Pinched Nerve Treatment in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

"Pinched nerve" is what most people say when a nerve root leaving the spine gets irritated and the pain, tingling or weakness shows up somewhere else: down an arm from the neck, or down a leg from the low back. The medical word is radiculopathy. Dr. Bradley Keys, Doctor of Chiropractic, has treated pinched nerves in the neck and low back at Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in St. Thomas since it opened in April 2018, and the large majority improve without surgery.

What a pinched nerve feels like

From the neck (cervical radiculopathy): pain that starts in the neck or the shoulder blade and shoots down the arm, often to particular fingers. Tingling or numbness in a strip of the arm or hand. Trouble gripping a jar, or an arm that tires quickly overhead. It is usually worse when you turn your head toward the painful side or look up.

From the low back (lumbar radiculopathy): buttock pain that runs down the thigh and calf, numbness on the outside of the calf or the top of the foot, a foot that feels heavy or catches on the stairs. Worse with sitting, coughing and bending forward. That is the pattern most people know as sciatica.

The tell is the pattern. Muscle pain stays local and vague. Nerve pain follows a line down the limb and comes with a change in sensation.

What is usually going on

Nerve roots leave the spinal canal through small openings between the vertebrae. Anything that narrows that opening or inflames the root can irritate it: a bulging or herniated disc, bone spurs and thickened ligament from arthritis (spinal stenosis or degenerative disc disease), a joint that has locked and swollen after a heavy lift, or a mix of these. Under about 50, the disc is the usual cause. After 50, arthritic narrowing is more common.

Not every arm or leg symptom comes from a spinal root. A nerve can be caught further down the line, at the wrist (carpal tunnel), the elbow, or in the buttock (piriformis syndrome), and the treatment is different.

How we treat it at Tradewinds

The exam starts with where exactly the symptoms go, then reflexes, strength and sensation tested nerve root by nerve root. Arm symptoms get a Spurling test and a check of the shoulder and wrist. Leg symptoms get a straight leg raise and a hip screen. Digital x-rays are taken on site when the exam calls for them. An MRI is ordered when there is meaningful weakness or you are not improving on schedule. The free MRI review is still offered. Medicare patients are not eligible for it.

Dr. Keys is the Chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a member of the Virgin Islands Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractors Association representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For the neck, care usually means a specific, controlled adjustment to restore motion at the involved segment, positioning that opens the nerve opening on the affected side, and nerve glide exercises for the arm. For the low back, flexion-distraction is the first choice: a slow table technique that opens the disc space and the nerve opening with no twisting. In both regions we add spinal rehabilitation (directional exercises, posture and sleep coaching) and instrument assisted soft tissue work for guarding muscles. These are listed on our services page.

Most cervical and lumbar radiculopathy improves over six to twelve weeks of consistent care, and the numbness is usually the last thing to fade. We re-check at set points. If strength is dropping or the pain is not moving, we arrange imaging and a referral instead of more of the same. Neck pain without arm symptoms is covered on our neck pain page.

When you should see someone else

Go to the emergency room, not our office, if you have:

• New loss of bowel or bladder control, or numbness in the area you sit on
• Weakness that is getting worse by the day, such as a foot that drops or an arm you cannot raise
• Numbness or clumsiness in both hands and both feet together, or trouble walking (a sign the spinal cord itself is being pressed)
• Fever with neck or back pain, or pain after a serious fall or crash

See an orthopedist or neurosurgeon, usually with an MRI first, if pain is severe and not improving after six weeks of good conservative care, or if there is measurable weakness. See a neurologist for a nerve conduction study when it is not clear whether the problem is at the spine or further down the arm; our numbness in the hands and arms page walks through that.

Visitors, crew and cruise passengers

Crew out of Red Hook and Yacht Haven Grande bring us a lot of neck and arm radiculopathy from hauling lines and sleeping in tight bunks. We can examine, x-ray and start care in one visit, and send you home with a written plan. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments.

Getting seen

Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness is in the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, just east of Charlotte Amalie. Hours are Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Tue, Fri: 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Closed Sat and Sun.

Call (340) 690-4994 or email info@tradewindschiropractic.com. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments. We see patients from St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island and have more than 180 five-star Google reviews. New patient forms are on the forms page to print and fill in.

Questions patients ask

Pinched nerve in my neck, who treats it in St. Thomas?

Dr. Bradley Keys at Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Estate Thomas examines and treats pinched nerves in the neck (cervical radiculopathy) with specific adjustment, nerve glide exercises and spinal rehabilitation. Digital x-ray is on site. Call (340) 690-4994 for a same-day appointment, or walk in.

Who treats a pinched nerve in the lower back in St. Thomas?

Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness treats lumbar pinched nerves, including sciatica, with flexion-distraction, adjustment and rehabilitation. Most cases improve without injections or surgery. If you have weakness that is getting worse or any change in bowel or bladder control, go to the emergency room first.

How do I know if I have a pinched nerve?

A pinched nerve follows a line. Pain, tingling or numbness runs from the neck down the arm or from the low back down the leg, often into specific fingers or toes, and may come with weakness. Muscle or joint pain stays more local. An exam of reflexes, strength and sensation sorts it out in most cases without imaging.

Can a chiropractor fix a pinched nerve?

In most cases conservative care is the right first step. Adjustment and flexion-distraction restore motion and open the space around the root, and rehabilitation keeps it open. Most people improve over six to twelve weeks. If you are not improving, or there is progressive weakness, we refer for imaging and a surgical opinion.

How long does a pinched nerve take to heal?

Most improve meaningfully within six to twelve weeks of consistent care. Sharp pain tends to ease first and numbness last. Disc-related cases can take longer than joint causes. We re-check on a schedule and change course if you are not on track.