The dynamic interplay of different areas of the body that may not be obvious at first glance
Natalie Pateman tells her story about working with a client with a weakened immune system.
Virginia came to see me because of low back, neck and shoulder pain and a severely depressed immune system. She was 29 at the time. The problems began after she miscarried six months earlier. She started feeling tired and lethargic, which stopped her from doing any exercise, and her lymph nodes, especially in her neck, became sore and swollen. She also started getting pain in her spleen area under her lower left ribs.
A few months after the symptoms started, she was diagnosed as having Cytomegalovirus (CMV), which has similar symptoms to the better-known mono virus. The CMV virus is actually quite a common virus that affects most people at some time during their lives, although it rarely causes obvious symptoms. It is a member of the herpes virus family and, as with other herpes viruses such as chicken pox, it can become dormant for a while and later may reactivate when the immune system is weak. This is what happened to Virginia.
At the same time, Virginia was suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), sporadic migraines and an irregular menstrual cycle.
How the jaw can be responsible for digestive problems
During her first treatment, I noticed that there was poor alignment in Virginia’s jaw. When the jaw is out of alignment, it causes all the muscles in the neck and upper back to tense up. In Virginia’s case this was the leading cause of the neck and shoulder pain for which she wanted help. Due to the muscle tension in her upper neck and the strain from her jaw misalignment, a very important nerve called the vagus nerve had become compressed. The vagus nerve, among many other tasks, is in charge of intestinal function. The result of its compression was irritation to her digestive system that was causing bloating and bouts of constipation and diarrhea.
Osteopathic treatment revolved around releasing the tension in her jaw to help the vagus nerve function; balancing the organs of her digestive system to allow better absorption of nutrients as well as to relieve the uncomfortable bloating, constipation and diarrhea; and work on her spleen area to encourage good drainage and circulation to help with the spleen’s important immune function.
Results
A week after her first treatment, Virginia reported that she had no back or neck pain, and no “spleen pain” despite her lymph nodes still being swollen. She had no headaches, her digestion had improved and she had attended four yoga classes without a problem. Two weeks after the second treatment, she returned saying that she had been to her doctor for a blood test, which showed that the CMV was slowly diminishing and that she was now allowed to start trying for a baby again. Although her jaw had started tensing up a little, which she had noticed was aggravated by stress, and the lymph nodes in her neck swelled up on occasion, her back remained symptom-free and her energy levels stayed constant.
Going Forward
Future treatments will concentrate on keeping the musculo-skeletal system relaxed and the nervous system balanced to allow for optimum function.
John’s Story: heartburn and shoulder pain – are they connected?
John came to see us complaining of shoulder pain. Ed Paget asked questions about his shoulder and his health in general and discovered John had a history of gastro esophageal reflux (heart burn) going back as far as he could remember. He had recently had a full medical at work and was declared healthy. When Ed took a look at John’s left shoulder it seemed completely healthy – there was no obvious dysfunction but the dull ache was constant throughout the examination. This made Ed think that the shoulder was not the cause of the pain…
Interestingly there is a connection between the diaphragm, the stomach and the shoulder. The nerves that supply the shoulder and the diaphragm both exit the neck at the same level. Therefore it is possible for the brain to confuse pain and irritation of the diaphragm as shoulder or neck pain. The stomach lies just underneath the diaphragm and stomach problems often irritate the diaphragm and vice versa.
Ed found a tender spot above John’s belly button. With pressure on it his shoulder pain got worse! John was surprised to say the least. Ed explained the connection between the stomach, diaphragm and shoulder and that the heart burn John had been experiencing had irritated the diaphragm which had sent messages to the spinal cord that the brain had misinterpreted as being sent from the shoulder.
This explanation made sense however there was a missing piece to the puzzle… John had reflux a long time before he had shoulder pain. When Ed asked John about the events that surrounded the onset of his shoulder pain he mentioned that he had been moving house and jobs at the same time. He had been a lot more stressed than usual. Increased stress can affect the body’s ability to cope with excess stomach acid and reflux can increase. This had been true for John.
Understanding the relationship between areas of the body saves time and money. Ed could have spent a long time working on Johns shoulder without achieving any results. The treatment Ed gave John focused on reducing tension in Johns diaphragm using gentle stretches and rhythmical movement of his ribs. Ed also reduced friction on the nerves where they exit the neck (to supply both the diaphragm and shoulder) by gentle manipulation and massage. Within two treatments John found that the shoulder pain was gone and that his heartburn was reduced. He decided to continue with treatment even though his shoulder pain had gone because he wanted relief from years of reflux – with 6 more treatments the reflux was virtually gone.
The English Osteopaths believe that if you give yourself the right environment in which to thrive, you will. Make an appointment to see us, and we’ll help you find that environment.
