Neck Pain is a common medical condition for Americans. This guide explores how neck pain can be treated with the support of a chiropractor.
During their lifetime, as estimated 20 to 70% of Americans will experience issues with neck pain that impact daily activities. 10 to 20% will report neck pain symptoms at any given time. Neck pain can have a significant impact on your quality of life. Severe neck pain will impact your level of mobility and whether or not you are able to work. It may also have an impact on your mental health, cause issues with mood changes and depression. This is true for any chronic pain condition. However, neck pain often has a bark that is worse than its bite. Essentially, this means that you can simply strain your neck and the pain can be agonizing.
There are various options that you can explore when treating neck pain that is impacting your quality of life. One of the best possibilities worth considering is the support of a professional chiropractor. To understand why this is the case, it’s important to know what causes neck pain.
Common Causes Of Neck Pain
There are various different causes of neck pain that you should be aware of. This can include aging. Aging leads to conditions which are more likely to cause issues with pain in the neck. Some examples include osteoarthritis as well as spinal stenosis. The former causes the joint cartilage in the neck to wear down while the latter leads to narrowing spaces in the spine. Both are likely to trigger issues with neck pain as you continue to age.
Similarly, overtime, both stress and motion can lead to your neck becoming damaged. This can be related to spinal disc degeneration which may cause issues with a pinched nerve or possibly a herniated disc.
Alternatively, you might experience neck pain due to your neck being injured from trauma. There are various ways that you can injure your neck. However, one of the most common causes is perhaps whiplash. This trauma occurs from a sudden, forced movement causing the neck to move in one direction before quickly rebounding in the other. The pain or soreness from whiplash can last for months or even years. Various element which impact the neck can be impacted in a case of trauma like this including:
- Muscles
Ligaments - Discs
- Vertebral joints
- Nerve roots
The Impact Of Mental Stress
Did you know that neck pain can be caused by mental stress. People often assume that neck pain is an issue that is purely physical. However, this is not the case and it’s quite common to experience neck pain which relates to mental health. When you are stressed, you may experience tension in your neck which can cause issues with both pain as well as stiffness.
Mental health conditions can often have physical symptoms such as this. That’s why it’s important to consider whether you are under significant levels of stress if you are experiencing pain like this.
Strain
It is possible that you are experiencing pain in your neck due to overuse or a repetitive motion that you can complete through the day. This is quite common as many people are spending more than seven hours behind a desk each day, staring at a computer screen. Often, they will be sitting with a posture that is not beneficial for their neck or spine. Overtime, this can lead to pain in both areas to develop and often get gradually worse.
Spinal Balance Conditions
There are various conditions that will impact spinal balance which in turn can have a ripple impact on the health of your neck. As mentioned, poor posture may be an issue here. Particularly if you are sitting in the same position for long periods. However, you might also develop neck pain if you are overweight or you have weak abdominal issues which impact the posture of your spain. All of these factors may contribute to pain in your neck.
Growths
While more rare, it is possible for growths and health complications to cause pain in your neck. This could include problems with cysts or bone spurs. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you are getting checked out as soon as you notice an issue which is impacting your neck and causing you significant levels of pain.
There are some of the common issues that can cause problems with neck pain that you may be experiencing right now. So, why is chiropractic treatment the right answer?
Why Seek The Support Of A Chiropractor For Neck Pain?
Chiropractic medicine is a service provided by a trained medical professional. They use a wide range of nonsurgical and noninvasive treatments to provide support and relief for a wide variety of health conditions including neck pain. It is often considered to be an effective form of treatment for those who suffer from chronic pain. A chiropractor may also be useful at treating the underlying condition that is causing you to experience pain in an area like your neck such as osteoarthritis.
To effectively treat issues with neck pain, it is important to be aware of the underlying cause of the symptoms. This can be any of the causes listed above.
At Desert Shadows Chiropractic we can use advanced technology to identify a condition and assess your neck as well as your spine. This can help us to determine the cause of the pain you are experiencing. We can also provide support if you have already received a diagnosis for your neck pain from a doctor or health professional. We offer a supplementary service that is intended to greatly improve your quality of life.
The majority of people who are experiencing neck pain have what is referred to as simple or mechanical pain. This means that there is no link to an underlying condition such as cancer or a growth in your neck. Most people will also not be suffering from neck pain that is caused by a compressed or trapped nerve.
Due to this, neck pain can be treated using the specialist non invasive services that we offer without the need for surgery.
Benefits Of Chiropractic Medicine For Neck Pain
If you are suffering from neck pain, chiropractic treatment can lead to benefits that will help to improve your physical health and general wellbeing. It can be useful if you are struggling with issues that are impacting your mental health. Do be aware that you can reach out for help from a chiropractor as soon as you notice pain in your neck. You don’t need to wait until the pain becomes unbearable or agonizing. Here are some of the key benefits that seeing a chiropractor for neck pain can provide.
Gain Immediate Relief
One of the key benefits of gaining support for a professional chiropractor is that the treatment can provide instant relief. You may notice a rapid reduction in the level of pain and discomfort that you are experiencing and see significant improvements in your quality of life overall. As you receive more treatments, you could notice a constant, gradual reduction in your pain and increased level of movement as well as motion in your neck. This is true for the vast majority of individuals.
Reduce Related Issues
Chiropractic medicine can also provide relief for a range of symptoms that are related and symptomatic of neck pain. This can include headaches. Headaches are a common side issue connected to neck pain due to the pain causing problems with a lack of sleep or even physical dysfunctions in the joints. Through chiropractic medicine it is possible to relieve pressure on key joints and areas of the neck while also releasing tightened muscles.
Neck pain may also trigger chronic pain in other areas of the body. For instance, you might notice that the pain progresses and begins to impact areas of your spine as well as the lower back. Chiropractic medicine can be used to treat issues here too and ensure that you do get the support you need regardless of where you are experiencing pain or discomfort.
Support For A Recent Injury
It is possible that your neck pain is tied to a recent injury or physical trauma. If so, then a chiropractor can provide the full support that you need. This could include assessing the damage that has been caused in the accident and providing the treatment that you need. A chiropractor can also provide evidence that you require compensation due to the injury that you have sustained and the pain impacting you.
Improve Quality Of Life
The right chiropractor will be able to help you improve your overall quality of life. One of the ways that they can do this is not just by reducing levels of pain but also increasing your range of emotion. People who experience neck pain will often struggle with low levels of emotion. This can impact how they function on a day to day basis. Support from a chiropractor can lead to significant improvements here to ensure that the joints and muscles can move more frequently.
A chiropractor can also offer a more comprehensive approach to treating an issue like neck pain which includes a range of different types of treatment. These will all be based on ensuring that you get the support that you need personally. In doing so, they can ensure that you are able to achieve your health goals and level the life that you deserve. Chiropractors may provide techniques and forms of stress relief to help you cope more effectively with any pain or discomfort you are experiencing.
As you can see, there are various causes of neck pain and these issues can significantly impact your overall quality of life. Overtime, they can lead to further complications including problems with your mental health. By reaching out to a chiropractor you can get the support you need for your neck pain and the right treatment.
Choosing The Right Chiropractor For Your Neck Pain
To gain the right support for your neck pain using chiropractic treatment, you need to find the right chiropractor. There are a few key factors that you should consider when making this decision.
The Right Treatment
First, you should find a chiropractor that can provide the right approach using a mixture of expert knowledge as well as advanced equipment and technology. At Desert Shadow Chiropractic we utilize ultrasound technology as well as digital x-rays to assess your neck pain and provide a diagnosis.
During treatment we can use a range of supporting technology including:
- Electric stimulation
- Mechanical tractions
- Laser therapy
These are some of the latest types of tech that are used in chiropractic medicine today which have been shown to provide fantastic results for patients.
Our expert chiropractors can also provide various different types of adjustments depending on the pain you are experiencing and your other symptoms.
A Personalized Solution
You should also seek out a chiropractor that can provide a personalized approach to the pain and symptoms that you are experiencing. This is why it’s important to use a chiropractic service that can diagnose an issue causing your neck pain. By gaining the right diagnosis we can ensure that you are provided with the most effective treatment.
A Holistic Approach
As mentioned, neck pain can often be connected or related to a wide range of other health issues and complications. This can also be an overall underlying health condition whether that’s arthritis or obesity. This is why it’s important to use a service that can provide a holistic approach to your treatment which does tackle the root cause of the pain instead of the skin deep issues that are causing your pain.
If you are interested in learning more or you are keen to book an appointment to assess your neck pain, get in touch with Desert Shadows Chiropractic. Our expert team is ready to help provide the ultimate support you need to treat your neck pain the right way.