Neck Pain – Is Chiropractic The Right Treatment?

When considering going to a chiropractor about your neck pain, it is first important to keep a few things in mind. The chiropractic practice began with the intent of only working with spine and back related problems, and while many instances of neck pain may be related to back misalignment, many others are not.

While low in its risk, a chiropractic neck manipulation may carry some additional risks if done improperly. A chiropractor should perform a thorough physical examination that can range from pinching or severing of the major blood vessels in the area or even stroke.

Chiropractors clearly understand the risks involved in performing any spinal manipulation, especially to the neck, and only perform this procedure when it is the right treatment for the patient. The doctor of chiropractic will learn the patient’s case history and perform a physical, orthopedic, and neurological examination before performing any treatment. When spinal manipulation goes wrong, it’s often the result of an untrained, non-chiropractor attempting to perform the treatment.

Neck pain, headaches, and tingling or numbness in the upper extremities can be directly linked back to cervical vertebrae misalignment. The benefits of receiving a specific spinal adjustment to the neck can mean an end to a lifetime of a chronic condition. Many chiropractic patients only sought out treatment after all other more “traditional” treatments have been tried and failed.

Chiropractic adjustments can be just the thing for neck pain. Many times this neck pain may be caused by tension or posture issues which can be fixed in one or two visits with a skilled practitioner, even if it has been chronic. Because chiropractic can change, or reset the way a person carries their skeletal frame, this may also correct how they deal with the tension they carry around in their muscles and whether that translates itself into back or neck pain or not.

If you are concerned about whether chiropractic is right for you, you can set up a consult with a chiropractor or consider seeing your general practitioner first if you know of something in your personal medical history that you think might be a problem. He or she can help determine if chiropractic care is right for your problem, or if other treatment options would be more suitable for your problem. You can also seek out the help of friends, family members, or co-workers that have had a good experience with a chiropractor.

This professional will likely do an X-ray on your neck and possibly your whole spine and after an examination may or may not recommend supplementing chiropractic treatment with massage, heat or cold therapy or even ultrasound and other techniques more commonly associated with physical therapy and sports medicine.

Philip Vincent is a health educator. Need a Redmond Chiropractor? Consider a visit to this Redmond Chiropractor.