Neck Pain:
Neck pain is one of the most common conditions that people complain of in North America. Neck pain can range from being a mild nuisance to being an absolutely crippling and debilitating condition for some people.
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The neck is a very important and also very complex area of the body. The spine here consists of 7 cervical vertebrae – the vertebrae in the neck are unique in that they are the most mobile joints in the entire spinal column. There are also a number of different facet joints and ligaments that connect the vertebrae together.
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The neck is home to at least 26 muscles – For such a small area – There is a very large amount of muscles acting on the neck. Everyone of these 26 muscles are important and if even just 1 muscle goes into spasm or stops activating correctly – It causes the other muscles to compensate and can soon create unbearable pain – some of which may feel like a “kink” in the neck.
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With 7 vertebra and at least 26 muscles in this area – there are a lot of moving parts in this area! The more moving parts the more likely things can go wrong.
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But not just that!
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The Neck has alot of attachments to other areas in the body. The neck is intimately connected to the shoulder and upper back – Upper back and shoulder issues can cause problems with the neck and vice versa. If you have poor posture, your shoulders are rolled forward or you do too much sitting – this can cause pain and affect the neck and upper back.
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The neck also has attachments to the jaw and head! TMJ Pain, Headaches, and Migraines all can start at or can be exacerbated by problems lower down in the neck.
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A slipped disc in the neck or too much degeneration in the spinal column here can cause lots of problems and pain at a distance. It can cause radiating pain and numbness throughout the entire body – especially in the arms and hands.
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It doesn’t even have to be a slipped disc – there are other types of conditions that are not as severe that can cause radiating pain and numbness to travel down the arm and into the hand. A large percentage of patients with numbness and burning in their upper limbs are having the problem start at the neck – This entrapment may be caused by the spine itself – or it may be caused by the “scalane” muscles on the left or right sides of the neck going into spasm.
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This new “text generation” is very susceptible to getting chronic neck pain because the position of the neck when on the computer or cell phone can cause “forward head posture” which can be easily corrected with treatment but if left unattended may worsen over time.
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Emotional Stress held in the shoulders, back of the neck, head, face, or jaw can also directly or indirectly cause neck issues.
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Another one of the most common causes of neck pain is “whiplash” due to high-impact trauma to the head (and most commonly caused by being “rear ended” in car accidents). If left attended it can also cause chronic headaches, migraines, and difficulty thinking.
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Neck pain can be an uncomfortable inconvenience that lowers the quality of ones life – and it can also be a downright disaster that seriously impacts ones ability doing day to day tasks.
But it doesn’t need to be:
Osteopathy is an effective hands on healing modality that looks to manually correct the muscle imbalances and joint related issues that cause pain. Osteopathy is not just a band aid approach but seeks to treat the root cause of your condition to help solve the problem once and for all.
