Neck pain can be frustrating because it can interfere with your daily routine and keep you from performing basic activities. While many people seek conventional treatment for neck pain, chiropractic care has also proven effective for this condition. Before you decide what steps to take to address your neck pain, here's some basic information on chiropractic care for neck pain.

What Causes Neck Pain?

Neck pain occurs when the structures of your spine are inflamed or damaged. Some reasons you may be experiencing neck pain include age-related wear and tear and occupational stress. Conditions like arthritis occur with age and cause painful symptoms. Also, sedentary jobs, like those that involve sitting at a desk the whole day, are risk factors for neck pain.

Slip and fall incidences, auto accidents, and contact sports injuries can inflict trauma on your neck, causing excruciating pain. Neck pain can also be attributed to poor posture when sleeping, sitting, standing, or engaging in activities like weight lifting.

What Chiropractic Treatments Address Neck Pain?

Chiropractic adjustments that involve spinal manipulations to force the vertebrae and joints of the neck back to their natural position can help relieve neck pain. Some of these treatments include the following.

Cervical Drop Technique

With this adjustment, the patient is lying on their stomach or on their side on a special table with a head drop-piece lifted into a secured position. The practitioner places their hand or finger over the spinal area that requires an adjustment. 

The practitioner applies a gentle thrust and relies on the special table to reduce the restricted motion of the vertebra. The head drop piece unlocks and drops a short distance to release the patient's neck tension. This method doesn't involve twisting or rotating the head and neck. 

Cervical Mobilization

With this adjustment, the patient lies on their back while the practitioner manually turns the vertebra in the neck back and forth and side to side. The practitioner also moves the patient's head at varying degrees. This adjustment aims to minimize motion restriction between the cervical spinal areas.

Cervical Manual Traction

With this adjustment, the patient is lying facing upwards. The practitioner pulls the neck softly and stretches the cervical spine, varying the angle between forward and backward. This adjustment aims to find the correct angle to reduce the tightness.

When Is Chiropractic Care Not Appropriate for Neck Pain?

In some cases, chiropractic care may not offer relief for neck pain, and you're better off seeking specialized treatment. Chiropractic adjustments cannot resolve neck pain that's accompanied by vomiting, headaches, and fever. These symptoms indicate you probably have meningitis, an infection of the membranes surrounding your spinal cord and brain. 

Neck pain can also be caused by medical conditions such as fibromyalgia and arthritis. For these conditions, you're better off taking medications prescribed by your doctor for alleviating pain.

To learn more about chiropractor clinics, contact a professional near you.