Neck Pain

Chiropractic is an approach that manipulates the spine and joints to relieve neck and back pain. It's a popular therapy that does not involve medication, an important consideration for many people.
People experiencing neck pain often turn to chiropractic care for help. Some swear by chiropractors, saying the work they perform not only relieves pain, but also often addresses the source of their aches, twinges, and throbs. That's a higher percentage than those who use other alternative therapies like yoga, massage, and acupuncture.

Chiropractic: How Neck Pain Is Treated

The word chiropractic is from the Greek words for hand (cheir) and action (praxis) — practitioners primarily use their hands to treat muscle, joint, and nerve pain by adjusting the spine and joints. Adjustments involve the chiropractor applying controlled but sudden force to a joint, pushing the joint beyond the range in which it normally moves. This is intended to loosen up joints that move poorly or painfully due to tissue damage or scarring caused by either trauma or repetitive stress. An example of trauma causing neck pain is whiplash, while a repetitive stress injury could be from consistently poor posture.
For neck pain in particular, chiropractic neck adjustments, called cervical manipulation, loosen up the joints of the cervical vertebrae in the neck, and this can reduce pain caused by pinched nerves and muscle spasms. Chiropractors use their hands to twist the neck sharply and snap the vertebrae back into alignment.
Chiropractic: Finding a Practitioner
Chiropractors are trained to diagnose patients through physical exams as well diagnostic tests. Treatment plans may include neck exercises to do on your own and suggestions for a healthier lifestyle; chiropractors do not prescribe neck pain medication as part of their treatment. Practicing chiropractors in the United States are required to receive a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from a properly accredited college. Admission to a chiropractic college requires three years of undergraduate work. Chiropractic college is a four-year program, during which the chiropractors-in-training will learn in the classroom and provide hands-on care to patients. For specialized training, chiropractors undertake an additional two- or three-year residency.
Every state has its own regulations for chiropractors that cover the techniques they are able to practice; some may perform acupuncture, for instance. To find a chiropractor in your area, ask your primary care physician for a recommendation or contact the American Chiropractic Association.
When evaluating a chiropractor, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests asking about the professional’s licensing and training, and whether that training included the specific problem you’re experiencing.
Chiropractic: When It’s Not Appropriate
Chiropractors are trained to evaluate the best treatment options for neck pain and other types of pain and to know when you need the care of a different specialist. You may need to see another type of medical professional if:
You're feeling pain or numbness down into your shoulder, arm, or leg. You might have suffered a spinal cord injury or a herniated (slipped) disk and possibly require a neurologist or neurosurgeon. You may need to go to the emergency room if the discomfort is severe. Your neck pain is accompanied by fever, headache, or vomiting, or if you find yourself wincing at light. You might have meningitis, a serious infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. If meningitis is possible, you need to go to the emergency room immediately. Also, keep in mind that your neck pain could be caused by other medical conditions like arthritis or fibromyalgia. Muscle relaxants and other medications prescribed by your doctor might be better able to alleviate pain in these instances than chiropractic.
By restoring mobility in your joints, chiropractic offers neck pain treatment that aims to fix the source of the pain rather than just treat its symptoms. This no-drug, no-surgery approach may be the answer you’ve been looking for.