EVALUATING YOUR SYMPTOMS
If you were in a car accident or lifting something heavy and felt a shift in your back or suffered a direct injury to your back, you are well aware that you have a spinal injury that is likely the cause of all of your back and neck pain and other symptoms. However, some symptoms of spinal conditions are a little more vague and are not as obviously related to spinal discs. Unfortunately, these symptoms do not always inspire people to seek medical attention and they just learn to live with the symptoms instead of finding solutions. Don’t let this be you! Some less obvious symptoms that may be related to spin conditions include:
- Nerve pain – nerve pain is caused by damage to or compression of nerves, which is very common in a spinal injury or disc condition. Nerve pain can manifest as stabbing, an electric-shock sensation, numbness, throbbing, burning, shooting pain, or a sensation of pins and needles.
- Numbness and burning pain – sciatica and spinal stenosis can cause either numbness or burning pain, usually in the legs. People who are unaware that they have a spinal disc condition or do not have accompanying back pain don’t often associate leg numbness to a spine condition. These symptoms are caused by compression of the nerves that are responsible for the sensation in the leg.
- Electric-shock type pain – is caused by the sudden shift in the vertebra that places sudden pressure on a nerve that causes it to send intense nerve signals. This may or may not be accompanied by painful symptoms in your back.
- Balance problems (disequilibrium) – can be caused by a number of issues including inner ear conditions as well as spinal problems. Sometimes the balance problems can be attributed to chronic joint pain or neuropathy that the patient has just learned to live with. Treating the root cause of your balance issues can restore your balance.
- Difficulty sleeping – can also be caused by a variety of problems. However, many people suffer from sleep issues related to their chronic back and neck pain that makes it difficult to find a comfortable position. However, what is often less obvious and tends to go intreated is insomnia, restless leg syndrome, or sleep apnea related to spinal cord compression. If you are experiencing sleep problems with no apparent cause, you may consider a spinal assessment.
- Tingling in the hands and feet – or pins and needles sensation that is reminiscent of your foot waking up after falling asleep is often caused by spinal disc conditions. Herniated, bulging, or slipped discs put pressure on the nerves that supply your limbs.
