Chronic Neck Pain? Should I Try Chiropractic?
Neck pain is a commonly reported problem that affects 70% of individuals at some point in their lives. At any given time, approximately 10%-20% of the population reports neck problems. With the increase in time spent on our phones and computers, it wouldn’t be surprising if these numbers will keep climbing higher.
How Can A Chiropractor Help?
At MediOne Physio & Rehab, our Chiropractors practice similarly to our Physiotherapists in where we will assess your condition, present a report of findings and treatment plan and deliver a treatment so you can feel better and get back to doing what you need to do!
Some of the types of treatments that could be given are:
Soft tissue therapy
Stretches
Rehabilitative Exercises
Clinical Acupuncture
Joint mobilization (moving and stretching spinal joints without the crack!)
Spinal Manipulation/Adjustment (cracking of the spinal joints!)
What is Spinal Manipulation/Adjustment?
Spinal manipulation by definition from the College of Chiropractors of Ontario is “moving the joints of the spine beyond a person’s usual physiological range of motion using a fast low-amplitude thrust.” An audible “crack” is usually associated with this technique.
The cracking sound is caused by an event termed “cavitation” occurring within the fluids of your joints. There’s a formation of bubbles due to the local reduction in pressure.
From that “crack”, we eliminate any hypomobility or joint dysfunction that could cause neck pain and headaches.
Is It Safe and Effective?
We definitely don’t recommend self cracking as people tend to be able to only get the joints above or below the problematic joints.
In a study by Bromfot et al., they found people with chronic neck pain had a least twice as much improvement with neck manipulation and exercise than those who just did exercise alone for their pain.
A detailed examination is always conducted to rule out any contraindications prior to treatment.
I Don’t Like The Cracking, Is There An Alternative?
Absolutely! In a study by Whittingham and Nilsson (2001), although they found that the active range of motion in patient’s neck was increased with spinal manipulation, however, they did not find a statically significant difference between a group that received manipulation vs mobilization (moving joints without cracking them), although an audible crack sound could be of benefit neurophysiologically and psychologically.
In other words, Chiropractors don’t always need to crack your joints as there’s a multitude of other therapies we can do to help you.
