Neck Pain and Chiropractic Treatment
Have you ever woke with a “crick in the neck” and wondered what happened to cause the severe, sharp pain? I have heard many a patient relate the cause to “I must have slept wrong.” This is one of the more common neck problems that convince many to seek chiropractic treatment. Normally, the cause of this type of neck pain is related to the pinching of a small joint nerve in the neck. If this is the cause of your neck pain, it is not unusual for complete relief of the neck pain with only one or two chiropractic treatments. So what is causing the “crick in the neck”?
Crick in the Neck
There are a number of causes of this type of neck pain condition. Frequently, too much stress or overworking the neck and shoulder muscles may increase muscle tension or strain the neck and shoulder muscles. An increase in activity with a new exercise program, repetitive lifting, or even yard work with inadequate amounts of hydration might aggravate the muscles and cause spasms. Certainly there are a slew of causes of increased muscle tension or strain. Yet, how does the crick in the neck happen? When the muscles become too tight and pull asymmetrically, the joints in the neck have a tendency to move awkwardly. Within the neck joints meniscoids move in and out as the joints go through their range of motion. Unfortunately, when the muscles are not functioning normally, they may cause the neck joints to malfunction. Consequently, the meniscoid, which is made up of a synovial tag that contains a nerve, fat cells, and a blood vessel, becomes trapped either inside or outside of the joint. Thus, a “pinched nerve” occurs and the surrounding neck muscles go into spasm and cause a crick in the neck.
Chiropractic Treatment for Neck Pain
When the chiropractor has the opportunity to treat an individual with an acute crick in the neck, the patient normally gains relief within one to two days or sooner. Sometimes the relief is instantaneous following the chiropractic treatment (manipulation). These clinical situations usually produce extremely high levels of patient satisfaction following the chiropractic treatment. It is not unusual for the chiropractor to be called a “miracle worker” when the adjustment of the neck provides immediate relief.