Neck Pain
Neck pain is never a fun thing to have and can be a big disruption in your life. It can make it hard to perform basic tasks or even turn your head. Headaches commonly accompany neck pain taking a bad situation and making it worse. Other pain that is common to experience with neck pain include shoulder pain, back pain, or jaw pain. Relief from neck pain is available naturally and without the use of medications.
Dealing With Neck Pain
The neck is one of the most important parts of the body; it holds your head and is crucial in connecting your brain to the rest of your nervous system. As important as it is, it is amazing that there are only seven bones in your neck doing all of that work –this is referred to as the cervical spine. Your head weighs about 12 pounds all of which is sitting on your neck all day, every day. Can you imagine if you had to carry a rock weighing that much around every day with only one arm, or one finger? You would be exhausted, but that is what your neck does every day. There are other things that can play a part in causing neck pain, these include:
- Suffering from disc degeneration
- Holding your steering wheel too hard for long periods of time
- Injuries both directly in the neck and those in the back
- Stress which can cause the clenching of neck and back muscles
- Sitting or standing in a way that your back is hunched over for most of the day
Any small issue in the neck can cause pain due to the irritation of the nerves. When these nerves are stressed from constant irritation it can cause the ability of movement to be greatly reduced or even stopped. Headaches and shoulder pain can accompany neck pain and can, in turn, lead to jaw pain.
Stressing Your Neck
Neck pain can be a result of numerous issues within the spinal column, however, the most common cause of neck pain is stress. There are three types of stresses that you experience every day: chemical stress, emotional stress, and physical stress. The combination of these stresses can cause you to clench the muscles in your neck, unconsciously, creating tension in your neck that leads to neck pain.
Chemical Stress
Chemical stress is stress placed on the body from chemicals and toxins that are ingested or inhaled from the environment. Those who live in cities or who are exposed to chemicals during their work day suffer from this type of stress more because their exposure is much greater in a day. This can include exposure to things such as high amounts of car exhaustion or even the regular eating of foods that contain high amounts of preservatives.
Physical and Emotional Stress
Physical stress is a result of using certain muscles groups repeatedly, such as bending over a desk all day, and combined with the high levels of anxiety experienced from emotional stress, daily life can take a toll on your body and manifest in neck pain. Middle age adults experience these stressors more than other age groups because of the life challenges usually faced in this life stage. Trauma from accidents or falling can also cause physical stress to take a part in the manifestation of neck pain which may result in disc degeneration in the neck. To help reduce the effects of physical stress that lead to neck pain, it is important to remember to do these things:
- Take breaks frequently when staying in the same position for long periods of time
- Stretch and move your muscles trying to relax your neck and jaw
- Make sure that your position at your desk is at eye level and that your chair is low enough for your feet to touch the ground
- It also helps to get a headset for your phone
- Sleep on your back or side rather than your stomach combined with having a supportive neck pillow
Greatly reducing these stressors in your life can help to prevent and lessen the effects of neck pain.
How Severe Is Your Neck Pain?
There are differing levels of neck pain in each individual and several sources of neck pain. No two people are the same and the sources of their neck pain vary; some neck pain is cause by illness while others are caused by stress. Whatever the cause of your neck pain, the severity can range from minor to chronic. Minor pain is merely soreness, stiffness, and discomfort that can be felt in the neck area. This is common when having slept in an uncomfortable position or when suffering from some sort of injury. Once this minor pain lasts for several sequential weeks it is then considered chronic pain. This pain may become more severe over time or remain at a steady level, merely lasting for some time.
Natural Treatment for Neck Pain
For most, the first thought when suffering from any sort of neck pain is to grab pain relievers. These only work to treat the symptoms of the pain, not the source of it. Any small misalignment of the bones within the spine can cause neck pain and can disrupt the traveling of messages from the brain to other parts of the body. Making an appointment to see a chiropractor can help to correct the alignment of the bones within the neck and can help to treat the source of your neck pain.
Chiropractic is a safe and natural way to relieve your neck pain without the use of drugs. Treatments are tailored to the needs of each individual person because what might be the best treatment for one is not right for another. Chiropractors are trained in various techniques which may include nutrition, precise manual adjustments, or using different pieces of equipment to aid in reducing your neck pain. Your individual needs will most likely be assessed with a combination of x-rays and a consultation before and individualized treatment plan will be made to help you.
Our Top Rated Chiropractors Can Help
If you have any reservations about seeing a chiropractor check out one of our Top Rated Chiropractors. Our chiropractors want to discuss your needs and create a possible plan for you so that both you and the chiropractor feel comfortable. They are educated in how to treat neck pain and have been successful in reducing neck pain for numerous individuals in the past. After finding a treatment plan that you feel comfortable with our chiropractors will most likely make precise adjustments to your back and neck in order to correct any misalignment that they find. It is important that when seeing a chiropractor you engage in regular adjustments so that your body works with your chiropractor to heal itself. Chiropractic care is not a cure for your neck pain but rather a treatment that has been successful for some. It is important to remember that each individual is different and chiropractic may not be the best treatment option for all.
If you think that chiropractic might be the best course of treatment for your neck pain talk to one of our Top Rated Chiropractors today.