A 42-year-old female has been experiencing numbness in her neck off and on for the past two years.  It affects the front part of her neck and extends to the lower part of her face.  Results of MRI and CT scans are negative.  Doctors can find nothing that might be causing this.  Have any readers experienced anything similar?  Can anyone offer a solution?

Chiropractic

Cathy suffered with a similar problem and had wonderful results with a particular form of chiropractic called Network Spinal Analysis.  “It's a very gentle form of chiropractic which doesn't involve the usual adjustments of the more commonly known chiropractic,” she says.  More information on the technique can be found at www.donaldepstein.com and a list of certified practitioners is available at www.wiseworldseminars.com/nsa/practitioners.
 
Physiotherapy

Another reader is a physiotherapist and has the following advice: “It sounds like you have some restriction to the trigeminal nerve to the face and also some to the sensory branch of the nerve roots to C2/3.  This restriction can be along any part of the nerves’ pathway, i.e. at a spinal level or anywhere in the soft tissues/muscles that it has a close relationship with.  The main thing you will find is that the soft tissue on that side is tighter.  You may also observe an asymmetry in your posture, where the shoulder is held higher or the head is tilted or rotated slightly to that side. This indicates the muscular restrictions that are driving the symptoms.  The immediate solution is to stretch the main muscle groups of the neck, which commonly become tight and overactive.  The symptoms can also be caused by poor posture and habits such as holding the phone on one side by cradling it between the neck and the shoulder, or carrying a bag always on one side.  It would be best to see a physiotherapist, who can prescribe specific exercises.”  

Heart problems

Beryl, however, reckons there could be something more serious at the root of the problem.  Her husband suffered similar symptoms and after several tests was told it was a sign of heart trouble.  Beryl also tells us that her mother-in-law suffered a major heart attack, followed by a minor stroke, three months after reporting a numb feeling in her neck.  It’s certainly worth getting tested to rule out this possibility.  

A final suggestion is thermography (heat measurement) to aid with diagnosis and treatment.


E-news broadcast 27 February 2007 No.337

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