On your first visit, your chiropractor is going to determine the source and causes of your pain and make certain neck adjustment to loosen the stiff joint muscles. In this post we are going to talk about some of the most common techniques used by chiropractors to treat neck pain.
Common Chiropractic Techniques For Neck Pain
Cervical Mobilization
As the patient you would be required to lie on your back and relax while your chiropractic doctor would move your neck vertebrae manually with hands from right to left and vice versa.
The practitioner will alternate between the figure 8 movement and side to side motion so as to move your head in all possible directions. You are not going to feel much discomfort since the process involves a non-thrust kind of stretch which would help in reducing the stiffness in the cervical spinal segments. Chiropractors are also known to utilize an oscillatory motion with their hands during the process of cervical mobilization.
Cervical Manual Traction
During this process you need to lie face up or sit upright. Your neck would be gently pulled by the chiropractor and your cervical spine would be stretched at two angles often alternating between flexion (forward) and extension (backward). In this way the chiropractor would determine the right angle which would help to lower the stiffness effectively.
Usually the cervical manual traction technique is used in conjunction with the cervical mobilization technique for the most effective results.
Cervical Drop Techniques
In this technique you’d need to lie down on your stomach or sideways in a special kind of table where the ‘drop piece’ on the top is lifted and set in a locked position. Next the chiropractor places their hand over the part of your spinal segment which is in need of adjustment. A gentle but high velocity thrust pressure is applied downwards till the ‘drop piece’ of the table releases and drops a little.
The objective of this treatment is to lower the restricted movement of your cervical vertebrae with the help of the specially created drop table. Unlike other chiropractic treatment processes, this one doesn’t involve the traditional practice of neck rotation or joint cavitations.
Visit A Chiropractic Doctor When:
• Your neck stiffness doesn’t improve even after a week
• You cannot look right or left without experiencing a pang in the neck
• When over the counter pain medications fail to produce any results
• When your neck pain has radiated to other body parts like wrists and hands
• When the pain is worst in the morning and gets better as the day progresses