain and cramping that can last several minutes.

In addition to difficulty with everyday tasks, people who suffer from adhesive capsulitis usually experience problems sleeping for extended periods due to pain that is worse at night and restricted movement/positions. The condition also can lead to depression, pain, and problems in the neck and back.

Manual therapy can be highly effective in reducing or eliminating frozen shoulder symptoms by relieving the stress, tension and impingement of the nerves and muscles in the neck, shoulders, arms and back.

Shoulder impingement syndrome, also called subacromial impingement, painful arc syndrome, supraspinatus syndrome, swimmer’s shoulder, and thrower’s shoulder, is a clinical syndrome which occurs when the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles become irritated and inflamed as they pass through the subacromial space, the passage beneath the acromion. This can result in pain, weakness and loss of movement at the shoulder.

Manual therapy can be highly effective in reducing the symptoms and addressing the causes of Shoulder Impingement Syndrome pain by relieving the stress, tension, inflammation and impingement of the nervous and soft tissue in the neck, shoulders, arms and back.

TMD is a symptom complex rather than a single condition, and it is thought to be caused by multiple factors. However, these factors are poorly understood, and there is disagreement as to the relative importance of these factors with each other.

Manual therapy can be highly effective in reducing the symptoms and addressing the causes of TMD pain by relieving the stress, tension and nerve impingement of the nerves and soft tissue in the jaw, head and neck.

Whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension. The term “whiplash” is a colloquialism. “Cervical acceleration-deceleration” (CAD) describes the mechanism of the injury, while the term “whiplash associated disorders” (WAD) describes the injury sequelae and symptoms.

Whiplash is commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents, usually when the vehicle has been hit in the rear; however, the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including headbanging,[medical citation needed] bungee jumping and falls.

Manual therapy can be highly effective in reducing the symptoms and addressing the causes of whiplash pain by relieving the stress, tension, inflammation and impingement of the nervous and soft tissue in the neck, shoulders, arms and back.

Injury (auto/work/sports), stress, disease and body “wear and tear” can cause minor to severe can cause minor to severe jaw, neck and shoulder pain.

Luckily, we can help! Bahman has spent the last 18 years helping hundreds of people find lasting relief from:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Frozen Shoulder
• Jaw, Neck and Shoulder Strains and Sprains
• Shoulder Impingement
• Temporomandibular Disorders
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
• Whiplash
• Headaches and Migraines
• And many more!