Chronic Neck Pain

Everyone knows the expression, “It’s a pain in the neck,” which means that something is annoying.  Well, that expression came from somewhere—literally.  Most people experience neck pain at some point during their lives…and, most of the time it is quite annoying.  Thankfully, only a few people (about 10 per cent) end up with a really bad pain in the neck—chronic neck pain.

Causes of Chronic Neck Pain

There are several causes of neck pain; however, there aren’t many common conditions that cause chronic or severe neck pain.  These are the causes that cause the most severe forms of neck pain:

• Spinal stenosis: This is a narrowing of the spinal canal that compresses the spinal cord that the nerves within it. The pressure on these nerves causes severe neck pain in many cases.
• Spinal disk herniation: Bulging or protruding spinal disks (sometimes called slipped disks), can cause chronic neck pain.
• Spondylosis: This is spinal degeneration and degenerative arthritis which can occur as a person ages.
• Severe degeneration: Degeneration as a result of whiplash accidents or past injuries can cause chronic neck pain.

Chiropractic Treatment for Chronic Neck Pain

No, chiropractors will not “pop” your neck or “twist” it into place.  Regardless of what people may think, this is not what chiropractic doctors do or how they perform treatments.

A chiropractor will first perform a thorough evaluation in order to find out the cause of your neck pain.  He will ask several questions finding out when your neck pain originated and what you have been doing to treat it.  He will want to have a clear picture of your neck pain problem and will even look at your records from other doctors before doing any treatments.

Chronic neck pain treatments at a chiropractor will typically involve some type of spinal manipulations.  Also called spinal adjustments, these manipulations are done in order to increase mobility and decrease pain.  The chiropractor will gently try to realign your spine (including the vertebrae in your neck) in order to help with the chronic pain you are experiencing in your neck.

He may also suggest other forms of alternative treatment.  Acupuncture is commonly suggested for chronic neck pain, for example.  Physical therapy and massage therapy may also be options that your chiropractor recommends.  Ultrasound and electronic stimulation therapy are sometimes used for patients with chronic neck pain as well.  Your chiropractor will determine what is best on a case-by-case basis.