Neck Pain Specialist

What causes neck pain?

Your neck contains only seven small vertebrae, yet holds your 12-pound head up and allows it move in a multitude of ways. Called the cervical spine, your neck is extremely flexible, but at a cost: it’s extremely susceptible to injury.

Any type of sudden force to the head or neck applies tension to your cervical spine and the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support it. And when that forward force is met with a sudden stop, such as in a motor vehicle accident, neck injuries are likely to occur.

Called whiplash, these injuries can lead to muscle spasms, muscle fatigue, pain, and stiffness. In severe cases, whiplash can cause pulled muscles, herniated discs, and torn ligaments. Other common causes of neck pain include:

• Herniated discs
• Osteoarthritis
• Spinal stenosis
• Scoliosis
• Degenerative disc disease
• Poor posture
• Obesity
• Stress and tension
• Normal wear-and-tear due to aging

When should you see the doctor about neck pain?

Many cases of neck pain respond well to rest at home. If you have neck pain and don’t notice improvement with a few days of rest, contact Dr. Foltz.

In certain circumstances, it’s important to seek medical attention right away with neck pain. That includes when your neck pain:

• Occurred from an injury or fall
• Involved a motor vehicle accident
• Becomes severe
• Radiates down your arms or legs
• Is accompanied by numbness, weakness, or tingling
• Is accompanied by a fever

How does a chiropractor treat neck pain?

Dr. Foltz uses hands-on approaches to rehabilitate your cervical spine and reduce your neck pain. He may treat you with a combination of:

• Neck adjustment: He manipulates your cervical spine into alignment, improving mobility and range of motion while reducing pressure on your nerves

• Therapeutic exercises: Dr. Foltz gives you exercises that strengthen and stabilize your neck muscles

• Stretching: Stretching your muscles helps you heal and reduces pain

• Trigger point therapy: Dr. Foltz uses deep tissue manipulation to relieve specific points of pain, massaging out knots and adhesions in your muscles, ligaments, and tendons

• CoxⓇ Technic: With the Cox Technic, Dr. Foltz uses a special table to realign your spine and take pressure off your nerves

• Gua sha/Graston technique: Gua sha, also known as the Graston technique, involves using controlled inflammation to increase blood flow to a specific area and stimulate a healing response

Whatever the cause of your neck pain, Dr. Foltz can find it and fix it. If you live in the City of Bridges, call the office today, or book your appointment online.