Most Americans have experienced neck pain at least once in their life. Maybe you slept the wrong way or tweaked something while doing yard work. Usually, neck pain that isn’t caused by trauma will subside on its own in a couple of days. But when it doesn’t, chiropractic can help you relieve symptoms without the pain-killing drugs.
For a wide variety of reasons, neck pain is particularly difficult to ignore. Partly that’s because you are always moving your head, even when you don’t realize it. So, neck injuries can transform something that’s mundane (like driving) into something that’s exceptionally painful. Seeing a chiropractor can help you relieve symptoms, so you can get back to living your life
A Little About the Neck
The bones in your neck connect your head to your back. All of these vertebrae through your neck and back make up your so-called “backbone,” or spine. Doctors call your neck the “cervical spine.”
The neck is great at being both flexible and strong, providing a wide range of movement for your head. But that also makes the neck prone to injury. It’s a complicated piece of anatomy, so there’s a lot that can go wrong. There are all kinds of reasons why the cervical spine could start to cause you pain. Among the most common are the following:
- Trauma: Whether it’s whiplash suffered during an auto accident or an injury you experience on the job, trauma can leave a lasting (and painful) impact on the neck. Trauma can also occur if you’re playing sports, or while exercising.
- Poor posture: This is especially true if you’re sitting or staring at a computer screen all day. Poor posture can put pressure on the muscles in your neck. Over time, this can cause pain and discomfort.
- Sleeping position: In the same way that poor posture while you’re awake can cause problems, poor posture while you’re asleep can do the same! Maybe you’ve got too many pillows (or too few). Or maybe you just slept on it funny. The right sleeping position can help limit neck pain.
- Joint or bone issues: Abnormal growth of bones or issues with your joints can also cause problems for your neck.
Whatever the cause, most people’s first instinct is to ignore the pain and see if it goes away on its own. Unfortunately, this can make the pain in your neck worse! For example, your neck muscles may grow weaker and weaker over time. And this can lead to larger issues (and more pain) down the road.
What Chiropractic for Your Neck Looks Like
Many people are initially hesitant to seek chiropractic care for neck pain and injury, and that’s understandable. Especially with chiropractic care in movies, TV and on the internet often being portrayed as quick, violent and frankly scary!
That’s not what we do here at Diaspo Chiropractic. For most patients, gentle mobilization or manipulation of the cervical spine is all that is required.
Treating Your Neck Pain
At Diapso, one of our primary means of treating neck pain is with mobilization or manipulation . When we do this, we’re looking to restore movement and mobility to the neck, and that will often reduce pain. During these procedures, we move your neck through its ranges of motion, which are often limited by pain. This is a well accepted and well tolerated method for restoring function, and reducing pain.
Additional Therapies
Depending on your condition and your goals, your chiropractor may recommend additional therapies. Often, this will entail the use of physical therapy modalities.
Typically, physical therapy modalities may consist of:
- Massage: This is designed to help loosen and relax the muscles around your neck, restoring motion and mobility.
- Gentle stretching: Stretching of the neck muscles can relieve tension and pain, improving your overall mobility.
- Building strength: If your neck muscles have weakened, neck exercises can help build those muscles back up again. This can provide a long-term solution to certain kinds of neck pain.
These are called adjunctive therapies, which is really just a fancy way of saying that they are designed to work together with the mobilization and manipulation that are typically being employed. In concert, these treatments can help restore movement and limit discomfort.
When is Chiropractic for Neck Pain Appropriate?
There are times when you may not know whether chiropractic care is right for your neck pain, so you decide to wait and see. That’s not always the right approach.
In general, we recommend that you see your chiropractor as soon as possible after the pain has started, as we consistently find that the earlier you start care the more likely you are to make a full recovery.
This is especially true if you have been in an auto accident or workplace accident, and you should immediately contact a chiropractor if you have had one of these types of injuries. In these cases, the sooner the injury is addressed, the better and you are likely to get relief sooner and possibly prevent complications.
Self-treatment usually involves taking over-the-counter pills and hoping for the best, all while your neck pain keeps you from enjoying even the simplest activities (making dinner, going for a drive, or jogging around the neighborhood).
So if you have neck pain, contact Diaspo Chiropractic & Physical Therapy to talk to a chiropractor about how you can dial down the discomfort and enjoy your daily life again.
