Neck pain is one of the most common conditions treated in our clinic. When I say neck pain, the follow conditions are the most common reports:
- Herniated discs
- Bulging discs
- Headaches
- Misalignments
There are several reasons why neck pain is so common in our society. To understand why, first we must understand the design of the neck. Here are some basic concepts:
- The upper neck is designed to be extremely flexible. The majority of neck movement occurs in the top 3 vertebrae.
- The lower neck is designed to be extremley stable, aka not move all that much.
- The upper back and torso is designed to be very stable.
What occurs is that the the three conditions above get screwed up because of poor posture. Excessive movement of the lower cervical spine opens the door to increase stress on the discs of the neck, as well as open the door to arthritis. Neck pain also goes hand in hand with shoulder pain and dysfunction as well.
Here's a video of what a treatment could look like:
Key Notes:
A very common concern among new patients is 'is he going to crack my neck?' with a great deal of fear and concern. Here's some good news. WE DON'T HAVE TO CRACK YOUR NECK.
Cervical spine manipulation is a treatment choice that is offered and at times very beneficial. However if it's important to you not to get adjusted in that manner, than we don't have to include it. There are many options including physiotherapy exercises and even certain pilates exercises that can be of great benefit.