How does a Chiropractor Treat Neck Pain?

Neck pain is a common complaint. In fact, neck pain ranks in the top 5 disorders in the US, with 10-20% of people reporting neck pain. Neck pain isn’t usually caused by anything serious, but there are several common causes ranging from muscle and tendon strains and sprains, cervical dysfunction, herniated disks, and osteoarthritis. Many people experience neck pain due to various lifestyle factors, such as stress, poor sleeping positions, or bad workstation setups. There are different treatments that can be useful to help with neck pain, including chiropractic treatment.

How a Chiropractor Can Help with Neck Pain

Chiropractors specialize in treating conditions of the spine and musculoskeletal system. They use manual manipulation of the spine and joints, as well as other soft tissue treatments, to correct any imbalances, improve function, and relieve pain. People with neck pain often find that chiropractic care helps to relieve their pain and prevent pain in the future. You can gain a greater range of movement from undergoing chiropractic adjustments and other forms of chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic care might be combined with other treatments or on its own to help with neck pain, whether chronic or short-term.

Chiropractic Treatments for Neck Pain

A chiropractor might use a number of different treatments for neck pain. These include chiropractic adjustments, exercise recommendations, active release technique, soft tissue manipulation, laser therapy and different chiropractic treatments. A chiropractic adjustment for the neck may involve using short and fast movements to manipulate the neck, correct misalignments, and relieve tension. This can produce a cracking sound as trapped gas is released from around the joints.

When treating the neck, chiropractors often use gentle chiropractic methods. This gentle form of chiropractic adjustment offers several benefits. It’s a good choice for anyone who might not like the feel or sound of their neck cracking. It might also be used if you have difficulty relaxing.

Some common gentle chiropractic techniques for the neck include:

• Cervical mobilization – with the patient usually lying on their back, the chiropractor gently moves the neck from side to side and in figure 8 movements to stretch the neck
• Cervical manual traction – with the patient lying face up or sitting, the chiropractor gently pulls on the neck to stretch the spine, and the technique is combined with mobilization for the best results
• Cervical drop techniques – this uses a special type of table, with the patient lying face-down and the drop-piece of the table is fixed in a set or locked position – the chiropractor places their hand on the spinal segment that needs to be adjusted and applies pressure until the head piece drops a short distance

Chiropractic Treatment at Vida

At Vida, our chiropractic treatments are one of several services that we offer to help deal with neck pain and other tension and pain. Our chiropractors use treatments such as manual adjustments, soft tissue manipulation, stretching and strengthening muscles, active release technique, and more. We aim to promote faster tissue healing, increase range of motion, and correct misalignments.

To find out more about how a chiropractor can help to treat neck pain, get in touch with our team. At Vida, we accept all major insurances and have 5 locations in the Greater Seattle area to support you.