Neck Pain – a perspective from our Principal Chiropractor
I am a chiropractor in Peterborough and often people want to know what causes neck pain, how to prevent neck pain and how to treat neck pains. Neck pain rarely materialise out of nowhere; the body is a moving intricate mechanical structure. Lots of moving joints give us opportunity to react in a certain way for a specific function in an external real-life situation; however, they also create weaknesses.
In a structure, when you compare a solid piece like a plank of wood or long femur bone in the leg for example, this is strong but limited in what it can do. If you allow articulation it becomes less strong but more functional, you can do more or move better but are more likely to get damage at the joint.
Human tissue is gradually frayed over time due to stress like anything mechanical, mobile and constantly in use. ‘Micro-traumas’ from 3 decades driving a desk for example and the now infamous ‘text neck’, will over time cause a negative change in the functional mobile tissue. Neck pain is also heavily influenced by ‘macro-traumas’ like a car crash in your past. In clinical practice and having taken many case histories of peoples’ neck pains; I have found (especially in young people, <40), many of those who complain of chronic neck pains, they can often be traced back to a car crash or other accident/trauma 7-10 years back. With the neck pain itself being overt for only the last 2 years; and in that time it has developed from an on and off ache, maybe after a certain activity; to full on migraines and constant pain in the neck, really bad when driving with radiation into the back of the head (Back of the head, head-ache) or a numbness sensation in the hands and down the arm. If this is the case it likely means that a nerve is now involved.
A nerve is a communication pathway from the brain to the body and the spine is the bridge that connects the two. The functional abilities of the spine have a baring on how well and effective the brain can communicate with the whole body. The spine is essentially a suit of armour to protect the delicate nervous system within it, but still allow us to move and function on Earth. Therefore ‘wear and tear’ in the mechanical tissue of the spine can change how the brain communicates with the rest of the body. This is why chiropractic is so important, as our intention is to amplify the communication function neurologically throughout the body.
Neck pain is essentially the body’s warning system telling you of a problem. That the tissue is not functioning and working correctly and is under strain. You must sort it out as fast as possible. The pains then increase with ‘wear and tear’ until we are eventually motivated enough to do something about it and come into Peterborough to see a chiropractor.
Neck pains are then reduced as your chiropractor restores function and movement to the tissue. Distortion in any object creates strain like when you bend a pen with your thumbs. A pen will eventually snap or bend where the strain is greatest; in a living human body this strain is where you are likely to see the arthritis. Arthritis is what happens as a result of strain over time in biological tissue and this is what eventually creates the neck pain. It usually takes decades of this process until neck pain manifest overtly.
The neck pain itself often comes from the facet joints getting inflamed, the discs bulging and upsetting local tissue including the nerve. The muscles can also react and develop hypertonicity and increased risk of injury. These changes in the soft tissues can further cause distortion in the structure which again over time increases the strain and the cycle goes on.
The good news is that neck pain is easily preventable with regular chiropractic care. Neck pains can be reduced as function and movement are restored in the tissue and distortion is eliminated. The subsequent strain is removed, and the wear and tear process significantly hindered.
Not only can chiropractic help to ‘cure’ your neck pain; but it can also help you move better, making tasks easier and your sport performance increase. This will then help make your body stronger and help perpetuate a positive rather than negative life cycle as you grow older. The quality of your life is proportional to how well your body can move and function; chiropractic can help you amplify and maintain both.
So if you need help with neck pain in Peterborough, Peterborough Health and Wellness can help to get you well and keep you well.
Neck Pain – a perspective from a Chiropractor
