Neck Pain

Chiropractic Care and Neck Pain                                                             Seattle Chiropractor

Are you currently suffering from neck pain?

Neck pain can be one of the most debilitating injuries a person can have. Whether it has been a longer term, chronic neck condition, or a severe sudden onset, many people find themselves struggling to find relief.  Speaking as a chiropractor, I often see that the neck pain journey often leads people to many different doctors, treatments, and promises of relief.  This includes neck braces, spinal decompression, medications and narcotics, surgical consults, and even surgeries.  Even without totaling up the time required to see every expert that deals with neck pain, the quality of life has decreased tremendously for every acute and chronic neck pain sufferer.

Can I Chiropractor help me with my neck pain?

Yes. A Doctor of Chiropractic is trained to help diagnose and care for acute and chronic neck pain conditions. A Chiropractor can also determine whether the proper treatment for your neck pain might be in another category of care, but if you are seeking a safe and conservative approach, a Chiropractor is a perfect fit. When I mention a "conservative" approach, it is to distinguish between the more radical and extreme opinions you might receive that include surgery and drugs. The risk factors for many surgeries involving neck pain are extreme, and often do not show the results that the patient was expecting upon the first consultation. The medications that a person receives are not only potentially addictive, but can cause long term consequences on the filters of your body.

What is the difference between acute and chronic neck pain?

Acute Pain:
Acute pain has a sudden onset and typically is sharp and severe. These symptoms allow us to know that something is seriously wrong, and that we better take it very seriously. Acute neck pain can typically result from physical trauma resulting from car accidents, falls, sports, or anything that can create an impact. Acute pain can also result years later following one of these events, but are usually attributed to "sleeping wrong" or another minor even that is not typical of acute pain.

Acute pain may not be severe and only last seconds, or could be severe and last weeks, months, or years. In most instances of neck pain, the body does it's best to heal naturally, but until the underlying problem is addressed, acute neck pain can become something that lasts a long time. In this case, acute neck pain can lead to chronic neck pain.

Chronic pain:
Chronic neck pain exists in spite of the fact that the initial neck injury has completed the healing process. Neck muscle spasms, limited range of motion and mobility, lack of energy, and changes activity levels are all physical symptoms of chronic neck pain. The effects of chronic neck pain also play a role in our emotional well being and can increase the chances of depression, anxiety, and anger. All of these problems lead to a lower quality of life, and the impact is immeasurable.

Chronic neck pain is often the result of a long term acute injury, but can also be created by emotional and chemical imbalances that manifest themselves in physical pain.

How does a Chiropractor eliminate neck pain?

If you have not yet read Chiropractic in 100 words or less, I highly recommend it at this point.

A Chiropractor reviews the current state of your nervous system and condition(in this case neck pain) and adjusts the vertebrae of your spine so the body naturally heals itself. This healing includes pain relief, and restoration of function to vital parts of your body.

I think this is an important distinction, as our body knows how to heal, providing there is no interference. The interference can come from an underlying infection, poor diet/nutrition, lack of exercise, emotional stress, and even lack of sleep. The Chiropractor can physically realign your spine so the body no longer has the physical interference so that acute and chronic pain can heal.