Your neck has seven small vertebra numbered C-1 to C-7. The vertebra are connected to each other by discs, ligaments, and tendons that help give the neck its shape (cervical curve). Many neck problems develop from chronic poor posture and stress which leads to spinal and muscle imbalance. This imbalance causes spinal nerve stress and ultimately pain.
For example, if you carried a bowling ball around for the entire day, but, instead of carrying it closely at your side, you held it straight out in front of your body, you’d get tired very fast. It’s the same with your head. If your head is not centered over your shoulders but is out in front of your shoulders in what is called a head forward posture, this will create tremendous strain on your neck muscles and cause your cervical vertebra to lose their normal alignment with each other, creating a lot of nerve irritation and pain. Over time, your cervical vertebra may assume this misaligned position and sometimes even reverse its normal curve. Eventually, this may cause degeneration and arthritis in your neck. Most people who sit at a desk assume a head forward position because it is difficult to maintain good posture while sitting for long periods of time.
There are ways to help. First, a thorough chiropractic examination needs to be completed. After a determination of what your spinal problem is, then treatment can began. Chiropractic adjustments can be done in a number of ways, either using hands or a precision instrument. These treatments help put motion into a specific joint using a specific force in a specific direction. This will relieve the spinal nerve stress and pain, which will relieve your headache. Trigger point therapy is also recommended to help release very tense and tight neck and shoulder muscles, which also lead to headaches. The final part of the plan is specific exercises completed at home to strengthen your neck and back.
