Many people complain about neck pain, so if you're one of them, you're not alone. As many as 70% of adults experience neck pain that can affect daily activities. But unfortunately, many patients pursuing neck pain relief in Decatur tend to wonder about its primary cause.
Sadly, one possibility is that your neck pain is due to overworking or over-exhausting yourself in fulfilling work tasks. Sometimes your busy work schedule brings you bouts of physical pain in your neck and other body parts.
If you've been working long hours recently or have taken on more responsibility at work, you may be straining your neck without even realizing it. Stress can lead to physical manifestations, including neck pain. In addition to work-related stress, poor posture and sleeping in an uncomfortable position can trigger neck pain.
Desk workers can be prone to neck pain, especially those working for long hours on a regular basis. The risks for neck pain are significantly higher due to bad posture, which is common when sitting and working long hours. Bad posture is something other patients seeking neck pain relief in Decatur need to be fully aware of.
In addition to overworking, there are several other common causes of neck pain. These include:
This refers to the gradual deterioration or degeneration of discs found between the vertebrae of your spine. These discs can cause pain in the neck and other body areas as they break down.
Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can lead to neck pain. Osteoarthritis is caused by the breakdown of cartilage in the joints, while rheumatoid arthritis is classified as an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in the joints.
This usually happens when there is compression or squeezing on a nerve. For example, this can happen due to a herniated disc or bone spur. The resulting compression can cause pain, tingling, or numbness in the affected area.
This condition is usually due to car accidents but can also be caused by other trauma, such as falling off a bike or hitting the head during contact sports. Whiplash happens when your head experiences sudden jerking forward and then backward, causing damage to the ligaments and muscles in the neck region.
Overworking may also lead to unwanted car accidents, which can lead to whiplash or worse. Whiplash symptoms include neck pain and stiffness, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Many patients who seek neck pain relief in Decatur have a history of two or more whiplash injuries.
If you notice chronic and worsening neck pain that persists, it may be time to visit your trusted chiropractor. Sometimes a misalignment in your spine can lead to bouts of pain, including uncomfortable episodes of neck pain. Sometimes overworking can also lead to misalignments in the spine because of repeated poor posture.
Chiropractic doctors like those who provide Specific Chiropractic adjustments can help restore the balance and alignment of your spine to reduce the pain and discomfort and eventually make them disappear when your body fully heals.
Ignoring your neck pain is a mistake. To get started with Specifici Chiropractic care, visit Dr. Stephanie O'Brien's practice Chiropractic for Everybody located at Church Street, Decatur.
Since the 1990s, Dr. O'Brien has been providing relief to patients who suffer from pain caused by misalignments in their spine. When you visit, she will first evaluate your medical history, examine you physically, and order X-rays if necessary.
She will then recommend a series of adjustments to help reduce the pain you feel by correcting your spine’s alignment and letting your body heal naturally. To schedule your appointment, you may call fill out our online contact form.
Specific chiropractic care can provide relief beyond addressing your neck pain. Your overall blood circulation and communication between your body systems will also improve. And it will ensure that your brain can send important signals to heal your body from debilitating symptoms like neck pain.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. O’Brien, call our Decatur office at 404-370-8050. You can also click the button below.
Stress is a part of life. Everyone experiences stress at some point in their lives. Our bodies can handle and manage stress in small doses. However, when your stress levels stay elevated, it can affect your body in manifest in various ways, including neck pain. Sometimes a little rest is enough to ease neck pain, but in some instances, people need more support and seek either immediate or natural relief for neck pain in Decatur. Let’s deep dive into the connection between neck pain stress and the critical steps you need to do to cope better.
Can you believe that stress can do all the things we shared above to different systems in our bodies? It shows how stress negatively impacts your body when not properly managed. If you understand how neck pain is linked to stress, you might easily be able to find ways to manage and avoid it from happening again.
Sometimes stress also causes your muscles to tense up, leading to pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Different areas of your body can store stress, including upper back muscles, jaw, and neck. The tension caused by stress may shift your spinal bones' alignment and irritate the vital nerves between your spinal bones. Chronic or acute stress can potentially lead to vertebral subluxation, which is when the vertebrae in your spine become misaligned.
Subluxation or misalignment can cause various symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and even difficulty concentrating. If you are still experiencing any of these symptoms despite exploring different solutions, you may already need to consult with a chiropractor to diagnose or rule out subluxation. If a subluxation diagnosis is confirmed, they can recommend a series of adjustments to get your spine back into alignment and relieve your symptoms.
When neck pain already interferes with your life, it's time to find the best option to fight your stress and neck pain. There are practical and natural ways to help relieve your neck pain triggered by stress. Here are our recommendations:
First, it's essential to practice and maintain good posture. For example, sitting or standing up straight can relieve the pressure off your spine and helps prevent subluxation. Good posture while sleeping will also help prevent pressure and stress from your neck. Hence, we strongly suggest making necessary adjustments to make way for improved body posture, regardless of the time of day or the activity you engage in.
If you recently shifted from office work to remote work, just like many others, investing in a good ergonomic chair may be one of the best decisions you can ever make. Ergonomic chairs aid in alleviating neck pain by providing enough support for your spine and neck while sitting for long hours.
Requiring yourself to take breaks throughout the day to stretch your muscles or walk around and move will help reduce tension and improve circulation in the neck and shoulders. For those required to sit or stand for long hours at work, try switching your position once in a while to engage other muscles and give your active muscles a break. You may also try quick deskercises such as latissimus and pectoralis stretch.
Engaging in regular exercise and movement can trigger the production of chemicals that helps counteract the effects of stress. For example, happy hormones such as endorphins are released through exercise and are known to reduce stress, improve your sense of well-being, and reduce stress.
Getting a good amount of sleep every month is necessary to help your body rest and recover. Practicing good sleeping habits should be included in your daily to-do list as it helps keep your stress levels as low as possible. Quality sleep helps improve chronic pain too, which can include neck pain.
This natural and gentle method helps maintain the alignment and balance in your spine and corrects misalignments that bring unnecessary pain and discomfort, including neck pain. If you explore this route, consult only with someone reputable and certified to help better address your concerns.
Dr. O'Brien of Chiropractic for Everybody is a trusted chiropractor who can help provide natural relief for neck pain in Decatur through gentle adjustments of your bones.
If stress has caused you to endure long-term pain in the neck, you can call us at 404-370-8050 or reach us online, and we will do our best to find the underlying cause of your pain and discomfort. In addition, our chiropractic doctor will check the alignment of your spine and examine if your neck pain is related to vertebral subluxation.
If we confirm a shift in alignment and balance, we recommend a series of gentle and precise adjustments that will encourage your bones to move back to their rightful place. When it's back to proper alignment, your body will start to function without interference and regenerate naturally from any damage inflicted by the misalignment due to its natural healing abilities.
Finally, this can help ease your neck muscles and significantly reduce or eliminate neck pain. Some of our patients have shared their positive experiences following a few adjustments from our chiropractor, Dr. Stephanie O'Brien. Let us help you improve your health and general well-being through chiropractic adjustments, talk to us today!
To schedule a consultation with Dr. O’Brien, call our Decatur office at 404-370-8050. You can also click the button below.
Waking up with neck pain is one of the things you would prefer to avoid at all costs. It's a guarantee that a physically challenging day is up ahead. However, sometimes even short naps can bring neck pain. It's not uncommon for patients who experience chronic neckache to consult with a neck pain chiropractor in Decatur. Patients seeking chiropractic care can either support or counteract the positive effects of their adjustments depending on the type of pillow they use in their sleep.
It would be best not to underestimate the benefits of having the right pillow, especially for those who quickly get neck pain from a muscle strain or those who experienced a spinal injury. We encourage you to ensure that your pillow gives ample support to your spine's natural curvature. As a result, you might notice an improvement in your stiffness and soreness levels after a night's sleep. After all, sleep is an integral part of your health, and investing in a pillow that is right for you will surely benefit you in the long run.
You can ask your neck pain chiropractor in Decatur for pillow recommendations if you currently get chiropractic adjustments. This way, you support your efforts in restoring the alignment and balance of your body. But what is the right pillow for you? And how will you know? First, check the pillow you currently use and compare it with some pillow types we'll discuss below.
Depending on your preferred sleeping position, your pillow needs to be thick enough to be comfortable and support your head while keeping the spine neutral. Back, stomach, and side sleepers require different levels of thickness. Remember, a pillow is not one-size-fits-all, so you will need to pay attention to the thickness and your sleeping position when pillow shopping.
This can be particularly important for those who experience neck pain. If that's you, remember that you will need a pillow that holds its shape over time and stays supportive even when used regularly. Manufacturers use different types of material in making them nowadays. These include visco-elastic memory foam, polyester, down, gel, and latex.
If you're at a store, you can ask the sales associate about the difference between these materials to identify what you think is the right one for you. Take advantage of the help offered by the sales associates in the stores to enlighten you more about the types of pillows they offer. They can make it easier for you to understand and absorb the information about pillows.
If you venture out and shop for pillows from reputable stores, you will see pillows of different sizes and shapes in the market today. Your pursuit of the right pillow for you will make you realize that not all pillows are created equal, and literally, at that. The height of your pillow and your sleeping position should match. You can also ask about a trial period for a pillow to help you identify if it's the right one for you.
No single pillow is compatible with everyone. Supporting the natural curve of your neck to ease the stress when you're lying down is key to finding the right one, and our bodies are unique and have unique needs. So what is the right pillow for you?
Back sleepers require a thin pillow that can keep the curve of your neck similar to when lying down and standing up. Even when lying down, good posture is necessary.
Side sleepers will require a thicker pillow to support them properly when lying down and sleeping. In addition, when sleeping sideways, you will need to keep your neck and head in the middle of your shoulders. But not all side sleepers are of the same size, so you will still need to consider the correct thickness and even firmness, as it should depend on the height and width of your shoulders.
Those in the smaller frame may need a slimmer pillow, and for broad-shouldered frames, perhaps a thicker pillow will work better. You may also try assessing which firm and soft types work for you. Some stores offer specially designed cervical pillows that you can choose from.
For stomach sleepers, an ultra-slim pillow or a flatter pillow is just what you might need. However, this position is the least encouraging sleeping position because when you sleep on your stomach, you put more stress on your neck instead of relaxing the muscles. This is because your neck tilts on one side for a long time.
While you retrain yourself for other sleeping positions, getting an ultra-thin pillow may provide comfort as it doesn't lift your head too much. This can also work if you habitually put your arm underneath your pillow.
Feather pillows
Pillows using feathers as the primary material can easily conform to the shape of your neck. However, some tend to collapse and deteriorate fast over time, so replacing them often is necessary as they can no longer provide enough support.
Memory foam
You will likely come across memory foam pillows when you do your pillow shopping, as they have been highly popular over the years. Memory foam follows the shape of your neck and head and neck and has a longer life than a feather pillow. In addition, pillows made of memory foam tend to be denser, so the chance of them growing molds, fungus, and dust mites are low. They are also naturally hypoallergenic.
Modifying your pillow and sleeping arrangements is just a single step to reducing or eliminating your neck pain. If you are under a chiropractor's care for neck pain, make sure you continue and finish your recommended number of adjustments to let your body naturally heal.
A visit to a neck pain chiropractor in Decatur may be necessary for those who still experience pain in the neck, even after replacing their old pillow with the right one, especially if you have been using the wrong pillow over the years. Your spine will need to be examined for possible misalignments due to poor sleeping posture caused by the wrong pillow.
Should you decide to see a chiropractor, you may want to consider Dr. Stephanie O'Brien of Chiropractic for Everybody. Waking up pain-free is always a good idea, don't let it be a part of your day! Contact our office to consult with a trusted chiropractor in Decatur.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. O’Brien, call our Decatur office at 404-370-8050. You can also click the button below.
