15 Apr Getting Relief for Your Chronic Neck Pain
Today’s modern living often entails hours of driving and hunching over workstations, which can wreak havoc on our necks. Given the daily routine of the average human, it is not surprising that neck pain is the second most common condition that chiropractors treat. While neck pain is less common than low back pain, millions of people experience neck pain and related arm pain at some stage of their lives and therefore seek chiropractic care. Our chiropractic physicians at Mile High Spine & Pain Center are equipped to help you treat and eliminate your chronic neck pain.
Types of Neck Pain
All neck pain is not the same. Some neck pain is localized to one region, but more often than not, the pain radiates and affects the neck, shoulders, arms, hands or head. This pain can create stiffness, immobility, and headaches. There are three types or classifications of neck pain:
- Axial neck pain: Axial pain is musculoskeletal and is solely neck or soft tissue pain. Whiplash or muscle strain is an example.
- Radiculopathy: Cervical radiculopathy refers to neck and arm pain due to nerve root compression. Symptoms include arm pain, numbness or weakness.
- Myelopathy: Myelopathy refers to pressure on the spinal cord, also referred to spinal cord compression. Symptoms include: neck pain with arm and/or leg weakness, numbness, or walking problems.
All three of the types of neck pain can be acute or chronic. Acute neck pain comes on suddenly from a traumatic event or from stress. This type of neck pain is less severe and will usually resolve itself with ice, massage, and rest in about 7-10 days. If your symptoms have been persisting for longer than a few weeks, call and make an appointment with a member of our Mile High Spine & Pain Center team. Our team can help diagnose your condition with the aid of x-rays, MRIs and a thorough evaluation to help get you back to your optimum health and wellness. Ignoring your symptoms could prolong your recovery process or lead to more serious conditions.
Unlike acute neck pain, chronic pain of the neck lingers longer than three months. Patients that fall into the chronic neck pain category can benefit from a custom treatment plan that will help manage their pain and find the causes of it.
What Causes Neck Pain?
The causes of neck pain are varied. Most pain is due to the aging of the spine. As the spine ages, the discs can degenerate and herniate. The joints may become arthritic, stenosis can occur (narrowing of the spinal canal), and instability may develop. Some neck pain is a direct result of a traumatic event or injury. Other pain is directly related to employment-related tasks, hobbies, sleeping positions, disease, or singular events that strain the muscles and tendons of the neck. Your unique symptoms, the exact location of your pain, along with the duration of your pain can provide clues to the source of the problem. When determining a cause for your neck pain, chiropractic physicians at Mile High Spine & Pain Center will first take a medical history and do a comprehensive physical exam. Your chiropractic physician will ask you detailed questions about your symptoms and review your previous medical records to see if past conditions or accidents may be contributing to your neck pain.
After taking in your medical history, a physical exam will be done to evaluate your current neck mobility and to ascertain which positions augment your pain, decrease your pain, or are free from pain. Part of your examination will include us asking you to:
- Move your head in various directions
- Push your hands or shoulders against manual resistance
- Undergo a sense of touch test to see if this has been affected by your neck pain
- Test your reflexes
- Evaluate how you walk forward and backward
Neck Pain Treatment Options
The treatment plan we suggest will depend largely on our findings from our examination and the severity of the pain. For immediate relief, Mile High Spine & Pain Center offers injections that soothe inflammation and release tension without affecting the rest of the body or mind. Treatments for chronic pain that are linked to an old injury include:
- Manual therapy from the chiropractor to reset misalignment
- Massage and stretching to loosen up tight muscles
- Relaxation techniques to help tension melt away
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Chronic pain management treatments to help you avoid both medications and surgery
- Corrective care for the cervical spine to help restore the curve
The great thing about our approach to treating your neck pain is that we offer you a non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical treatment plan that can help you, naturally, achieve the results you desire without invasive procedures and interventions.
Free Neck Pain Consultation
If you are suffering from neck pain, the team at Mile High Spine & Pain Center are ready to help. Mile High Spine & Pain Center provides specialized treatment plans for neck pain to patients in Westminster and Broomfield and can help you understand where your symptoms are coming from and what it will take to improve. Call (720) 507-0080 today to schedule your free consultation!