Neck Pain
Neck Pain
How Chiropractors Can Help With Neck Pain
In this day and age, most people have desk jobs, which force them to sit at a desk for at least 8 hours a day. This sedentary habit increases the tension on your neck, which is worsened by poor posture. Eventually, this leads to pain or discomfort.
Of course, neck pain is as common in people with desk jobs as it is in manual workers. In fact, researchers found that repetitive movements are a primary trigger of neck pain.
In most cases, you can treat neck pain by adopting a few lifestyle changes. However, you may need to seek Chiropractic care for tailored therapy (more on that later).
On this page, we will touch on some general tips that your chiropractor may recommend to deal with neck pain.
What are the symptoms of neck pain?
Neck pain is a common symptom that’s often benign. Sometimes, this symptom lasts for a few days, whereas certain people suffer from neck pain for years.
Aside from the pain itself, here are other common symptoms:
Stiff neck – Neck stiffness often accompanies neck pain and leads to a restricted range of motion.
Pain when moving – While you may experience neck pain at rest, movement of the cervical spine can make things worse.
Radiating pain or numbness – Experiencing a headache, shoulder pain, or shoulder discomfort may also be a sign of neck pain. This is often the case with nerve compression. As a result, you may feel numbness, tingling, and weakness throughout the upper body even leading into your fingers.
Headache – Cervicogenic headache is a pain that starts at the level of the neck. It may also be a sign of migraine headaches.
What are the causes of neck pain?
Muscle strain due to poor posture, sleeping in a bad position, or jerking the neck during exercise can all lead to neck pain.
Additionally, a direct injury to the neck can also be the cause. For instance, car accidents, sports injuries, and falls may overstretch the ligaments of your neck can lead to pain. Another possible condition that could cause neck pain is fractured cervical vertebrae.
Here are other causes of neck pain:
Rheumatoid arthritis – An inflammatory condition that causes pain, swelling, and bone spurs.
Osteoporosis – Fragile bones that put you at risk of fractures.
Fibromyalgia – A relatively uncommon disease that causes diffuse pain, especially in the neck and shoulders.
Spondylosis – Degeneration of cervical discs (i.e., osteoarthritis of the neck)
Disc herniation – Protrusion of a cervical disc.
Spinal stenosis – The narrowing down of a spinal column, which places pressure on the spinal cord.
Muscle spasm – commonly referred to a a tight muscle or “knot”
Chiropractic care tips for neck pain
Practice good posture
While sitting on your desk, place your feet flat on the ground. You also should sit with your back flush against the chair. Finally, your head should be in a neutral position. A good way to check is to have your ears directly above your shoulders. (Try performing a Chin tuck)
Stand more
Sitting in a behind a desk all day not only affects your posture but also causes the most pressure onto the disk. While you may not feel the pain right away, people often dealing with chronic neck pain could have been exposed to sedentary lifestyles and desk jobs.
Standing desks have become so popular because standing up during working hours can help you prevent musculoskeletal injuries!
Limit phone use
The text neck is a classic trigger of neck pain. Bending your head forward when using your phone or tablet causes muscle strains in the short term. Although this injury is minor, the long-term consequences of the text neck are scary! Think disk injury.
One way to reduce your phone screen use is by reading emails off a computer monitor on the desk.
Walk around
Try to get up and walk on the hour for a few minutes. Take a walk around the office to lower your risk of neck, shoulder, and lower back pain.
We know that it’s easy to forget what time it is when working on a project, so you should set an alarm on your phone to remind you to get up! If you can’t take a walk every time the alarm goes off, it will still serve as a reminder that you’ve been sitting down for too long.
Practice mindfulness
Yoga and meditation stimulate the release of endorphins. These chemicals are able to relieve pain by acting directly on the central nervous system.
Get better sleep
Sleeping enough hours improves your hormonal balance and relieves pain. Moreover, when you sleep, the body promotes metabolic pathways that repair tissue damage.
Sleep is just an amazing way to heal faster.
Listen to your body
At this point, I’m sure you’ve come across the famous phrase “No Pain, No Gain.”
What this phrase doesn’t tell you, however, is that pain can be good or bad. Telling them apart is crucial to avoid injuring yourself.
For instance, feeling the soreness that comes from intense exercise is completely normal. Sudden or severe pain, on the other side, is a clear sign that you need to stop what you are doing immediately.
Chiropractic care and neck pain – Research
Researchers found that chiropractic care can reduce the tension from the neck muscles by realigning the spine. In one study, researchers found that 12 weeks of spinal manipulation is more effective in treating neck pain compared to medications. The authors followed up on 272 participants for up to 13 months.
In another study, scientists concluded that cervical spine manipulation decreases neck pain. The mechanism revolves around the modification of neuropeptides in the bloodstream. These substances can improve chemical balance in the brain, which induces pain relief.
If you are ready to take your health into your own hands, click here to book an appointment with a chiropractor for a personalized treatment plan.
Takeaway message
Neck pain is a common complaint among workers with sedentary jobs. Poor posture, overusing smartphones, and improper workplace equipment (e.g., chairs) are the primary drivers of this condition.
We hope that this page managed to highlight the different ways you can control neck pain, as well as the potential benefits offered by a chiropractor.