Neck Pain Relief...
How to Find Neck Pain Relief: Neck pain can be felt in many ways; pain can come from the shoulder, be on one side of the neck, shoot down your arm, shoot down your middle back, cause dizziness or lightheadedness, cause headaches, tingle your fingers, and many others. Pain in the neck can also be caused by more serious things such as heart attack, stroke, tumor, instability, etc. Depending on how long you've had neck pain, you are probably really eager to get rid of it. The more you take the time to learn about neck and pain, the easier it will be to find neck pain relief.
The neck begins at the base of the skull and goes down to the top of the shoulders. The neck contains 7 small vertebrae, labeled C1 (top) to C7 (bottom). C stands for cervical. The base of the skull, called the occiput, and sub-occipital muscles are also considered part of the neck. 
In between each of the vertebrae are small shock absorbing discs. These discs function to distribute the weight of the head and absorb gravitational forces. Joints, muscles, and ligaments stabilize the neck and move the neck in various ranges of motion.The neck and cervical spine house the upper part of the spinal cord, spinal nerves, and a vast organization of arteries and veins. The spinal nerves of the neck communicate with the arms, chest, and shoulders. The arteries and veins carry blood from the heart through the neck into the head and brain. The neck is a very intricate network of systems working together that allow for great movements; therefore, it is susceptible to injury and pain so neck pain relief will be needed.
Symptoms Associated with Neck Pain - Neck soreness - Tingling in arm or arms - Neck stiffness - Pain into shoulder blades - Pain, weakness, or numbness in arm or fingers - Trouble swallowing, talking - Fever - Headache - Dizziness - Burning pain
Cervical Spine Sprain/Strain Sprain/strain can occur with lifting or twisting wrong or putting the neck in a strange position causing the muscles of the neck to become injured. Injury is the most common cause of this condition. Overuse of the intrinsic neck muscles can cause an achy sore muscle feeling which is similar. Disc Herniation A common condition causing neck, shoulder, and arm pain. Symptoms can include dull or sharp pain in the neck radiating down into the shoulder blades, pain that radiates down the arm to the hand or fingers, or numbness and tingling in the shoulder and arm. Signs of weakness is considered a red flag and should be taken serious, if signs of continued weakness persist please see your doctor right away. Often times a disc herniation can resemble disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Certain movements or positions can aggravate the pain. Chiropractic care is a reliable and cost effective treatment to find neck pain relief.
Stenosis occurs when the spinal canal or a spinal foramen become narrowed which can entrap a nerve or rub against the spinal cord causing significant symptoms. This may cause neck, shoulder, or arm pain. Associated symptoms include radiating symptoms with loss of function in the affected shoulder or arm. Cervical Spine Degenerative Joint/disc Disease DJD is a common joint disorder that causes progressing loss of cartilage and hydration of the discs. Without the cartilage and hydration the bones start to rub together forming osteophytes (bone spurs). These bone spurs can rub on nerves causing symptoms. It is believed that this condition occurs because of too much motion at the affected joint. For example, C5-C6 is the most common level of DJD in the body. This is highly stressed due to motions of the neck. Also, more stress is added when a patient presents with a hypo-mobile C/T junction (C7-T1). This hypo-mobility causes hyper-mobility at the level above causing DJD. In this case, the CT junction must be manipulated to lessen the force put on C5-C6 reducing symptoms.
Rare things causing neck pain that should be taken serious by a patient (we call these red flags): - Cervical spine tumor - Cervical spine fracture - Cervical spine instability - Rheumatoid Arthritis - Infectious diseases - Stroke - Visceral organ referral Other conditions can be considered red flags, just the most common are named here for the sake of this webpage. Return From Neck Pain Relief to Chiropractor-Today |
