Are you suffering from upper cervical pain? You may be able to help yourself by visiting a chiropractor. Find out more about this condition here.
Did you know that more than 288 million people worldwide suffer from neck pain? Upper cervical pain can be frustrating to deal with, especially when it’s severe. In some cases, upper cervical pain may inhibit a person’s ability to move their neck in certain directions.
If you don’t yet know a good chiropractor Boiling Springs has to offer, you might be thinking about paying one a visit. But before you Google, “upper cervical chiropractor near me,” you should know more about why you might have pain in your upper cervical spine and what a chiropractor can do to help you.
Keep reading and learn more about upper cervical pain and how going to a chiropractor can help.
What You Need to Know About Upper Cervical Pain
Many things can cause neck pain and upper cervical instability. There are several bones that make up your neck, but there are two main bones you should be aware of in the upper cervical region: the atlas and the axis. The atlas is the topmost bone of your spine.
It is shaped in a way that allows it to connect with the opening at the base of your skull. The axis is the bone right beneath the atlas. Both of these bones are quite small compared to the bones in the rest of the spine, especially the lumbar spine which has very thick and sturdy vertebra.
However, even though the atlas and the axis are quite small, they are both very important. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to turn your head back and forth or move it up and down. Instead, you would have to turn your entire body just to move your head.
Because these bones are so small, upper cervical care is very important. If these bones or the muscles surrounding the bones are damaged in any way, you could end up with quite severe pain. Trauma to these bones often occurs from car accents and whiplash.
The Details
However, you may also hurt this region of your neck if you sleep in the wrong position or if you have recently carried a heavy load for a long time. Of course, if you have a type of osteoarthritis in your neck, this can also contribute to upper cervical pain.
The problem with pain of this kind is that it can inhibit your ability to move your head. This, of course, can negatively impact your life in several ways. For example, if you can’t move your head back and forth, you won’t be able to drive safely and even crossing the street on foot can become dangerous and difficult.
Fortunately, if you have upper cervical pain, you don’t necessarily have to deal with it forever. If you find a good chiropractor Spartanburg has to offer, you can find relief from your pain. If you’re lucky, the chiropractor might even be able to fix the root of the problem.
But what exactly can a chiropractor do for you?
How Can a Chiropractor Help Your Neck Pain?
If you’ve tried all sorts of things to help your neck pain and found that nothing has worked, it might be time to take a visit to your local chiropractor. You should always make sure that you choose a reputable and professional chiropractor before you get your neck treated. That way, you’ll know that you’re in good hands and that your neck problems won’t end up worse than before.
A chiropractor will help your neck pain by using a technique known as spinal manipulation. As the name suggests, this involves manipulating your spine in one way or another, usually with the hands. Keep in mind that spinal manipulation is not meant to be painful.
When a chiropractor manipulates your cervices spine, he will be especially careful. This is because the cervical spine is a sensitive area that contains many important nerves and muscles. And, as mentioned before, the bones in this area are also quite delicate compared to the rest of the spine.
The goal of cervical spinal manipulation is to make sure that the cervical spine is in line with the rest of the spine and ultimately the rest of the body. Spinal manipulation also aims to reconnect the nervous system in the neck with the rest of the body. By doing this, the flow of energy in your nerves should flow throughout your spine without any problems.
The Process
Any knots or kinks in your spine should also be removed through proper chiropractic techniques. This will allow your muscles to relax and, again, it will be easier for your nerves and blood vessels to flow through your neck and the rest of your body. Before treatment, some chiropractors may take an X-ray of your neck.
This way, the chiropractor can check to see if there are any physical deformities or trauma in the area that needs to be addressed. If there is severe damage or a deformity in your cervical spine, you will likely need to see another doctor or a surgeon instead of chiropractor. Otherwise, the chiropractor should be able to use cervical manipulation to soothe your neck pain.
Chiropractic Treatment and Upper Cervical Pain
No one wants to deal with upper cervical pain. Not only is it painful but it is inconvenient to deal with. Fortunately, chiropractic treatment can help. A good chiropractor will use the practice of spinal manipulation to treat you.
This involves manipulating your spine with the hands and realigning your spine. This way, the nerves in your neck will properly flow along with the rest of the nerves in your spine. To learn more about chiropractic treatment, contact us here.