Your neck supports the weight and movement of your head and also contains the vast majority of nerves that connect from your brain to the rest of your body. With the amount of driving, computer work and other daily activities that most of us do, it is not surprising that we can need a little chiropractic help keep our necks doing their job.
Neck pain can be caused by the long-term effect of poor posture from bending, repetitive lifting or manual work. Losing the proper movement in the joints of your neck may interfere with the healthy working of the nerves that run through it causing irritation to these nerves. This, in turn, can lead to pain where the nerves end – ‘referred pain’.
Your chiropractor may treat your neck for problems with your head, neck, shoulders and arms.
Your chiropractor will carry out a full examination (which may include an X-ray referral) and take a thorough history before advising an appropriate treatment programme for you. Treatment consists of specific adjustments done by hand to free stiff joints and reduce spinal nerve irritation. He may also recommend ice, heat or massage treatment amongst other things. He will also support the treatment they offer with individual advice about the patient’s lifestyle, work and exercise, in order to help in managing the condition and preventing a recurrence of the problem.