Your cervical spine, commonly referred to as your neck, is made
up of seven vertebrae. Your "neck" begins at the base of your skull. The
cervical spine is responsible for holding your head, which is no small
feat considering your head weighs several pounds. But while your
cervical spine possesses a great deal of flexibility, allowing movement
in many directions, this very same flexibility renders it prone to
injury and pain.
The reason for this vulnerability is attributed
to the biomechanics of the cervical spine. Repetitive movements, injury,
sitting for prolonged periods, or merely the natural process of aging
and its attendant side-effects can affect your neck's health. Regardless
of the reasons, cervical pain can present considerable discomfort.
Contributing Factors to Neck Pain
Accidents and Injury: Whiplash results from a sudden, abrupt movement of the neck or head that causes a rebound effect that may damage the tissues supporting the neck and head. The so-called "rebound" is a result of muscles reacting to strain by contracting themselves. This contraction results in muscle fatigue, stiffness, and pain. More severe cases of whiplash may be linked to intervertebral joint injury, or to damage to the discs, nerve roots, muscles, or ligaments. Whiplash is commonly associated with car accidents.
Accidents and Injury: Whiplash results from a sudden, abrupt movement of the neck or head that causes a rebound effect that may damage the tissues supporting the neck and head. The so-called "rebound" is a result of muscles reacting to strain by contracting themselves. This contraction results in muscle fatigue, stiffness, and pain. More severe cases of whiplash may be linked to intervertebral joint injury, or to damage to the discs, nerve roots, muscles, or ligaments. Whiplash is commonly associated with car accidents.
Aging:
Disorders of a degenerative nature can take the form of spinal stenosis,
osteoarthritis, and age-related disc ailments. They all have a direct
influence on the spine.
Spinal stenosis narrows the nerve
passageways in the vertebrae, making it contract and block nerve roots
and thus, impair the nerves. In addition to neck pain, spinal stenosis
can also affect the shoulder and arm, bringing numbness and pain to
these areas.
Degenerative disc disease affects the height and
elasticity of invertebral discs. Ultimately, a hernia or bulge may
develop in a disc. This can cause numbness, tingling, and pain along the
arm.
Osteoarthritis results in progressive degeneration of
cartilage. The body's response is to create bone spurs, which in turn,
affects the motion of the joints. Osteoarthritis is a common occurrence.
There
are also daily habits that can aggravate the cervical spine. Obesity
and poor posture, for example, alters spinal balance and forces the neck
to compensate by leaning forward. Emotional strain and stress prompts
muscle tightness and compression, causing stiffness and pain. The stress
on the spine can result in permanent neck pain, which may also end up
affecting the arms and upper back.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help
In order to determine the source of your pain, you must first locate its source. A chiropractic doctor performs exams and investigates your reported symptoms in an effort to locate the exact source of the pain. The chiropractor may ask questions regarding the amount of time you've had the discomfort, what remedies/tactics you've tried, whether other parts of your body are affected, and what, if anything, helps to alleviate the pain. Physical and neurological exams will also be conducted. The physical exam will disclose your range of motion, posture, and general physical shape while noting the kind of movements that bring pain. Your spine will be manually examined to determine its alignment and curvature, as well as establish whether there are muscle spasms. Your shoulder will also be looked at.
In order to determine the source of your pain, you must first locate its source. A chiropractic doctor performs exams and investigates your reported symptoms in an effort to locate the exact source of the pain. The chiropractor may ask questions regarding the amount of time you've had the discomfort, what remedies/tactics you've tried, whether other parts of your body are affected, and what, if anything, helps to alleviate the pain. Physical and neurological exams will also be conducted. The physical exam will disclose your range of motion, posture, and general physical shape while noting the kind of movements that bring pain. Your spine will be manually examined to determine its alignment and curvature, as well as establish whether there are muscle spasms. Your shoulder will also be looked at.
In the neurological
exam, the emphasis will be on checking your muscle strength, reflexes,
extent of pain and how far it has spread. There are cases where other
tests might be needed in order to properly diagnose your condition. An
X-ray, for example, helps reveal fractures, bone spurs, and a contracted
disc space. An axial tomography scan, in the form of CAT or CT scan, or
a magnetic resonance imaging test, known as a MRI, shows where a
dilated disc may take place. In cases where nerve damage is likely the
source of pain, an electromyography (EMG) might be recommended, as it
can measure the responsiveness of your nerves.
Cervical Adjustments
Cervical manipulation entails, for the most part, manual adjustment of the neck joints. This type of neck adjustments effectively improves the mobility of the spine, restoring range of motion. In addition, it may also raise the amount of movement of the adjoining muscles. Patients receiving cervical adjustments report an increase in their ability to move their heads, as well as less soreness, stiffness, and overall pain.
Cervical manipulation entails, for the most part, manual adjustment of the neck joints. This type of neck adjustments effectively improves the mobility of the spine, restoring range of motion. In addition, it may also raise the amount of movement of the adjoining muscles. Patients receiving cervical adjustments report an increase in their ability to move their heads, as well as less soreness, stiffness, and overall pain.
Research
findings support the use of chiropractic spinal manipulation for the
treatment of patients with chronic neck pain. Comprehensive clinical
trials reported significant improvement of chronic neck pain as a result
of spinal manipulation. All the trial groups responded to treatment,
showing improvement for weeks after treatment.
Your Personalized Chiropractic Care
Each patient receives an individualized program care that may include different types of treatment. Other recommended approaches might be the use of massage and rehabilitative exercises, and mobilization of the affected area. Contact your chiropractic doctor; it's an invaluable first step to figuring out how to care for your cervical spine.By Dr Raymond Hall
Each patient receives an individualized program care that may include different types of treatment. Other recommended approaches might be the use of massage and rehabilitative exercises, and mobilization of the affected area. Contact your chiropractic doctor; it's an invaluable first step to figuring out how to care for your cervical spine.By Dr Raymond Hall
