Neck Pain Symptoms

Have you ever heard, “it's a pain in the neck”? 

Well, there is some truth to it and if you are living in San Diego with Neck Pain you can probably relate! Neck pain can make the smallest of movements involving the neck, head, arms, shoulders, and back excruciatingly painful. Neck pain can result in headaches and an inability using your body. The immobility that neck pain can cause can result in the muscle weakness and degeneration. Uncovering the root cause of your neck pain is an essential step to finding the proper care plan that will provide relief and long term results. 

The neck or cervical region of the body starts at the base of the skull and ends at the shoulder region.  Neck pain is pain that occurs in this region.  The neck is a small, yet very critical and complex area of the body. It is comprised of many tiny & complicated structures, which are responsible for important tasks including holding your head up, turning and moving your head, and protecting vital organs like your brain & spinal cord!  The small shape of the vertebrae in the neck allows for greater mobility in the neck, however this can also make the neck more vulnerable to injury and pain.  The neck is involved in almost all of our daily actions and therefore its proper function is essential to our health.

Neck pain can occur after an obvious trauma or can come on randomly.  Most people in San Diego spend the majority of their workday in front of the computer.  Extended computer time can pull the head forward and slump the shoulders.  Overtime poor ergonomics lead to poor postures which cause stress & strain to the neck area potentially resulting in tight muscles, headaches and chronic pain. Below are issues that are either caused by or impact, the alignment of the spine. 

Whiplash

Car Accident

Fall

Sleeping position

Hitting Head

Poor posture

Repetitive stress

Abnormalities in the bone structure

Joint issues

Chronic Injuries

Muscle strains and pulls

If neck muscles go into spasm, the spine can be pulled out of alignment. If the spine is misaligned, the nerves can become irritated and cause further tension and other systemic problems. Since every nerve in the body is rooted in the spinal column, issues within the neck can have a major impact throughout body including visceral organs. Often times people let these spinal misalignments go uncorrected. Over time, these misalignments can become aggravated, and the pain can return and amplify. If the problem is not corrected the bones & joints start to degenerate. Degeneration is also known as Arthritis within the spine.  Removing and correcting these misalignments will slow & stop the progression of degeneration in the neck.

Subluxation is a term describing dysfunction within a vertebral joint in the vertebral column. Two vertebrae within the spine create a vertebral joint, when one joint misaligns or becomes “stuck”, relative to the bone above or below it can irritate the surrounding soft tissue and nerves resulting in pain and other like symptoms.

There are three basic causes of Subluxations, including physical, emotional & chemical stress. Physical stress includes slips & falls, accidents, repetitive motions and poor posture. Stress, anger and fear are common examples of emotional stress that can cause Subluxations. Alcohol, drugs, pollution, mold, and poor diets are all samples of chemical or toxins that can result in Subluxations. Subluxations are mini injuries within the spine that can disrupt normal movement, cause inflammation and muscles spasms and create an immense amount of pain. Chiropractors are the only professionals that are trained to detect & correct those spinal misalignments, Subluxations with gentle adjustments.