REFERRED PAIN
In between every vertebrae in the spine is a cushion of
jelly (the disc) which acts as a shock absorber and cushions
each and every step. When the disc bulges backwards it traps
the nerve where it leaves the spinal canal. This causes pressure
which results in pain but where the pain is felt depends
on how much pressure the disc is exerting on the nerve. The
body works like a telephone exchange. If there is a problem
on the line you can only tell which phone line is out of
order not where the fault actually lies. The body is very
similar. If there is a problem between the brain and say
the ankle the brain can not tell exactly where along the
nerve the fault lies.
The brain doesn't know whether you hit your ankle on a chair,
or whether the nerve between the brain and the ankle is being
trapped in the back. Each nerve is arranged so that the nerve
fibres which have furthest to travel lie in the centre of
the nerve and those which are going to branch off sooner lie
around the outside. Therefore the more pressure the disc exerts
on the nerve the further away the patient feels the pain.
For example pain in the hip would result from less pressure
on the nerve than pain in the ankle. This is called referred
pain. When there is so much pressure on the nerve that its
conduction of messages is affected the sensation of pins and
needles is felt. If the pressure is enough to stop the nerve
working completely the part of the body supplied by that nerve
feels numb to the touch. See slipped
disc and back pain.
TREATMENT
Removing the cause of the irritation of the nerve by changing
the mechanics with the MacKenzie
Exercise Regime and reducing the inflammation with Connective
Tissue Manipulation treats referred pain .
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