Misdiagnosed Patient Finds Relief With Chiropractic Care

Misdiagnosed? 😱 Follow along during the exam and treatment process as Dallas Chiropractor Dr. Stratton Poulson works with a patient that had been previously diagnosed with bilateral tendinitis in the forearms & carpal tunnel syndrome by both an MD, and Physical therapist. History: The patient has had Chronic symptoms for years, made worse by long hours working on the computer. The first thing that has us thinking about the diagnosis is this chronicity 🤔 Tendinitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the area where the muscle tendon inserts into the bone. Typically, inflammatory conditions are self limiting, meaning they do not usually present for years on end. Perhaps this could more accurately be characterized as Tendinosis, a chronic condition where the collagen in a tendon breaks down, leading to degeneration and weakening, usually from improper healing after an injury. This condition is often more chronic in nature. However, the patient is also having neck stiffness and symptoms in the upper arm. The upper arm has completely different muscle groups and attachments than the forearm and so the diagnosis of tendinitis or tendinosis is already appearing less likely from the history alone. Exam: (ARROM) Active Resisted Range of Motion tests positive, indicating possible tendinitis or tendinosis. 5/5 muscle strength is noted indicating possible lack of nerve involvement. Tinel’s sign is positive on the left, potentially indicating carpal tunnel syndrome or general nerve sensitivity. Cervical Distraction reduces neck symptoms, and Spurling’s test recreates arm symptoms that mimic the “tendinitis”. At this point I am thinking the neck is definitely involved. Treatment: I adjust the patient’s neck, upper back, elbows and wrists. After treatment all previously positive orthopedic and neurological tests are now negative, and the patient has no pain remaining. You can see the tears from relief 😭 Just another day as a Chiropractor 🫡 Location: Dallas, Texas Reach out to us to see if Chiropractic care might be right for you! Book an appointment: https://www.ApexChiropractic.org ➡️ Find me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/stratpoulson ➡️ Find me on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@dr.strattonpoulson