The Common Condition Triggering Your Stubborn Neck Pain
At Chiropractic & Sports Health, we treat a lot of neck pain and headaches. When a new patient comes in with these types of complaints, one of our first questions is “what initially triggered the problem?”. It’s an important piece of history to know, but unfortunately, most people don’t know the answer. In reality, many cases of chronic neck pain and headaches develop gradually and are rooting in our lifestyle. Over time, the changes that occur to our bodies slowly begins to trigger stiffness and persistent pain.
One amazing feature of our bodies is that they adapt to the stresses around them and change according to those demands. This can be for the better (developing muscle strength from lifting weights) or for the worse (gaining weight when we consume excessive calories). Our bodies will also shift and mold into the positions that we spend more time in. Take a look at the photo at the top of this article. The woman in the picture is looking down at her phone and leaning forward. That general position is one that many people adopt for hours each day. The most popular example of this is the worker who spends their day at the computer. Over time, positions like this will lead to something called Upper Crossed Syndrome, which is linked to many types of chronic pain.
Upper Crossed Syndrome is really just a fancy name for the postural shift and muscle imbalance that results in neck pain, upper back pain, and headaches. The shifts in posture display a forward shift in the head and shoulders, as well as a hunching forward in the upper back. The joints in the neck and upper back become restricted in their movement, the muscles around them tighten, and the slouchy posture gradually worsens. As this position worsens, pain has the ability to gradually increase and even has the ability to accelerate arthritic change in the neck!
The good news is that Upper Crossed Syndrome is a reversible process and pain relief can be achieved. That being said, it takes consistent work and patience to progressively improve. At our office, we combine various therapies to reduce pain and improve function, allowing for lasting results. These therapies include:
Spinal manipulation to improve the movement of restricted joints in the neck and upper back.
Muscle therapies to loosen the tighter muscles.
Exercise therapies to help strengthen the weaker muscles associated with this condition.
We find that the combination of these three therapies has proven very effective in correcting the postural changes associated with Upper Crossed Syndrome and progressively reduces persistent pain associated with it. Of course, individuals who are more diligent with their treatments and self care tend to get the best results. The bottom line is this: If you are suffering from chronic neck pain or headaches, there’s a good chance this is the underlying cause! The first step is to have your problem examined to determine if this type of treatment is right for you. As always, comment below or reach out to us if you have questions!
Dr Rob Liguori
