Neck Pain
Overview
Neck pain is a very common condition that almost three quarters of people experience at some point in their lives. Neck pain can inhibit the ability to turn one’s head left and right, bend one’s neck from side to side, or up and down. Neck pain can range from a very strong shooting pain to a mild dull ache.
Neck pain can have many different causes, such as acute trauma from a car accident or worn joints due aging or sports injuries. The most common cause, or risk factor for neck pain, is forward head posture. This is usually the result of poor posture, also called Computer Related Postural Disorder.
Treatment
Fortunately, neck pain can be effectively and efficiently treated with an alternative healthcare approach and without unnecessary medication. Recent research from the Annals of Internal Medicine found that both spinal manipulative therapy performed by a chiropractor as well as home exercises were far more effective than medication.
More often than not, neck pain is caused by a structural problem, whether it be tight muscles, stretched ligaments, or joint dysfunction. Chemical solutions may offer short term relief from neck pain, but long term correction will require a structural solution.
Exercise
The body was built to be in motion. Specific exercise is a major component of changing a person’s structure to achieve long term pain relief. If a person has poor posture, there are certain muscles that have become tight and certain muscles that have become weak. Stretching a weak muscle makes matters worse, as does strengthening a tight muscle. The Wellness Exam with Dr. Moyer will help identify these postural imbalances. A Personalized Fitness Plan is a personalized exercise prescription developed from the Wellness Exam that will detail out the exercises needed to restore proper to your body.
There is ample research proving chiropractic care is more effective than medication for neck pain. Chiropractic Care for neck pain should be considered for two phases of care: short term and long term.
Spinal manipulation performed by a chiropractor can do many things for relief of neck pain including reduces pressure placed on spinal discs and nerves, restore motion to cervical vertebrae that have become stuck, and improve range of motion of the neck as a whole. Short term, this provides for quick pain relief in only a few visits over the course of a week or two. Long term, this prevents neck pain from coming back. If you are interested in finding out if chiropractic can help relieve your neck pain, schedule a free chiropractic consultation with Dr. Moyer today.
Muscle manipulation, performed by an experienced and well trained massage therapist, can also help relieve neck pain that is caused by tight muscles. Massage also increases circulation of needed nutrients and release of the “feel good” chemicals called endorphins. Moyer Total Wellness won Best Massage in Denver in 2012 because we only hire therapists with experience in proving therapy. Click here to schedule a massage with one of our experienced therapists.