Neck Pain

Neck PainThere could be any number of reasons why your neck is hurting. Most of the people who come to my office with neck pain, fall into one of the following three categories:

1. Too much time spent in front of a computer

Nowadays most of us spend many hours in front of the computer, usually hunched over, with the monitor either too high or too low in relation to our line of sight. This keeps our neck locked in an unnatural position. Doing this day after day puts an abnormal amount of strain on the neck muscles as well as on the discs and ligaments that stabilize the vertebrae in the neck. Eventually the spinal nerves in the neck become compressed and irritated either by the vertebrae themselves or by a damaged disc. This situation can produce any number of symptoms, including neck and upper back pain.

2. Sleeping Wrong

Another common cause of neck pain, that is not widely known, is improper sleep position. Many people sleep on their stomach and as a result twist their neck to one side. The neck remains in this position for many hours, twisting it abnormally. Patients have told tell me that when they wake up in the morning, sometimes they have terrible neck pain. Arms and hands can also become numb and/or painful from spinal nerve compression.

Although our neck is the most flexible part of our spine, it should not remain in one position for long periods of time.

3. Car Accidents

A common cause of neck pain occurs from whiplash injury during a car accident. This is when the impact (usually from behind) causes the neck to move forward and backward very fast. This can cause damage by tearing ligaments that connect the bones of the neck together, injuring the discs between the vertebrae and overstretching the muscles in the neck and upper back. Sometimes it takes several days for someone to feel the pain from a whiplash injury – this is why it is very important to get yourself checked immediately following a car accident, even if you don’t feel pain right away. Otherwise, you may end up prolonging your recovery time unnecessarily.

Treatment of Neck Pain

Chiropractic is very successful for treating neck problems. With a thorough examination I can determine where the source of the pain is coming from and can usually be treated gently without the use of traditional spinal manipulation or “cracking” of the neck. In addition, Cold Laser Therapy, Vibrational Sound Healing, and specific neck strengthening exercises will be part of the program.

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