Got Neck Pain? Here’s How A Chiropractor Can Help
Your neck is an important part of your everyday movement. Experiencing sharp pains in your neck can prevent you from functioning properly during everyday activities. Neck pain can also cause debilitating and extremely uncomfortable feelings, especially if the pain travels from your neck down to your shoulders. The good news is that many people are able to find some relief from getting neck pain each year by getting help from their chiropractor and physiotherapist.
Common Symptoms of Neck Pain and How a Chiropractor can Help
When an individual has neck pain, it usually goes from the back of their skull to the top of the shoulder blade, and then settling in the back of the neck. This pain can range in severity, and it can include:
Loss of sleep because of pain or discomfort
Numbness or tingling in the upper extremities
Headaches
Weakness in the arm
Inability to fully stand or sit up straight
Stiffness and muscle tightness in the upper body
Discomfort and pain when staying in the same position for too long
There are many reasons why neck pain may occur. The best way to be sure of why you are experiencing neck pain is to get an appointment with your chiropractor.
How can a Chiropractor Help?
Treating your neck pain starts with getting a diagnosis. Neck pain can start from insufficient core strength and weight gain because of inactivity, which can then cause poor posture, which results in neck pain. Other possible causes can include degenerative disc disease, arthritis, or injuries like whiplash after getting into a car accident.
Your chiropractor will be able to tell you the cause of your neck pain, usually after they ask you some diagnostic questions or after doing an x-ray or MRI. Depending on what they find, they might begin to treat you with a series of adjustment appointments.
Beck adjustments, also known as cervical manipulation, will involve applying strategic, healing pressure to any joints that are affecting your neck. Not only will these adjustments ease pain, but they can also help patients move their necks more freely than they were able to before.
Some adjustments that your chiropractor might give you can include:
Cervical drop - this is when the head of the table on which the patient is lying on is lowered at the same time the practitioner will make a thrusting motion on the neck area
Cervical manual traction - in which the patient lies either facing up or is seated, while the chiropractor gently stretches the neck up
Cervical mobilization - this method involves the practitioner strategically moving the head in different positions in order to help reposition the neck vertebrae
These techniques can be helpful for anyone seeking help for neck pain. Studies show that many patients with chronic neck pain report partial or complete pain relief after seeing their chiropractor regularly.