Avoiding Neck Pain

Chiropractors can help people avoid neck pain by optimizing overall body function starting with aligning the spine and improving posture.

What are some common causes of neck pain that you see in your practice and how can chiropractic care address these?

Dr. Scott Gardner: The most common causes of neck pain that we see in our practice are poor posture, text or technology neck, poor sleeping posture, stress, sports injuries, car accidents, or even slips and falls.

By correcting spinal misalignments that we call subluxation, we allow the brain to communicate to the body to allow for optimal function of the body.

How can poor posture, like sitting at a desk all day, contribute to neck pain? And how can chiropractic care help improve posture to try to prevent it?

Dr. Scott Gardner: Poor posture, like sitting at a desk all day, leads to what we call forward head posture where the head is being forced forward because there’s a straightening of the neck where there should be a curve. This causes pressure on the nerves, which is going to lead to muscle imbalance, stiffness and pain.

Chiropractic care, when done correctly and consistently can normalize spinal alignment and create muscle balance to correct posture imbalances.

What is the best way to sleep to avoid neck pain?

Dr. Scott Gardner: The worst position to sleep in is on your stomach, which is going to cause the muscles in the neck to constantly tighten, pulling the neck out of normal alignment. It will allow for an increase in the curve in the lower back, which can cause back pain over time.

The best way to sleep is going to be on either side with enough support that keeps the head centered and with a pillow between the knees or between the legs. If you sleep on your back, we recommend using a towel rolled up either inside the pillowcase on top of the pillow or under the pillow to provide more support to the neck.

What are some specific chiropractic techniques used to prevent and treat neck pain?

Dr. Scott Gardner: In our office, we use a combination of several different techniques. No one technique is better than another. They all work. Each person is different. So, we have to find the specific recipe of these techniques for each person. As they continue to improve, we have to tweak and modify the techniques that we’re using.

Are there specific exercises or stretches you recommend for strengthening the neck and reducing the risk of pain?

Dr. Scott Gardner: Yes, there are specific posture building exercises. We focus a lot on that and specific stretches. We also will incorporate some home tractioning in specific instances.

This is all used to complement the adjustment, which is really the most important part of the care. I think about it as the adjustment is the cake and the additional things like stretches or exercises or traction are like the icing on the cake.