Three Things You Should Know About Neck Pain

Blog

You may have used the phrase, "this is a pain in the neck!" But if you've ever actually experienced neck pain, you know it is no picnic. The good news is, seeing a chiropractor is a great way to find relief from pain in this part of your body.

If you want to better understand neck pain, here are three things you should know.

1. Neck Pain Happens for Many Different Reasons

Did you know that an adult's head weighs up to 11 pounds? When you think about the fact the neck has to support that much weight, it should come to know surprise why neck pain is so common. In fact, at any given time, about 10% of Americans are suffering with neck pain, or have a stiff neck. Some of the most common reasons for neck pain include:

  • Having poor posture
  • Using poor ergonomics while working at the computer
  • Sustaining whiplash in a car accident
  • Having a spine that is out of alignment

Neck pain also occurs after spending prolonged periods of time looking down at a phone or other handheld device. This condition is called text neck and is becoming increasingly common for teenagers.

2. Some Medical Conditions Cause Neck Pain

Besides the reasons listed above for neck pain, there are certain medical conditions that also increase pain in this part of the body. The neck is also called the cervical spine and when the vertebrae in this area are either out of alignment, or inflamed, it might be due to a medical condition.

Some examples of common medical conditions that cause neck pain include:

  • Cervical spine dysfunction
  • Cervical spondylosis (a form of osteoarthritis)
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Herniated disc

The neck is the part of the body that protects the nerves that go from the brain to the rest of the body. This means that a pinched nerve in this area could cause neck pain as well.

3. There Are Effective Treatment Options for Neck Pain

If you suffer with neck pain, there are some effective treatment options available. If you would rather avoid taking over-the-counter medications or prescription drugs to help relieve neck pain, seeing a chiropractor is a good choice.

Not only is this a natural and non-surgical option, a chiropractor can help you to find the root cause of your neck pain, instead of just treating the symptoms. A chiropractor will most likely need to adjust your spine and might also give you lifestyle advice as well as recommending corrective exercises.

Share

28 December 2018

Getting My Back Fixed Once And For All

After suffering with debilitating back pain for years, I decided it might be a good idea to finally meet with a doctor. I didn't want to beat around the bush with the issue, so I headed straight to a specialist who I thought could help me: a chiropractor. Even though it was my first appointment, my doctor was incredible and got to work right away on my problem. He took images of my spine and then talked with me about the results. I found out that several of my vertebrae were eroding, which was putting a lot of pressure on my spinal column. He made adjustments that made me feel a lot better right away. Check out this blog to learn more about how a chiropractor could help you.