Neck Pain, Headaches and Migraines
Are you experiencing neck pain? It is important to find the right chiropractor for YOU. We want to help bring you relief. With neck pain, even the simplest type of movements can be excruciatingly difficult. Neck pain can cause build of discomfort in other areas of the body including the neck, head, arms, shoulders, and back. It can lead to headaches and immobility. Immobility caused by neck pain can lead to muscle weakness and degeneration over time. Our doctors' goal as Shawnee chiropractors and Cheney chiropractors is to understand the root of your neck pain and discomfort. Then develop a treatment plan that provides the necessary step towards healing and recovery. Our goals is to create treatments that are the most effective in both short and long-term recovery.
Neck Pain
You are not alone if you're dealing with neck pain. Unfortunately, many people suffer with neck pain and never get the care they need. Most are hopeful that it will "go away on it's own." Or, they think the pain is present because "they are getting old." This does not have to be the case. Dr. Amanda Wappelhorst, D.C. and Dr. Alissa Gould, D.C. are a trained chiropractors in Shawnee, KS and Cheney, KS. The are specifically trained to help reduced your pain and dysfunction. They will provide you the tools you need to help give you relief at home.
Our Cheney and Shawnee chiropractors are trained in the use of a variety of diagnostic tools which give them the ability to locate the source of neck pain. This comes as a great advantage when treating neck condition.
Causes
The neck, or cervical spine, is a specific region of your body. It's job is to hold up your head. The average weight of a human head is 11lbs. That is pretty heavy. The small vertebrae of the neck allow for a lot of mobility including flexion, extension, rotation, and lateral bending of the cervical spine.
The small size and mobility of the neck can an make the cervical spine more vulnerable to injury and pain. Some of the causes of neck pain include:
- Trauma, such as whiplash
- Sleeping position
- Poor posture
- Repetitive stress
- Abnormalities in the bone structure
- Joint issues
- Muscle strains and pulls
"Which came first? The Chicken or The Egg?"
Which came first, misalignment or muscle dysfunction?
The truth is, both.
Misalignment:
This can be the source of pain and dysfunction. When the spine is misaligned, the nerves become irritated due to reduced space and blood flow. This can cause further tension and other systemic problems down the chain.
Have your heard of a pinch nerve? Nerve dysfunction or injury can hyper-facilitate a muscle i.e. create muscle spasm. A nerve can also hypo-facilitate a muscle, i.e. create muscle weakness or flaccidness. Every nerve in the body has its root in the spinal column.
An issues starting from the neck can majorly impact other areas of the body.
Muscle dysfunction or spasm:
Muscles are used to create an action for a joint. For example, the bicep of the upper arm contracts to create flexion of the elbow. When a muscle is injured it protects itself by tightening, similar to a "splint-like mechanism." The tightening of a muscle, will pull on it's attachment points. These attachment points are usually passing a joints. The pull then shifts the joint "out of alignment," which then can irritate a nerve due to lack of space and blood flow. This can cause symptoms like neck pain.
Many people let neck problems go uncorrected in Shawnee. They hope that if they wait long enough the pain will simply go away. In some cases, it will go away, but the misalignment or muscle dysfunction that caused the problem is usually still there. Over time, that area can become aggravated, and the pain can return. If the problem is not corrected it can become much more serious. Some patients let things go to long to the point where surgery may be the only option.
Symptoms of Neck Pain Can Include
Symptoms of Neck Pain Can Include
Decreased range of motion or mobility
Sharp pin point pain
Headaches
Migraines
Fatigue
Numbness or tingling into the arm or hand
Muscle spasms
TMJ dysfunction
Poor sleep
Anxiety / stress
Treatment:
The kind of treatment for headaches will depend on what is causing the headaches. Our chiropractors work diligently to find the source of your headaches to help you to overcome them. Each year millions of dollars are spent treating headaches with aspirin and other drugs. While this may help in some cases, it is often not treating the cause of the problem. Chiropractors are able to work at the source of the problem, which can help you prevent the need for headache medications.
Chiropractic treatment is a holistic practice that addresses the structural cause that leads to the majority neck pain. Following a thorough chiropractic assessment aimed at ruling out other issues and finding the exact source of the problem, a personalized recovery plan is developed. Gentle adjustments to the spine can bring instant relief and restore long term health to the neck and the entire body.
Don't suffer with headaches and migraine. Dr. Alissa Gould, at All Spine Chiropractic and Wellness, LLC will help you understand the cause of your condition and the treatment necessary to fix it. Feel free to call and ask any questions that you may have.
Our Additional Therapies
Additional chiropractic therapies are used along with the chiropractic adjustment to increased blood flow, improved range of motion (ROM), reduce muscle tension, stimulate lymphatics, and create relaxation. These therapies help provide relaxation and comfort for joint manipulation or the chiropractic adjustment.
Dry Needling
Dry needling is a trigger point therapy that is used to treat pain and movement impairments. The technique uses a "dry" needle, one without medication or injection, inserted through the skin into areas of the muscle.
Myofascial Release Therapy
(MFR) is useful for treating skeletal muscle immobility and pain by relaxing contracted muscles, improving blood and lymphatic circulation, and stimulating the stretch reflex in muscles
Soft-Tissue Instrument-Assisted Mobilization
(IASTM) is a myofascial intervention used for soft-tissue treatment. The stainless-steel Instruments effectively break down fascial restrictions and scar tissue.
Cupping Therapy
Cupping is performed to dispel stagnation (stagnant blood and lymph), thereby improving tissue healing potential.
Electric Muscle Stimulation Therapy
(EMS) or E-stim is a type of therapy modality that applies an electrical current to help fatigue or strengthen muscles, block pain signals, and improve blood circulation.
Therapeutic Ultrasound
Ultrasound therapy is used to increase blood flow of the treatment area. Decreases pain by reducing swelling and edema. Softens and breaks down scar tissue with gentle massage of muscle tendons and/ or ligaments.
Traction/
Decompression Therapy
Spinal Decompression Therapy helps reduce of pressure on the spinal and discs which can compress on one or more nerve roots passing through or exiting the spinal column.
Roller Traction Therapy
Intersegmental traction also known as a Roller table is a therapy that helps by relaxing spinal muscles and reducing the muscle spasms.
