Neck pain. Its not something we want. And if you’ve experienced it, you may have no idea what caused it. You simply want to find a way to relieve it.

Understanding your neck – technically called the cervical spine – will help you pinpoint problems faster. When you know how your neck works, you have a better chance at avoiding things that will make your neck hurt. Knowing a few facts can also help you find ways to relieve your neck pain.

The cervical spine, or the neck, has a starting point at the base of your skull. From there, it connects to your upper back by way of seven vertebral sections. There are six discs in your neck, one between each vertebra, which support and cushion the vertebrae.

The cervical spine supports the weight of your head – which can weigh over 10 pounds – and controls your ability to move your head. When you turn your head in any direction, you are utilizing your cervical spine.

The cervical spine also contains special openings for vertebral arteries to pass through, taking blood to your brain. This is an important job and no other section of your back has these openings.

Just like the rest of your back, your cervical spine can be injured – direct blows and even daily activity can cause stress on your neck, leading to pain and discomfort.

Your neck is actually pretty tough – most common neck pain comes from normal wear and tear on the vertebrae.

As you get older and you incur wear and tear on your cervical spine, you might experience bone spurs, osteoarthritis, or other forms of degeneration. These conditions may or may not require surgery – in many cases, chiropractic treatment can resolve the problems.

The discs in your neck may also degenerate over time. Treatment usually involves medication and chiropractic care, but if relief is not found, you may need surgery to remove the “bad” discs.

Now that you know a few facts about your cervical spine, you know what an important role it plays in your well-being. The next time you experience neck pain, consider your previous activities to find a cause. If you cannot pinpoint the problem, you may need to seek medical care to ensure you are not experiencing serious problems. Don’t wait for a problem to occur. Instead, start your well checkups today at your local chiropractors office and avoid the pain and the problems down the road.

Cervical Spine Chiropractic, as the name implies, is chiropractic that focuses on the cervical spine.  The cervical spine is the uppermost region of the spine composed of the top seven vertebrae.  Another, less technical name for the cervical spine is the neck.  So, cervical spine chiropractic is chiropractic that addresses the needs of the neck area.

The seven vertebrae that compose the neck are the smallest vertebrae in your spinal column, and yet they are responsible for supporting and moving your head.  This is no small feat considering the average adult head weighs approximately 12 pounds.  As a result of the demands placed upon it, the neck is more susceptible to wear and injury.

Some things that can lead to neck discomfort or pain include:

Whiplash is the sudden multi-directional jerking of the neck and head.  This can lead to muscle fatigue, pain, and in extreme cases, damage to the joints.

Osteoarthritis is a joint disorder that leads to cartilage degeneration.  This disease can create painful bone spurs.

Spinal stenosis is a compression of the small nerve passageways within the spine.  This can lead to compression and trapping of the nerves, causing pain in the head, neck, spine, and arms.

Degenerative disc disease leads to a loss of the elasticity and length of the disks separating the vertebrae.  This loss can cause painful grinding of the vertebrae.  If left untreated, this can lead to more widespread numbness or pain.

Poor daily habits such as slouching can cause extra stress to the neck area as it attempts to compensate for the lack of support in other areas of the body.

Poor general health such as obesity can cause added stress on the cervical spine by causing a greater demand on the muscles and joints to compensate for the weight.

While it is not a cure all for these issues, cervical spine chiropractic can help alleviate the pain and misalignment associated with these difficulties.

The stress comes from having to deal with the legal portion of the accident – filling out a police report, filing a claim with your insurance company, and dealing with auto repairs.

The painful portion comes from possible injuries. Some accidents cause severe injuries, while others cause less severe, but still painful, injuries. One of the most common injuries sustained in automobile accidents is whiplash.

Most occurrences of whiplash result from rear-end collisions. As the two cars collide, the occupants’ heads are violently “lashed” forward and backward, like a whip.

Whiplash is a painful neck injury that can display a number of painful problems. Herniated discs can occur from whiplash. The vertebrae of the spine have tiny discs in between and whiplash can cause small tears that cause the discs to bulge out. The bulging disc can come into contact with nerve endings and cause a great deal of physical pain in the body.

Joint problems are another possible result of whiplash. The strain on the joints from the impact can leave the joints with less resiliency, making it painful to move.

Some victims of whiplash experience chronic pain in the neck – the pain never goes away and the victim is forced to treat the pain with various medications and treatment.

Even mental problems can occur from whiplash. Some victims have a difficult time concentrating after whiplash.

If you are involved in an automobile accident, especially a rear-end collision, it is important to seek medical attention. You could have whiplash. The sooner you seek treatment, the better your chances are at finding a way to repair the damage and manage any ongoing pain.

Chiropractic treatments are often a good way to treat whiplash injuries, especially those that leave a victim in chronic pain. Your doctor will discuss treatment options and help you decide the best method to relieve your pain.

When you hear the word “chiropractic” what do you think of?

Many people have a misunderstanding of chiropractic therapy. It is not a strange, “voodoo” medicine – it is a proven form of treatment. Before you swear off the unknown based on what you may have heard, examine the facts. Chiropractic treatment provides millions of people with pain management and relief.

The following seven chiropractic myths are just that – myths. Knowing the truth can help you make an informed decision about seeking chiropractic treatment.

1. Chiropractic care is just for your back – Chiropractors treat many sources of pain, including knees, ankles, shoulders, and just about anywhere on your body. Your spine is the center of your entire body; keep it in top shape, and you’ll feel good, from your head to your toes.

2. Treatment hurts – Chiropractic treatment should not be painful. Many patients feel almost immediate relief from each treatment.

3. Treatment is dangerous – Chiropractic care is actually quite safe. While the idea of spinal adjustments might seem frightening, as long as you are being treated by a licensed and experienced chiropractor, you have nothing to worry about.

4. Once you start, you have to continue forever – While preventative care is a good idea, you are not required to continue seeking treatment once your issues are resolved. The best plan is to treat your chiropractor like your doctor or dentist. Schedule follow-up treatments as prescribed, as a preventative form of therapy.

5. Anyone can be a chiropractor – Chiropractors require education, just like a medical doctor. In addition to four years of college, prospective chiropractors then spend another four years in chiropractic school. They also have to acquire hundreds of hours in a clinical setting while they are students.

6. It is too expensive – Chiropractic visits are often much less than the average cost of a visit to a regular physician. And if you focus on wellness, you’ll spend less time in the doctors’ chair for “problems”.

7. It is not a “real” medicine – Many people associate medicine with science and believe chiropractic care does not fall into that category. However, many scientific studies have proven that this form of treatment works. In fact chiropractic is one of the largest expanding fields of medicine – probably because it focuses on keeping you well instead of curing what ails you.

Are you ready for a second look at chiropractic?

Being diagnosed with cancer is a devastating experience. Not only do you have to deal with the emotional effects of the diagnosis, you have to begin dealing with the physical effects of treatment.

Cancer treatment often “takes it all out of you”, leaving you in various forms of pain and discomfort as the treatment fights the cancer. And if the medication from cancer treatment isn’t enough, you also wind up having to put even more medications into your body for pain relief.

Fortunately, many people have discovered that chiropractic care can help alleviate your cancer pain treatment in a natural way.

As cancer treatments start to affect your body, you may find yourself experiencing varying levels of pain in your bones and joints. Your stress level is going to be much higher than normal and, overall, you will probably feel “blah”.

Chiropractic care works by addressing the pain at the source. Chiropractors work by adjusting the bones of the body to relieve pain. And while they start at the source – your spine- ultimately they can help any part of your body experiencing pain, from head to toe.

Chiropractic care is also a proven way to reduce stress levels. When the pain is being addressed and treated and the body is relaxed, stress levels go down. Without the pain, you can begin focusing on taking care of you instead of feeling bad.

It is also a natural alternative to prescription medications, an important fact because many cancer patients want to avoid putting any more chemicals into their already medication-riddled bodies.

Chiropractors focus on treating the body, rather than just loading a patient up with prescription medications. Addressing the source of the pain with a natural approach might just be the relief you are looking for during your battle with cancer. By adding natural chiropractic care to your cancer treatment regimen, you are likely to find yourself in less pain and with reduced levels of stress.

Anytime you have had an ache in your back or your neck, you probably popped a couple of over-the-counter pills and went on your way. If the pills worked, great – if not, you learned how to deal with the gnawing pain.

When you have aches and pains that will not go away, it is probably time for a visit to your chiropractor. A chiropractor can help ease your pain in just a few treatments. What many people do not realize is that, in order for their pain to stay away for good, you need to have ongoing treatment.

Think of your body like a finely tuned machine. In order to stay in the best shape, you have to maintain that machine. Much as you give your car regular maintenance, you have to do the same for your body. Chiropractic care is a great way to get quick relief for pain. It is also a great way to maintain your body and keep the pain at bay.

Your chiropractor may be able to relieve your immediate pain with a few treatments. However, if you stop going as soon as the pain subsides, it is likely that your pain will return. By scheduling regular treatments with your chiropractor, you can keep all of your bones adjusted and free from pain. It is much better to stay pain-free than to have to return in a few months with more intense pain.

The next time you suffer from back or neck pain, pay a visit to your chiropractor. Let him or her give you the pain relief you need to get through the day. Then, once you feel one hundred percent again, keep up the visits. Do not give the pain a chance to return by letting your chiropractor provide ongoing care. Your body will thank you for keeping the pain away instead of letting it return time and time again.

This month, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is working together with chiropractors across the nation to celebrate the ACA’s annual National Chiropractic Health Month. This year the focus is on a growing American problem: overweight/obesity.  Did you know:

• CDC statistics state that more than 60 percent of American adults suffer from being overweight or obese.

• The estimated medical costs of obesity reached $147 billion in 2008.

• According to the Diabetes Prevention Program, the two most effective things you can do to prevent your risk of type 2 diabetes is to lose weight and increase your physical activity.

• Chiropractors can help patients through a drug free, hands on approach to weight loss and healthy living.

Chiropractors can do so much to help patients struggling with weight. They can provide relief from the aches and pains excess weight can cause to the musculature and skeletal support system in the body. They can also provide healthy living suggestions to guide patients on to healthy, long lasting weight loss.

For an overweight individual, losing even ten pounds can provide a drastic decrease in strain for the body’s support systems. A chiropractor can help ease the pains overweight individuals often endure, helping them get back on their feet. By providing greater comfort, encouragement, and education a chiropractor can prove to be a catalyst for change in the lives of those struggling with overweight/obesity.

The reason I got into chiropractic care is because I wanted to concentrate on healthy living, not reacting to problems as they happen. I want to be just as active in my 20’s and 30’s as I will be in my 80’s and 90’s. And that doesn’t happen unless you plan for it as early as possible.

Chiropractic care can help you live pain free.
One of the reasons many of us slow down is because of pain. When a pain starts in your neck or lower back, its automatic to want to avoid pain. And because you feel pain when you’re active, you simply stop doing things that aggravate the problem. Chiropractic care can restore proper function to the joints and areas where you experience pain, giving you back the freedom to do what you love doing.

Chiropractic care can help you live with less stress.
We all have stress in our lives. That’s a fact of life. But sometimes you can have added stress if you can’t sleep well, or don’t feel your best. Restoring your health can give you back peace of mind, and allow you to feel better about yourself.

Chiropractic care can help you change the way you think of western medicine.
What seems healthier to you, doing things naturally, or supplementing with medicines and surgeries? Chiropractic care focuses on wellness, and restoring your body to a healthy condition. I believe many of today’s most common problems are caused by too many surgeries and over medication. Start with the root cause, and work to correct the function that exists within your body.

Only then will you live pain free, stress free, and a more health, balanced life.

Boss to secretary – “What’s my schedule like for today?”

Secretary replies – “You have a 9 o’clock with the attorney, a lunch meeting with Jim, and don’t forget your car accident at 2:30.  Would you like a fender bender or a head on collision?”

The moral of the story is – we don’t plan accidents and surprises.  Wouldn’t it be convenient if we could plan for the unseen before it happened?  It would make our lives much easier.

Guess what?  In a way, you can plan for the unseen (some of the time).

Have you ever said, “I know I need to exercise more and eat better” or “I know I need to schedule regular chiropractic appointments and take better care of myself, I just don’t have the time.”

Sooner or later your body is going to demand you take care of yourself (usually in the form of a disease or pain crisis) and I guarantee it will be less convenient than it would be if you schedule it now.  Imagine throwing serious disease into your already busy schedule – how will you fit it in then?

Instead of waiting for the unexpected, plan for the unforeseen now.  If you do not take care of yourself like you know that you should, it will catch up with you.  It doesn’t take a psychic.

Take the time, be proactive and take charge of your health direction.

You don’t want to start worrying about your health on the day your secretary says, “Don’t forget you have a heart attack scheduled for 3:00.”

image source

• Draws the blueprint and organizes every living organ for your body
• Regulates, directs and controls the body all of the time
• Knows when something is wrong inside of you and how to fix it.
• Rebuilds all tissues, organs, muscles and bones
• Tells you when to sneeze, when to blow your nose, when to go bathroom, when to sweat and when to shiver
• Raises the skin into a blister when the skin is burned
• Heals a broken bone or cut on the skin
• Tells you when to blink your eyes
• Grows your toe nails, fingernails, and hair
• Beats your heart and puts air into your lungs
• Regulates your body temperature
• Tells you when you are tired, thirsty or hungry
• Gets any sick organ or part of the body well
• KEEPS YOU ALIVE!

Your innate intelligence resides in your spine and travels from your brain to your body. If there is an interruption or disturbance to your body’s inborn wisdom, odds are you are Subluxated.

SUBLUXATION is a condition that occurs when the top two vertebrae in your spine misalign causing the messages from the brain to the body to become distorted due to the pressure placed upon the Brainstem.

Living in this state, your body is breaking down and beginning to malfunction.  The longer you live in this state, the weaker the body becomes.  Sickness and/or disease will eventually ensue.

Call today for a spinal scan and evaluation to see if you have a Subluxation.
It may just change your life!

image source