How Good Posture Can Help Neck Pain and Headaches
Our pillow, bed, or sleep position is not always responsible for our stiff and painful neck when we get up in the morning. We also try to figure out what is taking place when we move our neck suddenly and feel a sharp pain that feels as if something has suddenly slipped out of position or is pinching a “nerve.” It is helpful to understand that most neck problems are hardly ever caused by a single incident, but instead by the cumulative effects of unsuitable sitting posture, poor work and living habits, lack of suitable exercise and flexibility, and other lifestyle-related factors. Obviously, some neck misalignments are due to traumatic events such as a whiplash accident, a fall, or a sports injury.
In order to understand neck pain, it is helpful to understand the anatomy of the spine. The movement of the spine is directed by neck vertebrae that are made of posterior joints, called facets, that link vertebrae to one another. Inter-vertebral discs, composed of strong cartilage, link the “bodies” of the vertebrae. This dense cartilage encases the nucleus, a soft material in the center of the inter-vertebral discs. The primary function of the disc is as a shock absorber and spacer between the vertebrae. In a canal found between the body and the facets of the vertebrae is the spinal cord. Spinal nerves exit the spine between the vertebrae and provide energy to muscles and organs of the body. Additionally, they carry sensory impulses, including pain information, from the body to the brain. The nerves that leave from the neck are responsible for the entire upper extremity including the shoulder, elbow and hand, as well as structures of the head and neck. The neck has a natural forward curve when viewed from the side that helps appropriately balance the weight of the head, as well as to decrease stress on the neck joints. For more information please feel free to visit your Colorado Springs Chiropractor.
Risk Factors: Neck Pain and Computer Use
Computer use has risen dramatically over the years, at home and in the workplace. Nowadays, a large number of people spend eight to ten hours a day, or more, bent over a keyboard and staring at a monitor. Sitting with the head in a forward bent position (the posture most computer users assume), puts immense strain on neck ligaments and muscles. In addition, the normal forward curve of the neck becomes reversed creating more stress upon all the surrounding tissues of the neck. All of this can lead to spinal problems including disc herniation and subluxations, which are the primary causes of spinal nerve inflammation. In addition to general pain, spinal nerve inflammation in the neck can generate symptoms such as headaches, eye problems, giddiness, arm and hand pain (and paraesthesia), as well as shoulder pain.
Headaches and Chiropractic Care
Headaches or migraines are usually associated with dysfunction of the cervical spine. When the cervical vertebrae lose their normal position or motion, sensitive nerves and blood vessels that are associated with structures in the head are stretched or inflamed thus causing symptoms from a dull ache to throbbing pain. In many instances the tight knots in the muscles of the neck, called trigger points, can also refer pain to the head. Many other factors are connected with headaches such as toxic fumes, certain foods, additives such as MSG, alcohol, caffeine, and stress. Nevertheless, the alignment of the neck and the irritation of surrounding tissues should be a foremost consideration when treating headaches and migraines. Chiropractic care has been shown to extremely beneficial in the treatment of headaches. Your Colorado Springs Chiropractor can give you further information regarding treatment and pain relief.
Whiplash and Chiropractic Care
Many people are involved in car accidents. Rear-end collisions are the most common. During such an accident, the passenger in the front automobile gets his or her head powerfully jolted backward and then forward causing harm to the structures of the back and front of the neck. Such a powerful force can cause trauma to the ligaments, muscles, facet joints, discs, and spinal nerves. Along with neck pain and immobility, symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vertigo, arm and shoulder pain, tingling in the hands and fingers and weakness of the arm and hand are coincidental with whiplash injury. It is vital to get immediate evaluation and x-rays to rule out the possibility of fracture. However in most cases, the injuries are principally to the soft tissues and joints. Proper care is vital in rehabilitation from the pain and symptoms of whiplash, and also to prevent future disability. Your Colorado Springs Chiropractor is extremely knowledgeable in the area of whiplash injury, and is more than capable of managing the case from injury to recovery.
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Tags: chiropractic care, headache, neck pain, whiplash
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