Modern living often entails hours of driving and hunching over workstations, which can cause a lot of problems with our necks. So it is no surprising that neck pain is the second most common condition that Lakeland chiropractors treat. Although neck pain is less common than lower back pain, millions of people experience neck pain and related arm pain at some stage in their lives and therefore seek chiropractic care.

When neck pain is caused by muscle strain, you may experience aches and stiffness that can spread to the upper arm and forearm. Shooting pain that spreads down the arm into the hand and fingers can be a symptom of a “pinched” nerve or nerve entrapment in the neck. When a nerve is “pinched”, numbness, weakness and possibly pain of the hands or arms may occur. Disc injuries are rare but it is the most common cause of nerve entrapment. It results from abnormalities in the soft tissues: muscles, ligaments, and nerves, as well as in the bone & the joints of the backbone. The most common causes that chiropractors identify and treat are soft tissue abnormalities from injury or extended wear and tear.  In plenty of people it is also the source of pain in the upper back, shoulders and arms.

Injuries to the neck caused by a sudden movement of the head backwards, forwards or sideways, are known as whiplash. Whether from a automobile accident, sporting injury or an accident at work, whiplash or neck injuries require a thorough chiropractic examination.

The exact treatment plan depends on your diagnosis. Your chiropractor may use a combination of spinal manipulation, manual techniques, and therapy instruments for your Lakeland neck pain treatment.

Some spinal manipulation techniques that Lakeland chiropractors use are:

• specific spinal manipulation
• flexion-distraction technique
• instrument-assisted manipulation

The chiropractor may also use manual therapy to treat injured soft tissues such as ligaments and muscles. Some examples are:

• trigger point therapy
• manual joint stretching and resistance techniques
• therapeutic massage
• instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy

In addition to spinal manipulation and manual techniques, the chiropractor may use various instruments to treat muscle inflammation. These are used to relax the muscles. Some examples are:

• ultrasound
• inferential electrical stimulation