Neck Pain Treatment in Yarmouth, ME

Neck pain is the second most common condition we treat in our office. Studies show that 30-50% of us will experience a significant acute episode of neck pain. Unfortunately, up to 50% of those episodes result in recurrent or chronic neck pain. That means 15-25% of people are experiencing ongoing neck pain that results in disability, days missing work, and missing out on life. This is why seeking care early on for neck pain is so important!

Neck pain is common for several reasons. One major factor is the increased use of technology, with computers and cell phones, worsening postures and muscular imbalances. Our head weighs approximately 12 lbs, equivalent to a bowling ball! For every inch our head translates forward, the force on the structures of our neck increases by 10 lbs. Additionally, forward head posture alters the biomechanics of the neck, meaning tissues are being used in a way they were not designed. This results in those tissues becoming inflamed and painful and, over time, injured or degenerative.

The tissues of our neck include vertebrae, discs, joints, ligaments, and muscles, all of which house and protect our nervous system. When in balance, these tissues work together to provide smooth, stable motion of our neck. These tissues can be injured by sudden forces from a traumatic event. Whiplash from a motor vehicle accident, straining while lifting, or holding prolonged “awkward” positions like sleeping with your neck twisted are all examples. Conversely, chronic abnormal forces can also cause the tissues of our neck to become dysfunctional, tight, inflamed, and painful. If abnormal forces persist, tissues can further maladapt and become weakened and degenerative, making them susceptible to injury or chronic pain. These acute and chronic neck conditions are described in detail below.

When treating neck pain, it’s crucial to identify the specific tissues involved and address the root cause of the problem. Taking pain medication, doing random stretches or exercise, or getting a massage simply mask the problem and can be largely ineffective at truly resolving neck pain. Brown Chiropractic’s detailed examination process and comprehensive care plans are designed to quickly get you out of pain and create long-term resilience.

Comprehensive Consultation and Exam

Identifying the root cause of the problem

The first step to treating neck pain is our consultation. We’ll get to know you, understand your symptoms, their effect on your life, and your goals for care. We then perform a comprehensive evaluation. This includes:

• Orthopedic and neurological testing to identify what tissues of the neck are injured and painful
• Chiropractic spinal analysis to identify restrictions and malalignments of the spinal segments
• Functional movement screen to determine abnormal postures, muscle imbalances, and dysfunctional movements that contribute to overloading and damaging tissues

All of this is designed to get to the root cause of your neck pain so your care can be effective and efficient. If we identify that further testing is necessary, we can order X-rays or an MRI. Similarly, if we feel that a collaborative approach for your neck pain is indicated, we can work with your PCP or refer you to specialists, including orthopedists, physiatrists, neurologists, and more.

Specific Chiropractic Care

The best of myofascial release and adjusting

The first goal of care for neck pain is to provide our patients with relief and facilitate healing. We do this by restoring motion and function to the restricted segments of your neck with a chiropractic adjustment. These restrictions can contribute to your pain through local muscle spasms, weakness, and altered control of the movement within your neck, perpetuating the problem.

When we adjust your cervical spine, it normalizes the sliding and gliding of joints reducing muscle tension and optimizing the biomechanics of your neck. In addition to adjustments, we use myofascial release and assisted stretching to provide more complete relief and normalize the mobility of your neck. This makes stretching and doing exercises on your own more comfortable and effective for correcting neck pain.

Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan

For faster recovery and long-term resilience

During your movement screen, we will identify any abnormal postures, muscle imbalances, and movement dysfunction contributing to your neck pain. Each patient receives a customized program designed around their specific needs and goals for care. For neck pain, we typically work towards reducing forward head and shoulder posture by reducing tension in the chest and upper traps and restoring dynamic stability of the neck while increasing range of motion.

Cold Laser and Other Modalities

For severe pain management and faster healing

In some cases, there can be significant inflammation in the tissues of your neck and or severe muscle spasms. This can initially make manual therapy and adjustments uncomfortable or difficult. When this occurs, we have various options to reduce pain and inflammation and speed up healing. These include:

• Electric Stimulation – electrical pulses are sent through the skin to muscles and nerves and can be used to reduce muscle spasm and pain.
• Ultrasound – sound waves sent into tendons and muscles increase blood flow speeding up healing.
• Cold Laser – emitting low-frequency light, like ultrasound, increases blood flow, stimulates cellular activity, and reduces inflammation and pain, speeding up tissue healing.

Cervical Traction

Reducing forward head posture by restoring normal spinal curvature

Many of our patients present with “tech neck” or forward head posture. Unfortunately, if this has been going on for a long time, the ligaments and other soft tissue can shorten, causing the normal curve of the neck to be flattened or even reversed. This altered structure is most evident with a neck X-ray.

Chiropractic adjustments and exercises are great for restoring functional ability, and can start the process of normalizing the curve in your neck. However, if correction of the cervical curves is a goal for care, a more intensive approach is necessary. In this case, we prescribe cervical traction and monitor and guide you through gradually stretching and increasing the length of the ligaments and soft tissues. This is accomplished by laying on your back with a bolster under your neck and upper back while under tension.

Joint Dysfunction

Otherwise known as a chiropractic subluxation

The most common cause of neck pain is “benign mechanical neck pain.” This is a catch-all term used for uninjured tissues that aren’t functioning as they should. Chiropractors call this segmental joint dysfunction or subluxation, and we describe it as a loss of normal sliding and gliding of joints and the resulting local muscle dysfunction, including spasm and or weakness. Because neck function relies on all segments working together, a single dysfunctional joint can significantly alter your neck’s global motion and biomechanics. Chiropractors are the leading experts at finding and normalizing segmental dysfunction with adjustments.

Myofascial Pain

Chronic tight muscles or “trigger points”

We all have experienced muscle tension in our necks at one point or another. This can be relatively mild and come and go without significant issue. Unfortunately, it can also snowball into a chronic painful situation causing mechanical neck pain, headaches, and more. Myofascial pain is typically a direct result of poor postures and repetitive overuse, usually in combination with stress. Massage can give you temporary relief, but lasting correction of this condition requires a complete systematic approach that includes adjusting, manual therapy, and, most importantly, strengthening exercises.

Bulging and Herniated Discs

The spinal discs are the shock-absorbing, major movable structures of the spine. This predisposes them to injury and degenerative changes such as bulges and herniations. Disc bulges are broad degenerative changes to the disc’s outer fibers, allowing the inner material to bulge outwards. Disc bulging can be completely asymptomatic or, at times, a significant contributor to neck pain. Disc herniations are acute events when the tearing of the exterior disc fibers allows a focal amount of disc material to displace abruptly, often placing pressure on nerves.

The tearing of the disc can cause severe neck and shoulder blade pain. Nerve pressure and inflammation resulting from the disc herniation can cause significant pain, numbness, and tingling in the shoulder, arm, and hand. Although extremely painful, disc herniations can and should be managed conservatively, and 96% resolve without surgical intervention. Adjustments, soft tissue work, and specific exercise protocols help reduce pressure on nerves and can help manage pain while speeding up recovery. At Brown Chiropractic, we place a particular emphasis on neck traction to relieve nerve pressure.

Degenerative Disc Disease

DDD for short

Like any structure of our body, our discs can wear out and thin over time. This is usually related to a history of trauma to the region or abnormal biomechanics taking their toll over decades. With poor posture, the discs in the lower neck (C5-C6, C6-C7) tend to absorb more force than they are designed for and are where we most commonly find DDD in the neck. This can lead to stiffness and pain and predispose you to severe pain episodes. Unfortunately, any degenerative changes cannot be undone. We treat DDD with chiropractic adjustments that can relieve pain and increase whatever motion is available. Manual therapy and exercise can further improve range of motion and stabilize the region to slow or prevent further degeneration of the discs.

Whiplash

Sprains (ligament) and strains (muscles) of neck structures

Whiplash is an event most associated with motor vehicle accidents where the sudden deceleration of a vehicle causes the neck to snap back and forth. This can cause severe damage to the neck’s soft tissues, including tearing of ligaments, muscles, and discs. Because these structures provide stability and mobility of the neck, rehabilitation for whiplash can be a slow process. This is because when a sprain (the tearing of a ligament) occurs, that tissue heals but does not return to normal tension.

To restore neck function, the neck muscles must be trained to make up for the instability this causes, especially when moving your neck. Milder sprains and strains can occur with sports or other mild impacts, sometimes even from turning your neck too quickly. The degree of tissue damage, inflammation, and other factors dictates the recovery time. Chiropractic care is very effective for managing pain and restoring neck function and motion after injury.