Neck Pain Treatment At Pain Relief Chiropractic
Neck pain treatment can be found here at Pain Relief Chiropractic. Before we discuss treatment though let us talk about neck pain.
Neck pain can be very debilitating. It can be felt with pain down the arm, into the fingers, into the shoulder, or even down into the upper back. To fully understand neck pain treatment we must first understand the anatomy of the neck.
Anatomy of the Neck/Cervical Spine (C spine):
The neck begins at the base of the skull and goes down to the top of the shoulders. The neck contains 7 small vertebrae, labeled C1 (top) to C7 (bottom). C stands for cervical. The base of the skull, called the occiput, and sub-occipital muscles are also considered part of the neck.
In between each of the vertebrae are small shock absorbing discs. These discs function to distribute the weight of the head and absorb gravitational forces. Joints, muscles, and ligaments stabilize the neck and move the neck in various ranges of motion.
The neck and cervical spine house the upper part of the spinal cord, spinal nerves, and a vast organization of arteries and veins. The spinal nerves of the neck communicate with the arms, chest, and shoulders. The arteries and veins carry blood from the heart through the neck into the head and brain. The neck is a very intricate network of systems working together that allow for great movements; therefore, it is susceptible to injury and pain.
What is Causing Your Neck Pain?
Posture:
Something called forward head posture makes the head shift forward a small amount therefore putting stress and strain on the joints and muscles of the cervical spine.
How do we get this forward head posture? Well, sometimes this can be genetic or we can get it from starring at a computer all day for example. When the head and C spine are in this position it puts stress at the C5-C6 joint level.
It just so happens this is where we get the most flexion/extension motion in the C spine. This increased motion is stabilized by the C6-C7-T1 joints also called the C/T junction. To stabilize the increased motion the C/T junction “locks up” or gets “fixated”.
What Do We Do for This?
We unlock the C/T junction through chiropractic adjustments and correct the posture through rehabilitation exercise. When the C/T junction unlocks the C5-C6 joint begins to move normally.
Injuries:
When we talk about injuries we refer to most common type of injury which is the overuse injury. This can be from starring at a computer for hours, sleeping the wrong way, looking over your shoulder for an extended period of time, or twisted awkwardly. All movements and injuries can cause a spinal segment to “lock up” in the neck and create problems.
Overuse injuries can also cause disc herniations, or sprain/stains of the muscles or ligaments. When a disc herniation occurs in the C spine you will most likely feel some numbness and tingling into your hand and fingers.
Underlying Conditions:
This refers to some kind of organ or other type of referral pain to the neck. Heart, lung, thyroid, shoulder conditions, stroke, infection, tumor, or fracture can all refer pain to somewhere in the neck. If a condition such as this is detected the doctors will do their best to get you to the proper health care professional.
Neck Pain Treatment at Pain Relief Chiropractic:
In our office we will take a comprehensive history of your problem. Then we will do an extensive exam to figure out where your neck pain is coming from. At this point we will decide whether or not to send you for x-rays to the local imaging center.
We will discuss and explain everything going on during the entire process. After all the data is collected a personalized treatment plan will be constructed by one of the doctors.
That neck pain treatment plan could include chiropractic adjustments, muscle release techniques, stretching techniques, acute management, rehabilitation exercise, and posture advice.
We will work with you to help you beat neck pain and live pain free.
Return From Neck Pain Treatment to Your Indianapolis Chiropractor
