When to See Your Chiropractor for Neck Pain Treatment
The neck consists of several vertebral bones extending from the base of the cranium/skull to your upper torso. Together with neck muscles and ligaments, these bones support the head and influence motion while the cervical discs act as shock absorbers. Therefore, any injury, abnormalities, or inflammation to these areas may cause neck stiffness or neck pain.
Poor posture, injury from whiplash, contact sports, and falls are mostly the common cause of neck pain. In most cases, neck pain is not serious and goes away in the next few days. However, sometimes it may indicate a serious illness or injury that requires professional care.
Neck Pain Causes
- Growing older – As you age, your chances of developing degenerative disorders affecting the spine like osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis increase.
- Daily life – Obesity and poor posture often interfere with your spinal balance forcing your neck to move forward in order to compensate. Emotional tension and stress are also known to cause contraction of neck muscles which results in neck pain and stiffness.
- Osteoarthritis – It causes cartilage deterioration affecting joint motion.
- Injury & accidents – Suddenly forced neck or head movement injures supporting and surrounding tissues found in the head and neck. The involved muscles will respond by contracting and tightening, which causes pain. In severe cases, the nerve roots, intervertebral joints, and ligaments may get injured.
- Spinal stenosis – This disease causes the nerve passageways found inside the vertebrae column to narrow, and the results are the trapping and compressing of nerve roots. It is associated with neck, arm, and shoulder pain and numbness.
When to Seek Chiropractic Care for Neck Pain
Severe neck pain lasting for days can have a toll on your lifestyle and lower the performance of your everyday task. Yearly, more than 30% of US adults report having chronic neck pain. To help you know when to go to the best chiropractor near you for chiro care, we have listed eight signs to watch out for. Reading about them will help you spot the red flags easily and book an appointment with a chiropractor as soon as possible.
- Frequent headaches
- Persistent neck pain
- Recent injury or accident
- Lower back pain
How Chiropractors Diagnose Neck Pain
When you visit Diversified Chiropractic for a neck problem evaluation, our chiropractor in Traverse City will assess your whole spine, including the neck region, thoracic, and lumbar region.
Before an approach method to locate your source and cause of pain is decided, a full body examination is done. The health expert will check for areas whose movement has been restricted, your spinal alignment, and overall posture. This also sheds light on how the patient’s body mechanics’ work.
In addition, you will be required to submit your past medical history, and if the expert sees fit, he/she may request imaging tests like an MRI or X-ray for a better and reliable diagnosis. The results from the ordered tests will help the chiropractor to come up with a customized treatment plan for you. If your healthcare provider notices a neck condition that can only be corrected with surgery, he/she will refer you to a certified spine surgeon.
How Chiropractic Care Relieves Neck Pain
Chiropractors use manual therapy, spinal manipulations, and techniques to resolve pain in the neck. Some of the manual therapies used include:
- Therapeutic massage – It relaxes tense muscles.
- Trigger-point therapy – Used to relieve pain and muscle tightness.
- Instrument-assisted tissue therapy – This therapy diagnoses and treats muscle tension via the use of special instruments.
- Joint stretching – It lowers the severity of the neck pain and relieves other symptoms.
Techniques used for spinal manipulation are:
- Instrument-assisted manipulation – It involves the use of a hand-held chiropractic instrument to exert force on the spine.
- Flexion-distraction technique – With the use of his hands, the professional will manipulate your spine by exerting action on your intervertebral disc.
- Specific spinal cord manipulation – Helps in the restoration of joint movements.
In some cases, therapeutic exercises, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation may be recommended to treat neck pain and its symptoms. Therapeutic exercises prevent the progression of neck pain and improve the neck’s motion range, while ultrasound helps with neck muscle pain and stiffness.
The above are the possible treatments that your chiropractor may recommend to relieve your neck pain. The actual treatment recommended will be determined by your diagnosis. To get other chiropractic benefits, book an appointment with us today.