Neck pain

Recently “Screen Time” has increased dramatically and so has neck pain. Neck pain was once much less common than low back pain, but it is rapidly catching up. Neck pain has many causes, a variety of symptoms, and is one of the most common reasons people will seek out chiropractic care. For some, neck pain may be a weekly source of irritation. For others, it can become constant, severe, and debilitating.

A Common and Overlooked Cause of Neck Pain

The human head weighs between 10-12lbs, which is similar to the weight of a professional bowling ball (13-15lbs). The atlas, or top vertebra of the spine, weighs around 2oz, has no discs, nor locking articulations, and yet it is required to not only hold up the head, but also allow it to rotate from side to side. Imagine a stack of dominos holding up a bowling bowl, and you get a good idea of why the atlas is the most fragile part of the spine. More recently, this poor vertebra has even more stress to deal with because modern postures and increased screen time have resulted in conditions such as anterior head syndrome and technology neck. The head and neck form a first-class lever, so when the head moves forward, it increases the effort of the muscles of the neck and shoulders. For every inch the head moves forward the force the muscles must exert to stabilize it doubles. This means that if your head is positioned 1 inch anterior to normal, your muscles will effectively be holding around 20 pounds. In addition, this also increases the load on discs which can begin to bulge outward and press on spinal nerves and blood vessels. Tightened muscles and bulging discs are common causes of neck pain.

Blair Chiropractic Technique and Neck Pain

The first step is to understand the nature of the problem through a complete examination process including neurologic testing and imaging if a problem is confirmed. This cannot be stressed enough, if you do not understand the factors causing the neck pain, then getting to the root cause can be difficult and costly. The Imaging may include X-ray, MRI, or CBCT. A Blair Chiropractor will perform a 3D Upper Cervical Imaging Analysis that will give all the information needed to make a custom-tailored strategy to return your neck to its factory setting, or as close as possible! An interesting feature to this analysis is that it was created because the cervical spine may have anomalies and asymmetries, and large anomalies or asymmetries can create difficulties in analysis based on symmetry. The Blair Chiropractic Technique uses the 3D analysis to perform a gentle and patient specific adjustment to the cervical spine that can help reduce anterior head posture, relax rigid muscles, improve cervical biomechanics, and reduce pressure from pinched nerves. The Blair adjustment does not involve any popping or twisting of the neck, so it is a good option for those who are deterred from going to a chiropractor who uses those methods. Common neck pain created from bad posture, sleeping on the couch, or long trips respond quickly. If the Neck pain is due to a herniated disc, whiplash injury, or serious neurological condition, then more patience may be required. A patient is called a patient because they must be patient, but the Blair Technique offers hope even to those with severe problems!