Areas of Altered Sensation

Many sufferers of Neck Disorders will report feeling Pins and Needles or Numbness in the hand or arm of the affected side. It may be intermittent, or may be present for days or weeks on end.

Causes

The cause of altered sensation in the arm is irritation of the nerves. This irritation may occur at any level, however when we are talking about Neck Dysfunction, we generally speak about irritation of what are called Nerve Roots. The nerve roots are the point where the nerves which supply the different areas of the body arise from the spinal cord.

In the cervical spine, there are 8 nerve roots, which exit from the spinal column through small gaps between the vertebrae. If these gaps are reduced in size, perhaps by joint, muscle or disc dysfunction, the nerve roots may be irritated. This will cause changes in sensation along the entire path of the nerve, usually more so at the very end of the nerve, often the fingers and hand.

Treatment

Treatment for neural dysfunction creating altered sensation includes stretching of the nerves and muscles, mobilising of any stiff joints, supportive taping to take strain off nerves.

If nerve entrapment is suspected radiological examination is strongly recommended.

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