NECK PAIN

Chiropractic Treatments for Neck Pain

Chiropractic care can be a very effective option for treating neck pain, often times, providing relief without surgery. A growing list of research studies and reviews demonstrate that the services provided by chiropractors are clinically effective, safe, and affordable.

Select one of the treatments below that are available at Village Chiropractic:

Cervical disc herniation occurs when a contained, bulging disc cracks, causing the inner fluid to protrude or leak. The herniated disc may press on your nerves or spinal cord. Herniated discs are often referred to by other names including slipped disc and ruptured disc.

Regardless of what they are called, disc conditions such as these can lead to nerve root irritation or compression, which can cause pain as well as other symptoms including:

• Neck pain or stiffness

• Headaches

• Pain radiating from the neck down through the shoulder, arm, hand, and/or fingers (may feel hot or like an electrical shock)

• Numbness, tingling, burning, and/or weakness radiating down into the shoulder, arm, hand, and/or fingers

• Pain that is worse at night, after standing or sitting, or with certain movements

Herniated discs are usually caused by normal wear and tear that comes with aging. Over time, the outer ring of your intervertebral disc becomes weakened, allowing the inner disc to slip out of place. Factors that may increase your risk for developing a herniated, slipped, or ruptured discs are:

• Wear and tear over time (degeneration)

• Trauma

• Smoking

• Being obese

• Weak neck muscles

Cervical degenerative disc disease is a common cause of pain in the neck and pain that radiates down the arm. This condition develops when the rubbery discs in the cervical spine begin to shrink and lose their cushing properties. This wear-and-tear on a cervical disc is a normal part of the aging process.

Degenerative disc disease of the neck is often indicated by a low-grade, continuous pain around the degenerating disc that occasionally flares up into more severe and sometimes debilitating pain. Other signs that might indicate cervical degenerative disc disease include, especially if it has lasted longer than six weeks include:

• Sharp or electric shock-like nerve pain that can radiate down the shoulder into the arm, hand, and/or fingers

• Tingling, numbness, and/or weakness that can radiate down the shoulder into the arm, hand, and/or fingers

• Pain that worsens with movement

In most cases, age is a contributing factor of degenerative disc disease of the neck. However, not everyone who ages will develop this painful condition. Common causes and risk factors of this condition include:

• Normal wear and tear from sports and daily activities

• Loss of fluid that causes the center of the disc to dry out

• Trauma or injury that causes swelling or soreness

• Genetics

• Being obese

• Tobacco use

Cervical spinal stenosis is a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the nerves in your neck, causing chronic neck pain and pressure. If cervical spinal stenosis causes spinal cord compression, it may be referred to as cervical myelopathy. Cervical stenosis usually develops later in life, affecting people who are over the age of 50.

Some people with cervical spinal stenosis may not have symptoms. Others may experience:

• Numbness or tingling in a hand, arm, foot and/or leg

• Weakness in a hand, arm, foot and/or leg

• Reduced fine motor skills, such as typing, buttoning a shirt, or putting a key in the door

• Problems with walking and balance

• Neck pain

• In severe cases, bowel or bladder dysfunction (urinary urgency and incontinence)

Cervical spinal stenosis is most commonly caused by wear-and-tear changes in the spine related to osteoarthritis. However, there are other factors that can contribute to developing this condition, which include:

• Bone spurs (overgrowth of bone)

• Herniated discs

• Thickened ligaments in the cervical spinal area

• Tumors

• Spinal injuries

Headaches can range from being mildly uncomfortable to being extremely painful and debilitating. The most incapacitating type of headache is called a migraine headache, which is characterized by intense pain as well as other troublesome symptoms. Many people who suffer from migraines feel tightness, stiffness or pain in their necks, either before or during an attack. In fact, a 2010 study showed neck pain was an even more common symptom than nausea.

Some neck-related symptoms that headaches and/or migraines may cause include:

• Headache pain behind the eyes

• Reduced range of neck movement

• Pain located on one side of the head only

• Tightness and stiffness in the neck

• Pain that spreads from the back of the head and neck up to the front

• Headaches that worsen when you apply pressure to certain parts of the neck

Headaches can be caused by various reasons, including:

• A blow to the head of some kind

• Skipping meals

• Dehydration

• Overindulging in alcohol or caffeine

• Stress and/or anxiety

• Sinus problems

• Muscle strains

• High blood pressure

• Being subjected to loud noise for an extended period of time

• Concussion

• Stroke

• Brain tumors

• Various diseases or illnesses