Chiropractic and Neck Pain
- Posted on: Apr 23 2018
A quick review of he Neuroanatomy will be helpful for this topic. There are 24 freely movable vertebrae in the Human Spinal column. 7 Cervical, 12 Thoracic or Dorsal, 5 Lumbar and Sacrum and Coccyx. If a vertebra misaligns or subluxates in the neck it may cause some or all the following symptoms. If a Cervical vertebra misaligns and irritates a spinal nerve root a patient might experience neck spasms and cause pain at the level involved. If the misalignment is in the upper Cervical Region C-1, C-2 or C-3, it may irritate the involved spinal nerve roots and may cause headaches as well as neck pain. If the misalignment is in the lower Cervical Region C-4, C-5, C-6, or C-7 it may irritate the spinal nerve root at that level and may cause neck pain as well as shoulder and arm pain or numbness, tingling or weakness at the level or levels involved. Please note with all spinal misalignments the involved level or levels are stuck or fixated in an improper position. The nerves in the Cervical region from C-4 through T-1 compose the Brachial Plexus. The significance of this anatomical fact is these nerves control the arms’ strength and sensation of the skin. A Chiropractor detects subluxations by examination of the position of the vertebra by static and motion palpation compared to the vertebra below. The Chiropractor may often perform a Physical, Orthopedic, and Neurological Examination which entails range of motion measurements of the Cervical spine and related extremity, Orthopedic testing, deep tendon reflexes, sensory testing, muscle strength testing and pulse and blood pressure measurements.
The Chiropractor may correct the Cervical Subluxation with his hands or a mechanical adjusting instrument. In addition to the adjustment or manipulation the Chiropractor may perform adjunctive modalities such as heat, ice, myofascial release, electric stimulation, ultrasound or Acupuncture.
Posted in: Neck
