Chronic neck pain is a common problem that affects millions globally. It causes ongoing discomfort in the neck, sometimes spreading to the shoulders and upper back. As a 25 year plus chiropractor in Kingwood, I have treated thousands of patients with chronic neck pain from car accidents, postural stress, sports injuries and tech neck with pretty good outcomes. Studying under Mark Studin DC, I have clinical expertise in X-ray digitization and MRI interpretation; this really helps to identify the true cause of chronic neck pain.
A chiropractic doctor looks at how spinal misalignments and nerve interference cause pain and actually prevent healing from happening. In the simplest way to explain chiropractic, we provide the patient with specific chiropractic adjustments which releases pressure off of joints, muscles, nerves and the central nervous system. Removing interference from the nervous system using chiropractic adjustments, allows the body to heal and repair.
In my 25 years of experience seeing car accident and spine trauma patients, there is always a component of spinal misalignment when chronic neck pain is involved. Spinal misalignments, sometimes called subluxations, cause undue stress on the facet joints and discs in the spine. This is why, over time, spinal misalignment can lead to more serious conditions like cervical or lumbar disc bulges, herniations, bone spurs, arthritis, and even permanent changes in spinal curves.
I've dealt with the severe effects of chronic neck pain myself. It can really disrupt your daily life. But chiropractic care has helped many find lasting relief. I remember when I was in chiropractic school; it was intense, going to class 8-5 and then studying, I had some serious postural stress and I used to get these cricks in my neck, so painful. It was chronic poor posture from studying that put extra stress on my spine, which cause misalignments, which eventually gave me the crick in my neck. This seemed to happen a couple times a year, I was in chiropractic school in Portland, Oregon and I was having back neck pain, how crazy does that sound!
Chiropractic care looks at the real reasons behind neck pain, not just the symptoms. This makes it a great option for those folks in Kingwood looking for help with chronic neck pain.
Quick Insights
Chronic neck pain is something that affects thousands of Houstonians every year, billions of dollars are spent on chiropractic care, physical therapy and pain medicine to fight this epidemic. Knowing what causes chronic neck pain and how to fix it is the missing link for many people, who are just not getting any relief.
Key Takeaways
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Chronic neck pain is a common condition affecting millions worldwide.
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Chiropractic care offers a holistic approach to managing chronic neck pain by addressing the root cause of the problem.
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By addressing the root causes of neck pain, spinal misalignments and nervous system interference, chiropractic care can provide lasting relief.
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Kingwood residents can benefit from chiropractic services tailored to their needs, whether it is postural stress of a car accident, chiropractic care can get folks back on track.
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Chiropractic care is a valuable resource for those seeking relief from chronic neck pain.
Why It Matters?
Chronic neck pain affects millions of people every year, along with chronic low back pain, it is the main reason that people go on disability, meaning they are not able to work because of their chronic neck pain. In my opinion, interacting with patients for over 25 years, most people want to continue working and would rather not continue suffering with neck pain. Wouldn't it be great, if more people knew how chiropractic care can help alleviate chronic neck pain, so they can live a normal, energetic, pain free life without worrying about having to take strong pain medicine, muscle relaxers, spend time away from work or even getting neck surgery?
Introduction
As a doctor of chiropractic, I have a lot of experience treating chronic neck pain patients as well as thousands of hours of post graduate studies in spinal biomechanics, trauma, MRI interpretation and primary spine care; I have pretty much seen it alI. I remember the day my chronic neck pain started. New patients who are coming in with chronic neck pain are pretty miserable, you can tell they are very irritable, on edge and just worn out from dealing with pain for so long.
It is interesting that many people go to their primary care doctor complaining of neck and back pain, often times the medical doctor does not know what is causing this chronic pain so the patient gets a diagnosis of non-specific neck pain, or non-specific low back pain. With these diagnoses; the only remedy, or the only option is to prescribe pain medication, muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory medication to the patient.
Non-specific back pain or neck pain can eventually turn into chronic neck pain or chronic low back pain; there is something causing this pain, the patient just has not been to the right doctor to find out the cause. As a 25 year Kingwood chiropractic doctor, I have provided care to thousands of patients in the Kingwood and north Houston area, I have found that most chronic neck pain is caused by spinal misalignments causing unnecessary stress on the spinal joints, discs and surrounding soft tissues. That being said, often times the solution to chronic pain is simple, provide chiropractic adjustments to realign the spine and remove the stress from the area. Chiropractic therapy is one of the few solutions to chronic neck pain that is all natural, and does not use any medications or surgeries.
The Daily Struggles and Limitations that Patients Face.
With chronic neck pain, many things irritate the problem, simple tasks like computer work, driving, or turning the head are a struggle. For chronic neck pain patients, the pain is not just physical, it also affects their mental health, making them feel frustrated and helpless. This is why so often that chronic neck pain patients rely on daily pain medicine to try and get through the day.
The Unsuccessful Attempts with Conventional Treatments
Most people do try pain medication, and muscle relaxers, but they only help for a short time. The side effects are worrisome and most people start looking to other non-medical treatment options. Through word of mouth, a family member, church friends or a workout buddy, lot of people suffering with chronic pain find chiropractic care. Finding a Kingwood chiropractor who can help with chronic neck pain, isn't an easy task. I have witnessed several success stories with my patients when it comes to chiropractic care making a difference in their neck and back pain, one patient Victoria comes to mind. You can read more about Victoria's experience here.
Understanding the Root Causes of Chronic Neck Pain
My journey with treating thousands of patients with chronic neck pain showed me it's not just about the pain. It's about the many factors that cause it. To really tackle chronic neck pain, we must understand its root causes. These can be complex and linked together.
Physical Factors That Contributed to My Pain
Physical issues were a big part of chronic neck pain. These can be split into several specific problems.
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Posture and Alignment Issues-poor posture and spinal mis-alignments are big contributors to chronic neck pain. When the spine isn't aligned right, it strains muscles and joints causing serious stress and injury.
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Injury and Trauma Effects-injuries and trauma, like from car accidents or sports injuries, also add to neck pain. These can misalign and damage spinal structures such as discs, facet joints, and ligaments surrounding the spine.
Lifestyle Elements That Worsen Chronic Neck Pain
Lifestyle choices, like stress, working hours on a computer and too much time being lazy on the couch can make neck pain worse. Stress can tighten muscles and put pressure on the spinal joints of the neck and low back, and a sedentary life weakens neck and back-supporting muscles.
The Emotional Toll of Living with Chronic Pain
Living with chronic neck pain really takes a toll on patients emotionally. The constant discomfort and limits it imposed affects mood and overall health. It's key to treat the emotional side of chronic pain too. Chronic pain is an added stressor that wears down the body, anything from you energy, organ and gland function, sleep and the ability to think and process information is difficult. When you have spinal mis-alignments, the extra stress on your spinal joints, discs and soft tissues, sends a signal into your central nervous system up to your brain letting it know there is a problem, this happens over and over again until the problem is fixed. There have actually been some studies that show that chronic pain can cause shrinking of brain tissue; how crazy is that?
Why Traditional Pain Management Has Failed So Many
I have been a chiropractor in Kingwood for over 25 years, I love what I do, and helping people get out of pain without medicine or surgery is what chiropractic care is all about. That being said, I understand that there is a time and place for medicine and even surgeries. When chronic neck pain patients come in and they are in too much pain to benefit from my chiropractic care, I will refer them to a pain management. Pain management including medicine or Cortisone shots can sometimes calms down the pain and inflammation significantly which makes it easier for us to treat the patient.
It is true, in many cases of non-specific or chronic neck and back pain, traditional pain management focuses on symptoms, not the cause. When we look at a patient with chronic neck pain, we have to do a comprehensive exam to provide the patient the most accurate diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan. To find out exactly what is causing the chronic neck pain we will do a chiropractic exam, and imaging such as x-ray and MRI.
Imaging is key, sometimes we see disc herniations on MRI and we know we have to send the patient in for an orthopedic or neurological consult, see what these specialists recommend. Often times with whiplash injuries, our patients have curves in their spine that have changed; the cervical spine often straightens out which causes significantly more stress and pressure on the neck.
In summary, for non-specific back pain or chronic neck pain, usually pain medicine and muscle relaxers are not going to cut it long term; they can make you feel better but not fix the root cause of the problem. If there are no major disc herniation showing up on MRI, the chiropractor, using chiropractic adjustments can help alleviate chronic neck pain. If we see more significant findings on MRI like major cervical or lumbar disc herniations then the patient may need pain management or even surgery in some cases to alleviate their neck or back pain.
The Limitations of Pain Medication and Main Stream Medicine.
The medical model can sometimes be a slow process for neck and back pain recovery. You go to the medical doctor; they prescribe pain medication and muscle relaxers and say go do 4-6 weeks of physical therapy and come back after that. Physical therapy is amazing for strengthening joints and muscles; however, it has been shown that there is a 300+% increase in reliance on pain medication when a chronic neck or back pain patient, or a whiplash injured patient gets physical therapy as their first level of treatment. Again, PT is great, but first the spine has to be realigned, remember when the spine is misaligned, significant pressure continues to plague the area, preventing healing from happening. Any severe neck pain patient we have, whether it be a car accident or sports injury, we rule out serious disc herniation and then we do everything we can to realign and stabilize the spine. Chiropractic care and specific chiropractic adjustments take care of realignment and stabilization.
"The over-reliance on pain medication can lead to a cycle of dependency, further complicating the management of chronic pain."
A medical professional's insight
Short-Term Relief vs. Long-Term Healing
Traditional pain management aims for quick fixes, ignoring long-term healing. I wanted a solution that fixed the pain's cause, not just its symptoms.
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Approach |
Short-Term Relief |
Long-Term Healing |
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Traditional Pain Management |
Yes |
No |
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Chiropractic Care |
Yes |
Yes |
The Side Effects That Concerned Me
The side effects of traditional pain management worry everyone, issues like stomach problems, liver damage and addiction risks are very high. We see it all the time in our office, people come in with severe neck and back pain after a car crash; they may need medicine to get them through the next couple of weeks in order to work, look after their family and other things. With severe neck pain or even really bad chronic neck pain with arthritis, a chiropractic adjustment will not immediately get rid of the pain; strong pain medicine or muscle relaxer can. Most patients are feeling better after a couple of weeks and tell me, the chiropractor, I don't think I need to take this strong pain medicine anymore; I am worried about the side effects. Pain medicine has its place, physical therapy has its place; and chiropractic care is the same; we all work together to get the patient healed; it just has to happen in the right order.
The Personalized Treatment Plan Designed for Me
After getting the comprehensive exam and imaging; the chiropractor will recommend a specific treatment plan just for you and your diagnosis. You want an accurate diagnosis; otherwise, the chiropractor, or medical doctor, or physical therapist is just guessing on the type of treatment you need.
By going to the right Kingwood chiropractic doctor, they will explain everything clearly, so you know what to expect.
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Treatment Component |
Description |
Benefit |
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Chiropractic Adjustments |
Manipulation of the spine to improve alignment and reduce pressure on muscles and joints. |
Relief from pain and improved mobility. |
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Soft Tissue Therapies |
Treatment of muscles and other soft tissues to reduce tension and promote healing. |
Reduced muscle spasms and improved flexibility. |
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Exercises |
Personalized exercises to strengthen neck muscles and improve posture. |
Long-term prevention of neck pain and improved overall spinal health. |
Tracking My Progress and Celebrating Improvements
Most chiropractic treatment plans, depending on severity of injuries or condition are 4-6 weeks to start; the chiropractor will do a re-exam after 4 weeks to check in and see how you are progressing. For our new chiropractic patients, we do a combination of chiropractic adjustments, trigger point therapy, shockwave therapy, cold laser therapy and exercises over 4-6 weeks. We are of course looking for positive changes in pain severity, pain frequency, range of motion improvements, and quality of life improvements. We always think celebrating treatment outcomes means now being able to work, play with your kids, walk your dog, garden or get back to the gym with little to no neck or back pain. People dislike having chronic neck pain, but more so, they are miserable because of the normal things, activities, or hobbies they are not able to do because of the pain.
The Science Behind It: Chiropractic Techniques for Neck Pain
Understanding the science behind chiropractic care for neck pain is key. Finding the right Kingwood chiropractic doctor is key to beginning your healing journey. These alternative doctors also teach about the techniques that make a big difference in posture and pain relief. Chiropractic care focuses on the spine's role in health, including neck and back spinal realignments. Chiropractors aim to fix the pain's source, not just treat symptoms.
Spinal Adjustments and How They Helped Me
Most chiropractors in Kingwood use spinal adjustments as a main technique. These adjustments apply controlled force to the spine's joints which helps improve mobility and reduces pain. Regular chiropractic adjustments help realign the spine, take pressure off of nerves and relax muscles. The chiropractic adjustments releaser pressure and this can give the chronic neck pain patient relief. It is not just pain relief the chiropractor is looking for; it is to get your spine as healthy and stable as possible going forward.
Soft Tissue Therapies That Complemented Chronic Neck Pain Treatment
At our Kingwood Chiropractic office, we do have a few modalities that work on treating soft tissue injuries. These targeted the muscles and soft tissues around the spine, which helps take pressure off the neck and back. Techniques like trigger point therapy or myofascial release help to relax muscles and improved blood flow. Soft tissue therapies worked alongside spinal adjustments; one directly affects the other. With chronic neck and back pain; the soft tissues are usually creating extra stress on the spine and joints. In car accidents, when the spine and ligaments are damaged; this can cause instability which can lead to long term problems.
Life-Changing Advice from Kingwood Chiropractic Spine and Injury Center
As a Kingwood chiropractor with over 25 years of experience, I try and give my patients the best advice to keep their spine healthy. We provide more than just chiropractic care; it is about taking care of the patient's whole health. For our patients, to keep chronic pain away; there are a few simple things to work on daily; we recommend specific postural exercises and stretches, getting out and moving every day, eating a healthy diet, and taking natural supplements for joint support and muscle health. Why do I sometimes say, life changing advice, well when our patients get out of pain, they can start living their lives again, we are meant to live a pain free, active life; everyone deserves this.
Conclusion: Why Chiropractic Care Works Well for People with Chronic Neck Pain
The journey for our patients with chronic neck pain changes lives. There is a lot of value in a chiropractic, holistic health approach. As chiropractors, we offer only natural and healthy solutions to our patients with chronic neck and back pain, we are kind of the opposite of mainstream medicine. If you have been struggling with chronic neck pain and you are looking for a more natural or alternative approach to treatment; chiropractic may be exactly what you are looking for.
Going to see a chiropractor in Kingwood first, after an injury, a car accident or if you have been dealing with neck pain, back pain, headaches or Sciatica for over a month; is the right way to go. Chiropractors are thought of as primary doctors, because if they don't think they can help alleviate your neck pain, they will refer you to get imaging, maybe a pain management doctor, orthopedic doctor or neurologist.
We never turn a new patient away, anyone who has been suffering with chronic neck or back pain deserves to find out what is causing it and what treatment will help. Most of our new patients coming in with neck and back pain, we have been able to help, probably around 75% see improvements in function and pain relief within 2-4 weeks. The other 25% are more complicated cases and conditions, some patients we have to refer to an orthopedic and pain management, and months later we start seeing them for chiropractic care. A small percentage, less than 5% of neck and back pain patients; we are unable to help; based on their MRI findings we refer them to an orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon and we never see them again.
If you have been suffering with chronic neck pain or chronic back pain and you have not seen any improvement no matter what you have tried, (pain management, medicine, PT, massage or even surgery), we may be able to help you at Kingwood Chiropractic Spine and Injury Center. We do see acute pain problems all the time from our car accident and sports injury patients; remember
FAQ
What is chiropractic care, and how can it help with chronic neck pain?
Chiropractic care is a non-invasive way to help your spine and body heal. It focuses on realigning and healing the spine and muscles. Chiropractors use special techniques to align your spine and relax muscles, helping to ease neck pain.
What are the common causes of chronic neck pain?
Poor posture and muscle strain are common causes of neck pain. Other reasons include herniated discs and spinal stenosis. A sedentary lifestyle and stress can also play a role. Another common cause of chronic neck pain is past injuries that were never treated. Prior sports injuries or whiplash injuries causing damage to the cervical spine, muscles and ligaments can also lead to chronic neck pain if untreated.
How does Kingwood Chiropractic Spine and Injury Center approach treatment for chronic neck pain?
At Kingwood Chiropractic Spine and Injury Center, we start with a detailed consultation and examination. We find out what's causing your pain by doing orthopedic and neurological testing. Then, we create a treatment plan that includes spinal adjustments, shockwave therapy, cold laser therapy and exercises. If necessary, we will refer the patient for imaging, X-ray or MRI to determine and more accurate diagnosis.
Are chiropractic adjustments safe for treating neck pain?
Yes, chiropractic adjustments are safe when done by a trained chiropractor. They use special tools, imaging and testing to make sure it is safe. We have seen thousands of neck pain patients over the past 25 years and done chiropractic adjustments as part of their therapy; it is very safe and effective.
Can chiropractic care help with stress and tension that contribute to neck pain?
Yes, chiropractic care can help decrease stress and tension in the spine. Beside chiropractic adjustments and postural exercises, chiropractors suggest techniques like deep breathing and yoga.
How long does it take to experience relief from chronic neck pain through chiropractic care?
Relief times vary depending on the severity of the neck pain and the length of time a patient has been suffering. Some people feel better after a few visits and others might need more care. Severe neck pain and whiplash injuries take a long time to heal, we usually see significant improvements within 6-8 weeks. Other patients who just have occasional neck and back pain may come in once a month for maintenance chiropractic care.
Is chiropractic care a long-term solution for managing chronic neck pain?
Yes, chiropractic care can be a long-term solution. It helps manage pain and improve spinal health. This can lead to lasting relief and a better quality of life. Chronic neck pain never goes away or gets better if you always have spinal misalignments, and tight muscles. The stress has to be removed from the spine in order to heal; otherwise more severe and chronic problems like disc herniations, osteoarthritis and bone spurs can form.
Can I combine chiropractic care with other treatments for neck pain?
Yes, you can combine chiropractic care with other treatments, this includes physical therapy, acupuncture, pain management and massage. A mix of approaches can often lead to the best results.