Stiff neck? Suffering from whiplash? Experience tenderness, numbness or even tingling in your neck and shoulders? There is no need to pop painkillers or undergo invasive surgery to relieve your symptoms. Regular chiropractic care can help.

When most people think of chiropractics, they think of healing back troubles. While manipulations do concentrate on the overall spine, they can be used to heal any joint in the body - especially joints that have undergone some sort of trauma or accident.

What Causes Neck Pain

The neck is made up of seven small vertebras, which if jostled or strained, can affect the muscles, ligaments and nerves along with the actual vertebrae. This can all lead to ongoing bouts of pain. Something as simple as a jolt, push or fall can inflame the nerves and discs in the neck and back. More severe trauma due to a car accident or work related injury can cause even more trouble.

Some of the most common causes of neck pain include:

* Whiplash

* Cervical intervertebral disc injuries

* Cervical sprain injuries

* Degenerative joint syndrome of the neck

* Facet joint sprain

What Can You Do For Neck Pain

Whether your neck pain is an ongoing problem, or has come on you quickly, modern chiropractics can help alleviate your most painful symptoms. Offering a variety of healing helps that are designed to tackle the underlying cause of your pain, chiropractic care consists of several treatment methods:

* Manual Manipulation: the most common form of help used by a chiropractor is manual manipulation. This involved the doctor finding the posts of misalignment and gently moving those joints back into place. This is done with a gentle thrusting motion. Other manipulation techniques may involve the use of instruments to aid the chiropractor or a pumping action instead of the direct force used in most manipulations.

* Muscle Exercises: manually stretching the joints with specified exercises can help reduce inflammation and restore the neck to a healthy state.

* Trigger point therapy: this is a type of massage that helps to ease tightened muscles which could be causing neck pain.

* Ultrasound: when the cause of chronic neck pain is deep in the muscles, sound waves can be sent deep into the muscles and tissues via ultrasound to help relieve stiffness.

How Does the Chiropractor Know How to Ease Neck Pain

Every patient is different, so that means that every treatment protocol is different. It is the chiropractor's job to figure out which methods to use to alleviate each patient's pain. During your first visit, the doctor will do a clinical exam, looking for the root cause of your pain. This may include a physical exam, x-ray or even an MRI to look for sprains, strains and herniation in the neck and spine. If nerve damage is suspected, an EMG may also be ordered. Once the doctor has a clear picture of the problem, he will devise a plan to fix the underlying issues and restore your neck to optimal health.

Where Can I Get the Help I Need?

There's no need to suffer any longer. Get relief for your neck pain right away. The chiropractic staff at the leading SE Portland Chiropractic office have been treating patients for more than 20 years.