Neck Pain

The neck, or cervical spine, works harder than most people realize. It powers nearly every movement you make, and when it’s injured, even the simplest tasks, like driving or picking up a child, can become a challenge.

Dr. Alexander has the training, experience, and certifications to accurately diagnose and treat neck pain, getting you back to the life you love with no downtime or reliance on medication.

 

Some of the patients who visit our Lawrenceville chiropractic clinic are experiencing one or more of the following symptoms:

• Loss of range of motion in the neck or neck stiffness
• Inability to turn the head without pain
• Sleepless nights due to uncomfortable neck positioning 
• Neck pain when working at a desk or on a computer 
• Ongoing neck tension felt even while not in motion
• Headaches due to neck pain
• Numbness, weakness, or tingling down the arm

 

We’ve partnered with numerous patients to ensure they get the best possible treatments for their neck pain, and we’re confident we can help you, too.

Why Does My Neck Hurt?

Neck discomfort can come on suddenly after an accident or worsen over time due to lifestyle, habits, and even your unique structure. 

For those who have neck pain, chiropractic may be the perfect option for care. Chiropractic is noninvasive and natural, working with your body to heal, recover, and strengthen. The techniques used are gentle enough for the most vulnerable patients, making it a great first line of defense. 

Neck pain has numerous causes, and many aren’t avoidable.

 

Some include:

 

Acute or Sudden Neck Pain

• Long hours at a computer, especially if there are poor workspace ergonomics
• Using poor posture
• Jerking or twisting your neck while exercising or doing other activities
• Mental stress that causes muscle tightness or spasms
• Sleeping in the wrong position
• A surgery
• A traumatic event, such as an auto accident 

 

Lifestyle Choices

• Regularly carrying a heavy bag or child on one side
• Looking down while using your handheld device for extended periods, often referred to as text neck
• Lying on a sofa with your head propped up, watching TV or reading
• Playing sports or working out regularly 
• Repetitive activity often due to sports, occupation, and hobbies
• Being sedentary or sitting at a desk regularly
• Natural wear and tear 

 

All of these can result in muscle and tendon strain, which may lead to a soft-tissue injury and pull the vertebrae of your neck out of proper alignment. When this happens, the vertebra can press on surrounding nerves, causing pain.

 

A Traumatic Event

• Whiplash caused by an auto accident, sports accident, or falls
• A sports-related injury
• A hard slip or fall
• A physical altercation 

 

These types of traumatic injuries can throw the vertebrae of your neck out of alignment, as well as cause damage to the muscles, tendons, and nerves of your neck.

 

Chronic Neck Pain

• Bone spurs
• Herniated or bulging disc
• Degenerative disc disease 
• Pinched nerve

 

These are injuries that occur over time and can contribute to chronic neck pain. This type of neck pain can typically be resolved or managed through chiropractic therapy and, in some cases, lifestyle changes.

How Does Chiropractic Care Help Relieve Neck Pain?

Your neck does a lot, and when it hurts, your whole body feels it. Neck pain is your body’s signal that something’s off, whether it’s misaligned joints, strained muscles, or overworked ligaments that have thrown your balance out of sync.

But relief can come safely and quickly. Dr. Alexander will assess your situation and get to the root of the problem, using targeted neck adjustments, stretching techniques, and other natural solutions that encourage neck strength, reduce pain, and help prevent it from coming back.

 

Our Safe, Effective Treatments for Neck Pain

Whole Life Health & Chiropractic Center offers a variety of treatments to ensure your neck pain is responsibly cared for. Our techniques are comprehensive and conservative.

 

Chiropractic Adjustments

If a vertebra in the neck is out of position, pressing on a nerve and causing pain, chiropractic adjustments are used to move the affected vertebra back to its correct position and relieve pressure on surrounding nerves and muscles. This improves the spinal movement and your body’s overall function.

Adjustments, performed either manually or with a specially designed instrument, use gentle force at specific points on the spine to realign out-of-place vertebrae. Dr. Alexander is highly skilled and experienced at both manual and instrument adjusting using an Activator or Arthrostim instrument.

 

Cervical Traction & Decompression Therapy 

Cervical traction and decompression therapy involve light stretching of the neck. This helps create space between the vertebrae, keeping the spinal discs healthy. It can also open the spaces where nerves exit the spinal canal, helping relieve pressure on a compressed nerve.

 

Ice Therapy (Cryotherapy)

Muscle spasms and inflammation are common contributors to neck pain. Ice therapy may be recommended to help reduce inflammation and provide temporary relief by numbing painful areas and relaxing muscle spasms.  

 

Low Light Laser Therapy 

Low-light laser therapy helps increase blood flow and stimulate healing cell activity by delivering specific light energy into cells’ mitochondria. This cell activity helps accelerate the healing of damaged tissues, reduce pain and inflammation, and improve joint mobility.

 

Ultrasound Therapy 

Ultrasound, using high-frequency sound waves, is a therapeutic treatment that creates a heat response in compromised tissues deep within the body. This heat response increases blood flow, relaxes muscle spasms, and speeds the healing process of damaged tissues.

 

Therapeutic Massage

Either gentle Swedish massage or neuromuscular massage can be used to relax tight or spasming neck and shoulder muscles, helping relieve pain and prevent muscles from pulling against the vertebrae of the neck.

 

Exercises & Stretches to Treat Neck Pain

The right exercises and stretches can work wonders for neck pain, but technique matters. Our team will walk you through exactly what to do and how to do it, so you get results without risking further injury. Recovery is a team effort, and we’re with you every step of the way. 

 

Other Treatments Offered

• Auto injury care  
• Allergy treatments
• Nutrition guidance 

When to See a Chiropractor for Neck Pain

• If you experience neck pain after exercising, sleeping, working long hours, engaging in sports activities, or other activities that haven’t gotten better with rest and ice
• If you experience sudden or extreme neck pain that restricts your ability to move or do certain activities
• If you experience pain, numbness, weakness, or tingling in your shoulder or down your arm
• If you have been experiencing chronic or severe neck pain for over a month
• If you have been involved in an automobile accident, even a minor fender bender

Our Process

To help determine the cause of your neck pain, Dr. Alexander will do a complete chiropractic and orthopedic exam, often including an X-ray. Once we pinpoint the cause of your pain, we’ll recommend a uniquely designed treatment plan to help correct the problem.

If your neck pain is acute or due to lifestyle factors, your care plan may recommend therapies such as chiropractic adjustments, short-term ice therapy, and stretching and strengthening exercises. 

Your healing process is a joint effort between you and Dr. Alexander. He’ll learn about you and your routine and make strategic suggestions to help you avoid future problems. 

You may get advice on things such as: 

• How to improve your desk ergonomics
• Why you should balance heavy bags by carrying them with the strap across your chest rather than on one shoulder
• How to optimize your TV-watching position
• Stretches and exercises that target the neck
• Ways to enhance your posture, lifting technique, sleeping positions, and more

For more complex causes, such as a whiplash, bulging disc, disc degeneration, arthritis, nerve damage, or congenital issues, additional therapies, along with a series of chiropractic adjustments, would be part of a recommended care plan.