Neck complaints

Did you know that almost 2 out of 3 people sometimes suffer from neck complaints? If you suffer from your neck, you are certainly not the only one

The cause of neck pain especially with long-term neck pain it is often a combination of factors. The pain in the neck is usually caused by imbalances in the muscles, joints and ligaments.

Commonly, many neck complaints develop due to our more sedentary lifestyle. Maybe you’ve heard of a ‘text neck’. These types of terms refer to complaints of the neck, shoulder and arm that are caused by looking hunched over for a long time at a tablet or mobile phone. Neck pain can be very annoying and hinder you in daily life. What is the cause of your neck pain and what can you do about it?

Neck complaints often arise gradually, for example due to a wrong posture or increase tension and stiffness in certain areas. It can also come about spontaneous from a sudden wrong movement –or as in a fall or accident. Furthermore, underlying complaints such as stiff muscles, osteoarthritis, poor posture or bone decalcification can be the cause of your neck complaints. Sometimes neck pain goes away on its own, but often it doesn’t.

Do you have a sore neck, stiff neck muscles or a radiating pain in your shoulders, head and/or arms? Then it is wise to find out the cause of the neck pain. The body can heal again and neck complaints decrease or disappear in their entirety.

Common causes of neck pain:

• Poor posture
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS)
• Upper cross syndrome
• Whiplash
• Neck hernia

Often neck pain manifests itself in a nagging, stabbing or sharp pain in the neck, throat or shoulders. This pain is an alarm signal from the body that something is wrong. You may suffer with radiation symptoms into the shoulders, arms or hands as the nerves in the neck run to these areas. The muscles tense up and spasm extra for protection, making everything feel stiff. Your body tells you to rest. By ignoring or suppressing the pain with painkillers, nothing is solved.

These symptoms are common with neck complaints:

• Pain in the neck, arm or shoulders
• Stiffness in the neck
• Shooting sharp pain
• Headache
• Tingling in arm / hand
• Radiation to shoulder / arm
• Radiation to the head

What is a neck hernia?

A neck hernia is a bulge of the intervertebral disc in the neck. This bulge presses on a nerve so that you can experience pain, loss of strength, tingling or numbness. Not only in your neck, but also in your shoulder, arm, hand or fingers. Muscles will cramp around the neck and shoulders to prevent further damage. The pain is continuously present and can be very annoying.

What is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

In Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), there is too little space in the shoulder and neck region (thoracic outlet) for the vascular and nerve bundle. There is an entrapment, compression or damage to the vascular nerve bundle. The entrapment usually occurs at the level of the neck area and the upper chest/shoulder. The complaints are present in the entire arm or certain parts of the arm and hand. Some symptoms of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome include:

• Burning, nagging or stabbing pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, wrist or fingers
• Tingling/dull, stinging or sleeping sensation
• Loss of strength in the shoulder, arm or hand
• Heaviness in the neck, shoulder or arm
• Swelling or discolouration of superficially lying veins
• Coldness/blue tint to the fingers/hands
• Radiating pain in the neck, jaws and back of the head

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) is also called shoulder girdle syndrome because of the entrapment of the vascular nerve bundle in the shoulder area. The complaints are often work posture or movement related and occur regularly in professions such as painter, hairdresser and teacher. With chiropractic we help to reduce your symptoms and prevent the complaint returning. We improve mobility in the shoulder and give exercises that quickly improve your posture.
The goal is to distinguish the difference between TOS and a neck hernia and we do this by utilising neuro-orthopaedic testing.

What is Upper Cross Syndrome?

Upper Cross Syndrome (UCS) occurs when the muscles in the neck, shoulders and chest become stressed, tight and out of balance, usually due to poor posture and a weak core. The back muscles of the shoulders and neck become tense, the muscles become tight and shortened in the front of the chest. Pain is present in the neck and shoulders, but can also radiate to arms, hands and fingers. Sometimes it also manifests itself in headaches, jaw pain, midback pain.

Whiplash

Whiplash is a neck trauma that occurs as a result of an accelerated movement of the head. In most cases, it is a movement in which the head is moved from front to back or vice versa. A rear-end collision with a car is a good example of this, but you can also get whiplash while working out, falling or even a braking hard in the car. Common symptoms of whiplash include neck pain, headache, dizziness, and pain in the shoulder or arm. Unfortunately, it can happen that the symptoms of a whiplash can occur weeks or even months after an accident due to the body trying to compensate for the trauma.
Do you think you have whiplash or have had one and now suffer with pain? A chiropractor helps bring your body back into balance.

Chiropractic for neck complaints

Whether you just have a sore neck or have been suffering from neck pain for a long time, chiropractic can help! Our experienced chiropractors will look for the cause of your pain. With our gentle, safe techniques you will quickly get rid of your neck pain. From baby to 65+, everyone is welcome.