Neck pain: What can I do to avoid it?

How bad is your neck pain?

Neck pain can affect individuals differently; if you are typical, some days your neck pain is mild, while on others you can barely move your neck. That is because we often fail to see neck pain as a sign of something being wrong. Most patients who visit their chiropractor for neck pain wish that they had gone sooner. For so long, they saw their neck pain as a minor inconvenience that would go away in a day or so. Sometimes neck pain will go away in a day or so, but if it keeps returning every few days, this is a sign that your problem may be chronic and needs to be treated. Our neck is comprised of a collection of bones, muscles, nerves, and connective tissue that form the passageway through which our spinal cord passes to connect to the brain. If you experience pain in your neck and shoulders, it is crucial that you discover the cause, and get the proper treatment.

Tips to prevent neck pain?

Your chiropractor works closely with you to help relieve painful neck conditions. Consider the following helpful suggestions:

• Avoid sleeping on your stomach. Sleeping in this position abnormally stretches and twists the neck muscles. It can also cause misalignment of the cervical spine
• When you stack pillows under your head and neck, this places extra stress on the cervical spine and shoulders.
• Try to sleep with your spine in its natural “neutral”
• You should never watch TV or read while lying down. This places a lot of pressure on the neck muscles, making them susceptible to strain.
• It is advisable that you change positions often when working on projects that require you to bend or twist your neck for long periods or repetitively.
• Avoid the use of single straps on purses, backpacks, and bags with a shoulder strap. The unbalanced, uneven distribution of the weight will pull on your neck and pinch nerves that control the shoulders, arms, and hands.
• Visit your Charlotte chiropractor at least once a year to assess your spinal health.

Are you injured and need treatment for neck pain?

If you are suffering from shoulder or neck pain and you are looking for the natural, non-invasive treatment that chiropractic clinics offer, consider one of the top chiropractic clinics in the Charlotte area. In addition to gentle adjustments, you can expect supplemental therapies such as the application of heat or cold, electrical stimulation, diet counseling, or rehabilitative exercise. Every solution is pain free! ChiroCarolina®, one of Charlotte’s top chiropractic centers, is known all over the South east for providing conservative and effective chiropractic care for the uptown, NoDa, and University area- located conveniently off North Tryon Street.