Chiropractic Treatment for Leg Pain
If you are suffering with leg pain, it is important to find out what is causing the pain. Below is a summary of some common leg problems. Chiropractors are able to diagnose your leg pain by taking a full case history, i.e. when did the pain start, how did happen, what type of pain is it? The chiropractor then performs orthopaedic and neurological tests to assess the lower limb. At Soonius Chiropractic, state of the art foot scanning technology is also used to gather information about pressure in the feet while standing and walking. Click here for more information on gait analysis.
Some causes of leg pain:
SHIN SPLINTS
“Shin Splints” is a non-specific diagnosis, and generally just means pain in the lower third of the leg. Shin splints is often felt as a deep ache in the leg, which is usually worse when standing and walking. It is important to get an accurate diagnosis as if ignored, may result in reduced blood flow to the muscles (compartment syndrome), or stress fracture.
There are two types of shin splints – the most common is called posterior medial shin splint syndrome, or medial tibial stress syndrome. The inner side of the leg hurts when the heel hits the ground. Posterior medial shin splints is due to strain on the posterior tibial tendon. Anterior shin splints involves the tibialis anterior muscle, extensor hallucis longus, and digitorum longus. Shin splints is caused by :
- overpronation (excessive inward rolling of the foot)
- overstriding/ running on hard surfaces or suddenly increasing mileage
- excessively tight calf muscles
- restricted movement in the ankle joint
Your chiropractor will perform a full biomechanical assessment and advise an exercise/treatment programme to suit your individual needs. Hands on chiropractic treatment might include massage, stretching, dry needling, ultrasound, cryotherapy or taping. A rehabilitation programme will be recommended to help stretch tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles. Custom made insoles called orthotics are often beneficial. Additional advice on correcting the underlying cause is always given.
REFERRED PAIN
Leg pain can be felt as a referred pain – i.e. the problem originates with the hip, low back, or knee but is felt in the leg. Sciatica will give rise to leg pain, but the source of the pain is in the nerves of the lumbo-sacral region.
Leg pain may also be as a result of problems with the arteries or other underlying conditions such as Diabetes or Arthritis. Chiropractors are trained to assess what is causing your leg pain and recommend the most appropriate care.
If you are experiencing leg pain, contact Soonius Chiropractic for further help and advice.