Up to 70% of people will experience neck pain at some point. Neck pain that lingers for longer than 12 weeks requires attention to prevent it from becoming a long-term problem. This painful condition is difficult to ignore and usually interferes with daily activities like driving and exercising.
The good news is that treatments and lifestyle changes can help you to heal and leave behind that pain in your neck! Let’s look at the most common causes of neck pain and how chiropractic care can help.
1. Tension from Stress
The state of your mental health affects your entire body. Unfortunately for many, one of the side effects of stress is tension in the muscles around your shoulders and neck. This tension causes pain in your neck and tension headaches too!
2. Poor Posture
Hours hunched over at your desk, slouching on the sofa, or sleeping with the wrong pillow or mattress, often leads to neck pain. Prolonged poor posture weakens the muscles that hold your spine and neck in the correct position—making your neck pain a chronic issue.
3. Disease and Degeneration
Age, wear and tear, and some degenerative diseases of the cervical (neck) vertebrae—like osteoarthritis—cause compression of the nerves, inflammation, and limited movement. These conditions usually aren’t curable, but strengthening the muscles and reducing tension in the area can bring welcome relief, improve the movement of your neck—and slow down the degeneration!
4. Spinal Injury
Trauma to your neck from injury is another culprit of neck pain. This includes damage to your cervical vertebrae (fractures or herniated disks) or soft tissue (muscles, ligaments, and tendons). Inflammation in your neck puts pressure on the nerves resulting in tingling, numbness, or shooting pain in your arms.
5. Whiplash
Whiplash occurs when your neck is flung forward and backward suddenly due to a car accident or a sporting injury. This traumatic force on the soft tissue in your neck leads to sprains, strains, and sometimes even tears. In severe cases, whiplash damages the disks themselves. The result?—inflammation that causes nerve pain and difficulty moving your neck.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help You Find Neck Pain Relief
Chiropractic care is a holistic, gentle, and drug-free approach to treating neck pain. Your chiropractor will consider your unique body and lifestyle and craft a treatment plan that works for you. It will likely include some of the following elements.
Adjustments
Your chiropractor will thoroughly examine your spine to ensure that your vertebrae, especially your neck vertebrae, are in alignment. They’ll make adjustments to correct any problems and relieve the pressure on your nerves. You might hear some cracking or popping noises—that’s normal!
Stretches
When your neck pain is caused by tension or is unexplained, stretching is often enough to relieve and treat your neck pain for good! Your chiropractor will demonstrate the correct techniques to practice at home and work so that your shoulders and neck can stay relaxed all day—and you don’t do any further damage!
Massage
Targeted massage offers a number of benefits for neck pain. It releases tension which relieves nerve compression. It encourages circulation, which promotes healing and reduces inflammation. Ultrasound therapy targets the deeper tissue to offer the same benefits closer to the cause of the problem. Manual therapy is one of the best ways to improve the movement of your neck!
Strengthening
Years of poor posture (awake and asleep) can lead to muscle weakness. Your chiropractor will coach and help you rebuild strength in your neck and shoulders. This approach, combined with manual therapy, is a rewarding way to say goodbye to neck pain for good! Expect some homework!
Whether your neck pain is a result of injury, stress, disease, or poor posture, chiropractic care can treat the pain and strengthen your body. Take a step towards healing and invest in your future health today! Contact Integrated Health & Injury, your local chiropractor in Atlanta and Decatur, Georgia, and say goodbye to chronic neck pain!
Use our contact form, or dial one of these numbers:
Decatur – 404-288-9000
Atlanta – 404-691-4822