Neck Pain Treatment in Santa Fe, NM
Your neck is the most vulnerable part of your spine which makes neck pain treatments in Santa Fe so important. Not only does it support your 10-12 pound head, maintain a gentle forward cervical curve, and permit head rotation, but it must also allow the free flow of nerve impulses to the head, face, hands and the rest of your body. Besides discomfort and annoyance, chronic neck pain is a sign that something is wrong.
The most common cause of neck pain is functional distortions in the spine resulting from vertebral subluxations. Subluxations cause joint instability, nerve irritation and eventually pain. The body responds by tightening muscles in the neck, “splinting” the joint to protect it from further damage. Massage, medication, exercise, physical therapy and acupuncture treat the muscle but don’t address the underlying cause of the problem.
Do I have a pinched nerve in my neck?
Most of the pain-sensing nerves in the neck are located in the pairs of facet joints on the back side of each vertebra. These smooth, interlocking surfaces allow you to rotate your head and bend your head up and down. If these joints become locked or fixated, neck pain can result. Appropriate chiropractic care can restore proper joint motion and correct the underlying articular dysfunction that is responsible for your pain.
A more difficult problem to correct is the degenerative changes that result from neglect without appropriate chiropractic intervention. Years of uncorrected spinal problems can cause bone spurs, disc thinning and other forms of spinal decay. These types of problems respond more slowly, and some type of on-going supportive chiropractic care may be necessary.
Chiropractors can help neck pain
Our response to stress is another common cause of neck pain. Deadlines, Rush-hour traffic, over commitments, work pressures, family obligations and so on. Ever meet someone who was a “pain in the neck”? Each of us is susceptible to our body’s unconscious response to people and circumstances. These perceptions can show up as episodes of neck pain. While chiropractic care cannot reduce the stress of your busy life, it can help improve your ability to handle and tolerate it.
