Should I Adjust My Neck?

You wake up with a stiff neck or feel tension after working on the computer for a few hours. You stretch this way and that; maybe wrap your hand over your head and pull. Pop! You feel relief instantly and continue with your day. Sound familiar?

If you constantly “crack” or adjust your neck to relieve pain or stiffness, you might want to reconsider. When you adjust your neck, you’re actually releasing gasses from your joints. Click here for more information about the sound joints make. While this release makes your neck feel better, it’s only temporary because you’re not treating the underlying problem, and in fact, could be making things worse.

So what causes chronic neck stiffness? You could have some neck joints with a large range of motion and others with none at all. “Cracking” your neck releases gasses from the joints with motion only. The others remain stuck. Or you could be a stomach sleeper which places the neck and head in an incorrect position causing a stiff feeling in the morning. Click here to learn more about proper sleeping positions.

But what you really want to know is; are you causing damage by adjusting your neck yourself? The answer: Potentially, yes. Constantly “cracking” your neck builds up pressure in the joints, stretching your tendons and ligaments unnaturally and wearing down the cartilage between joints. This causes additional stiffness and puts you on the road to osteoarthritis. You’re also only treating the symptom, not the cause of your neck stiffness.

Remember what this part of the body contains: ligaments, tendons, nerves, spine, blood vessels and brain stem. Do you really want to mess with this delicate and important area? Twisting wrong or pushing something out of alignment could cause serious damage to your neck, spine or brain. Frankly, it’s not worth the risk for temporary relief.

Only a trained healthcare professional should adjust and realign your spine and neck. Your chiropractor understands this part of the body and will perform a thorough examination to determine the cause of your stiff neck, then begin to treat the underlying problem, rather than only treating the symptoms. This means you experience real and lasting relief.

Leave the temporary fix behind and just say NO to “cracking” your neck!

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This is what you need to do now. Click here and sign up for our free report called “The 10 Keys to Increase Energy and Weight Loss.” If you are ready to take action and seek the help of a chiropractor, give us a call and make your new patient appointment. I look forward to seeing you and creating immense value for you. To read up on more health and wellness tips follow our blog here. If you enjoyed our blog like and share below!

Health First Chiropractic is conveniently located in Glen Allen, in the Far West-end, near Innsbrook, Wyndham, Twin Hickory, and Short Pump. We look forward to helping you with your chiropractic, health, and wellness needs. Give us a call today: 804-270-6010