Do you suffer from neck pains often? Then it might be time for you to meet a chiropractor.

Around 87% of insured American employees have been covered for chiropractic care. Having timely check-ups and treatment allows you to continue with your normal activities and lifestyle.

What Is Chronic Neck Pain? Chronic neck pain can cause discomfort and limit the motion of your head and neck. Often neck pain occurs when your muscles, joints, and neck ligaments become inflamed or irritated.

This causes pain and discomfort on your neck. The level of neck pain ranges from minor pain, which can be ignored to excruciating pain, which needs immediate attention.

There are many structures in the neck that can cause pain: bones out of place outside of their normal range of motion, nerves, ligaments, tendons, muscles (strains and sprains), facet joints just to name a few.

That is why your Chiropractor after taking a complete history of your neck pain will preform a through neck exam including Range of Motion, Muscle test, Nerve test, Orthopedic test and more.

Here is how chiropractic care helps relieve chronic neck pain.

1. Symptoms Of Neck Pain

First, you need to understand the signs of chronic neck pain. They include stiff neck with stabbing pain. Also, you can experience neck soreness and tenderness. This pain can radiate into the shoulders, down the arms, down the back or even down the front of the upper chest.

• Stiff Neck With The Limited Motion Range

Whenever you get neck pains, you find that you have limited motion range and you are not able to move. Neck pains can be so severe that you can barely turn around. If you feel this kind of pain, you need to consult a neck pain chiropractor.

• Concentrated Sharp Stabbing Pain On Your Neck

Sometimes you might be going about your normal chores and then get a sharp pain on the neck. The pain can be so severe that you are not able to turn or move your neck. You should consider neck pain treatment to get this problem checked.

• General Neck Soreness And Tenderness

Your neck may feel sore, especially after waking up. This can be a sign of neck problems, and you might need to consult chiropractors for neck pain. Additionally, you can notice that your neck has some tenderness and so much pain when you make a move.

• Sharp Pain That Can Move From The Neck To The Shoulders

When you feel excruciating pain from your neck to the shoulders, then it might be time for you to get a chiropractic neck adjustment. Sharp pains can move from the neck, arms, fingers, shoulders, and the head, causing you great discomfort.

• Sharp Pain That Can Radiate From The Neck To The Arm/ Forearm, Hands and Fingers.

This is often the sign of a bigger problem like a bulged or herniated disc in the neck. Many of these can be treated and your radiating pain resolved. You Chiropractor is well trained to know if he or she needs to refer you to a neurosurgeon or orthopedist after conservative care.

• Sharp or Achy Pain That Feels Like It’s Coming From Your Upper Back

This is often the result of cervical facet syndrome. The cervical facets are small joints in the back of the neck and if jammed or inflammed can cause this type of pain. Again your Chiropractor is trained to find the underlying or true cause of your neck pain.

 

2. Various Techniques Used By The Chiropractor

Various methods help treat chronic pain. They include the Activator Methods technique, Gonstead technique, Diversified technique, soft tissues therapy, and flexion distraction.

• Activator Methods Technique

Activator Methods is the most used instrument technique in the US. This instrument in the skilled hands of your Activator trained Chiropractor can move the out of place bone back into alignment without the pop, crackle, snap of a manual adjustment.

This technique uses it own spinal analysis to alert the trained Chiropractor just where to adjust the spine.

• Upper Cervical Specific Technique

If the problem is the relationship or movement or lack thereof between the occiput (base of the skull) and the Atlas (first neck bone) and/or the Axis (second neck bone), then your Chiropractor will often choose a upper cervical specific technique.  Every good Chiropractor should have an upper cervical technique in his repertoar of techniques.

• Gonstead Adjustment

Gonstead adjustment is used to fix and diagnose some specific issues. If you have been suffering from back pains and neck pains for the long term, then this technique could be perfect for you.

You chiropractor will locate the major problem along your spine and try to adjust it accordingly. The Gonstead adjustment involves performing a thorough analysis of your spine region. This reduces the pain and soreness on the affected part.

• Diversified Technique

This chiropractor adjustment is among the most used technique to solve neck and back pains. The technique is preferred when the client is looking for instant pain relief. The technique adjust the lumbar disk herniation, which is the cause of most of the back and neck pains.

The diversified technique uses the art of popping the joints back in position. This improves the function of your neck and back and reduces the pain.

• Flexion-Distraction

Flexion distraction is used to treat joint pains, scoliosis, and any other condition that may be causing neck and back pains. This technique is clinically approved to treat specific joint pains and back pains. The chiropractor stretches your back to align the spine and reduce any neck and back pain.

• Soft Tissue Therapy and Manual Therapy

Whereas most of techniques so far mentioned work on moving the bone that is out of alignment, soft tissue therapy and manual therapy concentrates on the soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments and tendons, and fascia. The technique focuses on spinal and soft tissue not directly on the spine. When you apply soft tissue therapy on the affected areas and joints, you reduce the pain and restore function.

Also, this technique clears up the scar tissues making the pain reduce on the affected areas. The therapy increases blood flow and circulation, thus releasing toxic by-products from your body.

 

3. Benefits Of Chiropractic Care In Relieving Neck Pain

Why is chiropractic an effective way for pain management? We have to agree that pain and discomfort hinder your day to day activities. Thus, Chiropractic helps improve your motion range and decreased soreness and inflammation.

• Reduced Pain And Discomfort

When you have neck pains, you might find that you have a lot of discomforts, and you are not able to do some of the basic chores. This limits your ability and can cause you to lag in school or at work.

When you get neck pain treatment, you can carry on with your duties easily. Chiropractor treatments reduce the neck and back pains.

• Improved Motion Range

Neck pains can cause you to have limited neck movements. You might think that you are not able to move your head and neck.

This means that you can’t look any other direction except in the front without feeling pain. This can be avoided by getting your neck checked and adjusted to ensure that you can perform your basic duties.

• Decreased Soreness And Inflammation

Having a sore, inflamed neck is very discomforting as it reduces your neck movement. The pain from your neck can be very excruciating thus hindering you from performing well.

A sore neck can be very painful to touch. This can even distort your sitting position while trying to prevent the neck from being touched.

• Improves Your Lifestyle And Activity

Neck pains can inhibit you from taking part in some activities and leading the lifestyle you are used. If you are an athlete, your lifestyle may be hindered as it is dependent on you being physically fit.

A visit to a neck pain chiropractor could be the right decision for you. This ensures that you are back on your feet and can do your activities and continue with your lifestyle. Additionally, it improves your posture and strengthens your spine.

• Improved Flexibility

This goes without saying having neck pain can reduce not only your mobility but also your flexibility. Especially if you are a gymnast or your career and lifestyle depends on you being very flexible.

You need to be at your best level of performance. This means if you experience any neck pains, you should visit the chiropractor with immediate effect.

Bottom Line

You should always first see a Doctor of Chiropractic when you get neck pains. He is a uniquely trained Spinal Structural Specialist who can look at your neck pain and recommend appropriate treatments.   Please try to avoid self adjusting your neck as this can cause more damage.

Contact us to book an appointment and get checked up. This will improve your lifestyle and allow you to continue with your normal activities.