Archive for Neck Pain

Identify What’s Causing Your Headache or Back Pain with a Chiropractic Service

A lot can be said about using a chiropractic service. When you have a predicament that is troubling you for a long period of time and you believe that it has connected with neuromuscular issues, then it may be appropriate for you to go to a chiropractor. One of the reasons why there are plenty of individuals going to chiropractors these days is because they would rather resolve their problem without having to take any medication. Chiropractors normally try to solve the root of the problem with no need of prescribing supplements or medicinal drug.

For instance, severe headaches that is popping on and off could normally caused by a misaligned parts of the neck. Whenever your neck is out of position, it could cause a pinched nerve that triggers individuals to have headaches both in the front of the forehead as well as the back of their heads. Sometimes, there isn’t a single easy solution to these types of headaches. Yet, a chiropractor would take a broad review of your entire body and identify the best method to treat this issue.

Consulting a Chiropractor in Fremont for Neck Pain

Consulting a chiropractor in Fremont for whiplash will help reduce pain and restore proper function to the cervical spine. Whiplash is an injury to the neck muscles caused by rapid forward and backward motions of the head in an accident. This muscle injury spreads to deeper spinal tissues that restrict the proper motion of spinal joints. Your nervous system responds by locking up the spinal joints to prevent possible injury to the spine. Our chiropractors in Fremont can help to stabilize these problems.

Chiropractic care involves mobilizing the frozen joints using spinal manipulation, but only after the initial injury is stabilized. The goal is to return full function to injured spinal joints.

The acute phase of whiplash is considered to be the time immediately after the injury. The doctor works on reducing pain and inflammation with ultrasound therapy or some other types of therapy modalities. Gentle stretching and muscle energy therapy may be indicated by the doctor. Often ice is recommended and a lightweight neck support for a brief period. As the neck begins to improve the chiropractor will use gentle spinal manipulation to unlock the spinal joints and restore motion to the area. Some patients respond well to the Cox flexion distraction technique, which chiropractor Fremont can help with. This is a non-surgical adjustment technique that re-aligns the spine and often stops pain immediately.

If you visit our chiropractors in Fremont for neck pain after an accident, they will examine the whole spine because regions other than your neck may be affected. The spine is usually divided into 3 parts which are the cervical spine (neck area), the thoracic spine (mid-back) and the lumbar spine (lower back). Using unique chiropractic diagnostic techniques such as motion and static palpation, the doctor can determine disc and ligament injury, muscle spasm and restricted joint motion. He can feel for tightness or tenderness, and he will analyze your overall posture and how you walk to understand your body mechanics. He may take x-rays or an MRI if needed.

Our chiropractors Fremont, are considered to be “whole person” doctors who do not focus solely on your neck pain. The doctor’s advice about nutrition, therapeutic exercises, stress management, and life goals should be followed to keep the pain at bay. Various therapy modalities can help reduce the inflammation associated with whiplash. Ultrasound machines use sound waves that are transmitted to the tissue and vasculature surrounding the injury. This creates a gentle heat within the muscle tissues that enhances circulation and decreases inflammation. Interferential electrical stimulation uses a small electric current to stimulate tissues to reduce inflammation.

Neck Pain Symptoms and Treatment

Neck pain can be a common problem. Most forms of neck pain are simple muscle tension and can be relieved after some rest and exercise. However, no matter how common it may be neck pain shouldn’t be entirely ignored especially if it is unusually painful and involves other symptoms.

Common Neck Pain Causes

Neck pain may be simple or serious. Depending on the cause of the pain and the extent of damage, neck pain can be treated accordingly. In order to understand neck pain, it is important that its cause is first identified. Common causes are:

a. Muscle stress from poor posture. Have you ever woken up with neck pain and you don’t exactly know how you got it? It’s probably just because of sleeping in a wrong position or leaning your head in the wrong direction. Other common causes of neck pain from poor posture are cradling the phone in your neck for a long time or reading in a slouched position.

b. Sudden injury. Some people may suffer from more serious forms of neck pain after a sudden impact such as auto accidents and whiplash. When the neck suddenly and forcibly extends due to a strong impact, some nerves, muscles or tendons in the neck might be damaged, causing serious neck pain and headaches.

c. Cervical disc problems. As people get older, they tend to develop neck pain due to cervical disc problems. Cervical disks are the gel-like substances in the middle of the vertebral disc breaks. These gel-like substances act as shock absorbers between discs. When these substances thin down, discs protrude (disc herniation) and press on nearby nerves.

d. Rheumatoid arthritis. This can also be a cause of neck pain by making the neck joints inflamed and stiff.

Diagnosis and Treatment

To diagnose neck pain and to identify the main cause of the problem, doctors use X-rays of the neck which can show fractures in the bones of the neck, joint dislocations or signs of arthritis. Another method is through MRI to show pinched nerves and details of soft tissue damages.

When the cause has been identified, proper medical attention is then given to patients. Depending on the cause and the nature of the neck pain, doctors may advice one or more of the following treatment procedure.

a. Rest and immobilization – When neck pain is caused by muscle tension, rest and immobilization usually does the trick. With adequate rest, stressed muscles begin to relax and soft tissues gradually recover fromminor damage. Doctors might suggest a neck collar to support the head and reduce neck movement. This will give the ligaments a chance to heal.

b. Pain relievers - As muscles and tissues relax pain also goes away with them. However, when pains are especially irritating, pain relievers may be taken to ease neck pain. But if the pain is tolerable, pain relievers should be avoided as they are not safe for everybody. Instead, an ice pack should be applied on the neck 15 to 20 minutes at a time several times a day to reduce inflammation and ease discomfort. When the pain is chronic, stronger pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medicines can be taken so that patients could relax and muscle inflammation could be reduced.

c. Physical therapy - This is usually helpful for tensed muscles caused by everyday activities. A good massage could soothe aching muscles. Other ways to relax the neck are doing Yoga and undergoing a hot or cold therapy.

d. Chiropractic Treatment - Chiropractors can permanently help patients with neck pain. In cases like auto injury, whiplash and other sudden injury, doctors might mis-diagnose spinal misalignments and other injuries that only Fremont chiropractors could efficiently analyze. After sudden injuries, taking pills and being relieved from pain are not enough to deal with neck pain. Identifying the real source of the problem and skillfully treating the minutest damage are the expertise of the chiropractors. Chiropractors could help patient’s neck problems by specific rotations and methods depending on the location of the cause of the pain.

e. Surgery - For cervical disc herniation, surgery might be the best way to relieve pressure on spinal nerves in case other treatments are found ineffective.