One common cause of neck pain is as simple as what Dr. Jeff calls “text neck.” If that’s the case, the solution is simple, be aware of how much time you spend looking down at your phone or tablet and try to keep it eye level instead.
But there are plenty of other causes for neck pain too.
Things like whiplash, a slipped disc, or a pinched nerve are painful and relatively common. In rare instances, neck pain can indicate serious diseases like lymphoma.
In a minute, I’ll share more about these but first, let’s think about the structure of your neck so it makes sense WHY it’s so easy to strain it.
Vertebrae are the Building Blocks in Your Neck
As Medicine.net says, “ There are seven vertebrae that are the bony building blocks of the spine in the neck (the cervical vertebrae) that surround the spinal cord and canal. Between these vertebrae are discs, and nearby pass the nerves of the neck. Within the neck, structures include the skin, neck muscles, arteries, veins, lymph nodes, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, esophagus, larynx, and trachea. Diseases or conditions that affect any of these tissues of the neck can lead to neck pain.”
In other words, your neck is strong, yet delicate.
There’s a lot going on with it.
And, your head is heavy.
In fact, did you know that your head weighs an average of 8 pounds? It’s true. It’s no wonder that looking down at a device for extended periods will create neck strain!
Beyond that though, let’s look at some of the other common causes of neck pain.
These are 4 Common Reasons for Neck Pain
Poor Posture – Slumping causes your head to jut forward which puts pressure on your cervical spine (the vertebrae in the neck.) Do this for hours on end, like when you hunch over a computer, and you can see why your neck would hurt.
Poor posture can also create hyperextension because your vertebrae strain too far (for too long) and it creates pain in your upper back.
Spine-health reminds us that “Good posture, as it relates to the neck, is commonly considered when the ears are positioned directly above the shoulders with the chest open and shoulders back. In this neutral position, also called normal head posture, stress on the neck is minimized because the head’s weight is naturally balanced on the cervical spine.”
This is why hours hunched over a computer screen leaves your shoulders and neck tight.
Whiplash – If you’ve been in a car accident, you may have experienced whiplash. The impact of hitting another car (or being hit) is jarring to the body, even if it’s a fender bender.
Whiplash is what we call a sudden impact of your head moving back and forth.
You may feel fine right away, but a few days later, you may feel achy. If you’ve been in an accident, it’s a good idea to have chiropractic treatment as soon as you can to alleviate any potential. It often doesn’t happen right away but a few days after the fact, you may feel achy. If you’ve been in an accident, it’s a good idea to have chiropractic treatment as soon as you can to alleviate any potential problems.
Pinched Nerve Neck Pain – You probably know the expression, “You’re getting on my nerves.” In a way, this comes with some truth to it. While people can’t get on your nerves – not literally – ligaments can and that’s a problem. So can bones and tendons.
With 95 million nerve cells and miles of nerve “traffic” cruising around your body it’s not surprising that ligaments, tendons, or even bones can shift position. This happens when you sit for long periods, when you’re sleeping or if there’s an accident like you fall down a flight of steps. When these get “off track” they put pressure on a nerve and cause you pain.
Degenerative Disc Disease – You’re probably aware that you have discs in your back.
As the doctors at Cedar-Sinai tells us “The discs are like shock absorbers between the bones of the spine and are designed to help the back remain flexible while resisting terrific forces in many different planes of motion.
Each disc has two parts:
1- A firm, tough outer layer, called the anulus fibrosus. The outer portion of this layer contains nerves. If the disc tears in this area, it can become quite painful.
2- A soft, jellylike core, the nucleus pulposus.
This part of the disc contains proteins that can cause the tissues they touch to become swollen and tender. If these proteins leak out to the nerves of the outer layer of the disc, they can cause a great deal of pain.”
These are just four common causes for neck pain. Each of them can be helped with massage therapy and regular chiropractic treatments. Are you ready to book yours? We’re located in Doylestown, on Logan Street across from Central Bucks East High School.
Your body has more than 90 BILLION nerve cells. Each of these carries messages to other parts of your body. Those messages show up as sensations like neck pain or back pain.
If you’re prone to neck pain, you might wonder if you have a pinched nerve.
Like it sounds, it’s pressure on a nerve. Imagine your bones, ligaments, or tendons literally, squeezing your nerve. That nerve pain can send pain radiating through your shoulder or arm. You might find it painful to turn your head from side to side or experience numbness.
The medical term for a pinched nerve in your neck is cervical radiculopathy and symptoms include:
Numbness
Tingling or burning sensation
Muscle weakness
Pain radiating into other areas of your body, for example, a pinched nerve in your neck can cause shoulder or arm pain.
Why would a ligament shift position? There are many reasons, including poor posture, repetitive motions, injury, accident, etc.
As you may know, your body is in a constant state of adjustment. One adjusts for tiny airline seats, your bed, desk chairs, high heels, working at your kitchen table, the list goes on. In fact, virtually everything you do (or wear) requires your body to make some type of adjustment that pulls it out of alignment. Done often enough, you can start feeling like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Even if you don’t feel hunched over, you might still have trouble turning your head without pain.
You could also feel pinched nerve neck pain due to an earlier accident. Scar tissue or even pieces of bone can compress the nerve and an x-ray can show the exact problem. While you wouldn’t want to ignore neck pain, if you did, a pinched nerve could put you at risk for permanent nerve damage and chronic pain.
How Do You Treat a Pinched Nerve in the Neck?
As you know, your body is a complex machine and it may take more than one thing to relieve your pinched nerve neck pain. Here are some ideas for you.
Assess your habits. Do you need a better computer set up? Or a new pillow? As you probably know, the way you sit and sleep will affect your neck. Make sure it’s supported with an ergonomic work area and a supportive pillow.
Have a massage. It loosens up tight muscles and can help relieve the pain.
Chiropractic care can get at the source of the problem and works great in conjunction with massage therapy.
Over the counter NSAIDS like ibuprofen can help reduce pain and swelling
In severe cases, surgery may help.
Some chiropractic patients feel immediate relief from pinched nerve neck pain after one session. As you may know, chiropractors are trained to adjust your body so the ligaments, tendons, and bones find their rightful places, which means they’re no longer pinching your nerves.
At McQuaite Chiropractic in Doylestown, Dr. Jeff McQuaite will x-ray you to find the source of your neck pain and help you map out a treatment plan. You deserve to feel better.
Just about everywhere you look people are staring at their smart phones, iPads, laptops, you name it. But a Doylestown chiropractor says the constant strain on your neck could be causing major damage.
According to Pew Research Institute, more than half of Americans own a smart phone. Then there are all of the laptops, e-readers and tablets. Bottom line: we are looking down a lot.
According to Dr. Jeff McQuaite he often sees patients with aches and pains that turn out to be related to their technology. His neck pain patients said that they were playing on their iPads for hours on end, looking down at a computer seven hours a day at work, texting or responding to emails on their phones and, reading on their Kindles.
“I am seeing it a lot, especially in teenagers and even older patients,” he says. “We’re so into our electronic devices, and what we’re doing is holding the device at chest- or waist-level, and looking down at the device. It’s causing neck muscles to be shortened and tightened, and shoulders to be rounded forward.”
When you’re texting, you’re turning your whole spine forward. While the head is angled forward, the ligaments and tendons in the neck and back become overstretched. This overexertion can lead to an inflammation of the muscles and can cause mild to severe neck and back pain. There are increasing reports of “text neck” causing lower back pain, which is often chronic.
Any kind of neck, shoulder, or back pain requires some sort of attention, he says. You can stretch at home, get a massage see a chiropractor or by simply holding your phone higher when you look at it can make a considerable difference.
You deserve to feel good. If you’re in Doylestown, PA, we can see you at McQuaite Chiropractic and help you feel better.
There’s nothing like a car accident to wreak havoc on your body. This is especially true as you get older. As you likely know, aging bodies’ aren’t as resilient as they once were. This means you might feel the effects of an accident in a way you wouldn’t have when younger.
For example, if you’re in a fender bender, you may think your car got the worst of it and your body is fine. However, it’s pretty common not to feel pain right away. It can take six weeks or more for you to feel the effects of whiplash or to start feeling back pain after an accident.
In fact, one study from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine showed more than 70% of people felt muscle soreness and neck and back pain after an accident even six weeks later.
So, if you were in an accident a few weeks ago and you’re only now starting to feel soreness or pain, that could be connected. Additionally, it makes sense to see a medical professional right away. That way, you can be checked for a concussion or whiplash. Sometimes, it can take weeks for inflammation to set in. That inflammation causes pain and it may be more than a couple of ibuprofen can easily handle.
In fact, this study shows motor vehicle accidents are a big reason people have spinal injuries and seek chiropractic help. Of course, there are a lot of factors that go into injuries – from the type of vehicle to the speed of impact. So, it makes sense to get checked out to make sure you’re ok.
Why Chiropractic Care After a Car Accident Makes Sense
Dr. Jeff McQuaite in Doylestown, Pa. will x-ray you to see if there are any red flags. An x-ray, of course, will show the alignment of your body and where potential problem areas exist. For example, you could damage your neck if you slung it forward and back. Commonly known as whiplash, neck injuries are common after accidents. Or, if an airbag inflated, you might have some internal damage to your organs.
So, having an x-ray is a good idea. Next, Dr. Jeff will give you a treatment plan for your follow up care. He may also recommend a massage to relieve any stiffness.
Even if it was a simple rear-end at a stoplight, the jolt to your body (no matter if you’re on the receiving or not) is traumatic. You don’t want to neglect your health because it can be problematic later.
