Chiropractors often treat neck pain in patients. Poor posture and ailments, like osteoarthritis, can contribute to the level of pain experienced. While neck pain rarely leads to severe problems, it is an issue that prospective patients may want to understand and resolve. However, most people that suffer from frequent neck pain do not want to rely on over-the-counter drugs, prescription medications or invasive surgery. A chiropractic solution is homeopathic and noninvasive, but it only works by addressing the underlying causes of the problem. Therefore, to understand the treatment process, it is first necessary to understand the cause of the injury.
Injuries
The primary source of severe neck pain is a collision or accident. When rear-ended, the momentum of the car often results in whiplash, which can have significant repercussions on the body. In such an accident, the soft tissue of the neck is strained from the sudden jerking of the head in a back-and-forth direction.
Muscle Strain
While a sudden injury can lead to trauma that results in neck pain, your pain can also stem from overuse. For example, how many hours do you spend sitting at a desk, or hunched over a book? Do you grind your teeth and find yourself tensing your muscles often? Muscle strain is another common cause of neck pain.
Worn Joints
Age can contribute to neck pain. As people get older, the cartilage between their vertebrae can deteriorate. The deterioration of this cushion can lead to bone spurs that cause pain and restrict joint movement. Diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, can also lead to the decline of the joints, causing pain.
Nerve Compression
Your musculoskeletal and nervous system composes a delicate balance in your body, and when one is out of whack, it wreaks havoc on the other. For example, a herniated disc can lead to a pinched nerve. Bone spurs can also make contact with a nerve, resulting in the alarm of pain sensors in the neck.
Illness
Meningitis, cancer and other illnesses can lead to neck and joint pain. While a chiropractor cannot cure your disease, they can help to relieve pain, but always check with your primary care physician to understand if chiropractic therapy fits with your treatment plan.
Neck pain is a common ailment and one of the main reasons people seek out a doctor of chiropractic. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy, consulting with a chiropractor or knee pain doctor in Frederick, MD, like from Pain & Spine Specialists of Maryland, LLC, is an excellent place to start looking for a potential neck pain solution.