Chiropractic Care For Neck Pain

Neck pain is a common problem that affects millions of people worldwide. Neck pain can have an immediate and obvious cause when it is the result of a neck injury, but chronic neck pain can be harder to diagnose. Treating neck pain takes a variety of approaches and chiropractic care can help to alleviate pain and restore mobility to the neck.

Acute neck pain

Acute neck pain is pain that lasts less than 6 months. It is usually the result of an injury that has caused a strain or sprain to the neck muscles. Common causes of acute neck pain include:

Poor posture

In the modern age, many of us spend a large part of our day staring at computer or phone screens. Keeping our head in the same position for long periods of time means that the muscles in the neck remain contracted and immobile. This can cause damage to the muscles and connective tissue and result in neck pain.

How chiropractic care can help

Chiropractic care can help to improve posture and reduce strain on the neck. The chiropractic clinician will first examine the patient's posture to determine where it may be failing. They will then make adjustments to the joints in the neck, shoulders, and spine. They will also work on the soft tissue and muscles to stretch and strengthen it, allowing it to be a strong base to support the neck.

Whiplash

Acute neck pain can be the result of trauma such as whiplash. When a car comes to a sudden stop, this can force the head into a rapid forward and backward movement. This can result in neck pain and stiffness, headaches, and muscle spasms in the shoulders and arms.

How chiropractic care can help

Chiropractic care approaches whiplash treatment through a variety of methods:

• spinal manipulation - moving joint in the direction in which it is restricted

• muscle relaxation and stimulation

• exercises to correct faulty movement patterns

• applying pressure to trigger points

• ergonomics

Chronic neck pain

Chronic neck pain can last anywhere from a few months to a lifetime. Sometimes acute injuries to the neck can result in chronic pain when they aren't fully treated, but chronic neck pain can also result from other causes.

Degenerative disc disease

The discs in the spine gradually lose their hydration and their ability to cushion the vertebrae, which can result in a herniated disc, pinched nerves, or osteoarthritis.

How can chiropractic care help?

Activator-assisted spinal manipulation therapy can help to reduce pain and increase mobility in patients with degenerative disc disease (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3706700/).

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a pain disorder that causes pain throughout the body, including the neck.

How can chiropractic care help?

Spinal manipulation, soft tissue therapy, and passive stretching for 4 weeks can reduce the symptoms of fibromyalgia, relieving neck pain (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9272472/).

Neck pain can be the result of a variety of injuries, conditions, and diseases. Chiropractic care can help to reduce pain and increase mobility for many of the causes of neck pain, using a combination of different methods that focus on both the spine and the surrounding neck muscles.

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