Moderate and acute neck pain is one of the most frequent reasons for trips to primary care doctors, prompting millions of visits every year. The neck (cervical spine) is composed of vertebrae that begin in the upper torso and end at the base of the skull. The bony vertebrae along with the ligaments (which are comparable to thick rubber bands) provide stability to the spine. The muscles allow for support and motion. The neck has a significant amount of motion and supports the weight of the head. However, because it is less protected than the rest of the spine, the neck can be vulnerable to injury and disorders that produce pain and restrict motion.
Given the vast components of your neck, any number of activities or accidents can trigger a need for chiropractic care. For example, whiplash, also called neck sprain or neck strain, is an injury to the soft tissues of the neck. It is usually caused by sudden extension (backward movement of the neck) and flexion (forward movement of the neck). This type of injury is often the result of rear-end car crashes. A stinger, on the other hand, is an injury that occurs when the head or neck is hit to one side, causing the shoulder to be pulled in the opposite direction. A side collision of this type causes immediate and intense pain, as well as a tingling or burning sensation in the neck that runs down the arm to the fingers.
The Good News for Neck Pain
Numerous studies conducted by the medical community in the past decade have demonstrated chiropractic’s effectiveness at treating neck pain. A recent blog post from ABC News also concurred this, pointing out that a new study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine concluded chiropractic was the better avenue for pain relief than medication. “Doesn’t surprise me a bit,” Dr. Lee Green, professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan told ABC News. “Neck pain is a mechanical problem, and it makes sense that mechanical treatment works better than a chemical one.” This is good news for neck pain sufferers.
In addition to their limited pain relief, medications had at least one other downside: people kept taking them. “The people in the medication group kept on using a higher amount of medication more frequently throughout the follow-up period, up to a year later,” said Dr. Gert Bronfort, an author of the study and research professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota. “If you’re taking medication over a long time, then we’re running into more systemic side effects like gastrointestinal problems.” Even more troubling than a prolonged dependence on medications, a publication by Gary Null, PhD reports that of the 783,936 annual deaths due to conventional medical mistakes, about 106,000 are from prescription drugs.
Treatment for Neck Pain in Augusta GA
As experienced chiropractors in Augusta GA, Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic has successfully treated various types of neck pain, including text neck, whiplash, torticollis, and brachial plexus stingers. The first step is determining the cause of your neck pain, and once that is determined, treatments can be personalized for your specific neck condition. Feel free to contact us to find out if our customized treatments with an experienced chiropractor in Augusta GA is the right avenue of care for your condition.
The Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic Blog is written by Dr. Mark Huntsman.
Augusta GA Chiropractor Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic provides customized chiropractic care to the Augusta GA, Martinez GA, and Evans GA communities. Visit our main website at www.georgia-clinic.com for customized chiropractic in Augusta GA.
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