Have you ever sat at your desk at your office and felt tension in your neck? How many times have you woken up in the morning and can’t move your neck properly? If you say “never,” you probably already see a chiropractor. If you say “yes,” you must read on.
Body signals, such as neck tension or pain, require serious attention! Your body is trying to communicate with you that something is wrong. It is just like the lights on your dashboard in your car. If your oil light comes on, do you change the oil or cut the cord that travels to the light? Well, it’s kind of a dumb question right? Let’s say, you decide to choose the second option or just simply ignore the light. The car may last a few days or even months with the oil light on but eventually you will run into a worse, more expensive problem. Your body is no different! If you take medications to numb your pain, you would be doing the same as turning off the light instead of changing your oil.
Are you taking pain killers for Neck Pain relief?
Many people with aches and pains take over-the-counter drugs assuming they are safe for chronic use. Do you know what the most common cause of death by liver failure is? No, it is not alcohol… Acetaminophen, which is found in products such as Tylenol and Nyquil, is the leading cause of liver failure. 500 people die every year from Acetaminophen overdose due to liver failure. What about NSAIDS/Anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil, Aleve or Naproxen? According to the American Journal of Medicine, it is estimated that minimally 16,500 people die every year among arthritis patients alone due gastrointestinal complications. Another option, cortisone shots may provide temporary relief but side effects can occur and it doesn’t correct the problem.
A better pain relief option:
When traumas occur to our spines, from car accidents to a bad working environment, vertebral misalignments can occur which cause conditions such as neck pain, tingling/numbness in the hands, and headaches. These misalignments of the spine are called Vertebral Subluxations. When subluxation occurs, the misalignment causes interference along the nerves that travel through the vertebrae. The first sign of subluxation is restricted range of motion. An easy test to see if you have subluxation is to turn your head as far as you can to one side and then the other. If one side does not go as far as the other, you may have subluxation. Chiropractors are trained to examine and correct subluxations providing neck pain relief to patients of all ages.
There have been many studies showing the benefits of chiropractic care for patients with neck pain. In the Annals of Internal Medicine (2012), a study compared pain relief results by medication versus chiropractic care. It showed that 57% of the patients had at least a 75% pain reduction with chiropractic care after 12 weeks. Only 33% of the patients who took medication had the same pain reduction. Chiropractic not only helps to alleviate pain in the neck, but also helps relieve muscle spasm, headaches, TMJ dysfunction and boosts your immune system. Chiropractic treatment called adjustments is both safe and effective in keeping the spinal joints healthy and mobile.
It is very important to take care of the aches and pains in your body but it is even more important to prevent those problems from ever occurring. Whether you have pain or not, you must take care of your spine especially the neck. Many patients who have spinal degeneration or arthritis in their necks do not have pain or symptoms at all. Proper alignment and movement in the spine is extremely important to maintain good spinal health to prevent arthritic changes from occurring in the first place.
Whether you have pain or not, be sure to have a spinal check-up regularly to ensure better health! A healthy spine equals a healthy brain and body!