Neck Pain
Neck pain can be caused by sports injuries, car accidents “whiplash”, cervical disc bulge or herniation, poor posture, degenerative joint disease, cervical sprain/strain and most importantly subluxation. Injuries such as sprain/strain, whiplash and sports injuries usually involve the muscles, ligaments and vertebral joint of the neck that are damaged due to trauma.
There will be symptoms of local and/or referred pain in the neck, with loss of range of motion, tenderness, pain on movement and stiffness in the area. A cervical disc issue will usually have local discogenic pain as well as possible tingling and numbness down the arm into the fingers.
There may be difficulty with movement of the neck, flexion of the neck, worse upon waking if sleep posture was aggravating, and bending to one side or the other may make the tingling and numbness worse. Coughing, sneezing or bearing down may make the symptoms worse.
Poor posture overtime will break down the tissues, elongate the ligaments, tighten the muscles and cause loss of the cervical curve and eventually a stooped posture with a hump on the upper back.
This will cause a stiff feeling in the neck with a dull aching pain that goes away when lying down or resting the head. The muscles become weak and the joints become misaligned so that they can no longer support the head so the pain usually gets worse as the day goes on.
Degenerative joint disease is essentially arthritis of the vertebrae of the neck. This usually presents with a dull ache, worse in the morning, possibly tingling and numbness with extension of the head and local pain in a diffuse pattern. DJD is usually caused by subluxation that was not fixed or old injuries that were not rehabilitated properly with chiropractic care.
Chiropractic care cannot reverse DJD, but it is very effective at stopping and preventing progression of the degeneration and completely improving function and quality of life.
Subluxation is the most common cause of neck pain and is simply a misaligned vertebra that has become fixated in the position causing interference in the neurological messages from the brain to the body. As a result there is localized pain, decreased range of motion, muscular imbalance, decreased neurological functions to the associated neurological cells, tissues, glands, muscles and organs that go out at that level.
Chiropractors specialize in diagnosing and treating subluxation and are the only health care practitioners specifically trained on removing them and restoring function. Left untreated subluxations can cause DJD, pain, neurological dysfunction and decreased overall health.
There is no reason to suffer with neck pain. With a detailed history, focused orthopedic, neurological and chiropractic examination, x-ray and any additional special tests that may be deemed necessary, we can determine the CAUSE of the symptoms.
Our goal is to tell you what is wrong, why it is wrong and how we will go about fixing it, however, if for some reason it is out of our scope of practice we will surely refer you to the specialist that can best help you resolve the issue.
We specialize in specific chiropractic adjustments of the spine, Active Release Technique to free nerve entrapments and remove muscular adhesions, nutritional and lifestyle advisement as well as specific progressive exercises to restore posture and function of the neck muscles.
“For 25 years I worked in the grocery business. I was bending, twisting, and lifting heavy boxes.
In 1989 a box of batteries fell on my head and shoulder. I was sent to the company doctor. He sent me back to work with a neck brace and pain pills.
I never got over the neck pain. I began to experience severe headaches. For years I would take 3-5 Advil a day for the pain. I got so bad I was dropping items that I was trying to stock on the shelves. I had no strength left in my hands.
I went to see Hinde Chiropractic Center, they diagnosed me with Cervical Disc Degeneration and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Since being treated, I seldom take the pain pills which I know are bad for my stomach. The adjustments keep me functional. I wouldn’t have been able to keep going without Hinde Chiropractic Center.”
Josie Schoonover