Neck Pain Isn’t Normal
Despite 99 million people in the United States suffering from neck pain every year and over 45 million suffering with neck pain that keeps coming back or doesn’t go away it still isn’t normal and it doesn’t have to be your normal either.
Individuals with neck pain often have…
Worse balance.
Worse hand eye coordination.
Slower movements.
While neck pain might feel normal to you, it’s not.
Turning your head while backing out of your driveway shouldn’t be hard.
Not Normal
Trouble falling asleep because you can’t find a position that is comfortable isn’t normal.
Feeling like your head is heavy by the end of the day isn’t normal. Often times it feels normal because it’s been going on for so long but it’s not normal and it doesn’t have to be that way.
So how do we address Neck Pain at
Optimize Chiropractic?
First an in-depth history.
Trauma, stress, work environment, previous injuries, desk set-up and so much more can influence and even cause neck pain.
An in-depth history gives us a path of breadcrumbs to follow to lead us closer to what is causing your neck pain and is crucial in determining what direction to go with care.
Next is the Examination.
We know when muscles of the neck are imbalanced it can cause pain, that it can lead to dizziness, headaches, and more.
That’s why we do a thorough evaluation of how the different systems controlling balance are working together and if inaccuracies in these three systems might be leading to more issues.
We evaluate these systems using force plate technology which is the gold standard for assessing balance and center of pressure.
We then examine how well the neck is moving by looking at all the different movements of the neck and which movements cause pain and which ones don’t.
Does turning your head to the left cause your right shoulder pain?
Does looking up cause a sharp pain in the lower neck?
Does looking down make you feel like a part of your upper back is getting pulled apart?
All these intricacies, these details allow us to paint a clearer picture of what is going on and what needs to be done to bring the neck back to a normal pain free state.
Some of the test we put our patients through are the.
Modified CTSIB -The modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance (CTSIB) evaluates sensory contributions to postural control. Postural Control and Balance is often negatively affected by individuals with neck pain.
Cervical Challenge Test - The Cervical Challenge is an evaluation of changes in postural sway that occur when the head is placed into different anatomical positions. There are ten different positions tested, which are compared to a reference condition where the person stands with the head neutral. This test not only looks at how the position of the neck affects our balance but also gives us insight into how the inner ear could be affecting the neck and balance.
Cervical Joint Position Error Test - This test looks at how well we are able to bring our head and neck back to a neutral state after moving in a certain direction. When we are unable to do this it points to an issue with the motor control of the neck muscles.
Range of Motion - Range of motion is exactly what it sounds like, how much can the neck and head move through certain motions and do certain movements cause pain, dizziness or discomfort?
While I could go on and on about the different test we have patients go through to refine how we are going to approach the patient’s care and establish a baseline I won’t bore you with more paragraphs of names, definitions and reasoning for the other test we do.
After the thorough evaluation we use the information we’ve gathered to create a plan of action based of the individual’s specific needs.
Plan of Action often times include but are not limited to.
QSM3 Chiropractic Care (a specific approach with no twisting popping or cracking)
Proprioceptive Rehabilitation
Balance Training
Neck Strengthening Exercises
Video chat with the patient to assess their work set-up.
At Optimize Chiropractic by utilizing a Data-Driven Approach we are able to find out where the pain and discomfort is coming from then create a specific plan based off of the individuals in-depth examination and history to help bring them back to a pain free, normal life.
Our goal at Optimize Chiropractic isn’t to be just another chiropractor in Columbus but rather provide the best care in Columbus with the best objective and subjective data to back it up.
To Schedule Your Complimentary Consultation or Contact Dr. Jake with any of your questions click the button below.
References
Cohen, S. P. (2015). Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Neck Pain. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 90(2), 284–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.09.008
Vuillerme, N., & Pinsault, N. (2008). Experimental neck muscle pain impairs standing balance in humans. Experimental Brain Research, 192(4), 723-729. doi:10.1007/s00221-008-1639-7
Anabela G. Silva, & Ana Lúcia Cruz, (2013) Standing balance in patients with whiplash-associated neck pain and idiopathic neck pain when compared with asymptomatic participants: A systematic review, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 29:1, 1-18, DOI: 10.3109/09593985.2012.677111
Sandra Field, Julia Treleaven, Gwendolen Jull,Standing balance: A comparison between idiopathic and whiplash-induced neck pain,Manual Therapy,Volume 13, Issue 3,2008,Pages 183-191,ISSN 1356-689X,
Sittikraipong K, Silsupadol P, Uthaikhup S. Slower reaction and response times and impaired hand-eye coordination in individuals with neck pain. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2020 Dec;50:102273. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2020.102273. Epub 2020 Oct 14. PMID: 33069939.
Falla, D., Jull, G., & Hodges, P. W. (2004). Feedforward activity of the Cervical flexor muscles during voluntary arm movements is delayed in chronic neck pain. Experimental Brain Research, 157(1), 43-48. doi:10.1007/s00221-003-1814-9
Amaral G, Martins H, Silva AG. Postural control in subclinical neck pain: a comparative study on the effect of pain and measurement procedures. Scand J Pain. 2018 Apr 25;18(2):295-302. doi: 10.1515/sjpain-2017-0172. PMID: 29794294. June Quek, Julia Treleaven, Ross A Clark, Sandra G Brauer,