Neck pain is almost as common as low back pain. Between 50% and 70% of people will experience neck pain at some point in their lives. It is one of the leading causes of disability in the world.
It has become increasingly common to experience neck pain due to prolonged sitting and electronic screen use (Phones, TVs, Laptops, and Computer Monitors), lack of movement and exercise, poor posture, and sleeping position.
The neck consists of 7 vertebrae. Those vertebrae are separated by a disc between the second and the seventh vertebrae. There is no disc separating the first and second vertebrae, as they simply glide over one another. When viewed from the side, our neck naturally has a forward curvature towards the front of the body. This curvature and the health of the discs are vital to maintaining a healthy, strong, and pain-free neck.
Your neck pain can be related to muscle spasms, arthritis, joint dysfunction, or damaged discs. It is possible, and even common, to have more than one of these issues happening at once.
Chiropractic care differs in many ways from other treatments in our approach to neck pain. Our care focuses on the underlying cause of your neck pain instead of simply masking the symptoms temporarily. We strive for a more permanent solution that promotes tissue healing while also eliminating your pain.
$99 New Patient Special
Includes Consultation, Thorough Physical Exam, Review Health History, Posture Analysis & Full Report Of Findings.
How Our Care Plan Works
1. Real Answers
Once you have decided to take control of your health, we can begin your journey to living pain free. We start with an incredibly in-depth consultation, health history and exam. This is what builds the foundation for an accurate diagnosis. This is truly the basis for so many treatments not working for people. Doctors often rush to diagnose a patient, and then apply a treatment program that will not work, because a correct diagnosis has been missed. Our methods make sure we have the cause of your issue, and can apply an appropriate treatment.
2. Real Plan
Once we have a real and accurate diagnosis, we can then discuss the proper treatment options, and how effective and appropriate they are for your specific condition. There may be several ways to get to your desired end point, and you will be involved in deciding how we go along that path.
3. Real Results
With an accurate diagnosis, and an appropriate treatment in place, we can begin start getting you to the life you desire. Not only will you have effective treatment in our office, but you will be given the tools and knowledge of how to treat your own pain anywhere you happen to be. All the knowledge you need to have lasting, effective results and the life you deserve will be at your disposal.
Common Causes of Neck Pain in Grand Blanc, MI
Bulged Cervical Discs
Discs in your spine are composed of strong collagen fibers in alternating directions, layer after layer, much like an onion. In the center of the disc, after these layers of collagen, is a gel-like substance called the nucleus pulposus. This gel aids in our mobility and flexibility. Often, through physical trauma, consistent heavy loading, or other physical stressors, these discs can swell or bulge. This swelling can irritate surrounding tissue and cause several symptoms, including neck pain.
Cervical Disc Herniations
You may often hear someone referred to as having a disc herniation rather than a disc bulge. Disc herniations differ from disc bulges in the type, location, and severity of symptoms. Herniations are more than just a simple disc swelling. In a disc herniation, part of the layers of the collagen fiber wall tear at some portion of the disc. The lack of equal pressure causes the gel-like substance inside the disc to push the remaining layers of the damaged portion out past the disc space and into the nerve tissue. This can cause significant pain, numbness, tingling, burning, and even symptoms in the arms or hands. Chiropractic care, specific exercises, and spinal decompression are very effective ways to treat and eliminate the symptoms these disc herniations cause.
Degenerative Disc Disease
When these discs begin to wear down, dry out, and lose their ability to act as effective shock absorbers, it is called degenerative disc disease. Degenerative disc disease can cause mild, moderate, or severe pain. You can even have degenerative disc disease and have no symptoms at all. The pain can be sharp or dull, and may come and go. It will often be worse with certain movements or activities. As the disc continues to degenerate, the symptoms will likely become more frequent and more intense. Keeping the spinal joints moving properly with regular adjustments and treating disc damage with McKenzie exercises and spinal decompression can help slow the progression of degenerative disc disease and eliminate neck pain and other symptoms.
Tech Neck
In the last few years, “tech neck” has become increasingly common. Tech neck, as it is sometimes called, is the strain on neck tissue that occurs from regularly using electronic screens, with your head positioned so your chin is close to your chest for hours at a time. With a significant increase in the amount of time we spend daily using these screens, we have begun to see a tremendous rise in the number of complaints of intense neck pain. By spending so much time in this position, we put extreme strain on the neck tissues, which can eventually cause damage. Once these tissues begin to tear and fray, they swell and press upon other tissues in the neck, causing several types of head, neck, upper back, and arm and hand pain.
Facet Joint Dysfunction
A very common source of neck pain as we age is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a common, chronic, and degenerative joint disease. Your neck can be a place of significant damage through traumas, falls, repeated poor posture, and stress. As your joints wear down from these issues, you may develop osteoarthritis. This can lead to stiffness, pain, grinding, or crunching when moving. Keeping your spinal joints mobile with chiropractic adjustments, regular neck motion exercises, and good posture can go a long way toward not only helping manage osteoarthritis but also preventing it in the first place.
Subluxation
This condition occurs when one vertebra in your neck becomes misaligned. This causes the nerves and muscles to be pinched and damaged, which can lead to a variety of symptoms, including the following.
Osteoarthritis
This condition occurs most often in older adults and is usually characterized by joint degeneration and a breakdown of the cartilage lining. Osteoarthritis has been known to cause neck pain, shoulder pain, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and other spinal conditions requiring chiropractic treatment.
Check Out Our Location Near You
536 Perry Rd Suite 6, Grand Blanc, MI 48439
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a chiropractor in Grand Blanc, MI, good for neck pain?
Chiropractic care is an excellent choice for treating neck pain. Most neck pain is mechanical in origin, so chiropractic care is often the best option for treating these mechanical problems. Addressing these mechanical problems can lead to less neck pain and improved neck motion.
Is it okay to “pop” my own neck?
Unfortunately, cracking or popping your own neck is not a good idea. It can make your situation worse and be quite dangerous if there is an underlying issue you do not know about. Forcefully cracking your own neck without understanding the real issue can damage discs or joints or create a much worse problem.
How can I relieve my neck pain?
Relieving your own neck pain can be very simple. By maintaining a good, upright posture, avoiding long periods of screen use when you are looking down at the screen or keyboard, and performing regular range-of-motion stretches, you can help relieve or even eliminate your neck pain. Combined with regular adjustments, these things can have you moving and feeling well for many decades.
How should I sleep with neck pain?
We are often asked, “How should I sleep?” Many people want to know what kind of mattress to buy and how to sleep. Sleeping is vital to our healing and overall health. One of the most important things is finding a mattress that lets you sleep well, with few to no interruptions. For some, that is a firm mattress; for others, a soft one. When neither seems better for you than the other, I suggest a firm one to provide the most support to the spine. As far as position is concerned, sleeping on our stomachs is the worst position, as we have to turn our necks 90 degrees just to breathe. Side sleeping is okay, but it usually helps to put a small pillow between the knees to help stabilize the hips. Ultimately, sleeping on our backs, with a small pillow under the low back curve and a pillow or two under our knees, can be the best position for our spine.
How can you tell if your neck is out of alignment?
The only way to truly know if your neck is out of alignment is to get evaluated by your chiropractor. Yes, pain can certainly be a warning sign, but quite often, there can be an underlying issue in your neck, and you may still not have any pain. Many times, we can have health problems that do not present with any pain to warn us. Regular follow-up visits to your local chiropractor are a vital way to prevent neck problems.
$99 New Patient Special
Includes Consultation, Thorough Physical Exam, Review Health History, Posture Analysis & Full Report Of Findings.
