Yes, you can take your child to a chiropractor. My name is Anna, and I work for a chiropractic medical office. Some people believe that children are not good candidates for chiropractic services because they are still growing. This is simply not true. Kids' bodies experience the same kinds of stress and pressure as adults' bodies do, and they can also benefit from the attention a chiropractor can give. This is especially true for children who participate in sports and other physically demanding activities. This blog will help you understand what a chiropractor can do for your child and why you should make an appointment to see one.
Chiropractors For Kids
Chiropractic Treatment For Neck Pain: A Common Complaint Among Americans
Neil Fuller
If you are among the more than 25 percent of Americans who suffer from neck pain, you may be wondering how chiropractic treatment can help you. Along with therapeutic exercises to improve neck range of motion, chiropractors often use a combination of spinal manipulation and other manual therapy techniques to treat chronic neck pain. Depending on the cause of your neck pain, a chiropractor may recommend the use of one or more approaches.
How a Chiropractor Treats Neck Pain
While your chiropractor will choose the types and duration of the treatment techniques that best suit your needs, it may help you to have a better understanding of what methods are available and how they work to alleviate chronic neck pain.
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Spinal manipulation – the use of a gentle thrusting technique that helps restore joint movement by realigning the thoracic spine. The thoracic spine is the spine in your upper back just below the cervical spine in your neck that supports your head. Research indicates that joint thrust manipulation in this area relieves neck pain in some people. When manually adjusting the spine, a chiropractor applies a short, quick thrust over an affected joint. The speed and force of the thoracic spine thrust manipulation technique a chiropractor may use for neck pain varies based on how severe your pain is.
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Spinal mobilization – the use of slow movements to mobilize a joint. In some cases, a chiropractor may choose to use the passive technique of mobilization instead of cervical manipulation. Cervical spinal mobilization is less forceful than spinal manipulation, gently moving the neck through range of motion.
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Flexion-distraction technique – the use of a gentle pumping rhythm on the intervertebral disc to slightly flex the spine, reducing tightness and tension. Rather than applying direct force to the area, a chiropractor uses a special table to stretch your spine.
A chiropractor may use this technique to reduce inflammation of an affected nerve root, decreasing pain and numbness a compressed nerve can cause.
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Manual resistance exercise and stretching – the use of resistance along with stretching helps strengthen neck muscles to decrease neck pain. Neck strengthening exercises also help improve posture, which reduces neck, upper back, and shoulder pain.
Manual neck stretches increase range of motion in stiff neck joints.
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Trigger point therapy – the use of applying pressure to tight knots in neck muscles to ease pain. When the myofascia – the soft tissue covering the muscles – becomes stressed from overuse, torn tissue can stick together and form adhesions. These bands of scar tissue form trigger points, which can make muscles stiff and tender, decreasing range of motion.
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Therapeutic massage – the use of hand pressure to relax tense muscles and relieve chronic neck pain. Participants in a study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) reported short-term improvement in their symptoms and level of functioning after receiving therapeutic massage treatments. Massage sometimes is used together with trigger point therapy for better benefits.
The Right Treatment for You
Along with taking your medical history and performing a complete physical exam, a chiropractor will check your posture, determine if your spine is out of alignment, and evaluate your range of motion for functional movement limitations before recommending a treatment plan to address your particular symptoms.
For more information, contact a chiropractic center in your area, like Rockwood Chiropractic.
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