Chiropractic techniques to treat neck pain

Chiropractic techniques to treat neck pain

During your first visit, your chiropractor will determine the cause and causes of your pain and make certain neck adjustments to loosen the stiff joint muscles. In this post, we'll talk about some of the most common techniques chiropractors use to treat neck pain.

Common Chiropractic Techniques for Neck Pain

Mobilization of the cervix

As a patient, you would have to lie on your back and relax while your chiropractor manually moves your cervical vertebrae from right to left and vice versa using his hands.

The practitioner alternates between the movement in Figure 8 and the side-to-side movement to move your head in all possible directions. You will not feel much discomfort as the process involves non-thrust stretching that would help reduce stiffness in the segments of the cervical spine. Chiropractors are also known to use an oscillating motion with their hands during the process of mobilizing the cervix.

Manual traction of the cervix

During this process you will need to lie down or sit upright. Your neck will be gently pulled by the chiropractor and your cervical spine will be stretched at two angles, often alternating between flexion (forward) and extension (backward). In this way, the chiropractor would determine the correct angle that would help reduce the stiffness effectively.

Typically, the manual cervical traction technique is used in conjunction with the cervical mobilization technique to achieve the most effective results.

Cervical Drop Techniques

This technique would require you to lie on your stomach or sideways in a special type of table where the "drop piece" on the top is raised and placed in a locked position. Next, the chiropractor places his hand over the portion of your spinal segment that needs adjustment. A gentle, high-speed pushing pressure is applied downward until the table “drop piece” disengages and drops slightly.

The aim of this treatment is to reduce the restriction of movement in your cervical vertebrae using the specially created drop table. Unlike other chiropractic treatment procedures, this one does not involve the traditional practice of neck rotation or joint cavitations.

Visit a Chiropractor When:

• Your neck stiffness does not improve even after a week

• You cannot look to the right or left without feeling pain in your neck

• When over-the-counter painkillers don't produce results

• If your neck pain has radiated to other parts of your body such as your wrists and hands

• When the pain is worst in the morning and improves throughout the day

Inspired by Juanita Swindell