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Neck Pain:


History:
Neck pain can come on suddenly with a turn of the neck, occur from an accident or slowly get worse over time. Either way it is debilitating and painful. For years I have seen patients with varying degrees of pain due to their neck. The patient’s history can tell a story. Previous accidents, collision sports, sleeping habits and computer use are just a few situations that can cause neck problems.

Chiropractic has a long history of being incredibly effective in helping patients with neck pains. If you are having any problems please call us today.


Symptoms:
Neck pain can be like having stiff joints in the morning or hearing grinding noises when you move. Sometimes your joints will be swollen and red or the discs between your vertebrae may be thinner than normal. The problem with Arthritis is the calcium deposits can interfere with the nerves as well as the body’s movement. If this happens you may experience nerve pain radiating into an arm or leg.


Treatment:
Arthritis poses some problems when treating a patient. Many times areas won’t move as well as patients remember they did when they were younger. If the patient is older and has Osteoporosis, then various techniques have to be used to protect the patient’s bones and yet still be beneficial.

Heat and electric stim, along with exercises and adjusting is helpful to restore motion to its best we can achieve. Maintaining movement and flexibility is important to delaying any further progression or arthritic changes in the body.





Research:
  • Hurwitz et al. 1996. "Manipulation and Mobilization of the Cervical Spine: A Systematic Review of the Literature." Spine21, no. 4: 281-288. A doctor of medicine and doctors of chiropractic from RAND and several institutions reviewed literature on the treatments for neck pain. They found manipulation to be more effective than mobilization or physical therapy in treating some subacute or chronic neck pain.

  • Koes et al. 1992. "Randomized Clinical Trial of Manipulative Therapy and Physiotherapy for Persistent Back and Neck Complaints: Results of One-Year Follow Up." British Medical Journal 304 (7 March): 601-605. Doctors of Medicine and other professionals conducted two randomized clinical trials, which compared the outcomes of various treatment protocols for chronic back and neck conditions. Spinal manipulation was compared to physiotherapy, treatment by a general practitioner and a placebo. The authors found the spinal manipulation groups offered people the fastest and greatest improvement.

  • Verhoef, Maria J., Stacy A. Page, and Stephen C. Waddell. 1997. "The Chiropractic Outcome Study: Pain, Functional Ability and Satisfaction with Care." Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 20, no. 4: 235-240. Several studies have found spinal manipulation to improve neck mobility and decrease neck pain. Verhoef, Page and Waddell concluded, "patients suffering from back and/or neck complaints experience chiropractic care as an effective means of resolving or alleviating pain and functional impairments.”