Overview of your neck

Your neck is made up of bones, ligaments, muscles, arteries, veins, trachea, voice box, discs, and much much more!  It is probably a lot more complicated than you ever thought.  All of these things must fit perfectly so that you are able to turn, tilt, and twist all while balancing a head weighing about as much as a gallon of milk!  Taking care of your neck is very important because it is quite flexible and houses trillions of nerves that travel through the spinal cord.

Nerves

Your cervical (neck) spine surrounds and protects the brain stem as well as the first 8 levels of your spinal cord.  The 8 'spinal nerves' are transmitted between each of the 7 vertebrae (spinal bones) to travel to their respective places in the body.  The nerves from the neck provide communication to the skin, muscles, blood vessels, bones, and other tissues of the neck, shoulders, and arms.  That means a nerve that becomes 'pinched' in this area can affect any of those tissues!

Spinal Misalignments

At any point in your life, you may suffer a major injury such as a car accident, fall off of a bike, or a slip on the ice.  You may also suffer a microtrauma from a long spell of poor posture like working at a computer, sleeping in an awkward position, or being under uncontrolled stress.  In any of these instances, a vertebra might get moved out of place.  If this happens, it could cause a release of inflammatory chemicals that irritate delicate nerves.  It could also cause swelling of a nearby disc.  In either of these cases, the body suffers.  Chiropractors call spinal misalignments that encroach on nerves 'subluxations'.

Disc Damage and Osteoarthritis

Over time, a locked up joint will begin to undergo 'degeneration'.  The disc between the vertebrae will initially swell up from the irritation, but over time, the disc will lose its nutrition and begin to shrivel up.  Your vertebrae will also begin to calcify and grow 'spurs'.  This is not a normal condition and must be fixed immediately!

The Role of the Chiropractor

Chiropractors dedicate their lives to eliminating subluxations in their patients.  Chiropractic care is all about correcting misalignments in order to allow the body's nerves to function normally as well as relieve tension on the muscles, ligaments, and discs.  When full restoration is complete, the body is able to communicate with its cells, tissues, and organs properly.  This means symptoms such as neck pain, headaches, tingling, numbness, and achiness can be relieved.  Some patients may even notice other symptoms begin to disappear such as hypertension, chronic ear infections, asthma, constipation, allergies, fatigue, and more!