Relieve Your Stiff Neck with Chiropractic in Calgary

Neck pain is a common problem with many possible causes. Poor posture, hunching over a computer, arthritis, whiplash, and muscle strain from simple things like reading in bed or grinding your teeth can all trigger neck pain. When your neck muscles become tired and strained, pain may be the first symptom. When you experience neck pain, you maybe want to search for a “chiropractor near me” to help relieve the stiffness and pain.

If you experience neck pain, consult a chiropractor in Calgary for an assessment. Your chiropractor will recommend a course of treatment specific to you which may include spinal adjustments, joint mobilization, muscle release techniques, muscle stimulation, therapeutic exercises and lifestyle advice. Most people respond well to treatment and get back to their regular activities faster than waiting it out.

Here is more information about the treatment techniques your chiropractor in Calgary may use to help relieve your stiff neck:

    1. Cervical mobilization: The patient is usually lying on his or her back and is relaxed while the chiropractor manually moves the vertebra in the neck left to right, and vice versa, alternating between the side to side motion and a figure 8 movement, applied at varying degrees of moving the head forward, backward, and to the side and in rotation. This is a smooth, non-thrust type of stretch, with the goal of reducing fixations or areas where motion is restricted between the cervical spinal segments. An oscillatory movement with the hands is also frequently utilized during cervical spine mobilization.

    2. Cervical manual traction: The patient is usually lying face up or sitting, or less commonly prone (lying face down, on the stomach). The chiropractor gently pulls on the neck, stretching the cervical spine often varying the angle between flexion (forward) and extension (backward), based on comfort and searching for the correct angle to most efficiently reduce the tightness. This technique is often combined with mobilization, switching between the two and/or doing both simultaneously.

    3. Cervical "drop" techniques: The patient is either prone (lying on the stomach) or side lying on a special type of table where the head drop-piece is lifted into a "set" or locked position. The chiropractor then places his or her hand and/or finger over the spinal segment requiring the adjustment. A medium to high velocity, low amplitude thrust or, a non-thrust gradual increasing downward pressure is applied until the drop section / head piece of the table releases and drops a short distance. The goal is to reduce the fixation or restricted motion of the cervical vertebra assisted by the special table. There is usually no rotation or twisting of the head/neck often utilized in the traditional chiropractic adjustment and the typical "crack" (joint cavitation) may or may not occur with this method.

There is no need to suffer with a stiff neck when your chiropractor has several tools available to help. They can also help you to define the root cause of your neck stiffness so it doesn’t become a chronic problem. Search for “chiropractor near me” to find a great option to help you!