Question
This is a great site!  I have had in the past year when I'm putting on my mascara, my hand falls asleep and I have to shake it to get life back in it.  I finally went to a Chiro and he took x-rays, showed me that the neck was straight and not curved, and that I was weighing 9lbs more on my right side than my left, showing me again on x-rays that my hips are out of whack slightly.  Said he could fix the neck with a 70% re-curving it towards normal by seeing him 3x/wk for 1mth then 2x/wk for 3 mths and so on-With everything I'm reading on this site, it says this type of problem can't be fixed?  gave me 3 exercises to do at home, one strengthen neck by supporting lower back and raising chin to ceiling, and walk around with a weighted hood on my head?  Does this sound normal to you.  I must say that today is the only day in the past year that my hand has not gone numb.  I'm trying to keep my head up, curve my neck back & sit properly.  Is there a cure and does his treatment sound right to you?

Answer
Bonnie,

What we know is that neck joint manipulation can alleviate neck pain, and that the manual methods that chiropractor use, including joint manipulation, soft tissue work, exercises, stretching, etc, can alleviate a variety of conditions.  The curve factor likely has nothing at all to do with it.  It is superfluous.  Some consider it a scam.  I've written a lot on this in previous posts.  Please scan through my past Q&A's and you can see what's out there.  If your neck and arm pain goes away and you feel good, then you're done.  You are not done only when the doctor thinks your neck curve is to his liking...

'Regards,

Dr. G'