At Intrinsic Chiropractic, we offer treatments for all conditions related to the movement of the body. Some specific examples are found below.
Headaches
Headaches are generally caused when the muscles that stabilize the anterior cervical spine and neck become weakened and allow the head posture to migrate forward. As the weight of the head translates forward the tension on the back of the head and neck muscles increase exponentially. As the body fights to stabilize the head position, the joints become locked due to pressure, and muscles become chronically tight and short. With the posterior muscles in a constant shortened and activated state, the smaller anterior neck muscles turn off from being over powered and atrophied from lack of use. The accumulative result is irritation of greater occipital nerve causing chronic headaches.
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Localized Neck Pain
Localized neck pain, like all musculoskeletal pain, can begin with muscular tension or injury, joint dysfunction or trauma. When the biomechanics of the neck and upper back is altered, inflammation within the individual joint spaces of the spine begins. The inflammatory reaction awakens and sensitizes the nerves that send and receive pain messages. Prior to the onset of pain, unfortunately, warning signs of the problem, such as reduced range of motion are ignored until the pain presents. With limitation in the joint motion one or more of the muscles that move the neck and upper back become short and tight to compensate. With the environment primed for injury, the road from acute or new neck pain to chronic neck pain begins when the muscles that stabilize the anterior cervical spine and neck become weakened and allow the head posture to migrate forward. As the weight of the head translates forward, the tension on the back of the head and neck muscles increases exponentially. As the body fights to stabilize the head position, the joints become locked due to pressure, and muscles become chronically tight and short. With the posterior muscles in a constant shortened and activated state, the smaller, anterior neck muscles turn off from being over powered and atrophy from lack of use. The accumulative result is joints that become stiff and the muscles that move the neck become short and tight, thus reducing the overall pain free range of motion.
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Radiating Neck Pain
Radiating neck pain is pain that begins from a problem in the cervical (neck) vertebra and radiates pain down the shoulder, arm, hand and fingers. The origin of the pain is from irritation and/or inflammation of the nerves that branch off the spinal cord and exit the vertebra and travel down the arm. The cause of the nerve irritation can consist of a disc herniation (when the vertebral disc is injured the inner material from the nucleus leaks on to the nerve root and tries to occupy the same space between the vertebra causing the nerve to react signaling pain), boney growth and inflammation. As with all other non-traumatic spinal conditions the reality is the dysfunction of the neck and postural musculature was present for long period of time.