Numbness, tingling, burning, pins and needles, radiating pain down an arm or leg — these are nerve symptoms, and they are not all the same problem. Some come from a nerve being compressed at the spine by a disc or a narrowed opening. Some come from irritation further along the nerve's path. Some come from nerve involvement further out, in the hands or feet. Richter Family Chiropractic evaluates which of these your symptoms fit, and treats the ones that respond to conservative care using the equipment this office has in-house — computer-driven spinal decompression, two Class IV therapeutic lasers, Storz Medical shockwave in both radial and focused form, chiropractic care, and physiotherapy. When your case belongs with a neurologist or a surgeon, we will say so.
Nerve symptoms have more than one cause. A nerve can be compressed where it exits the spine, irritated by a disc, or entrapped in soft tissue further along its path. Symptoms can also come from a peripheral neuropathy with a systemic cause such as diabetes — which is a medical condition that stays with your physician. The examination is what tells us which of these you are dealing with, and whether this office is the right place for it.
Each option below helps some people, and several may still belong in your care. They act on different parts of the problem — and if one of them had settled your nerve symptoms, you probably would not be reading this page.
Gabapentin, pregabalin, and similar medications change how pain signals are carried, and for many people that makes daily life livable. That is a real benefit. It is also a different job than addressing a nerve that is being physically compressed — which is why some patients want both conversations.
Plenty of nerve irritation does settle on its own, and for a recent, mild episode watchful waiting is sensible. When symptoms have been going for months, or when numbness or weakness is spreading, that is the point most patients tell us they wish they had been examined sooner.
Injections reduce inflammation around an irritated nerve root, and a lot of people get genuine relief. For some it holds. For others it fades, and they come to us wanting an approach aimed at the mechanical compression itself rather than another round.
PT builds the strength and stability that protect a spine and a limb long-term, and it is valuable work. It uses a different mechanism than decompression, which applies controlled traction to the disc space specifically. In nerve compression cases the two are usually complementary.
Decompression or discectomy surgery is genuinely the right answer for some nerve patients, particularly where there is progressive weakness — and when we think you need a surgical consult we will refer you without hesitation. Most people simply want to know they have worked through conservative options first.
Adjustment addresses joint motion and alignment, and it does that well. It is not the same mechanism as traction applied to the disc space, or as laser or acoustic wave therapy applied to soft tissue. For nerve cases our doctors generally combine several rather than relying on any single one.
There is no single protocol here, because nerve symptoms do not have a single cause. Your doctor examines where along the nerve's path the problem sits, then combines the modalities suited to that finding — spinal decompression when a disc is compressing a nerve root, chiropractic care for the joint restrictions involved, Class IV laser and shockwave for the soft tissue, and physiotherapy to build stability around the result.
Book My New Patient Exam →
Several therapies used together, each doing a different job. Which of them apply to you is decided by your examination — not everyone receives all of them.
Nerve tissue depends on a steady blood supply, and the tissue surrounding an irritated nerve is part of the picture. Several of the therapies used here are applied with that environment in mind. Where a disc or joint restriction is mechanically limiting things, computer-driven spinal decompression and chiropractic care address that side directly. What is relevant in your case is determined by the examination.
Where a disc is compressing a nerve root, precisely controlled traction is applied with the aim of creating negative pressure within the disc space and reducing load on the nerve structures around it. Non-invasive, and appropriate only for certain findings.
Two Class IV therapeutic lasers in-house, including a 40-watt LightForce deep tissue unit. Laser is applied over the involved segment and the surrounding soft tissue as part of the care plan.
Both Storz Medical shockwave types are available here. Radial (RSWT) disperses energy over a broader, shallower area; focused (F-SW) concentrates it at a selected depth. Both are in this building, so the device is chosen from your examination.
The Rebuilder is a low-frequency stimulation unit that runs at 7.83 Hz. It is used in the office on occasion, and many care plans send one home with the patient so it can be used between visits. The Nerve Plate is a vibration device you rest your feet on, used for nerve symptoms in the feet and lower legs. Both are applied as part of a plan rather than on their own, and only where your examination indicates them.
You are in the office once or twice a week. What happens the rest of the week matters, which is why care does not stop at the door. Depending on your plan that can include an at-home light therapy unit, prescribed exercises, and topical or nutritional support. Your doctor explains what each item is for — and what it costs — before recommending anything.
No surprises. Here's exactly how it works from your first call to your recovery.
Many patients with nerve symptoms have already been to more than one office without a clear answer about where the problem actually sits. The $59 New Patient Exam is how you find out — and whether this is something we can help with.
Visit 1 · ~30-35 minExamination with your doctor — including X-rays if clinically indicated, neurological testing, deep tendon reflexes, muscle strength assessment, sensory testing, range of motion, and orthopedic evaluation. Thermal imaging is also used to compare surface temperature between sides, which can help direct where to look more closely. The goal is to identify where along the nerve's path the problem sits: at the spine, further along the limb, or further out in the hands and feet. Certain findings — spreading weakness, or any change in bowel or bladder control — need urgent medical attention rather than an appointment, and your doctor will tell you so immediately.
Visit 1 · Same dayNerve symptoms are often investigated before patients get to us. If you have had an MRI, CT, nerve conduction study, or EMG done elsewhere, bring the written report to your first visit. Your doctor reviews it alongside the examination, which is the part that matters: imaging shows structure, and what you are feeling is a separate question. Findings turn up on scans in people with no symptoms, and symptoms sometimes come with unremarkable images. Matching the two is the point. Reports are written for clinicians, so you will also get a plain-language explanation of what yours actually says.
Visit 1 · Bring your reportYour doctor explains what the examination showed so far and what to expect at your Diagnosis & Treatment Plan visit. Nerve symptoms affect daily life at home, so we encourage you to bring your spouse or a family member to Visit 2.
Visit 1On Visit 2, your doctor reviews your imaging and examination findings and puts real numbers to the plan: which therapies your nerve findings call for, how many visits it will take, how long it will take, and the exact cost. You will hear one of three things: (a) we believe we can help and here is the plan, (b) you would be better served elsewhere and here is where to go, or (c) further conservative care is unlikely to help. Some nerve conditions belong with a neurologist or a surgeon, and we will tell you when yours is one of them.
Visit 2 · Included in $59If you are a fit and choose to proceed, care begins on Visit 2 — combining the modalities indicated by your findings: decompression, chiropractic care, Class IV laser, shockwave, and physiotherapy. The plan is built around your examination, not a fixed package. Both of your first two visits are covered by your new patient exam; care from that point on is billed separately, at the cost your doctor quoted you on Visit 2.
Same day on Visit 2 if you choose to proceedYour doctor re-examines you at set points during care rather than assuming the plan is working. If your response says the approach should change, it changes — and if it says conservative care has gone as far as it can, you will hear that too.
Individualized care plan
After your evaluation, if our protocols aren't a good fit, your doctor will tell you honestly — and help point you in the right direction. That's the Richter Family Chiropractic promise.
You may be a candidate if you have:
The only way to know definitively is a full evaluation. Your doctor will assess your condition and give you an honest answer — for just $59.
Book My New Patient Exam →No obligation · A straight answer, even if it's not us
Take the first step — a full New Patient Exam with one of our doctors for just $59. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help.
Book My New Patient Exam →Often, when the pressure on the nerve is mechanical — from a disc, a stiff or irritated joint, or tight surrounding tissue — though nobody can honestly promise a result before examining you. A pinched nerve usually means a nerve root is being compressed or irritated where it leaves the spine, which is what sends pain, tingling or numbness into an arm or leg. The examination works out where the nerve is being irritated and why. Depending on what it shows, care here may combine chiropractic adjustment, computer-driven spinal decompression where a disc is involved, Class IV laser and rehabilitation exercises. If it is not a case this office should treat, you are told and referred.
Usually pain that travels rather than staying in one spot: from the neck into the shoulder blade, arm or hand, or from the low back into the buttock, leg or foot. It often comes with tingling, pins and needles, numbness, burning or weakness in the same area. Symptoms in both hands or both feet, especially burning or numbness that started in the toes, can point to peripheral neuropathy instead, which is examined differently.
Most do not, but these symptoms need immediate medical evaluation rather than an appointment here: loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin or saddle area, weakness in an arm or leg that is getting worse, symptoms in both legs at once, or nerve symptoms after a significant fall or collision. Go to the emergency room or call 911.