[Joint Pain] › [Neck Pain]
Pain in the neck is currently a hot topic on the internet…
It has come to my attention that numerous people are in a great deal of pain and are not receiving proper care…
So before I go into cool packs, pillows and chiropractic adjusting here are some links so you can read and research thoroughly to help yourself…
Keep A Pain Journal…!
Time, date, place, with who…record keeping in this way creates a legal document.
In that journal, list time, date, what is happening with your neck pain or any joint pain you might be experiencing…
For example:
- 7:00 am, 14/08/2015,
- Awoke this morning with my neck in pain, and my head stuck, tilted to one side.
- I have not been able to straighten my neck and am experiencing sharp stabbing pain in the left side of my neck and twinges of pain every now and then on the right side …
This is your account of what is happening to you, it will also include any visits to a doctor, chiropractor, physiotherapist, what they did in terms of treatment and what they prescribed etc…
It is also a legal document that will stand up in a court of law if you are mistreated…
And that is why it is so important…
It is important for you to see your own progression and for your treating practitioners to see that you are an organized pro -active person…
Natural Pain Relief
Over the counter as well as prescribed pain relief medications are fast acting and potent, but what happens if you need to take them to manage your pain over a period of years, or for the rest of your life…?
You may wish to do some research and look into some natural pain relief remedies that will not have the toxic effects on your internal organs that most pain medications do after a lengthy period of time…
I have provided some basic information regarding supplementation that provides natural pain relief to help get you started – just click on the link below…
Cool It Down…
A bag of crushed ice is the most effective way to reduce swelling, but for many it can be too much cold…
When you first notice a pain in your neck…
Applying a cold/frozen gel pack or bag of crushed ice for 10 minutes at a time can decrease the swelling enough to allow a misalignment or muscle in spasm to release…
You can also apply ice if your neck pain is caused by a neck injury…
But in this case please make sure that vital signs are in normal ranges:
- Heart Rate – do not apply ice if there is a ‘racing heartbeat’…
- Pulse- pulse rate above seventy pulses per minute…
- Respiration – shallowness of breath…
- In the case of a neck injury it is best to seek medical attention immediately…
Because the neck is a more sensitive area than say an elbow or knee (and people vary in their sensitivity to cold) we tend to dislike too much coolness around the neck area…
And more times than not you will want to use heat creams, or a little pillow you heat in the microwave…
Please do not do this because when you take it off, it will have increased the swelling after the nice feeling of the heat has gone away…!
A soft gel, or crushed ice pack that is soft and flexible will be the most comfortable for a ten minute period of time…
You may also wish to do what is called ice massage by moving the pack over the skin…
In treating the neck area this is generally the more comfortable option since placing an ice pack in one area of the neck can be irritating and even painful…
The neck is really sensitive as it is close to your most major nerve network i.e. your brain and spinal cord…
If this is your choice of action, take note that it has been documented that this treatment is most effective for 10 minutes every two hours…
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis in the neck, or have chronic neck and shoulder pain the same applies, in many types of arthritis cooling it down with a gel pack and stretching your neck very gently can help to ease morning stiffness…
Contact A Chiropractor.
Look, I know the two things you fear…
Getting your already agonized neck pulled around and ‘cracked’…
So for that, I have a great solution… seek out an ACTIVATOR METHODS DOCTOR…
I practiced with an activator gun for over twenty years and no one has ever complained about the pain of treatment or the sickening sound of a crack…
Because with Activator Methods there is none of that…
Many Chiropractic doctors mistakenly think that if they get an audible sound, that’s it job done…
Which is not correct thinking…
Specificity and line of drive is what is important for any type of joint pain anywhere in the body…
Over and above that, it is the comfort and safety of the patient. That is what I was taught anyway. So keep yourself safe and find an Activator Methods doctor…
Other Precision Chiropractic Methods I Have Also Used And Endorse
- Sacral Occipital Technique
- Logan Basic
- A.R.T.
- Thompson Technique
Methods are only as good as the doctor performing them…
Some people feel as though they have not been adjusted, or gotten their money’s worth somehow, if there isn’t any cracking or loud popping…
This is not at all true…
Cavitation of the joint and release of the muscle spasm that is pulling a bone out of alignment in order to optimize nerve conduction to all of the organs in the body is what Chiropractic is all about…
It is not about taking drastic measures to get an ‘audible’ (crack) from the patient…
So if you are already in agonizing neck pain, and fear the traditional chiropractic methods, check Google for some doctors practicing with these other methods for safe and effective neck pain relief...
Check Out Your Pillow And Your Mattress
A superior quality mattress is worth your investment…!
Seems a bit of a lame thing to do for your horrendous neck pain…?
I can promise you from experience that it is not…
When I was still a student doctor, I had a woman come to me in clinic who was complaining of neck pain and headaches…
She had been coming into the Logan Clinic for three years and the pain went away after she had been prescribed an orthopedic pillow…
Only to return a year later…
What I found out in my assessment with ‘Anne’ (not her real name) was that she was still sleeping on that pillow in hopes of it resolving her neck pain…
It did not help…
because it had become the actual cause of her neck pain…
Sometimes even prescribed pillows do not provide the needed support after pro-longed use…
Maybe you ordered one off the internet because the advertising said that it was the best support for your head and neck…
You need to understand that while they might be added support…
They may only be needed for a one or two week time period, or could be the wrong size and shape altogether for your head and neck…!
Please refer to the picture on the right regarding how to balance your spine when you are lying down in bed…
Replace pillows that are more than two years old and mattresses that are more than six years old…
Should you not have the financial means to do this, pad sunken mattresses up with towels or blankets to even out the surface the best you can and do your best to give your head an even resting place that keeps your spine level when you are laying down…
If Your Neck Pain Is Not Resolved In Two To Three Weeks
Imaging is key to knowing exactly what is causing your neck pain…
If your neck pain is recurring after you have done all of these things, your chiropractor or GP should be able to get you referred for an Ultra- sound, x-ray, or MRI.
Depending on other signs and symptoms, your practitioner should be able to give you a better idea regarding the cause of your neck pain.
If you are not responding to treatment effectively…
Take your journal to your attending doctor…
They should already be noticing a lack of progress in their notes, but make sure they know that you are noticing it and writing it down..
That you did not respond to:
- Cooling the affected area of your neck repeatedly
- Chiropractic adjusting over a three week time period…
- Changing your bedding and your sleep position…
- No significant response to pain medication…
This could indicate an arthritic condition that is causing your neck pain…
If bone spurs are involved, the condition is called spondylosis…
Or, your symptoms could signal something else that would require a blood test…
If it is spondylosis, surgery is needed to shave off the joint…
If there appears to be a soft tissue swelling in the neck, a chiropractic doctor should have noted this before doing any adjusting, and should have ordered a diagnostic test that gives a good view of soft tissues to check for tumorous growth, or thyroid swelling…
Again, it is your journal that will show how you have dedicated yourself to your progress, and will show if your are being treated appropriately by your attending practitioners…
I am aware that for people in socialized systems of medicine it is getting increasingly difficult to get the care you need without going private or paying for it to some degree…
I am aware of this because I have traveled extensively and have friends all over the world that are now telling me how the medical system in their countries are coming up short when it comes to patient care…
For people of Great Britain, remember, the NHS is not free! You and your families have been paying for it all of your working lives…
If the people you are paying to care for you are not doing this properly it is necessary to complain and to prove the efficacy of your complaint…
Encourage everyone you know to do this…!
If you want something like the NHS or your insurance company to work for you – which they should because you are paying them – then hold them responsible…
[Joint Pain] › [Neck Pain]
Disclaimer – This is information on joint pain. I teach, but I do not diagnose, prescibe or treat people who contact me. You are responsible for your condition using your own best judgement combined with what you have learned. Just a heads up – bodies carry unusual differences from time to time, in saying that, you could be one of those rare and unusual beings; if you are in doubt, please contact a physician in your area, so you can rule it out.
Move Freely and Knowledgeably and Be Well!
Dr. Jo
P.S… “Greater certainty of your condition alone can be a powerful form of pain relief.”