What causes neck pain?
Neck pain is one of the most common complaints of chiropractic patients. With long work hours hunched over a computer, hours in the car hunched over the steering wheel, and other prolonged, uncomfortable positions, the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in your neck can become painful and strained.
There are many specific causes of neck pain because there are many components in your neck holding its structure. They all work together to hold your head up when you’re sitting or standing. Some possible causes of neck pain include:
- Muscle strain
- Whiplash (an injury from sudden jerking, common in car accidents)
- Bulging or herniated disc
- Arthritis
- Pinched nerve
- Spinal stenosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Degenerative disc disease
Neck pain isn’t always isolated to your neck. It can spread into your shoulders or your head. It might come with other symptoms like stiffness, trouble swallowing, dizziness, and other problems that you should report to the team at 43rd St. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation when you come in for treatment.
How is neck pain treated?
The team at 43rd St. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation offers a variety of non-surgical treatments to ease the pain in your neck. They recommend making an appointment as soon as possible to find the cause and prevent your neck pain from getting worse.
They can help you manage your neck pain and associated symptoms with:
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Physical therapy
- Spinal decompression
- Massage therapy
- Trigger point injections
- Acupuncture
While choosing a treatment, the team might decide to perform an X-ray to look at the bones and muscles in your neck. An X-ray image can help them find an injury whether or not you’re aware you have one. They use your diagnosis to determine the best course of treatment for your pain.
How can I prevent neck pain in the future?
You can’t always predict or prevent injuries and illnesses leading to neck pain. However, the team at 43rd St. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation can give you instructions to follow to minimize your chances of redeveloping neck pain.
One of the most important steps you can take against neck pain is improving your posture. The team can help you learn to hold your back and your neck in an optimal position while you stand and sit, even while working at a computer and performing other tasks that make it easy to hunch over mindlessly.
It helps to be mindful of how you position your neck while working, doing housework, and even relaxing.
To find out why you feel pain in your neck, call 43rd St. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation or book an appointment online today.
