How Chiropractic Care Helps Neck Pain

Neck pain is one of the most common complaints people experience, often ranging from mild aching to persistent discomfort. Understanding its causes and exploring effective solutions can make a significant difference in improving quality of life.

Like all pain, neck pain is complex & multifaceted, involving not just physical but also psychological and social factors. This is why it is important to not only look at physical stressors or stimuli. Emotional & social drivers are extremely important to consider when dealing with neck pain. A few common drivers can be financial pressures, work stress, issues with family or friends to name a few. There are many many more factors that can contribute to the pain you experience and that is why it is important to consider solutions that might be more broad or unrelated on the surface. This interconnectedness means treating neck pain requires a holistic approach which is crucial to improving pain and maintaining a pain free state.

The 3 most common factors that I see in the contribute to neck pain, including:

  • Overuse: Overuses or prolonged loading of one area of the body can focus stress into one area of the body more than another. This can increase demands and can contribute to the onset of pain.

  • Stress and Tension: Emotional stress can lead to muscle tightness in the neck and shoulders. It is a common place people keep tense and “hold tension” which essentially translates to not allowing the body to relax.

  • Inactivity: A sedentary lifestyle is one of the most prevalent contributing factors. An increase in sedentary time is linked to many health conditions, including neck pain. The more active you can be during the day the more likely you will be to reduce pain. Activity doesn’t mean exercise, it means being on your feet, moving around, taking the stairs instead of the escalators etc.

Chiropractic care provides a comprehensive approach to managing neck pain, focusing on restoring function and alleviating discomfort, improving “relaxability” of the neck & shoulder complex, and improving mobility. This is usually achieved by a mixture of manual adjustments or mobilisations, soft tissue releases, ancillary techniques like cupping or dry needling, & exercise/rehab. Utilising a variety of techniques is great but utilising what is relevant to you is vital to gaining improvements. Some of the benefits usually experienced from chiropractic care are:

  • Pain Reduction: relief through adjustments, soft tissue work, & ancillary therapies.

  • Improved Mobility: Enhanced neck and upper body movement through exercise.

  • Prevention of Future Pain: Through education on lifestyle, exercises, management strategies.

  • Holistic Approach: We try to address the root causes allowing for you to better understand why it is happening which will enable you to better self manage any future episodes of pain.

To get yourself started here are three simple exercises you can do at home to help any general aching pain you may have in the neck. 

1. Chin Tucks

2. Half kneeling rib cage rotation

  • Watch the link for how to perform - Click here to watch

  • Complete 3 sets of 10-20 reps per side.

3. Neck rolls

  • Watch the link for how to perform - Click here to watch

  • Complete 2 sets of 3-5 laps in each direction

If you’re struggling with neck pain, chiropractic care offers an effective, holistic solution. By addressing physical, emotional, & social factors that may be contributing to your discomfort, you can be the master of your neck pain!