Neck Pain Treatment in Santa Fe, NM
Our neck, also called the cervical spine, begins at the base of the skull and contains seven small vertebrae. Incredibly, the cervical spine supports the full weight of your head, which is on average about 12 pounds. While the cervical spine can move your head in nearly every direction, this flexibility makes the neck very susceptible to pain and injury.
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.
Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique for Neck Pain
The Activator Method is one of the most
widely researched chiropractic techniques and the only instrument
adjusting technique with clinical trials to support its efficacy. The
Activator adjusting instrument provides gentle, high-speed, low-force
adjustments to the body to reduce inflammation and pain by restoring
proper articulation and alignment. Since this approach doesn’t
incorporate any high force manual adjustments, people generally find
this technique much easier to tolerate.
If you have unsuccessfully tried various other neck pain treatments, both non-chiropractic and chiropractic, you may find relief from the Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique. Follow this link to find an Activator chiropractor near you who is certified to use this approach.
