Neck and Back Pain
Back and neck pain are the most common reason people come into our office. There are many causes of pain in the back or neck. The first objective in treating your pain is to determine the source of the pain. Pain can originate in the joints, nerves, muscles, tendons, ligaments or in some cases referred from an organ. After determining the source of the pain we seek out the cause of the pain. The underlying cause of the pain can range from the obvious to the obscure and uncommon. Overuse of a body part is frequently the cause of pain. Excessive stress, either physical or emotional are often factors. Injuries from falls, lifting or stretching tissues beyond their limits are common as well. Less common factors include underlying disease, malnutrition and disease or dysfunction in an organ which refers pain to the back or neck. The success of treatment is dependent upon properly determining the source of pain and the cause of the pain.
Postural Stress
The most frequent reason for people seeking treatment in our office is neck pain with pain across the shoulders and into the mid-back. The vast majority of people today spend at least some portion of their workday sitting at a computer. Almost no one maintains proper posture while working on their computer. There are many reasons for this physically stressful posture we put ourselves into. Most work stations are poorly constructed with the desk top too high and the monitor too low. We typically wind up in posture with our shoulders and head forward and the normal curve in our low back unsupported. Our bodies can overcome this stress for a while but will eventually begin to have symptoms. We generally first notice a dull aching pain between the shoulder blades which over time spreads up the back into the neck and across the shoulders. This often progresses to frequent headaches and frequently we begin to experience our hands "falling asleep". These symptoms occur because we develop a muscular imbalance in response to the postural stress. The muscles on the front of the body become too strong for the muscles of the mid back to counteract. These changes lead to postural changes even when we are not at the computer and increases the stress on the body. The imbalances cause muscles to ache and develop trigger points, the vertebrae begin to lose the full normal movement, the nerves from the spine become irritated and the stronger muscles in the chest cause the normal space for nerves and arteries to pass into the arms to be compromised. These problems lead to the back pain, neck pain, headaches and tingling in the hands. You may experience some or all of these symptoms. We address this type of problem by restoring normal motion in the vertebrae with specific chiropractic adjustments which helps remove the irritation, We work on the tight muscles with manual myofascial techniques and therapy modalities. We work to correct the imbalance with specifically targeted exercises and counselling to improve working posture. Overuse
Overuse can be as simple as working a body part too hard and experiencing aching pain which resolves with rest. It can also be as persistent and debilitating as conditions such as carpal tunnel. Overuse is as simple as it sounds. You use a body part too hard, too long or both and develop pain. We do not see people in our office whose overuse pain resolves with rest. We see people who either have overuse problems from multiple episodes of too much use or one episode of extreme overuse which do not resolve with rest. Overuse causes a breakdown of muscle fibers leading to pain and usually tight muscles. This mechanism when controlled is exercise and causes muscles to strengthen and grow. When not controlled it causes pain and an alteration of spinal biomechanics, which is the normal proper movement of the musculoskeletal system. This altered movement leads to increased stress on the body and irritation of nerves and muscles which increases the pain level and/or causes it to spread to other areas. Treating overuse problems includes restoring proper biomechanics with specific Chiropractic adjustments which removes a source of irritation and calming and relaxing the irritated muscle tissue with therapeutic modalities. To achieve success we must also address the overuse. This can be done by changing or decreasing the activity, by strengthening to body to tolerate the activity or a combination of both. |
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Injuries
Injuries to the neck or back happen frequently. Proper assessment is vital to successful treatment. Proper diagnosis must be done before treating any condition which includes a history and examination. There is more detail of our approach on the Home page. An important factor when treating injuries is the fact that one or more types of tissue are damaged. Tissues heal at different rates and we cannot make it heal faster than it is capable. Most injuries with bone being an obvious exception need to have movement during the healing time. Muscles, tendons and ligaments are connective tissue and are composed of fibers. These fibers can be thought of much like a rope. When these tissues are injured some of the fibers tear much like a fraying rope, not like a sheet of paper. At the injured site there is bleeding and an influx of platelets to stop the bleeding. Skin is connective tissue and you have seen this process in the formation of a scab. Fibrous tissue begins to develop and bridge gaps in the tear. This process is done in all directions around the injury and can be thought of like a crosshatch. The fibers of the injured tissue all run in the same direction. It is important to maintain movement during the healing phase so that any fibers not running parallel to the injured tissue break off and are reabsorbed by the body. The end result when movement is maintained is a small strong scar. Scar tissue is very strong but is not as elastic as the normal tissue. This means that you want a small scar with the fibers running with the normal tissue so that you maintain as much function as possible when healing is complete. These injuries behave just like injuries to larger joints but we cannot see them like we can a sprained ankle. The injury and healing are the same. There is the acute phase with inflammation like the swollen bruised looking ankle. The healing phase with reduced swelling, pain and weakness and the rehabilitation phase when the area must be restrengthened. Our job is to get you through this process as quickly as possible and end up as close to preinjury status as we can. Stress
Emotional stress is quite often a contributing and complicating factor in neck and back pain. We all have experienced or seen others on those days when we feel like our shoulders are up around our ears. Stress suppresses the immune system. Back pain was at one time the leading cause of depression in the United States. Reducing or eliminating pain can be very helpful in reducing stress. Since no one has come up with a cure for stress each individual must develop healthy ways to cope with stress. The more common coping mechanisms include prayer, exercise, quiet time, fellowship with people you enjoy and many others. |