North Road Chiropractic provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of neck pain for patients in Oakleigh, East Bentleigh, Clayton, and Mt. Waverley.
Neck pain is second only to lower back pain as the most common musculoskeletal symptom. It's estimated that up to 86% of the general population has experienced neck pain at some point in their lives.
The neck, also called the cervical spine, contains seven small vertebrae that are remarkably able to support the full weight of the head, which weighs an average of 12 pounds. The strength and flexibility of the cervical spine allow us to move our head in every direction, communicate, speak, and more. However, this incredible flexibility also makes it susceptible to injury.
Neck pain has a variety of possible causes, so it's important to identify the source of your pain for proper treatment. Dr. Sam Liveriadis will perform a complete physical, neurological, and orthopaedic examination of your cervical spine to diagnose your neck pain.
Injuries caused by falls, cars accidents (whiplash), sports injuries, and work injuries can all result in neck pain. These injuries may have strained or torn the ligaments of your neck, or else resulted in disc herniation or a pinched nerve.
Arthritis: With age, the spinal discs begin to lose fluid, break down, and stiffen. As the discs and other cartilage deteriorate, your body reacts by building bone spurs which can apply direct pressure on the spinal nerves.
Disc herniation and degenerative disc disease: Aging may also lead to the degeneration of spinal discs, as they start to shrink and lose elasticicity. This may make you susceptible to disc herniation or bulging disc, which causes tingling, numbness, and pain from your neck to your arm.
Poor posture: Many workers who sit at a computer all day develop neck pain as a result of poor posture and improper ergonomics.
Other musculoskeletal conditions: Fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and ankylosing spondylitis may result in neck symptoms.Nerve impingement (pinched nerves) can occur after tissue injury and disc herniation. Inflamed tissues or bulging discs within the cervical spine can pinch the exiting spinal nerves, leading to pain, muscle weakness, and tingling in the shoulders, arms, and wrists.
As spinal specialists, chiropractors are well equipped to identify and treat conditions related to the cervical spine. At North Road Chiropractic, we routinely see the success of chiropractic care for neck pain in our Oakleigh patients. These everyday results have been confirmed in numerous medical studies on the effectiveness of chiropractic for neck pain. In fact, some studies have suggested that chiropractic is more effective than many common drugs for relieving neck pain.
As your Oakleigh chiropractor, Dr. Sam Liverdias will use chiropractic neck adjustments to correct any dysfunctions (subluxations) in the cervical spine. Often, patients with neck pain also exhibit subluxations at the thoracic spine (upper back), shoulders, and arms, so your treatment may include additional adjustments to these areas as well. Chiropractic adjustments allow damaged tissues to heal, correct any misalignments in the spine, relieve pressure on any pinched nerves, and promote improved mobility of the cervical spine.
For effective relief of neck pain in Oakleigh, East Bentleigh, Clayton, and Mt. Waverley, call North Road Chiropractic today.
References
ACA- Chiropractic and Neck Pain: Conservative Care of Cervical Pain, Injury. American Chiropractic Association. http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=2430. Accessed October 10, 2013.
Hoy, DG, Protani M, De R, Buchbinder R. The epidemiology of neck pain. Best Practice and Research. Clinical Rheumatology 2010; 24(6):783-92. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2011.01.019.
Bronfort G, Evans R, Anderson A, Svendsen K, Bracha Y, and Grimm R. Spinal Manipulation, medication, or home exercise with advice for acute and subacute neck pain: a randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine 2012; 156 (1): 1-10.
Masaracchio M, et al. Short-term combined effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation and cervical spine nonthrust manipulation in individuals with mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2013 Mar;43(3):118-27. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2013.4221.
