Question
About six weeks ago I felt a distinct double pop in my back between the shoulder blades. There was some subsequent warmth and pain and my arms and legs suddenly felt heavy with slight, intermittent tingling.  After a day or two these symptoms disappeared.  The following week the same thing happened while I was carrying groceries with the same results.

There doesn't seem to be any accompanying weakness, although my legs have gone a bit rubbery when I attempt to complete my usual 7-mile run and I have to stop for fear of toppling over.  Sometimes I also have an odd feeling in my neck and face. There is little pain - maybe a two on a scale of ten.

After this experience, I went to a chiropractor. He told me that two misaligned rib ends were causing the problem. His first adjustment seemed to help.  He saw me twice a week for three weeks. It was a bit up and down.  Sometimes the symptoms disappeared for days at a time.

Last Friday I went for my first weekly visits.  That night the symptoms came back with a vengeance. I felt almost normal on Monday and tried a short run, but had to finish at a walk because my legs felt odd. Felt fine when I got up this morning, but in the process of making a cup of coffee I felt the warm spot in my back and the symptoms returned in arms, legs, neck and face.

My question: Is this a normal scenario? Is it possible to be making progress with episodic flare ups? I have a high pain threshold, but neurological issues give me the willies!  I don't want to do anything - like roll over in my sleep - and do myself an injury!

Thanks much in advance for your help.  Chuck

Answer
Chuck,  

It sounds like you had an acute strain with joint dysfunction of the joint complex in your upper back.   There is a condition called "T4 syndrome" that involves irritation around your fourth thoracic vertebra, located between your shoulder blades.   When T4 (and likely T3 or T5) gets really stuck or strained, the connecting rib joints will also be part of the package of tenderness, dysfunction, and pain.  People with this often feel pain in their middle back, neck, and with numbness/tingling or pain into their arms or chest.  It can be tough to completely clear out.  Your chiropractor absolutely must do soft tissue therapy as well as joint manipulation (you can see examples of this on my web site, drgillman.com).    It is possible to make progress and then have a flare up on occasion.  Treatment only comes into question when you fail to make progress and/or have continued flare ups that don't reduce in frequency, duration, or intensity.    You leg symptoms seem odd.  Ask your DC to run you through a basic neurologic screening.  

'Hope this helps,

Dr. G