Do you often experience neck pain that just won't go away? Do you know how long it's been? Is your movement limited? Has your symptoms begun to affect the overall quality of your life? Could it be atlas subluxation or misalignment? So many questions can arise when you feel like you've been suffering far too long and don't know exactly what you're dealing with.
People usually complain about neck pain. Some cases are superficial and result from muscle strain, sleeping on the wrong side, or exposure to cold. The pain can vary from mild to severe. Some people choose to let the pain run its course and let it pass until it's gone. Unfortunately for others, neck pain can become chronic and linger longer, making movement uncomfortable. Some neck pain is also a result of atlas subluxation or a misalignment of the topmost part of the spine.
Usually, your neck pain can go away within one to two weeks. But some activities can trigger the pain again. These include long work hours or intense sporting activities. However, some types of neck pain linger longer than others (up to three months). If you notice your neck pain not going away despite doing everything you can to help yourself, you might want to follow our two helpful tips below.
The sooner you can identify the reason for the stiff and sore sensation on your neck, the faster you can devise a plan. Notably, many things can lead to a painful cervical spine, including:
When you find yourself sitting and staring at your desk or computer for long hours regularly, and when you do that with a poor posture, chances are you stress your neck muscles regularly. This can lead to muscle weakness. Likewise, overextending your neck muscles, such as when you paint your ceiling or look up for hours, can lead to overuse of your neck muscles and eventually trigger pain.
It's normal for your body to experience wear and tear as you age. Hence, you must better care for your body, so you develop different health conditions as you get older. Suppose you aren’t too careful with your choice of physical activities (sitting for long hours, doing repetitive movements, lifting without minding your posture, etc.). In that case, you can potentially cause injuries that will linger until your sunset days.
If your vertebral canal is narrow or your spinal disc bulges or slips outwards, it can put pressure on your nerve roots and trigger neck pain that can spread further to your shoulders or arms.
Car accidents are a common source of whiplash injuries when you suddenly move your neck forward and backward. Some whiplash injuries manifest weeks or months after the accident and can affect you even years after. In addition, you may experience pain in moving your head because it can affect your muscles and connective tissues in the neck area.
Another possible cause of neck pain that lingers is atlas subluxation. This postural problem affects the topmost neck bones, atlas and axis, and causes a myriad of issues ranging from twisting of attached muscles along the neck to gait changes. The misalignments mostly follow traumatic injuries to the neck, like whiplash and neck sprain. The blunt force from such events can cause the ligaments in the neck to tear and force the atlas and axis to shift away from their original 90-degree alignment. This leads to a cascade of events that ultimately prevent healing and cause you to suffer from long-term neck pain and other crippling symptoms. Sadly, the problem will persist for months or years on end if you don’t address the misalignment. That means the only way to eliminate the problem and its accompanying symptoms would be to correct the subluxation or misalignment. Thankfully, you can do this by consulting with a board-certified Upper Cervical Chiropractor and having your spine alignment checked. Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care can fix your posture problems and help the body heal faster. Young or old people, the technique can help redefine your approach to managing pain and revitalizing the body. Beginning pain-free life and helping your body is within reach with the help of an Upper Cervical doctor. Feel free to check our directory of Upper Cervical Chiropractors to find the nearest practice in your city.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.