Everyone struggles with neck pain at least once in their lifetime. It is natural to wish the pain away. Usually, the pain dissipates after a day or two of getting adequate rest. But if neck pain is left untreated, it may be debilitating and limit your neck’s range of motion. Vertebral damage, disc herniation, and poor posture can all cause neck pain. You have several options, from pharmacological to surgical approaches to treating neck pain. Seeking chiropractic help from Dr. Shawn Taher for neck pain may be your best non-surgical bet. Since chiropractic care is non-surgical, you may wonder how it provides neck pain remission. Chiropractic care leverages your body’s natural healing abilities and uses spinal adjustments to remedy neck pain. Here’s how chiropractors help you relieve chronic or immediate neck pain.
When to See a Chiropractor for Neck Pain
Neck pain occurs when injury or inflammation occurs to your neck region’s muscles, tissues, ligaments, and vertebrae. The causes of neck pain vary from the all-too-common poor posture, arthritis, disc herniation, and whiplash, to trauma to the vertebrae. The more apparent signs of when you should book a chiropractic appointment are when you experience headaches, radiating pain, numbness and tingling, a limited range of motion in your neck, and lowered concentration.
The best time to seek help for neck pain is when you feel it. Early treatment for neck pain through chiropractic care prevents the pain from becoming chronic, which in some cases may be well beyond chiropractic intervention.
How A Chiropractor Diagnoses Neck Pain
A skilled and experienced chiropractor leverages physical exams to diagnose the cause of neck pain. The chiropractor will administer the range-mobility and imaging tests, such as X-rays, and assess your medical history to understand the cause and possible treatment plan. The tests are mandatory to tailor an effective chiropractic treatment plan.
During diagnosis, the chiropractor will also rule out neck pain conditions that don’t require surgery. It is best to keep an open mind since the chiropractor may recommend you to a spine surgeon if surgery is the only viable option to treat neck pain.
After an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will schedule treatment over multiple sessions to ease your pain. There’s no specific preparation routine for chiropractic care.
Chiropractic Treatment for Neck Pain
Chiropractic treatment for neck pain is a noninvasive procedure that involves a chiropractor adjusting your spine and tissues to reduce inflammation, ease neck pain and reinstate range of motion. Chiropractors know the spine affects other parts of your body. Adjustments to the spine improve joint function and the associated nerve to significantly reduce pain levels. Let’s take a closer look at the treatment modalities a chiropractor uses.
Cervical Spinal Manipulation
Hands-on adjustments using low amplitude high velocity on the cervical region are called spinal manipulation. In this approach, the doctor delivers fast thrusts with limited force to your neck region to realign the spine. Cervical spinal manipulation is effective for treating minor neck pain. However, chiropractors prefer the next method in favor of cervical spinal manipulation.
Cervical Spinal Mobilization
Unlike spinal manipulation, spinal mobilization uses low-velocity, low-amplitude thrusts. During cervical spinal mobilization, the chiropractor will use the flexion-distraction technique or specific spinal manipulation to the affected neck area.
The slight adjustments continuously relieve muscle tension, improving the flow of anti-inflammatory fluids and easing inflammation. Where there’s tissue damage, the chiropractor will employ instrument-assisted tissue manipulation to relieve muscle tension. After the adjustment, you will notice an improved range of motion in your neck, reduced pain levels, and better life quality.
How Effective is Chiropractic Care for Neck Pain?
Medical studies show chiropractic care is effective for neck pain caused by spinal problems. However, since the treatment leverages your body’s self-healing ability, it treats other causes of neck pain with near similar effectiveness.
Chiropractic care has little risk, is effective, and is non-addictive. The spinal manipulations realign your spine while reducing inflammation, easing pain, and improving joint function. Patients who struggle with neck pain and have tried pain medications repeatedly without remission usually experience relief after 5–6 sessions of chiropractic treatment. Every cause of neck pain is unique, and it may take different periods to obtain long-term relief. If you struggle with neck pain, it is noble to seek chiropractic care before considering more aggressive treatments.
