Chiropractic Care for Neck Injuries

The neck or cervical spine can be injured in many ways. A common injury to the neck is whiplash which can occur in an automobile accident, sports injury or fall. The neck is forced into hyperextension during rear-end collisions, falling backwards or being struck from behind in various sporting games.

Hyperextension of the neck results in backward slipping of vertebrae which leads to impinged and swollen nerves. Stretching of the anterior ligament and anterior vertebral disc of the cervical spine also occurs. Hyperextension is followed by hyper-flexion which stretches the posterior ligament and posterior vertebral disc also creating swollen and irritated nerves. Whiplash results in an abnormal position of the cervical spine, misaligned vertebrae and stretched ligaments.

If the forces of injury are great enough or the underlying health of the disc is poor injury can result in a herniation or bulge of the cervical disc. In addition to neck pain symptoms of arm and hand pain, numbness or tingling, weakness in the upper extremity may also occur.

Neck injury resulting in cervical sprain and/or strain, spinal joint restrictions, and non-surgical cervical disc bulges respond very well to chiropractic care. The treatment approaches utilized depend on the diagnosis, severity and stage of recovery for the injury.

A chiropractor in Torrance is well trained in the diagnosis and treatment of neck injuries.

A thorough exam will determine areas of restricted motion, disc injury, muscle spasm and ligament injury. Diagnostic imaging is often required in cases of trauma to fully assess the degree of injury. A complete orthopedic and neurological exam will also be performed.

With all the information gathered an effective treatment plan will be implemented. Your Chiropractor in Torrance uses a combination of spinal manipulation, manual soft tissue techniques, physiotherapy modalities and rehabilitative exercises to reduce your pain, restore function and get you back to health. Nutritional therapies are also very valuable to reduce inflammation and pain naturally and to assist the body in the healing process.

Spinal manipulation techniques utilize non-force and gentle thrusting techniques to restore motion to the spine, improve alignment and restore normal nervous system function. The type of manipulative therapy applied will be appropriate for the degree and stage of recovery for the injury. Examples of non-force techniques include flexion-distraction technique and instrument assisted manipulation. Non-force techniques are preferable for disc injuries, ligament damage resulting in hyper-mobility of the spine and when the patient is in a lot of pain.

Manual therapies are used to treat injured soft tissues such as ligaments and muscles. Trigger point therapy relieves tight painful points on a muscle. Isometric relaxation techniques use resistance and stretching to treat muscles in spasm or that have become shortened. Therapeutic massage helps to increase circulation, remove toxins and reduce tension in the soft tissue.

In addition to spinal manipulation and manual therapies, physiotherapy modalities such as ultra-sound and interferential electrical stimulation are very helpful in reducing pain, swelling, spasms and stiffness. Increased blood circulation enhances healing.

Rehabilitative exercises following a neck injury are extremely important. Initially range of motion exercises will be implemented and done to tolerance. Strengthening and postural exercises will follow to help restore strength to the injured muscles and return normal postural alignment to the body.

Chiropractic care for your neck injury is an effective, safe, non-surgical and cost effective approach to return you to your normal activities so you can enjoy your life.