Upper Back Neck and Shoulder Pain can have a variety of causes:
Your spine begins at the base of the skull and supports the full weight of your head, typically around 12 pounds. Your Neck being very flexible can move your head in many directions. This same flexibility also makes your neck (the cervical spine), prone to back and neck injuries.
Injuries to the back and neck can stem from sitting in a chair for long periods of time, repetitive movements like bending over in the garden, a fall in the bathroom, a car accident, a hit to the body or head. All of these factors affect the neck's engineering and design and long term performance.
Accidents and Injury:
A whiplash neck injury is a sudden rebound movement of the head or neck in the opposite direction. We see them mostly in car accidents. This "jerking" motion causes a spinal cord neck injury and trauma to the surrounding tissue. Our vertebrae, joints, discs, ligaments, muscles and nerve roots become swollen and out of alignment when this trauma happens and back and neck pain are the result.
Muscles react to our activities or to trauma by tightening and contracting, creating muscle fatigue, which can result in upper and lower back, neck and shoulder pain.
Aging:
Our spine over time is usually affected greatly by degenerative disorders such as osteoarthritis pain, cervical and lumber spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease.
• Osteoarthritis (Spinal Arthritis) causes progressive deterioration of cartilage. It is a common joint disorder. The body reacts by forming bone spurs that affect joint motion. Bone spurs compress the nerve and lead to neck and shoulder pain.
• Spinal stenosis narrows the small nerve canals in the vertebrae, compressing and trapping nerve endings. Consequently, these nerve endings are unable to function normally and they lead to numbness, neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain and back pain.
• Degenerative disc disease (discs shrinkage) reduces the elasticity and height of intervertebral discs. Many by age 30 have some shrinkage of in their disc. If the space becomes to small then the disc will bulge or get herniated over time, bringing tingling, numbness, and pain to the arm or down the leg.
Chiropractic Adjustment - Care of Neck Pain and Back Pain
Your chiropractor will try to locate the source of your pain and ask you questions about your current symptoms. For your chiropractic wellness, he or she may also ask you about and remedies you may have already tried.
For example:
When was it when the pain started?
Did you apply ice or heat therapy?
What have treatment have you done for your neck pain?
Where is the area that hurts the most?
Does the pain extend to other parts of your body?
Does any specific body position reduce the pain or make it worse?
Before a chiropractic adjustment your doctor of chiropractic wellness may also perform some other physical exams. He or she will observe whether you have good or bad posture, tests your range of motion, and observe any physical condition that causes muscle pain. Your chiropractor will also try to feel your spine, study its curvature and alignment. He or she will look for any neck or back muscle spasm. Your shoulders area will also need to be examined. There may also be a neurological exam that tests your reflexes, muscle strength, other nerve changes before any chiropractic therapy is performed.
Your chiropractor might need to order tests such as an X-ray, CAT Scan or MRI to help diagnose your condition if necessary.
An X-ray will help examine any narrowed disc space, fractures, bone spurs, or arthritis that is present.
Another medical imaging method is computerized axial tomography scan (CAT scan) or perhaps a magnetic resonance imaging test (an MRI) is performed to look for bulging discs and herniations that are not easily detected by most routine chiropractic treatments and analysis.
Your doctor of chiropractor may also order a special test called electromyography (an EMG) to measure nerve responses and damage present if any.
Most of the time your doctor of chiropractic does not include the use of drugs or surgery because his examinations will indicate if he can apply chiropractic therapy to treat your symtoms or not. If the problem is outside of your chiropractor’s expertise, he or she will need to refer you to the appropriate medical physician or specialist for further study and treatment. Your family physician is often informed about the chiropractic treatment you are receiving to ensure that both the chiropractic care and the medical care are being properly coordinated.
Neck and Back Spasm Treatment with Cervical Manipulation
A cervical manipulation, also known as a neck adjustment, is a procedure that a chiropractor performs either by hand (or by chiropractic equipment). Chiropractic therapy such as Cervical manipulation tries to improve the mobility of the spine. It can also restore the range of motion. It increases movement of the nearby muscles. Therefore, increased mobility in your head may allow for better turning or tilting afterwards. It may also reduce your chronic back pain, soreness, and stiffness as well. Depending on your personal needs, your chiropractor will use clinical therapeutics to develop a program of treatment that may combine more than just cervical manipulation. The care program may include chiropractic therapy or rehabilitative exercises, physical therapy, and healing touch therapeutic message.
Research on Chiropractic Treatment and Back Pain Case Studies can be found in the:
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