Posts Tagged ‘Upper Back Pain New Fairfield CT’

Welcome to Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center's Upper Back Pain New Fairfield CT Archive. Here you can learn more about Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center, Chiropractic, and Dr. Brandon Chorney, today's choice for Chiropractors in New Fairfield, CT. Read Dr. Brandon Chorney's Chiropractic Upper Back Pain New Fairfield CT for the health of it.

We look forward to serving you! Call - 203-746-6543.

Delete Neck Pain With This Health App

by | Feb 18, 2016 | Health Articles

Neck Pain New Fairfield CT Pain Relief
Would it not be wonderful to delete our neck pain as easily as clicking on an app?

Unfortunately are vision of a solution could be one of a combination of reasons we are suffering with our neck pain.

Understanding the Mechanics

If you think about the mechanics of your neck, you’ll realize it’s not surprising how easily it can be injured.  It has amazing flexibility, is constantly on the move, has very little muscular support, but has to support the 14 – 16 pounds of your head.  It is like balancing a bowling ball on a stick using only elastic bands.

Now factor in that your spinal cord runs down a space in the centre of the vertebrae, which protects it from harm.  Along large bundles of nerves running out from between each pair of vertebrae, nerve impulses are sent to every part of the body.  From your cervical vertebrae, impulses are sent to your arms, and some into your upper back.  These small factors can add up to huge problems.

The Effects of Poor Mechanics

Neck problems can lead to headaches, muscle spasms in the shoulders and upper back, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), inflammation in the middle ear (otitis media), temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), or simply a restricted range of motion and severe tightness in the neck and upper back.  Issues from the neck can show up in the upper back because many neck muscles originate there, including the trapezius, the levator scapulae, the cervical paraspinal muscles and the scalenes.  Pain in your arm, such as numbness, tingling, cold, aching, or “pins and needles”, may also be referred from the neck. People with neck problems often mistake the painful condition in their hands (carpal tunnel syndrome) as a condition that originates and solely effects the hands.

Causes for Neck and Upper Back Pain

Most times, neck and upper back pain is the result of not just one factor. Injury may be combined with poor posture, spinal misalignments, mental stress, and/or disc problems.

Traumas: Easily the most common injury to the neck is whiplash, the sudden, violent whipping motion of the head in an accident.  It is most often associated with car accidents, but it can happen when playing sports, or any other time the head suffers this particular whipping trauma.  When this happens, the supporting muscles, ligaments and other connective tissues in the neck and upper back are damaged, but the full effects of this may not be felt for weeks or even months after the incident.  This is why anyone who suspects they may have suffered whiplash should be extremely careful not to aggravate it, even if they feel no immediate ill-effects.  An assessment should be sought quickly, in case treatment is needed to minimize the effects and guard against possibly permanent damage.

Incorrect Posture: Poor posture is one of the most common causes of neck pain which has been proven to also cause headaches. Unlike sudden injuries, bad posture occurs over time and is something we adapt to as our new normal. Everyday activities such as reading in bed can create issues and pain later on, and anyone working on a computer for extended periods is certainly susceptible to developing a forward head posture (FHP) and spinal misalignments.  Ideally, the head should be kept in a neutral position, back supported, knees slightly lower than your hips, and arms supported.  Avoid craning or hunching the neck, or remaining in the same position for too long.  If this is unavoidable, try to practice correct posture to minimize any problems.

Misalignments: These are extremely common in the neck and upper back area, thanks to the weight of your head resting on such an unstable part of your spine. The majority of spinal misalignments are centered around these four areas:

  • The top of the cervical spine where it meets the skull
  • The middle of the cervical spine which supports the greatest weight of the head
  • The transition between the cervical and thoracic areas of the spine
  • The middle of the thoracic spine which supports the greatest weight of the upper body

Stress: Mental and emotional stress causes the muscles to tense, especially those in the back and neck.  This ‘muscle guarding’ is a primitive survival response to avoid injury in the face of danger, but it ends up causing injury when it happens for any length of time.  If pinching the trapezius muscle causes you to wince, that is a sure sign your muscles are tight and trigger points almost certainly exist.  Exercise and deep breathing/relaxation techniques are useful for combating stress.

What Can We Do?

If you are tired of suffering from neck pain on an ongoing basis and you want to find out what the cause is, our office may have your solution.  Besides spinal care, our expert team will look at the need for nutritional changes, stress management, stretching and rehabilitation,  and best of all help you conquer your neck pain!

Contact Us Today!  We are just one click away!

Warning! Neck Pain Ahead

by | Jan 22, 2015 | Health Articles

Whiplash New Fairfield CT Neck PainCar accidents are renowned for causing whiplash injuries, and these should always be taken seriously no matter how insignificant they may at first appear, because of the areas which are affected. It should also be remembered that the effects of whiplash may take weeks or months to fully manifest, thus it cannot be assumed no problems exists just because no neck or upper back pain is felt immediately following the accident.

Understanding A Whiplash Injury

A whiplash injury refers to a group of injuries that occur as a result of the sudden, violent whipping motion of the head in an accident. The whip can happen in any direction – back-forward, forward-back, side-side, or anything in between. Various injuries can result, including damage to the supporting muscles, ligaments and other connective tissues in the neck and upper back. A host of related symptoms can then kick off from these, many of which, to the untrained eye, can appear completely unconnected to the original trauma.

Whiplash injuries most often result in a sprain-strain of the neck. This sprain occurs when the  muscles and ligaments that help support, protect, and restrict excessive movement of the vertebrae are strained or stretched beyond their normal limits.  The joints in the back of the spine, called the facet joints, are covered by ligaments called facet capsules, seem to be particularly susceptible to whiplash injury.  The nerve roots between the vertebrae may also be stretched and become inflamed.  Spinal discs between the vertebrae, which are essentially ligaments, can also be torn, potentially causing a disc herniation or worse fractured or dislocated.

While whiplash may be the most common injury, it may not present itself immediately. These complex injuries can manifest in a wide variety of ways, including neck pain, headaches, fatigue, upper back and shoulder pain, cognitive changes and low back pain. 

Research Studies

The director of the Spine Research Institute of San Diego, Dr. Arthur Croft, says, “Nearly 1 out of 15 adult Americans suffers from the annoying and sometimes debilitating long-term effects of a whiplash injury, usually in the form of neck stiffness and pain.” Fortunately, several studies regarding relief for whiplash injuries demonstrate Chiropractic’s effectiveness in offering a very high level of help. Here are the conclusions of four separate studies sited by the director of the Spine Research Institute:

  • In a study published in Injury, 93% of 28 patients showed significant improvements following Chiropractic care. The protocol utilized to provide relief included spinal manipulation, stretching and ice therapy.
  • A Study published in the Journal of Orthopedic Medicine concluded, “Whiplash injuries are common. Chiropractic is the only proven effective treatment in chronic cases.”
  • Finally, two separate studies published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics confirm Chiropractic benefits. “For chronic spinal pain in general, when compared to traditional medical approaches, Chiropractic has generally been shown to be more effective.”

Road to Recovery>

Although prevention would be the best solution, if you are in an accident remember seeing a Chiropractor immediately after a collision can speed your road to recovery.  Chiropractic care utilizes manual manipulation of the spine to restore the normal movement and position of the spinal vertebrae.  Manipulation involves the Chiropractor gently moving the involved joint into the direction in which it is restricted.  It is by far the single-most effective treatment for minimizing the long-term impact of whiplash injuries, and may be coupled with massage therapy, trigger point therapy, exercise rehabilitation and other soft tissue rehabilitation modalities.

So, if you or a loved one have been in an accident, make a chiropractic appointment as soon as you can. Remember that everyone in the car should be checked and letting the Chiropractor know the specific details of the accident will aid in the speed of your recovery.

Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center