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What Chiropractic Patients Want To Know About Text Neck

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Text neck is a very real condition that is caused by staying in a prolonged “texting” position – hunched shoulders and neck tilted forward. As a result, the back, neck, and shoulder muscles become overworked and your spinal structure is actually changed. Many people who spend a lot of time on their mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, develop this condition (and others including “cellphone elbow” and tendinitis of the wrist and hand) and it can be very painful, even causing mobility problems.

What Exactly is Text Neck?

A normal human neck has a slight curve to it that travels along the spine. It is part of the intricate system that supports the head and body. However, a person with text neck will have a straight cervical spine. Their neck will not have that slight curve and that is a problem.

The cause of the absence of the curve is because of the position that the head stays in for such long periods of time. The average adult human head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds. When the head is upright, the neck supports it and the slight curve gives it the stability that it needs.

When you keep your head tilted forward, such as when you are hunched over your smartphone or mobile device, your head is thrust forward instead of sitting over the balanced curve of the cervical spine. The gravitational pull is greatly increased and the neck is already in an unnatural position. This combination places unnatural and damaging stress on your neck. It is like carrying around an additional 60 pounds on your neck.

Symptoms of Text Neck

In the early stages of text neck, a person may feel some tightness in their shoulders, neck, and upper back. This may progress to discomfort in those areas and eventually pain. If left untreated, you can develop pinched nerves and herniated discs.

Your central nervous system begins at the base of your skull, so it extends down your neck and upper back. When you put unnatural pressure on your neck, you are also affecting your nervous system, causing it to malfunction. This can lead to pain throughout your body, stiffness, headaches, low back pain, and problems with your hands and arms.

How to Prevent Text Neck

Text neck is surprisingly easy to prevent. Your first step is awareness. Over two or three days, take some time to be very aware of your body’s position. Carefully examine your posture while you go about all of your daily activities. It is important to remember that text neck is not strictly confined to texting. You can get it any time you have your head bent down for an extended period of time, such as when looking at a laptop screen or even writing for a long time.

The best way to avoid the problem is to keep your devices at eye level. If you have a handheld device, hold it up at the level of your eyes instead of bending your neck to look down. The same goes for your laptop; arrange it so that your screen is at eye level.

Chiropractic for Text Neck

If you are already suffering from the effects of text neck, your chiropractor can help reverse the condition if it hasn’t progressed to disc degeneration (even then he or she can help with associated pain). Regular chiropractic treatments, along with following expert recommendations for screen heights, can help reduce the pain and discomfort. It is smart to address these issues before they become a bigger problem. Your chiropractor can help. Learn more about our clinic @ www.ocwc.ca

3 Stretches Chiropractic Patients Can Do For Neck Pain

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Stretching is often an outstanding complement to chiropractic care. Blood flow to the muscles is increased and it helps lower the risk of injury and improves physical performance. More importantly, stretching is good for the joints, helping them function through their full range of motion.

Additionally, some studies show that muscles work and move more effectively when they are stretched regularly. These benefits of stretching make it a great practice to incorporate into your daily routine, especially between chiropractic treatments.

The muscles all along the spine respond well to stretching. However, sometimes it is difficult to manipulate specific muscle groups and get an effective stretch.

The cervical spine is a prime example. Although the neck turns in so many ways, finding positions that provide an effective stretch are surprisingly difficult.

These three stretches effectively work the muscles through the neck and shoulders, and are simple enough to do at home whether you are between chiropractic appointments or if you wake up with a crick in your neck.

Before You Stretch

If you are under a chiropractor’s care, you should check with him or her before you start a stretching program. This is especially important if you have a neck injury or have a spinal condition that causes deterioration or pain.

When you begin stretching, you may feel a little discomfort, but it is important to note that it should never cause pain or worsen it. If this occurs, or if it just doesn’t feel “right,” you should stop immediately and call your chiropractor.

Neck and Trap Stretch

If standing: Stand up straight with your pelvis slightly tucked (not swayback), feet shoulder’s width apart, knees soft.

If sitting: Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor.

1. Drop your shoulders and roll them slightly back. Let your arms hang down.

2. Reach behind your back and, with your left hand, grasp your right wrist. If you can’t reach to grasp your wrist, grab your fingers. If you can’t reach your fingers, sit in a straight back chair and put your right arm as far behind you as you can and slide your right hand under your right buttock to provide stability.

3. If clasping your hands behind you, gently pull your arm behind you to the left. If unable to reach behind you, drop your right shoulder.

4. At the same time, tilt your head to the left, bringing your ear to your shoulder but don’t raise your left shoulder. You will feel the stretch all along the right muscles of the neck.

5. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.

6. Do the same movement for the left side.

7. Repeat the full move 3 to 5 times.

Gentle Neck Extension

If standing: Stand up straight with your pelvis slightly tucked (not swayback), feet shoulder’s width apart, knees soft, hands relaxed and at your sides.

If sitting: Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor, hands relaxed and at your sides.

If lying down: Lie flat on the floor. If necessary, put a pillow under your knees to take pressure off of the lower back. Stretch your arms down by your side.

1. Push your shoulders down towards your feet.

2. Tuck your chin to your chest but don’t let your shoulders lift.

3. Slowly raise your chin, feeling the stretch along the front of your neck. Hold the position for 20 to 30 seconds.

4. Return your head to its normal, upright position for 30 seconds. Repeat the entire movement 5 to 7 times.

Stretch for Traps

If standing: Stand up straight with your pelvis slightly tucked (not swayback), feet shoulder’s width apart, knees soft, hands relaxed and at your sides.

If sitting: Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor, hands relaxed and at your sides.

If lying down: Lie flat on the floor. If necessary, put a pillow under your knees to take pressure off of the lower back. Stretch your arms down by your side.

1. Start with your head in the normal, upright position.

2. Bend your neck to the right side, moving your ear towards your shoulder.

3. Raise your left hand to your head and apply gentle pressure to facilitate the stretch while drawing up your left shoulder. Hold for 20 seconds.

4. Return to your starting position.

5. Repeat the same movement on the right side.

6. Do 3 to 5 sets.

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Cervical Spine Anatomy

Anatomy 101 – The Cervical Spine: What Chiropractic Patients Need to Know

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Neck pain is one of the most common sources of pain and chronic pain worldwide. According to the International Association for the Study of Pain, each year, around 30% to 50% of the general population experiences neck pain and around 15% will, at some point in their lives, have chronic neck pain. Women seem to experience it more often than men and it is most prevalent at around middle age. Neck pain can be debilitating, impacting a person’s home life as well as their work performance. It can also trigger migraines and limit range of motion. Understanding the cervical spine is integral in understanding how to manage pain in that area.

What is the Cervical Spine?

There are seven vertebrae that make up the cervical spine: C1 through C7. They protect the spinal cord and are part of the system that makes up the neck.

C1 is located at the base of the skull and C7 sits at the beginning of the thoracic spine. While C1 is the smallest vertebrae, each subsequent one is slightly larger as you move down the spine. This is necessary because the farther down the spine, the more weight it must bear.

The vertebrae C3 through C6 are called “typical vertebrae.” Like other vertebrae in the spine, they have a similar construction. The top vertebrae, C1 and C2 are “atypical vertebrae.” Their construction is somewhat different from typical vertebrae due to their specialized function and location.

The atlas, C1, is the only vertebrae that has more of a ring shape than a shape resembling a vertebra. It is what connects the skull to the spine and is responsible for about half of the head’s backward and forward range of motion.

The axis, C2, is the second vertebra and has a special construction that connects it to C1 at the atlanto-axial joint. It is responsible for around half of the head’s rotation. The vertebra prominens, C7, is much larger than the vertebrae that sit above it and its shape is different to facilitate its connection to T1, at the beginning of the thoracic spine.

Neck Pain

The cervical spine has several critical functions. It houses the spinal cord and protects it, supports the head and facilitates its movement, and facilitates the flow of blood to the brain.

The human head is around 10 to 13 pounds and the cervical spine, along with an intricate network of muscles, tendons, and ligaments support it. This is what also allow flexibility to the head so that it can move up and down, backwards and forwards, rotational, and side bending. This job alone puts a great deal of stress on the neck and can lead to neck pain. Common causes of neck pain include:

  • Whiplash (whipping the head forwards and then backwards very suddenly)
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Pinched nerve
  • Age related conditions
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Sleeping in certain positions
  • Neck strain
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Keeping the neck in one position too long, such as looking down at a mobile device
  • Herniated disc
  • Neck injury
  • Fibromyalgia

Chiropractic Care for the Cervical Spine

A chiropractor will typically treat a patient with neck pain using cervical spinal manipulation, cervical spinal mobilization, or a combination of the two techniques. Cervical spinal manipulation is what most people think of regarding chiropractic treatment. It involves brief, quick thrusts that focus on a single joint at a time so that range of motion is returned to that area. Cervical spinal mobilization is a gentler, lower impact adjustment that does not use as much force but does move the joint to its correct position.

Other treatments the chiropractor may employ include the application of cold or heat, massage, and exercises to strengthen and stretch the neck. The doctor will carefully consider the patient, their lifestyle, habits, and current level of fitness then create a plan that is tailored specifically for them that will help them manage their pain and return flexibility and range of motion as quickly as possible.

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Cervical facet chiropractic benefits

What Chiropractic Patients Want to Know About Cervical Facet Joint Pain

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Facet joint problems are among the most common sources of lower back and neck pain. They can cause debilitating, chronic problems with the neck and back and can lead to other more serious conditions and symptoms that can be disabling.

Cervical facet joint syndrome, or cervical facet osteoarthritis, is a degenerative condition marked by stiffness and pain in the cervical region (neck) of the spine. Patients are able to gain relief from various types of treatment, including chiropractic care.

What is Cervical Facet Joint Pain?

The spine is comprised of a chain of bones known as vertebrae. Each one has two facet joints on the back side and a large disc on the front side. This allows the vertebrae to stack neatly, one on top of the other, providing stabilization for the entire body.

The facet joints are synovial joints, like other joints in the body and sometimes they can become inflamed or injured, causing pain and stiffness. Cervical facet joint pain is, quite literally, a pain in the neck. It means that the joints in the neck area have become injured or inflamed. Pain from this condition can make it difficult for the patient to turn their head from side to side, or to move it up and down.

The cervical facet joints are almost always working. They undergo repetitive, constant motion and over time they can become torn or worn down. Problems within the joint can cause movement to be restricted or it can have too much movement, both of which can cause pain.

Injury, such as whiplash, to the area can also cause problems. If the condition is not treated appropriately, it can be degenerative and the patient can lose both flexibility and mobility, as well as suffer from chronic pain.

Symptoms of Cervical Facet Joint Pain

The symptoms of cervical facet joint pain tend to vary from patient to patient. A patient may experience one or several of these symptoms:

  • Tingling, weakness, or pain in the hand and arm
  • Neck pain
  • Upper back pain that can affect the shoulders
  • Pain between the shoulder blades
  • Headaches, typically located in the back of the head
  • Swelling and tenderness at the site of the inflamed facet joint
  • Decreased range of motion and flexibility in the neck

Treatment for Cervical Facet Joint Pain

When a patient is diagnosed with cervical facet joint pain the treatment is usually fairly conservative. Their doctor may recommend soft tissue massage, physical therapy, and posture correction. This is usually combined with medications such as an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen, or muscle relaxers to ease muscle spasms in the muscles that surround the affected joint.

If those methods do not give the patient relief, the doctor may take a more aggressive approach, prescribing facet joint injections that use steroid medications injected into the affected joint. This approach is intended to keep the pain localized while reducing it. The procedure can be performed in an outpatient setting and has a good record of being effective, but the results are temporary.

Chiropractic for Cervical Facet Joint Pain

Chiropractors have had much success in treating cervical facet joint pain. They are able to manipulate the areas that are affected, restoring painful, restricted facet joints to a point where they are able to move much easier and without pain. Over time, with regular chiropractic treatments, they can help to reestablish a normal range of motion in the neck area for their patients. This is all done without any medications or injections. It is a natural, gently, effective method for relieving the pain and helping the patient enjoy a better quality of life.

Our clinic can be reached at (780)455-2112. Give us a call to schedule your chiropractic assessment and address any questions or concerns. We’re happy to help!