When a patient is suffering from chronic neck pain, it may seem more important to get a prescription for pain medicine than to sit in an office and outline one’s history. However, getting the right type of chronic neck pain care requires a proper diagnosis, and that’s where the importance of patient history cannot be understated. Let’s discuss some of the important factors in the diagnosis of neck ache and a simple solution that provides drug-free relief.

Elements of a Proper Neck Pain Diagnosis

Consider the following 5 factors that are essential to a neck pain diagnosis:

1. Onset – Did symptoms begin suddenly or gradually?
2. Work Environment – While there are elements of manual labor that can result in chronic neck pain, office workers frequently experience pain due to holding a phone with the shoulder, sitting with poor posture, or looking at a monitor at the wrong angle.
3. Sleep Position – Sleep position and pillow quality can both play a role in neck ache.
4. Trauma – If a person has ever experienced head or neck trauma, neck pain may be the result.  This is true even if years have passed between the injury/accident and the onset of symptoms.
5. Habits – Everything from texting to smoking can result in neck ache.

This is just a short list of important factors related to neck pain. Your physician may have additional questions that prove relevant to your particular case.

Chronic Neck Pain Relief Through Upper Cervical Chiropractic

The atlas vertebra is often the culprit when it comes to neck pain. This is the top bone in the spine, and it is uniquely shaped to allow for maximum head movement. As a result, this is the most likely bone to shift when an accident or injury occurs. Once the misalignment is corrected, many find that tissue damage can heal, and pain is relieved.

To learn more, contact an upper cervical chiropractor near you. An examination can reveal if you are suffering from an atlas misalignment, and a gentle adjustment may be able to get you back on the road to being pain-free.

to schedule a consultation today.