Neck Pain, Neck Ache, Neck Injury, Neck Trauma, Neck Alignment, text neck, texting Neck pain has always been around but has been receiving an increasing amount of attention lately.  This is partly due to the rise of mobile technology, “text neck” and postural problems that come along with the digital lifestyle.  When you dig a little deeper, neck pain can actually be quite complex.  It can have several origins, and for some chronic neck pain sufferers, can be extremely difficult to live with.

 

Common Sources of Neck Pain

If your neck is stiff and painful, there can be a number of reasons why.  Your neck is made up of seven cervical vertebrae and all of the soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, and muscles) that provide both stability and flexibility. When any of these parts become injured, pain and discomfort can be the result.  Experiences can also vary.  One person may experience sharp pain with movement, others can be perfectly still and have a constant dull pain.   Some of the most common causes of neck pain include:

  • Muscle strain – overuse of neck muscles, which can happen from spending too much time hunched over a computer or phone, or even reading in bed, can result in neck pain.
  • Osteoarthritis – the joints between the vertebrae in your neck can wear down, causing a restriction in your range of motion alongside pain.
  • Injury – when you think of the neck, whiplash is one of the first types of injury that come to mind.  Whiplash occurs when the head is thrown back and forth rapidly, causing strain on the soft tissues and spine in your neck.
  • Nerve compression – nerves can become irritated due to disc herniations, bone spurs, and spinal misalignments (subluxations).  The nerves branching out from the spinal cord in the affected area may start to cause pain as well as numbness and tingling in various parts of the arm and hand.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and chronic neck pain download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.

Simple Changes Can Help Bring Neck Pain Relief

If you are having troubles with neck pain and discomfort, there are some things you can try in order to find some needed relief.  An increasing number of people are having concerns about taking medications, whether prescription or over-the-counter, for pain relief.  While these drugs might provide some temporary symptom relief, unwanted side effects can occur and they don’t do anything to address the cause of the issue.  Here are some tips that might help to reduce your neck pain:

  1. Look at your sleeping position – sleeping on your stomach can be extremely stressful on your neck.  Sleeping on your back or on your side with a pillow that gives your neck the proper support can make a big difference in neck pain.
  2. Use technology wisely – time spent on mobile devices can wreak havoc on your neck.  Staring down at a smartphone (or any other mobile device) will cause excessive stress and strain on the muscles and spine in your neck.  Holding your phone at eye level when using it can help to reduce this problem.
  3. Set up your workstation properly – adjust your computer monitor so that it sits at eye-level.  Your seat should be positioned so that your knees are slightly below your hips.  Some shorter people may need to use a footrest to achieve this optimal position.  If you are on the telephone throughout the day, use a headset to avoid craning your neck to the side in order to hold the phone between your ear and shoulder.
  4. Get intentional about stress relief – if your neck pain is made worse by stress, then starting some kind of mindfulness practice can help.  Meditation, yoga, and walking are good ideas to help ease stress.
  5. Stay well hydrated – making sure you’re drinking enough water can have numerous health benefits.  The discs in your spine that separate your vertebrae and help to absorb some of the stresses we put our spine through daily are composed of about 80% water.  Disc degeneration can be a major factor in neck pain.
  6. Get up and move – once that neck pain and stiffness set in, getting some gentle exercise might help.  Taking some laps in the pool can be a great way to ease neck tension and get some gentle exercise that can reduce your neck pain.
  7. Make sure your spine is aligned – many of these underlying neck pain causes can be helped through proper spinal alignment.  This not only reduces the stress and strain on the spine and soft tissues of the neck, it can also take care of nerve compression and help the body to heal naturally.

 

Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care is Gentle and Effective

It’s no secret that chiropractic care can help people who are experiencing neck pain.  However, upper cervical chiropractic care is a bit different.  One of the biggest things that set us apart is that we do not want to have to repeatedly adjust your neck for you to achieve relief.  Upper cervical adjustments are different in that they are individualized for each patient and designed to hold in place for as long as possible.  It is in the maintenance of normal spinal alignment that allows for healing to take place.

Upper cervical chiropractic care focuses on the uppermost vertebrae in the neck.  These two bones, your atlas (C1) and axis (C2) are very different from the remaining vertebrae in your neck.  The atlas and axis are responsible for the majority of your head’s movement and also carry the weight of your head.  When there is a misalignment of the atlas or axis, it can influence how everything beneath it feels and functions.  it can also compromise normal brain-body communication by causing irritation of the brainstem.  Proper alignment in this area of the spine is critical for the rest of the spine and nervous system to function as it should.

Our care has been described as gentle, precise, and effective.  A misalignment of the upper cervical spine can be the root cause of neck pain in many cases, and until this very specific misalignment is properly corrected, the body may not be able to recover completely.  Contact us at Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego to learn more about us and how we might be able to help.

References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/neck-pain/basics/causes/con-20028772

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/05/do-you-have-a-stiff-neck-try-these-simple-remedies/

 

To schedule a consultation with Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego, call 858-434-5926 or just click the button below.

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If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.