Are you or someone you know currently suffering from neck pain? If you are, there is a good chance that the pain is chronic and has been around for some time. There are some exceptions in which you might have been involved in an auto accident, and neck pain came on suddenly, but in most cases, it developed slowly over time. Oftentimes, the source of neck pain can be attributed to spinal misalignment and years of bad posture. A neck adjustment can make a big difference in the pain you are experiencing, but if you are unsure about chiropractic care and find yourself online reading articles that ask, “Is chiropractic neck adjustment safe?” then look no further than the qualified chiropractic team at RxWellness Spine & Health in Herndon Virginia.
What Is A Neck Adjustment
A neck adjustment is a precise manipulation of the cervical spine designed to increase mobility and improve range of motion. The chiropractor uses manual hand techniques to target specific areas of the cervical spine that are stiff, sore, or not moving as well as they should be. The adjustment not only benefits the spine but improves muscle movement and stiffness. After receiving the adjustment, most patients experience an improved ability to move the head, less pain, and a better range of motion almost immediately.
Why Should I Get A Neck Adjustment
Neck adjustments are very beneficial to your spinal health and can be used for both healing and preventative care. The purpose of a neck adjustment is to realign the cervical spine to allow for proper flow of the neural pathways. This allows better communication from the brain to other areas of the body, which can improve the body’s ability to heal itself. Aligning the cervical spine can also be used as a treatment for various conditions. For example, tension headaches can be caused by spinal misalignment, and that misalignment can cause the muscles in the neck and shoulder to shift in an attempt to provide additional stability. Those muscles are often shortened or lengthen in unnatural positions for long periods, causing painful trigger points. In many cases, those tight muscles pull at the base of the skull causing painful tension headaches.
A neck adjustment can correct the misalignment, however, if the muscles are conditioned to a certain position for an extended period they will pull the cervical spine out of its realigned position. When you work with the RxWellness Spine & Health chiropractic team, we look at healing as a holistic concept, and so we attempt to treat the full problem and not just a small part. This means that after you receive your neck adjustment, we have you work with a licensed massage therapist. The massage therapist will provide soft tissue manipulation or deep tissue massage to relieve those painful trigger points in the muscle. This allows the muscles to relieve tension and relax into their proper position, which prevents them from pulling the spine out of its proper position.
Are Chiropractic Neck Adjustments Safe?
When done by a licensed and qualified chiropractic professional a neck adjustment is completely safe. Some people run into complications when they have their friend blindly “crack” an area of the spine by pressing on a random location without knowing what they are doing. A chiropractor is trained on the specific vertebrae of the spine and will know precisely how and where to apply the adjustment. When working with the chiropractic team at RxWellness Spine & Health, you will be in good hands and can relax knowing that complications associated with neck adjustments are extremely rare.
Why Am I Sore After An Adjustment
The sore sensation you may feel after an adjustment is completely normal, and is the result of the muscles being moved and not the spine being shifted. When the spine is misaligned for an extended period, the muscles shorten or lengthen in an attempt to provide stability to the area. When the chiropractor adjusts the neck, this forcibly pushes those muscles back into their correct position. Those muscles have often held that position for a long time, and so the sudden movement can cause soreness. The soreness is similar to the discomfort you experience following a workout after a long time of inactivity. The RxWellness Spine & Health massage therapist will work the affected areas to relieve tension to prevent the muscles from returning to their original location, but the soreness is sometimes unavoidable and completely normal. After the adjustment, it is recommended that you drink plenty of water and use ice packs if needed.
Neck Adjustments At RxWellness Spine & Health
When you schedule your consultation at RxWellness Spine & Health, we will work diligently to understand your symptoms so we can recommend the best source of treatment. The goal of a chiropractic neck adjustment is stability, we want the cervical spine aligned in the best way to support the head with no weak points. When the neck is properly aligned, this will also prevent muscles from being stretched in a way that contributes to tension headaches and other painful complications. In addition to neck adjustments, we offer soft tissue manipulation, deep tissue massage, cupping, scraping, and other forms of treatment designed to relieve pressure off the muscles so they can relax and stop pulling the spine out of alignment. When you work with our chiropractic team, we will design the best treatment to help you see the most results in the shortest possible time frame.
Contact RxWellness Spine & Health
Everyday activities and habits can throw your spine out of its proper alignment, which can contribute to intense pain. The most important thing to remember is that neck and spinal misalignment does not happen immediately, but gradually over time. The best thing you can do for your spinal health is to schedule a consultation and begin a treatment plan to get your cervical spine properly aligned. No need to continue searching, “Is chiropractic neck adjustment safe?,” just contact RxWellness Spine & Health in Herndon and set up a consultation today. If you have any questions, you can give us a call at 1+(703) 904 9666 or book a consultation online. We are located at 950 Herndon Pkwy Suite 130, Herndon, VA 20170.