Neck Pain- Gallatin Valley Chiropractic of Bozeman
Most people do not realize how much stress is on their neck, with its great degree of flexibility and support of your 12-14 pound head, coupled with the fact that it has the least amount of muscular stabilization in the spine means that your neck is very susceptible to injury. The spinal cord runs directly through middle opening of vertebrae and sends signals to every muscle, organ, and system of the body. Between each pair of cervical vertebrae, the spinal cord sends out a nerve that runs anywhere from your neck and upper back down to the hands and fingers. This means that if you get pain, numbness, tinging, cold or other symptoms in your hand and arm, it can actually be a problem in your neck! This is often seen by chiropractors and can often mimic and can be confused with carpal tunnel syndrome, which causes a similar pain in the wrist and hand.
Your neck was also created with built-in shock absorbers, including both the intervertebral disc and whats called a cervical lordosis or curve. This curve acts like a spring and absorbs the shock of your head resting on your neck. When your neck loses this lordotic curve, the ligaments of the neck become stretched and lose their ability to maintain the curve. This would resemble the pressure a bowling ball resting on top of a spring versus a bowling ball now on top of a stick. Which do you think causes more pressure? This loss of the lordotic curve can occur from a number of things including an automobile accident, chronic poor posture, or vertebral misalignments left untreated by a chiropractor.
Poor Posture is a very common cause of joint dysfunction in the neck, and can cause problems in the shoulders and upper back as well. This is a very common trend seen in a chiropractic office. Bad postural habits are often the result of poor tendencies such as reading in bed, slouching while sitting or driving, and leaning forward to look at a computer screen. These are causes of poor posture, and each one of them can be corrected by getting adjusted by your chiropractor and learning the proper way to position yourself during day to day activities. One thing to keep in mind with neck posture is to not let your head bend forward or hunch for long periods of time. Also, make sure you get up and walk around every hour to keep motion in the joints if you are sitting in one position for a long time. When you are sitting, make sure your head is in a neutral position and you back is supported, keep your knees slightly lower than your hips, and rest your arms especially if you are working with a keyboard or mouse.
Gallatin Valley Chiropractic of Bozeman
626 S. Ferguson Ave. Suite 4
Bozeman, MT 59718