Neuropathy "The Painful Enigma"

Neuroregeneration could become an option for spinal cord injury treatments in the future. A spinal cord injury or SCI is when there is damage to the bundle of nerves and cells that send and receive signals from the brain and body. A spinal cord injury can be caused by direct trauma/injury to the cord or damage to the tissue and vertebrae. The damage can result in temporary or permanent changes in:

• Sensation
• Movement
• Strength
• Body function/s below the injury site.

There are incomplete and complete injuries. Injuries that cause limited or no cell death can achieve a full recovery. Injuries that are more serious and/or are higher on the spinal cord can cause permanent damage and/or paralysis. Automobile crashes, accidents, and serious falls are the most common causes of spinal cord injuries.

• An incomplete injury means the cord can still transmit messages, but there is interference/disturbance.
• A complete injury means communication and motor function/voluntary body movement is not transmitting.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a spinal cord injury include:

• Unnatural or awkward positioning of the spine or head.
• Pain or pressure in the head, neck, or back.
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Loss of or changes in sensation in the hands and feet.
• Problems with walking.
• Weakness or inability to move parts of the body.
• Loss of movement.
• Paralysis can occur immediately or develop over time as swelling and bleeding affect the cord.
• Loss of bladder and bowel control.
• Changes in sexual function.
• Difficulty breathing.

SCI Damage Control

A spinal cord injury affects the central nervous system, the body's central headquarters. Damage can cause complications through what's called the secondary injury cascade, which is a series of chemical reactions the body activates to help the situation. However, if the chemical response does not stop and stays active, it can worsen the injury. The body recognizes that an emergency has occurred and tries to go into a shut-down mode that kills off some of the cells in the central nervous system.

When a spinal injury happens, treatment focuses on stopping the damage as quickly as possible to stop the injury cascade and prevent as much cell death as possible. This act is called neuropreservation, meaning that the team is trying to preserve and save as many nerve cells as possible.

Injury Neuroregeneration Treatment Studies

While current treatment primarily focuses on stopping as much damage as possible then going through physical therapies to maintain spinal alignment and rehabilitate the body, the future of injury treatment is looking towards regrowing and repairing the damaged nerve cells through a process known as neuroregeneration. Repairing nerves that have been damaged could change life for many. Neuroregeneration Treatments being studied include:

Surgery

• A study in The Lancet Neurology presents how getting surgery as soon as possible after an injury can provide significant benefits.
• The findings could change all of the guidelines for spinal cord injury.

Medication

• A study on Riluzole, a medication that has shown promise to slow down nerve cell damage.
• A team completed a randomized controlled trial for the medication; soon, the final results will be available.

Antibody treatment

Antibodies are being studied in two ways.

• To stop nerve cells from being damaged.
• To help damaged nerve cells regenerate.

Stem cells

• Scientists are studying ways to grow new nerve cells from an individual's stem cells without the need for embryonic stem cells.
• Specialized stem cells could also be used to help other nerve cells regenerate.

Electrical stimulation

• Another approach is using electrical stimulation to restore function in the spinal cord.
• Therapy that could help a paralyzed individual walk again.

The Future of Neuroregeneration

Aside from early surgery intervention, most neuroregenerative treatments are not ready or accessible yet. There's still much more research before it can become a mainstream treatment option. Treatment that involves regenerating nerve cells will take longer than a treatment designed to protect nerve cells. However, more clinical trials are expected to be done in the next few years, with stem cell therapies taking the longest. Some of these therapies could be ready to be used on actual patients in 5-10 years.

Body Composition

The Importance of Measuring Body Composition

Most diet and fitness programs focus on weight loss or gain. However, they tend to overlook that individuals have completely different body compositions. Body composition describes the amount of:

• Fat
• Bone
• Water
• Muscle
• In the body.

Measuring body composition can tell a body's unique makeup and help identify areas to work on to improve overall health and wellness. Body composition analysis provides a snapshot of an individual's health/fitness levels to help achieve health goals from the inside out.

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Aguilar, Juan et al. "Spinal cord injury immediately changes the state of the brain." The Journal of neuroscience: the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience vol. 30,22 (2010): 7528-37. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0379-10.2010

Badhiwala, Jetan H; Wilson, Jefferson R; Witiw, Christopher D; et al. (February 2021). The Lancet Neurology Vol. 20, No. 2, P. 117. The Influence of Timing of Surgical Decompression for Acute Spinal Cord Injury: A Pooled Analysis of Individual Patient Data. DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(20)30406-3

Chari, Aswin et al. "Surgical Neurostimulation for Spinal Cord Injury." Brain sciences vol. 7,2 18. 10 Feb. 2017, doi:10.3390/brainsci7020018

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder affecting millions and mostly women. It is physically and emotionally distressing. Those with the condition experience widespread chronic muscle pain. Research has shown that individuals with fibromyalgia could have a lower threshold for pain. This can come from injury, emotional distress, or abnormal levels of substances/chemicals in the brain and spine linked to pain sensitivity. One of the most common treatments is chiropractic medicine.

Common symptoms/conditions individuals report:

• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Irritable bladder
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Migraines
• Sleep disorders
• Restless legs syndrome
• TMJ or Temporomandibular joint disorder
• Raynaud's Syndrome - a rare blood vessel disorder causing the toes and hands to feel cold or numb.

Doctors are still trying to figure out the relationship between these conditions and fibromyalgia.

Causes

Doctors have yet to determine the exact cause, however, research is ongoing and beginning to shed light on the condition. Some possible causes include:

• Abnormalities in the endocrine system
• Abnormalities in the autonomic nervous system
• Genetics
• Muscle tissue abnormalities
• Abnormal blood flow

As research has discovered many conditions/disorders do not have one cause but rather, several factors that impact the probability of developing the condition.

Questions

It has become one of the most common chronic pain conditions. 1 in 50 Americans are dealing with fibromyalgia. The condition can be difficult to diagnose, and, because of its chronic nature, it can linger for months and even years. Typically it causes pain throughout the body and creates areas that become tender to the slightest touch. There are both traditional and alternative treatments available.

Traditional approaches to managing the pain:

• Anti-inflammatory's
• Over-the-counter pain relievers
• Sleep medications
• Muscle relaxants

Fibromyalgia medications include:

• Lyrica - pregabalin, which is a nerve pain medication
• Cymbalta - duloxetine hydrochloride, which is an antidepressant that can also help manage pain
• Savella - milnacipran HCI, which is an antidepressant and nerve pain medicine

The type of treatment depends on the symptoms. For example, a doctor could prescribe an antidepressant to reduce pain and depression. If stress, anxiety, and trouble sleeping are presenting, a therapeutic exercise program could be the answer. Individuals prefer natural remedies/therapies instead of more medications like vitamin therapy, acupuncture, and meditation.

Other treatment options include alternative treatments like:

• Physical therapy
• Massage
• Biofeedback therapy to manage stress

A doctor will usually recommend you see a physical therapist, chiropractor, and possibly psychologist to work on the mental and emotional toll.

Chiropractic medicine benefits

Pain is reduced

The most common issue is constant and consistent pain, which can affect the entire body for weeks and even months. Individuals realize that chiropractic helps restore overall health and aids the body to heal itself. Adjustments to the spine bring alignment and balance back to the body. Also incorporated is soft tissue work that can relieve and reduce painful pressure/trigger points and decrease pain in tender spots.

Range of motion is increased

Chiropractic medicine also adjusts the body's joints and helps loosen them up. This increases the range of motion and allows the individual to move more freely and easily. Depending on how long the individual has been dealing with the condition, it can take a few treatments to achieve optimal results, so it does take a commitment from the individual patient. However, in the long run, it is well worth the time.

Sleep is improved

The pain associated with fibromyalgia often affects an individual's ability to sleep well. Being unable to sleep normally will leave you exhausted, foggy, unable to accomplish things and irritable to downright angry. A chiropractor's ability to loosen the body's joints, massage tender points, and kickstart the body's self-healing mechanisms means individuals with this condition can enjoy deep sleep, and stay asleep.

Complements other therapies

Medicines/treatments/therapies can counteract with each other, or get mixed up and cause side effects. Chiropractic medicine can be utilized in combination with medications/treatments, either traditional or natural. Individuals diagnosed with this condition should speak to their chiropractor about the different treatments available. Customized treatment programs are created case-by-case and are tailored to the specific needs of that individual. Remember there is not a one-stop solution.

Empowers the individual

Individuals that have to deal with painful, chronic conditions can exhaust themselves with the varying treatment options and can feel as if they have no control over the situation. This causes stress, anxiety, and depression, which works against achieving overall wellness. With chiropractic, individuals are more in charge of their treatment plan, which leads to an optimistic outlook in their recovery. 

Chiropractic medicine treats not only the symptoms of fibromyalgia but attempts to get to the root cause to alleviate the condition or to activate the body's self-healing response. Patients that commit will see the benefits along with reduced pain, better mobility, and sound sleep.

The best benefit is being able to take control of the circumstances and playing a vital role in the managing of an individual's well-being. Understand that there are options available for fibromyalgia pain management. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, don’t go it alone. Dr. Alex Jimenez is passionate about helping those who are injured or struggling with a condition get relief. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

Peripheral Neuropathy Recovery Success