Chiropractic
Care and Neck Pain: Progressive Care of Cervical Pain, Injury
Your
neck, also called the cervical spine, begins at the base of
the skull and contains seven small vertebrae. Amazingly, the
cervical spine supports the full weight of your head, which
is on average about 12 pounds. While the cervical spine can
rotate your head in nearly every direction, this flexibility
makes the neck very susceptible to pain and injury.
The neck’s
susceptibility to injury is due in part to biomechanics. Activities
and events that affect cervical biomechanics include extended
sitting, repetitious movement, accidents, falls and blows
to the body or head, normal aging, and everyday wear and tear.
Neck pain can be very annoying, and it can have an assortment
of causes.
Here are
some of the most typical causes of neck pain:
Injury
and Accidents: A sudden forced movement of the head
or neck in any direction and the resulting “rebound”
in the opposite direction is known as whiplash. The sudden
“whipping” motion injures the surrounding and
supporting tissues of the neck and head. Muscles react by
tightening and contracting, creating muscle fatigue, which
can result in pain and stiffness. Severe whiplash can also
be associated with injury to the intervertebral joints, discs,
ligaments, muscles, and nerve roots. Car accidents are the
most common cause of whiplash.
Growing
Older: Degenerative disorders such as osteoarthritis,
spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease directly affect
the spine.
* Osteoarthritis,
a common joint disorder, causes progressive deterioration
of cartilage. The body reacts by forming bone spurs that affect
joint motion.
* Spinal stenosis causes the small nerve passageways in the
vertebrae to narrow, compressing and trapping nerve roots.
Stenosis may cause neck, shoulder, and arm pain, as well as
numbness, when these nerves are unable to function normally.
* Degenerative disc disease can cause reduction in the elasticity
and height of intervertebral discs. Over time, a disc may
bulge or herniate, causing tingling, numbness, and pain that
runs into the arm.
Daily Life:
Poor posture, obesity, and weak abdominal muscles
often disrupt spinal balance, causing the neck to bend forward
to compensate. Stress and emotional tension can cause muscles
to tighten and contract, resulting in pain and stiffness.
Postural stress can contribute to chronic neck pain with symptoms
extending into the upper back and the arms.
Chiropractic
Care of Neck Pain
During your visit, your doctor of chiropractic will perform
exams to locate the source of your pain and will ask you questions
about your current symptoms and remedies you may have already
tried. For example:
* When
did the pain start?
* What have you done for your neck pain?
* Does the pain radiate or travel to other parts of your body?
* Does anything reduce the pain or make it worse?
Your
chiropractor will also do physical and neurological exams.
In the physical exam, your doctor will observe your posture,
range of motion, and physical condition, noting movement that
causes pain. Your doctor will feel your spine, note its curvature
and alignment, and feel for muscle spasm. A check of your
shoulder area is also in order. During the neurological exam,
your doctor will test your reflexes, muscle strength, other
nerve changes, and pain spread.
In some
cases, your chiropractor might order additional tests to help
diagnose your condition. An x-ray can show narrowed disc space,
fractures, bone spurs, or arthritis. A computerized axial
tomography scan (a CT or CAT scan) or a magnetic resonance
imaging test (an MRI) can show bulging discs and herniations.
If nerve damage is suspected, your doctor may order a special
test called electromyography (an EMG) to measure how quickly
your nerves respond.
Chiropractors
are conservative care doctors; their area of practice does
not include the use of drugs or surgery. If your chiropractor
diagnoses a condition outside of this conservative scope,
such as a neck fracture or an indication of an existing organic
disease, he or she will refer you to the appropriate medical
physician or specialist. He or she may also ask for permission
to inform your family physician of the care you are receiving
to ensure that your chiropractic care and medical care are
properly coordinated.
Neck Adjustments
A neck adjustment (also known as a cervical manipulation)
is a precise procedure applied to the joints of the neck,
usually by hand. A neck adjustment works to improve the mobility
of the spine and to restore range of motion; it can also increase
movement of the adjoining muscles. Patients typically notice
an improved ability to turn and tilt the head, and a reduction
of pain, soreness, and stiffness.
Of course,
your chiropractor will develop a program of care that may
combine more than one type of treatment, depending on your
personal needs. In addition to manipulation, the treatment
plan may include mobilization, massage or rehabilitative exercises,
or something else.
Research
Supporting Chiropractic Care
One of the most recent reviews of scientific literature found
evidence that patients with chronic neck pain enrolled in
clinical trials reported significant improvement following
chiropractic spinal manipulation.
As part
of the literature review, published in the March/April 2007
issue of the Journal of
Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, the researchers
reviewed nine previously published trials and found “high-quality
evidence” that patients with chronic neck pain showed
significant pain-level improvements following spinal manipulation.
No trial group was reported as having remained unchanged,
and all groups showed positive changes up to 12 weeks post-treatment.
Tannenbaum Chiropractic
4059 Stone School Rd Ann Arbor Michigan 48108
Phone: (734) 929-0444 Fax: (734) 929-0350
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