Neck Pain Treatment

We provide relief for many types of neck pain. The most common conditions we see are:

Stiff Neck

A stiff neck is characterized by soreness and difficulty moving the neck, especially when turning your head to the side. You may also have a headache, shoulder pain, or arm pain, and it causes you to turn your entire body instead of just your neck when trying to look backward or sideways.

It can be from muscle strain from sitting at the computer too long, or sleeping in the wrong position. There is usually an underlying problem in the spine and muscles. In many cases a muscle called the levator scapula is in spasm. It is located at the back and side of the neck and connects with the shoulder. This muscle is controlled by the third and fourth cervical (neck) nerves.

We administer precise spinal mobilization or chiropractic spinal adjustments to the involved vertebrae, to allow the nerves and muscles to return to normal.

Sports and Auto Accident Injuries

Neck pain is the single most common complaint in whiplash trauma from a car accident. Often, the pain radiates across the shoulders, up into the head, and down between the shoulder blades. The muscles and ligaments are sprained, and the discs can be injured.

A combination of chiropractic care, physio-therapy, and exercise therapy relieves the pain, heals the damaged areas, and strengthens the spine and surrounding muscles.

Please see the auto accident page for more information.

Herniated Discs

A herniated disc in the neck can cause a variety of symptoms. The most common ones are pain in the arm or hand, numbness and tingling in the fingers, and grip strength weakness. The pain pattern from a herniated disc is called cervical radiculopathy.

We work closely with your orthopedist or neurologist. Our treatment protocol is gentle spinal decompression and traction to heal the disc, and gentle chiropractic manipulation to reduce the joint dysfunction that may be adding to the nerve compression. Once the initial phase of pain relief is underway, we implement an exercise plan to strengthen the neck, shoulder, and upper back muscles.

Cervical Radiculopathy

The symptoms of cervical radiculopathy are pain, weakness or numbness in shoulders, arms, hands or fingers. Pain can be in one area only, like the shoulder, or progress along the entire arm.

The type of pain can vary. You can have a dull, all over pain; or pain as severe burning or sharp. You may also feel tingling, “pins and needles”, or numbness. Certain neck movements like bending the neck back, side to side, or rotating it may increase the pain.

Any condition that injures or irritates the cervical nerves can cause cervical neuropathy. The most common causes are cervical herniated discs, cervical spinal stenosis, and cervical degenerative disc disease (osteoarthritis).

We find the cause of your problem by a thorough exam, x-rays, and MRI, and then implement a treatment protocol based on the diagnosis.

Osteoarthritis

The segments of the spine, or vertebra, are stabilized by joints called facet joints. They allow movement of your back and neck by sliding on each other. They are coated by cartilage which allows a smooth movement of the joint. A small sack or capsule surrounds each facet joint and provides a lubricant for the joint. Each sack has a rich supply of tiny nerve fibers.

When the joints become worn, the cartilage may become thin, and the bone underneath gets irritated. This causes bone spurs and enlargement of the joints. The condition that results is called osteoarthritis. Trauma to the neck, such as a car accident, can speed up the wear and tear process. This condition can be very painful.

The body often tries to protect the area by tightening the muscles along the spine creating muscle spasms. This causes you to walk with a “crooked, out of posture spine”, or hold your head and neck in a rigid position.

We provide pain relief through cold laser treatment, advanced bio-electric treatment and spinal mobilizations. We are able to prevent further cartilage loss and help rebuild the damaged cartilage with a nutraceutical called ArthroAid Plus. It has been clinically proven to reduce inflammation and rebuild cartilage in the joints.