Neck pain can be attributed to a number of causative factors, all of them sending important messages to you: “please listen”, and “please visit your chiropractor or medical doctor to figure out what’s causing it”. If you don’t pay attention to this signal of pain, the issue likely worsens, making it even harder to resolve. Your Toronto chiropractor can perform an upper body assessment to figure out which causative factor is setting off your neck pain. These can include one or more of:
Muscle strain brought about by overuse. This can be as simple as correcting bad posture while sitting, being hunched over a steering wheel, or even reading in bed.
Wear and tear of facet joints can cause neck pain. Just as elbows and knees can start to hurt as one ages, so can the joints in one’s neck, leading to osteoarthritis. This takes quite a few years to develop but can be accelerated by traumatic injuries to the neck from previous sports/car accidents.
Nerve compression can be caused when herniated disks or bone spurs in the vertebrae near the neck start pressing down on the nerves along the spinal cord.
An injury as the result of a rear end collision can cause neck pain when the head is jerked forward and then back, resulting in whiplash. This stretches the soft tissues of the neck beyond their limits. Certain sports injuries can cause persistent neck pain as well from a similar mechanism.
Certain diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis or cancer, can also cause neck pain.
Standard treatments available to alleviate neck pain include chiropractic care. After assessing your condition, your Toronto chiropractor can create a customized treatment plan that suits your needs and provides lasting relief. Treatments can include use of the cold laser, acupuncture, soft tissue treatment such as Active Release Techniques, and spinal manipulation if necessary. Massage therapy can also provide relief to spasmodic muscles and relieve underlying tension, and is a great adjunct to chiropractic care.
Our Toronto chiropractor and massage therapists are well versed in understanding the root causes of neck pain.Our main goal is to get you pain free and moving well. For more information, please contact us.