Neck and Shoulder Pain
Many of the same misalignments that lead to headaches and migraine pain can also result in neck and shoulder pain. When dealing with chronic issues such as upper cervical pain, our doctors will take the time to review your medical history and to look for possible triggers.
The Stress Factor
Stress can cause a lot of chronic neck and shoulder pain that often goes untreated and so it just keeps getting worse. Instead of resigning yourself to living with it, know that there are solutions to bring you back to wellness.
Our doctors often educate our patients on the three aspects of stress—physical, mental, and emotional or as we call it, “Life” i.e. work, kids, bills, inflation, government, etc.
But many people dismiss physical stress, things that happened in the past, like car accidents, sports injuries, slips, and falls. Or something recent, like saying, “Oh, I must have just slept wrong.” We know that people don’t sleep wrong, unless they’re sleeping on their head!
The small little stressors, like physically sitting at a computer, and postural repetitive wear and tear, may also create misalignment, fixation, or subluxation, in the neck and spine. And when that happens, it creates more stress, or a fight or flight response within the neurology, leading to pain, inflammation, tingling, or numbness.
The cascading effect of stress is sometimes never fully evaluated or acknowledged. The mental and emotional stress will always be there, but by resolving the physical stress, it won’t add another layer on top. This allows people to weather the storm a little better, because they’re physically healthy.
Help Yourself
It’s important to take seriously what’s happening in the body, and to not ignore the signals it is giving you. Many people take better care of other things than their own body. Take for example the check engine light in a car.
If the check engine light comes on, most people ignore it for a while, hoping it will go away. If it doesn’t, we take the car to the mechanic. The mechanic does their evaluation, figures out the problem, and fixes it. We know that by ignoring the light the car will eventually break down which will cost us more money and take more time.
When there’s a symptom, like neck or shoulder pain, that’s the body’s check engine light coming on. If we won’t ignore that for our car, why do we ignore it in our body, which is much more important? We need to pay attention and take action.
The Process
During the consultation, our doctor will have x-rays taken and review them to determine if there’s a spinal misalignment. If there are indications of arthritic changes or degenerative disc disease, we will tailor the care plan to address the severity and duration of the problem.
Each plan is unique in the techniques and modalities used, how often we see you, and what exercises we give you to do at home. The more people do at home, the faster they see results, the longer the results last, and the less time they’re in our office—and that’s the goal.
People usually notice an increase in the range of motion in their neck first. In many cases, they don’t even realize their limitations until they’re gone. So, if that crick in the neck starts showing up more often, listen to your body and get it checked out.
Make An Appointment Today
There is no need to suffer in silence. Call today and let us help you become pain-free.
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