Category Archives: Neck Pain

When you read about the military neck syndrome, you probably thought – “ah, I’m not in the army, so I can’t possibly suffer from this issue”. In reality, this is just a term that applies to the condition of having a straight neck – lacking the C-shaped curvature. It can affect anyone and has the potential to create serious health problem. In this article, we will show you why chiropractic for military neck syndrome is the best solution for restoring your body to its proper functioning.

What Exactly Is the Military Neck Syndrome and What Causes It?

The name of the straight neck condition comes from the fact that sufferers look just like soldiers standing at attention. Their head and neck form an unnatural straight line. In reality, the cervical spine (the portion of the spine passing through the neck) should have a C-shape.

This C-shape forms in the womb, allowing babies to keep their head straight and move it from side to side as they grow up. In fact, this is the most mobile part of your spine. You can nod and shake your head and have a wide range of vision by turning your head sideways.

People who suffer from the military neck syndrome will recognize a limitation in the movements of their head. This is probably the first of the many worrying symptoms of the straight neck condition. The reasons for this condition are many:

• Sudden trauma, such as a car accident or a slip and fall
• Sports injuries, especially in football, rugby, and contact sports (boxing, martial arts)
• Poor posture at the desk
• Sleeping on your stomach.

What Happens If You Do Not Resolve a Straight Neck?

When the neck loses its natural curvature, it puts excess pressure to the rest of the spine. This leads to several complications, such as:

• Chronic pain
• Inability to lift loads
• Degeneration of the discs (the cushions between vertebrae).

In some of the worst cases studied by our chiropractors, patients with untreated military neck syndrome developed a reverse curve in their thoracic spine, putting pressure on the lungs and affecting their breathing.

What Is the Role of Chiropractic for Military Neck Syndrome?

The chiropractor’s role is to encourage a straight neck to re-form its natural curvature. This is a very delicate process, which needs to be performed by a licensed and experienced professional.

One huge warning we want to give anyone who wants to try at-home neck manipulations: do not do it. Any wrong move can lead to severe injury to your neck muscles, ligaments, or even spinal cord. 

Chiropractic for military neck syndrome involves careful manipulations over several weeks or even months, depending on the severity of the cause. The keywords in any chiropractor’s approach are “gentle” and “natural.”

The Chiropractor Will Encourage You to Assume a Correct Posture at All Times

Apart from manipulations, chiropractic for military neck syndrome involves a holistic approach to your habits and lifestyle. The chiropractor will ask about your work, the way you sleep and as needed, will recommend you to:

• Buy an ergonomic pillow
• Refrain from sleeping on your stomach
• Adopt a correct posture at the desk.

Also, the chiropractor will apply massages and teach you to do neck exercises at home to relieve pressure and encourage your neck muscles to relax.

If you suffer from a straight neck, you should seek a safe and effective solution for this condition as soon as possible. Our clinic specializes in chiropractic for military neck syndrome, so call us to set up an appointment!

Neck Pain

At one point or another, most people experience neck pain. Neck pain has many causes, a variety of symptoms, and is one of the most common reasons people will seek out chiropractic treatment. For some, neck pain may be a weekly source of irritation. For others, it can become constant, severe, and debilitating.

When neck pain starts to intrude into everyday activities, putting limitations on the things you enjoy doing, something has to change. Neck pain and chiropractic treatment go hand-in-hand. Upper Cervical Chiropractors help by determining the root cause of the pain and work with you to reduce and eliminate it.

The causes of neck pain

Pain is an indication that your body is struggling to meet the demands that are placed on it. Today, we are surrounded by constant stressors: tight work deadlines, busy kid schedules, financial speedbumps, and never-ending family drama. In times of stress, our bodies undergo physiological changes. Muscles become tense, stress hormones are released, and we slip into unhealthy posture habits (next time you’re frustrated in traffic, notice what happens to your neck and shoulders). 

When we’re stressed, we compromise our posture. When we’re stressed often enough, or long enough, our bodies “forget” how to hold themselves in normal posture. Eventually, our body can’t take it anymore and sends out warning signals: pain. The same thing happens when our body undergoes physical trauma (a car accident or a fall while skiing…).

Joints misaligned

Suddenly, muscles, ligaments, and connective structures are pushed out of whack. You might not notice pain immediately as your body processes what has happened to it. Eventually, when your body registers that it is not able to move normally, or is stuck in certain positions, it will start to flare up with pain.

Your brain interprets pain like an alarm. It means that there’s something going on that needs to be stopped or changed. You may experience neck or back pain that prevents you from turning side to side, or maybe you’ve had forearm pain that limits how much you can extend your elbow. Pain impacts the body in many profound ways to try to limit actions/movements that might aggravate it. The symptoms of neck pain include:

• Stiffness
• Sharpness
• Tight muscles
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Radiating tingling
• Numbness or weakness of the arms

Upper cervical chiropractic takes a holistic approach

The chiropractic treatment for neck pain includes an in-depth analysis of your spine, looking for misalignments or locked-up joints. A chiropractor evaluates your posture and uses objective measures to determine how best to treat and manage these dysfunctional parts of the spine.

Neck pain after chiropractic treatment can decrease rapidly. Once your chiropractor has determined how your spine has become misaligned and adjusts accordingly, the pain is reduced. This means you walk away with fewer headaches and less stress and can spend more time doing the things your love. 

What does an appointment with your chiropractor look like? Your chiropractor will take a specific series of x-rays and precisely measure joints of the spine to determine where individual vertebra have become misaligned. The chiropractic treatment of neck pain includes gentle, non-invasive adjustments made by hand.

Following the adjustment, you rest for a few minutes to allow your body to setting and relax in proper alignment. Alignment is key. When your spine is aligned, your body responds positively. Pain is not something anybody should have to live with. By seeking chiropractic care, you empower yourself and can live pain-free!

Neck pain

At one point or another, most people experience neck pain. Neck pain has many causes, a variety of symptoms, and is one of the most common reasons people will seek out chiropractic treatment. For some, neck pain may be a weekly source of irritation.

For others, it can become constant, severe, and debilitating. When neck pain starts to intrude into everyday activities, putting limitations on the things you enjoy doing, something has to change. Pain and chiropractic treatment go hand-in-hand. Upper Cervical Chiropractors help by determining the root cause of the pain and work with you to reduce and eliminate it. 

The causes of neck pain can be numerous

Pain is an indication that your body is struggling to meet the demands that are placed on it. Today, we are surrounded by constant stressors: tight work deadlines, busy kid schedules, financial speedbumps, and never-ending family drama. In times of stress, our bodies undergo physiological changes. Muscles become tense, stress hormones are released, and we slip into unhealthy posture habits (next time you’re frustrated in traffic, notice what happens to your neck and shoulders). 

When we’re stressed, we compromise our posture. When we’re stressed often enough, or long enough, our bodies “forget” how to hold themselves in normal posture. Eventually, our body can’t take it anymore and sends out warning signals: pain. The same thing happens when our body undergoes physical trauma (a car accident or a fall while skiing…). Our joints can become subtly misaligned. Suddenly, muscles, ligaments, and connective structures are pushed out of whack. 

You might not notice pain immediately as your body processes what has happened to it. Eventually, when your body registers that it is not able to move normally, or is stuck in certain positions, it will start to flare up with pain.

 Your brain interprets pain like an alarm

It means that there’s something going on that needs to be stopped or changed. You may experience pain that prevents you from turning side to side, or maybe you’ve had forearm pain that limits how much you can extend your elbow. Pain impacts the body in many profound ways to try to limit actions/movements that might aggravate it. The symptoms of neck pain include:

• Stiffness
• Sharpness
• Tight muscles
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Radiating tingling
• Numbness or weakness of the arms

Upper cervical chiropractic

Upper cervical chiropractic takes a holistic approach to treating and reducing pain. The chiropractic treatment for neck pain includes an in-depth analysis of your spine, looking for misalignments or locked-up joints. 

A chiropractor evaluates your posture and uses objective measures to determine how best to treat and manage these dysfunctional parts of the spine. Neck pain after chiropractic treatment can decrease rapidly. 

Once your chiropractor has determined how your spine has become misaligned and adjusts accordingly, the pain is reduced. This means you walk away with fewer headaches and less stress and can spend more time doing the things your love. 

What does an appointment with your chiropractor look like? Your chiropractor will take a specific series of x-rays and precisely measure joints of the spine to determine where individual vertebra have become misaligned. 

The chiropractic treatment of neck pain includes gentle, non-invasive adjustments made by hand. Following the adjustment, you rest for a few minutes to allow your body to setting and relax in proper alignment.

 Alignment is key. When your spine is aligned, your body responds positively. Neck pain is not something anybody should have to live with. By seeking chiropractic care, you empower yourself and can live pain-free!

Upper Cervical Chiropractic to the rescue.

We’ve all had it at least once in our lives. That nagging rigidity in our necks makes all types of head movements hell and adversely affects our mood and daily lives. 

The neck, also called the cervical spine, is that part of our spinal column beginning from the base of the skull and goes down till the shoulders. 

It supports the full weight of the head and contains seven vertebrae and is surrounded by a rich network of blood vessels, nerves, muscles, and vital conduits such as the trachea and the esophagus. 

Why does it hurt?

Multiple activities and positions of the neck have been shown to increase the likelihood of neck pain because of the flexibility involved. 

Let’s have a look at a few of the most common causes:

· Accidental injury

By far the most common cause of neck pain among children and young adults, sudden excessive movement or impact on the head and neck by any external stimuli often result in neck pain. Examples include the whiplash neck injury seen in a car crash and sudden acceleration or deceleration of the head. The neck muscles try to compensate for the movement by contracting and often go into a stiffened phase called a spasm. 

This spasm is what manifests as pain. 

· Posture

Poor posture such as slouching and rounding of the shoulders is the second most common cause of neck pain and is more common among the working-class population of adults. Sitting around all day for extended periods of time leads to fatigued neck muscles which have the default function of maintaining the straight position of the neck and head. 

These fatigued and weakened muscles generate that familiar pain.

Similarly, obesity and weak back muscles also disrupt the normal shape and integrity of the spinal column and can lead to pain at any point of the column. 

· Age

It is no surprise that with age all the bones and joints in the body become progressively weakened and susceptible to injury. 

Cervical vertebrae and their joints are no exception with age-related diseases such as Osteoarthritis, Cervical spine stenosis, and other degenerative diseases of the neck. 

The cervical vertebrae see a gradual loss of range of motion because of joint and bone erosion as in Osteoarthritis. 

This results in painful movement and stiffness of the neck. 

Narrowing of small nerve canals in the bones results in increased pressure on the nerves as in Cervical spine stenosis, and this produces numbness and pain. 

Degeneration of the cartilaginous discs between the vertebrae not only hinders movement but also increases the chances of disc herniation that compresses the nerve fibers, again leading to pain.

Upper Cervical Chiropractors to the rescue

While drugs and surgeries for neck pain and injuries are the more popular forms of treatment, we’d like to direct your attention towards the third kind of solution. 

A conservative treatment without the use of drugs and surgeries, one that treats your neck pain by manipulating the natural axes of movement in your neck joints to simply untangle the tangled muscle and nerve fibers, alleviating the pain. 

Chiropractic techniques aim to restore normal function and mobility to your joints and muscles using manually elicited natural movements of the affected joints. Your chiropractor after a thorough physical and neurological exam of your neck and adjacent areas will employ the appropriate chiropractic technique(s) to reduce the pain and return the neck to its normal mobility and function as conservatively as possible. 

Note that if during the examination, a condition such as a fracture or herniation is identified then the chiropractor will most likely refer you to the appropriate physician or surgeon.

The best-used chiropractic spinal manipulation techniques for neck pain include but are not limited to:

· Cervical drop 

Cervical drop is another technique that attempts to break abnormal stiffness points within the cervical spinal column. Here, as opposed to cervical mobilization and traction, the neck itself is not manually moved or pulled. 

Instead, a controlled non-damaging thrust is employed by the chiropractor to break the rigidity in the neck. 

The patient lies on the stomach or sideways, and the headpiece of the table is lifted to a precise position. The chiropractor then identifies areas of rigidity in the neck by palpating or feeling the soft structures of the neck. Once identified, the rigid areas of the neck are then pressed upon by the chiropractor in a swift, quick thrusting action. 

This results in sudden dislodgement of any abnormal fixations and the neck return to normal flexibility. 

Conclusion

Chiropractic treatments are used for a whole range of conditions not limited to neck pain. In the face of mainstream treatments like medicinal drugs and costly surgeries, chiropractic techniques offer a more natural solution to one of the most common ailments worldwide. 

The goal of Upper Cervical Care is to restore normal function to the body by removing impediments (subluxations) to regular brain-to-body communication. Oftentimes patients come to our offices with a variety of symptoms and diseases.

These include cervical issues such as loss of Cervical Lordosis. We do not exactly treat disease. However, a host of conditions can resolve after removing interference to the nerve system.

Not only do a variety of conditions resolve when patients undergo care, but they can also have dramatic changes in the structure of their spines. Diseases like loss of Cervical Lordosis can be diminished this way effectively. 

In our office, we take a pre and post cervical spine x-ray to monitor any changes that take place structurally after receiving care. The results are encouraging. Let’s take the instance of Cervical Lordosis Loss to understand our procedure.

What exactly is Loss of Cervical Lordosis? 

Condition 

Cervical Lordosis is a curve that exists in the spinal cord. It helps in keeping the spine springy meanwhile distributing and balancing the body weight on the spine. Loss of cervical Lordosis causes straightening of the spine, making the posture hard and painful for the patient. 

Symptoms 

Loss of cervical Lordosis can be characterized through the following symptoms: 

• The body becomes Injury-Prone – When the spine is unable to divide body stress, it often results in injuries. The spine’s flexibility is lost in this condition which helps the spine to divide weight and stress. Hence, the injury occurring rate becomes higher in such patients. 
• Muscular Pain  –  Muscular pain is a common symptom in this condition. People feel their shoulders neck in constant pain and soreness. This is because the curvature which carries the weight of the head is lost. 
• Weakened Discs  – Due to increased spinal tension in loss of cervical Lordosis, the spinal discs degenerate. This is a risky condition as discs’ weakness can cause pain as far as in the arms and the legs. In case the discs spill their internal material, surgery is required as it may prove fatal to health. 
• Posture issues  –  As the spinal loses its elasticity, the posture naturally disturbs, becoming painfully straight. This misalignment is visually evident as a person suffering from loss of Cervical Lordosis may constantly appear at “attention.” This condition is also known as “military neck.” 

Causes  

Varied causes exist for loss of cervical Lordosis. Some of the causes include: 

• Excessive exposure to screen  –  Ignoring screen safety is one of the major causes of Cervical Lordosis loss. After Smartphones invaded our lives, people are consistently exposed to a screen. Be it for fun or work; everything occurs within the premises of this screen. This is not only a root cause for significant diseases but also destroys your posture. Keeping your head forward while staring at a screen almost doubles your chances of acquiring this fatal condition.
• The wrong posture  – It all starts with the wrong posture. With the current technology-oriented lifestyles, people are more prone to acquiring postural diseases. Staying in a head-forward posture for long periods creates an unhealthy posture. This is the foundation of Cervical Lordosis Loss. If you wish to avoid this disease in adulthood, you must start at an early age. Keep your shoulders and back straight. Even when you have to work in front of a screen, you must focus on sitting up straight.   Instilling healthy habits in oneself can bear good consequences later. 
• Sedentary Lifestyle  – Lack of exercise and a balanced diet is another cause of this condition in young people. To avoid this disease, one must be vigilant. Remaining active is the key. Be it exercise or Yoga; you must always be energetic enough. Eating a balanced diet is also crucial. You must have strong bones to battle this disease. 

Ramifications  

Loss of Cervical Lordosis gives rise to Scoliosis. In this condition, the spine becomes deviant from a straight alignment, resulting in deformity of posture. 

How exactly is this condition relevant? Let’s find out. 

Scoliosis and Neck Trauma – What Is The Connection? 

Normal balanced muscle tone through the spine is a function of a normal neurological function. When the atlas(c-1) is subluxated(out of its normal position causing neurological interference), the body adapts structurally to minimize the amount of interference to the system. Most structural problems through the spine are nothing more than adaptations to this upper cervical problem. In our office, we find approximately fifty percent of our new patients have lost their normal Lordosis (curvature) in the spine. 

Treatment  

We at Upper Cervical Spine Center tend to treat this condition with utmost diligence. It is not exactly a medical treatment but rather care through a chiropractor. Results have shown repeatedly how chiropractic practices can enhance spinal problems and create a healthier posture for the patient. 

Cervical Lordosis loss can create a distorted situation for the spine. In this case, we focus our treatment on restoring the cervical curve. In the process, we intend to make the painful symptoms disappear. Also, we work to make the pine capable of overcoming uneven weight. 

Cervical Lordosis loss makes the spinal curves abnormal and disturbs the entire stability of the spinal cord. In our treatment, we not only manage to cure cervical Lordosis but also tend to the entire spine. This way, whatever is wrong at any place in the spine can be adequately treated. 

Conclusion 

 In conclusion, it is evident how significant it is to keep the Cervical Lordosis healthy. However, if there is a loss of it, the patient can always infer to our office, and we can overcome this terrible condition together. 

In modern times, people have mutated their lifestyle. Everyone is engaged with their technological gadgets. By the continuous use of mobile phones and laptops often you feel the heavy head in the effect of neck pain and ultimately it becomes a root cause of brain fog.

In this debate the key concern is your bad POSTURE like you are sitting with a laptop a little lower, your neck is bent, and you are constantly working and you using a mobile phone with your neck bent. These postures can cause neck pain radiating to the head and triggering a headache along with brain fog. 

The headache due to neck pain is called a cervicogenic headache and it is different from migraine. Cervical spine misalignment in the neck region can disrupt the function of the nervous system – transmission- and this condition leads to brain fog, and you feel faint and confused. 

What is a cervicogenic headache?

Cervicogenic headache is a secondary type of headache – secondary headaches are the symptom of another condition. Cervicogenic headache has a prevalence of 0.17- 4% and as the name suggests it is a headache caused by a disorder involving the cervical spine and its spinal disc and it is usually, but not invariably, go with neck pain. 

At least two of the following criteria have to apply while qualifying it as a cervicogenic headache

1. Headache developed after the onset of the cervical disorder
2. Headache ameliorates in parallel with improvement of the cervical disorder. 
3. Reduced cervical movement-based pain, suddenly worsened by provocative testing.
4. Headache vanishes after a diagnostic blockade of the cervical structure or its nerve supply. 

What is brain fog?

Brain fog is not a medical term or a medical condition. It is a commonly used term to describe symptoms like memory lapses, lapses in concentration, forgetfulness, short-term memory issues, and thinking difficulty thus prevent people from doing multi-tasking.

These days, many people suffer from conditions related to brain fog. It is normal if these symptoms happen to you once in a blue moon but if you go through them very frequently and causing disruption in your daily life then you need to consult a professional immediately. 

The relation between neck pain and headache:

When you talk about neck pain and headache happening due to that pain, that headache would be termed as cervicogenic headache, and it is a very frequently used term and often people suffer from this. 

The symptoms of cervicogenic headache are down below:

• It is generally mild to moderate
• This headache is often unilateral- meaning on one side of the head.
• It can usually start from the neck before traveling up and over into the head.
• The pain will mostly be focused around the neck first.
• There should also be a reduced range of motion of the neck – you may not be able to turn your head from side to side through its full range of motion.
• People with cervicogenic headaches commonly experience nausea and vomiting.
• Other symptoms include dizziness, tinnitus, difficulty in concentration, and also depression. 

The causes of cervicogenic headache are many and you will see one by one down here:

• Usually, people may have an injury or dysfunction at the neck, it could be having a fall or car accident, or any kind of whiplash injuries can cause pain to be referred from the neck and into the head 
• Most of the time cervicogenic headache sufferers have never experienced any trauma like this to the neck and in these cases, it is usually and more likely that the strain from adopting poor postures is the key contributor. For example, prolonged periods with your neck forwards like sitting in the chair using a computer having a poor posture will put excessive strain and stress on structures in your neck. 
• The neck can also be incidentally strained from occupations such as looking up at the ceiling like a painter or looking at a computer or you may even have a hunched posture, rounded shoulders, and your head is always poked forwards 
• Atlanta occipital joint which is the skull plus the first vertebrae in the neck, the Atlanta axial joint which is the first and second bone in the neck as well as C23 which is the second and third bone in the neck are the joints often responsible for cervicogenic headache.

The relation between neck pain and brain fog:

Cervical spine instability disturbs the blood flow to the brain and ultimately affects the nervous system while communicating. You feel the heavy head and fail to concentrate on the things. Dizziness is a common symptom of brain fog. 

Causes of brain fog concerning neck pain are the following:

• Muscle strain: if you suffer an injury that causes stress in the neck muscles that will resultantly cause brain fog along with a heavy head. Sometimes while lifting something heavy, there might happen misalignment in your spines that will cause you dizziness and brain fog.
• Whiplash: it is a condition the disrupts the range of motion of your neck and you feel pain while moving your neck. The whiplash causes stiffness in the neck and thus makes you feel foggy and dizzy. 

CONCLUSION

You can witness here that how one thing affects the functioning of other body parts. And I would say that is definitely due to our mutated lifestyle that is technology oriented. I would suggest that whenever you find spare time go for a walk for a few minutes for a stable body posture because that will serve you in the longer run. 

Whenever our nervous system is affected, it will disturb the other aspects of the body and your nervous system is based on your spinal cord for communication. Whenever there is a problem in the upper cervical it causes headache and brain fog along with a heavy head the entire day. Just try to reconsider your lifestyle and an exercise or at least a few minutes’ walk will protect you from any such instability. 

REFERENCES

How Common is Neck Pain Among Migraine Sufferers? (https://cureheadaches.org/2020/01/25/the-link-between-neck-pain-and-migraines/)

Neck Pain (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/neck-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20375581)

Headache and Facial Pain (https://www.neurology.columbia.edu/patient-care/specialties/headache-and-facial-pain)

Caught in the thickness of brain fog (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2013.00063/full)

Neck spasms are not only uncomfortable but very common to have due to an underlying problem. Without a neck spasm treatment, there is a possibility for your neck spasm to worsen over time with permanent damage.

Luckily, treatment does not have to be medicated with side effects or unpleasant. A natural, gentle neck spasm treatment exists that improves your body’s health at the same time.

What Causes a Neck Spasm?

Neck spasms are involuntary tightening of muscle in the neck that may occur from a variety of causes. The spasms themselves can cause you pain and discomfort.

After the affected muscle is relaxed and the spasms recede, the pain and discomfort from your neck spasm may last from a few minutes up to hours or days. Pain that occurs from a neck spasm is described as sharp and sudden, with one or multiple parts of the neck being affected.

If you suffer from a neck spasm, you may notice your neck muscles feeling tight or hard to the touch. This tightness restricts your muscles, making it difficult and painful for you to move your neck.

Some of the most common causes of a neck spasm include the following:

• Emotional stress
• Heavy lifting with one or both arms
• Dehydration
• Headaches
• Exercise strain
• Poor posture
• Holding the neck in unnatural positions for long periods of time
• Birth troubles (such as torticollis, known as stiff neck, where you were in an odd position while in the womb)
• Trauma from an accident or a fall
• Cervical dystonia (where the muscles of the neck involuntarily tighten – forcing the head to turn to one side)
• Whiplash
• Herniated disc
• Temporomandibular joint disorder
• Meningitis (an infection that causes swelling to occur within the brain and spinal cord)
• Spinal stenosis (when open spaces of the spine begin to narrow)
• Cervical spondylosis (a condition that is the degeneration of the spinal cord)
• Heavyweight upon one shoulder
• Overusing neck muscles
• Ankylosing spondylitis (an inflammatory condition where vertebrae can fuse within the spine)

Symptoms of Neck Spasms

Neck spasm symptoms can interrupt your daily routine and make many tasks uncomfortable – especially if working in a job that requires lifting or for your neck to be held in a position for long periods of time – such as a desk job.

Driving can also become a challenge if the symptoms are painful as you turn your head to look around. If you are experiencing neck spasm symptoms, a neck spasm treatment should be considered sooner than later. Not having a neck spasm treatment could cause the following neck spasm symptoms to worsen or cause symptoms you may not have had before to begin to occur:

• Headaches
• Muscle knots
• Stiffness
• Muscle ache
• Joint locks in a neck
• Nerve pain that can flow to the arms or the legs
• Reduced range of motion within the neck

A Natural Neck Spasm Treatment that Helps Your Body

Those who seek out a neck spasm treatment to help get rid of their neck spasm symptoms often leads them to take over the counter pain relievers and experiencing only temporary relief or having side-effects caused by the medication.

A healthier neck spasm treatment that can give permanent results lies within an all-natural neck spasm treatment that uses upper cervical adjustments.

The upper cervical spine consists of two vertebrae located beneath the base of your skull. When either of these vertebrae is knocked out of alignment, it can cause pressure and strain to that area.

Without treatment, the misaligned vertebrae can continue to weaken and cause inflammation to the surrounding area. Since your brain stem is protected by these top two vertebrae, a misaligned vertebra can press up against your brain stem and cause a disruption between the brain and body communication.

When this brain and body communication is disrupted due to a misaligned upper cervical spine, many different issues within the body may occur along with the onset of conditions you might have never had before.

This is because the body’s signals are no longer accurate or working as they should and in return, it negatively affects how your body responds to sickness and injury – making it more difficult for your body to heal from wounds or recover and fight against the disease.

An upper cervical neck spasm treatment is a natural way of realigning your upper cervical spine to help remove the pressure placed on the area that is causing you pain and discomfort.

When undergoing this natural neck spasm treatment, it also helps remove the pressure placed on the brain stem, allowing the brain and body communication to be restored and work properly. Without this interference with the brain to body communication, the body can send out the proper signals it needs to restore and heal injured areas.

This means your neck area can begin to heal as well now that the misaligned vertebrae that were causing your neck injury are now corrected, relieving you of your neck spasm symptoms.

If you or a loved one is currently experiencing neck spasms and are looking for an all-natural neck spasm treatment that can help correct the cause of it, an upper cervical adjustment is gentle, precise, and can help your body heal as your symptoms dissipate.

I want to talk with you today about natural treatments for neck pain. It surprises me, after being in practice for 26 years, how many people do not realize that “upper cervical” means the upper cervical bones or the top two bones in the neck. At the Upper Cervical Spine Center, this is our deal. We are neck pain specialists. We focus all of our attention on the neck for multiple reasons. One, the brainstem controls all functions in the body and is located in the upper cervical spine. Two, wherever the head and neck go, the rest of the body follows, creating compensatory changes throughout the body, which can cause neck pain, arm pain, leg pain, foot pain, knee pain, back pain; problems all the way up and down the spine.

Many Americans suffer on a regular basis with chronic neck pain. Believe it or not, neck pain is not caused by a drug deficiency! Taking your Neurotin, your Celebrex, even Tylenol and Aspirin, are never going to fix neck pain because neck pain is not caused by a drug deficiency.

What we have found is that neck pain, almost 100% of the time, comes from a bone being just slightly out of position in the neck, creating body imbalance. This imbalance makes one side of your body stretch while the other side contracts due to a loss of symmetry from the misalignment. The muscles do not like this. When they stretch, they will also contract to protect themselves from tearing, creating that neck pain that can even turn into headaches. It can affect nerves that go into the shoulders and down your arms into the hands.

At the Upper Cervical Spine Center, we focus all of our attention on finding a misalignment in the neck. That slight imbalance could be creating that short-term, or long-term neck pain. What we do is correct the misalignment in a very simple way. We do not put anything into the body. We do not take anything out of the body. We apply one very specific correction to whichever bone in the neck is causing the problem and then once we do that, the rest of the body starts to become symmetrical again, and those muscles that were stretched or contracted will start to ease off and rebalance.

Cervical spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal, mainly affecting adults in their 50’s and 60’s as the most common cause of cervical spinal stenosis is degeneration due to aging. Cervical spinal stenosis can also be caused by injury, lifestyle habits such as poor posture, abnormal bone growth, and tumors. 

How Dangerous is Cervical Spinal Stenosis?

Cervical spinal stenosis can become dangerous if left untreated and can cause serious problems with the nervous system. As the narrowing occurs in the spine, your spinal cord and nerves may become compressed causing many symptoms to occur. While the symptoms can range from being uncomfortable to painful, cervical spinal stenosis can be doing more damage than you think.

The compression of the nerves and cord in the cervical spine could change how the spinal cord functions and lead it to become stiff or weak in the neck area. As this pressure changes your spinal cord functions, it can affect how a person controls their bladder and bowels as well as have permanent loss of strength and feeling in their legs, arms, hands, and chest.

In addition to your spinal cord not functioning properly, it makes it more difficult for your body to fight off disease and repair itself from injury and cervical spinal stenosis can become crippling if the spinal cord is damaged.

The upper cervical area of your spine protects your brain stem and when cervical spinal stenosis causes narrowing in this area, there can be disruption of the brain to body communication as pressure is placed on the brain stem.

The brain stem oversees the control of your basic body functions: breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, consciousness, swallowing, and if you are awake or sleepy. The stress placed on the brain stem causes many complications to occur all throughout the body and cervical spinal stenosis can put a lot of pressure on your brain stem.

Severe cases of cervical spinal stenosis can lead to paralysis and the spinal cord connects the body’s peripheral nervous system to the brain where it receives information on if something is wrong in the body and how to react to it.

If your brain stem is disrupted, there is a chance your body can end up attacking itself as signals become distorted when sent back and forth from the brain to the body: This being said, cervical spinal stenosis can be dangerous to your body’s health.

What Type of Surgery Is Done for Cervical Spinal Stenosis?

The following surgeries are common treatments for cervical spinal stenosis:

Laminectomy – Also known as decompression surgery, this treatment removes the back part of the affected vertebra to reduce pressure on the nerves by increasing the amount of space around them.

Laminotomy – Laminotomy relieves pressure on a particular spot usually by carving a hole to remove a portion of the lamina.

Laminoplasty – This procedure for cervical spinal stenosis uses a hinge on the lamina to create space within the spinal canal and is only done on the cervical part, neck area, of the spine.

Minimally Invasive Surgery – An invasive surgery that removes bone or lamina to reduce damage to healthy surrounding tissue.

Please note that all surgery comes with risks and natural treatment should be considered first.

Can Cervical Spinal Stenosis Cause Death?

Due to the tightening or narrowing canal of the spine, cervical spinal stenosis can cause many problems for the body and if it becomes severe and left untreated, it can lead to permanent nerve damage – including paralysis and death. Spinal health is extremely important, and if you believe you or a loved one has signs of cervical spinal stenosis it is best to get a professional opinion to be safe.

Is Cervical Spinal Stenosis Progressive?

Cervical spinal stenosis does not always get worse or cause progressive symptoms. There are cases in which patients will have mild stenosis and never encounter symptoms associated with it or have symptoms that do not become bothersome enough for them to seek treatment.

Although symptoms may not be bothersome, spinal health is extremely important for the body as it can affect your bodily functions and nerves. If you feel you have signs of cervical spinal stenosis, there is a natural treatment that can help and is safe for any age – read below on how your cervical spinal stenosis can get better.

Does Cervical Spinal Stenosis Get Better?

Cervical spinal stenosis cannot get better without effective treatment. As surgery does not work for everyone and does not guarantee an improvement in one’s current state, many may feel they have to rely on medication to help live with the symptoms they encounter. However, there is an all-natural treatment that has shown great results for cervical spinal stenosis.

Upper cervical adjustments help correct misalignments within the upper cervical spine (neck area) and release pressure off your brain stem without surgery. Unlike general chiropractic, upper cervical chiropractors focus on the upper cervical area and study how small changes affect the brain stem and your body’s health.

Using extremely precise and gentle pressure, upper cervical chiropractors can realign and, in return, have your brain stem released from the pressure to allow the proper brain to body communication. 

When corrections are made, the signals traveling through the brain stem begin to improve right away – allowing the body to begin repairing and healing itself now that communication is no longer disrupted. Because of this, many patients have noticed improvements to their conditions in as little as one adjustment even after surgery.

Can Cervical Spinal Stenosis Go Away?

Each case varies with each patient. By using upper cervical adjustments, patients have reported relief that was not possible with surgery. For those wanting the best chance in having relief from cervical spinal stenosis, a natural treatment that allows the body to have the ability to target the underlying cause can be very beneficial – to the overall health of your body and to finding relief.

Upper cervical adjustments correct the top two bones of the spine, upper cervical area, and once these two bones are aligned, the rest of your spine naturally follows. This means when one of these top two bones are out of alignment, the rest of the spine can develop misalignments as well. 

The purpose of upper cervical adjustments is to ensure your brain stem is healthy and provides proper brain to body communication. Unlike medication and surgery where each is based on targeting symptoms, a patient has, upper cervical adjustments allow the body to naturally target the underlying cause of each symptom a patient is having.

Over time, fewer adjustments are made as the patient’s upper cervical area becomes strong enough to hold the correction.

If you are looking for a treatment that can provide the best outcome of relieving you or a loved one from cervical spinal stenosis, an upper cervical treatment should be considered as it lets the body heal and repair itself by targeting the underlying cause of damage without the risks or side effects that come with medication and surgery.

Why Does Neck Pain and Head Movement Affect my Health?

Neck pain is a very common complaint with 20% to 70% of adults experiencing neck pain that affects their daily routine throughout their lifetime.

Not only does it become an annoyance and limits your range of movement, but there can be other ways neck pain affects your health. When neck pain occurs, the soft tissues surrounding it become affected; these include muscles, tendons, and ligaments. All these soft tissues enable your neck to move properly and when they are damaged or become irritated, they will begin to limit the movement.

Neck pain can be caused by a compressed nerve due to an upper cervical misalignment – where at least one of your top two bones of the spine located at the base of the skull are not in proper placement. When one of these bones fall out of alignment, it compresses against the brain stem and nerves causing an interference with the brain to body communication and pain.

Because of improper brain to body communication due to a compressed brain stem, the body will not be able to heal or repair itself as needed and can misinterpret signals. This can cause an inability to fight properly against diseases or bring about the onset of conditions. Neck pain is often a warning that these bones need to be fixed and realigned.

What is the Most Common Cervical Neck Pain Symptom?

The most common neck pain symptom would be having a stiff neck and general soreness. Below are some other symptoms commonly seen in those who have neck pain:

• Stiff Neck – As you turn the head from side to side, you may experience soreness or find the neck difficult to move.
• Radicular Pain – This includes pain that radiates along a nerve from the neck throughout the shoulder and the arm. Pain associated with this could give off a burning or a searing sensation.
• Sharp Pain – Sharp pain could be localized to one spot. This sharp pain may feel like a stab or a sting and is usually known to occur in the lower region of the neck.
• Headaches – Irritation in the neck can cause headaches to appear as your muscles and nerves connected to the head can become affected.
• Cervical Radiculopathy – Neurological deficits including problems with strength, reflexes, or sensations may be noticeable within the arm because of the compression of nerve roots.
• Difficulty Gripping or Lifting Objects – When weakness or numbness appears in the arm or fingers, one may have difficulty gripping and lifting.
• General Soreness – This soreness is not sharp and is instead achy or tender. Typically, this is felt in a larger area or region of the neck and causes discomfort.

Difference Between Neck Pain and Neck Discomfort

Keep in mind, it is possible to have more than one symptom at a time. As neck pain progresses over time, it may lead to sleeping difficulties. These symptoms can also interfere with daily activities such as brushing teeth, brushing hair, and dressing where you may feel discomfort or soreness. Other activities that require you to move your head about, such as driving, may feel uncomfortable as well.

Neck discomfort, unlike neck pain, could be from sitting in an uncomfortable position to where you need to stretch for it to go away, massage, or rest. Neck pain is a bit more complicated. Neck pain can be caused by muscle strains, worn joints, nerve compression, injuries, or disease. Neck discomfort is also referred to as having an achy feeling whereas neck pain is more sudden, stronger, and much harder to ignore.

Neck discomfort will not affect your daily activities like neck pain will. Neck pain is noticeable and can worsen as you continue while discomfort is “in the background,” increasing and decreasing over time. Descriptions of neck pain include a stabbing, stinging, and shooting sensation while discomfort is described as aching, annoying, irritating, and lingering.

Can Neck Pain Disorder be Treated with a Neck Adjustment?

If neck pain occurs, a neck adjustment can help target it. As mentioned above, neck pain often warns us an upper cervical misalignment could be present. There is a certain neck adjustment that is recommended to treat neck pain and exceeds the outcomes of medication and surgery.

Can Chiropractic Offer Neck Pain Treatment?

There are chiropractors who specialize in a certain technique for neck adjustments. General chiropractic is not recommended as the neck area should be handled by a chiropractor who focuses on the very precise, gentle movements needed to realign the neck.

What is the Best Chiropractic Technique for Neck Pain?

The best chiropractic technique for neck pain would be an upper cervical chiropractic adjustment. Upper cervical chiropractic adjustments focus on the top two bones of the spine, the neck area. These are very accurate adjustments that use gentle movements to realign your upper cervical area.

General chiropractic techniques can be a little rough and not as accurate. In additional, general chiropractic does not specialize in the neck area, but upper cervical chiropractic solely focuses on this area.

Many patients who have tried medication or have gone through surgery after experiencing severe neck pain have still seen a great improvement after an upper cervical adjustment. This is because an upper cervical adjustment targets what could be causing your neck pain instead of focusing on alleviating the symptoms as medication and surgery does.

When an adjustment is made, tension is taken off the brain stem and the surrounding soft tissue – ridding you of the neck pain. Since tension is taken off the brain stem, the brain to body communication is restored and the body can begin its repairing and healing process.

The goal of an upper cervical chiropractor is to make adjustments only when they are needed, until the body heals itself enough to hold the adjustment in place on its own.

Chiropractic Neck Pain Doctor Near Me

If you are experiencing neck pain or are noticing beginning signs of it, an upper cervical specialist can help you. During a chiropractic exam, we will be able to pinpoint any upper cervical misalignments and see how they are affecting your neck area and the rest of your body as it compresses the nerves.

Upper cervical adjustments are completely safe, gentle, and great for any age. Unlike medication and surgery that targets symptoms, upper cervical adjustments can help target the cause of your neck pain because of the stress taken off your neck area. An upper cervical adjustment also allows the body to regain its healing and repairing abilities thanks to the restoration of a properly functioning brain stem.

Upper cervical adjustments are an effective neck pain treatment, pinpoint the underlying cause of your neck pain, and are a great alternative, all-natural option opposed to medication. If you are tired of living with neck pain, we would love to help.