What Causes Neck Pain and How Do You Get Relief?
Your neck has a big job! It supports the weight of your head. That alone makes it vulnerable to injuries and conditions that can restrict your motion and cause pain.
Chiropractic manipulation has been shown to dramatically help relieve neck pain resulting from mechanical misalignments.
But what causes these neck problems to begin with?
The Mayo Clinic sites five categories of neck pain:
Muscle Strain—If you spend a lot of time hunched over your computer or smartphone, you’ll notice that your neck rebels. That tight, pinched feeling is a sign that your neck has had too much strain. Even reading in bed or gritting your teeth can cause your neck muscles to strain.
Worn Joints—Your neck joints can wear down with age. That’s when osteoarthritis causes the cartilage, or cushion, between your bones to deteriorate, which leads to bone spurs.
Nerve Compression—Bone spurs or herniated discs in your spine can press on the nerves that branch out from your vertebrae causing pain.
Injuries— Injuries from sports and rear end car collisions are the most notable sources of neck injuries. These cause your head to jerk backward then forward, straining the soft tissues of your neck.
Diseases—Some diseases cause neck pain such as cancer, meningitis, or rheumatoid arthritis.
As you can see, most neck pain begins with some sort of trauma to that area. However, sometimes the origin can be difficult to identify.
Nonetheless, ruling out disease, neck pain tells me that there is some kind of functional problem with the spine. Just like the rest of your body, the spine relies on team work to function properly.
- The spinal cord and the nerves serve as communication lines between the brain and the rest of your body.
- The bones, or vertebrae, protect your nerves.
- The ligaments of the spine hold the vertebrae together
- The muscles attached to the vertebrae allow us to move by providing stability.
When just one part of this magnificent team is injured, all other parts are affected.
What chiropractic does is to make sure all the players on the team work together the way they were intended. To get a more in-depth understanding of the benefits of chiropractic for neck pain read some of our articles and watch our videos here.
How Can You Be Sure Your Neck Needs A Gentle Spinal Adjustment?
Take this test:
- Move your chin forward to touch your chest. Can you do it?
- Tilt your head back and look at the ceiling. How far will your neck bend?
- Turn your head to the left and to the right. Make sure your chin is in line with the shoulders.
- Tilt your head to your left shoulder with your right ear parallel to your left shoulder. Repeat for the other side. Is it painful?
If you experience any stiffness or resistance, your neck is asking for help!
Chiropractic: Neck Pain Relief
One of the mistaken ways that people try to get relief from neck pain is to reduce their level of 
physical activity. Research shows that exercise combined with chiropractic manipulation may be the real key to neck pain recovery.
With all the traditional treatments available today, patients experienced the greatest pain relief when gentle spinal manipulation and exercise were combined.
Here at Lowman Chiropractic, I work with neck pain all the time with an excellent success rate.
Give my office a call to set up an appointment. I would be glad to help you! Call us today: 540-886-5500.
Next: Why You Have Dizziness or Vertigo After an Auto Accident
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