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A male in his 40’s presented to Caulfield Family Chiropractic complaining of severe headaches and neck pain. At the time he saw us at Caulfield Family Chiropractic, the headaches and neck pain had been present for around 4 days or so. The pain was relentless and had stayed constant over the previous few days with no signs of going away. The headaches were causing the patient to have a poor night’s sleep, resulting in the patient feeling very tired and fatigued. The pain and tiredness were significantly affecting his ability to perform regular activities throughout the day.

A thorough history and examination was performed by one of the chiropractors at Caulfield Family Chiropractic the patient to assess where the headaches were coming from. Examination by the chiropractor at Caulfield Family Chiropractic revealed significant forward head and shoulder posture, as well as joint restriction, muscle spasm and tenderness in the neck and mid back. Applying pressure to the patient’s neck reproduced the headache symptoms. It was noted that the patient worked at a desk on a computer, which likely contributed to his slouched posture.

During the first week of treatment, the patient’s headaches had completely resolved, and by the second week the neck pain had too.the patient now reports being able to sleep properly at night and does not feel limited at all.

The patient is now taking a pro-active approach to care, focusing on improving posture and reducing all aggravating factors to help prevent the headaches occurring again.

To make a time to see one of the Chiropractors at Caulfield Family Chiopractic call 9532 8715

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You’ve been sitting at your computer all day, and your neck feels stiff. You roll your head around and hear a pop in your neck that suddenly makes it feel better.

Does that sound like you?

If you crack your own back or neck, you’re not alone. Studies show that many of us commonly crack our knuckles, necks and even even our toes on a regular basis.

But is it safe?

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Cracking Your Own Back and Neck is Risky Business.

Come on. If cracking your neck or back feels better, how can it be so bad for you?

Let’s take a minute to list the parts of the body that are contained in the neck area:

• blood vessels

• spinal cord

• bones

• joints

• muscles

• arteries

• nerves

• ligaments

With all of those tiny, yet essential body parts involved, forcefully moving the neck beyond its normal limits, can cause a great deal of damage!

Do you have a disc bulge? Does your neck have any anatomical malformations? Without a proper exam, you have no way of knowing, and some of these risk factors depend on the rotating and twisting forces in the neck.

What Makes the Cracking or Popping Sound?

Joints contain oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide gasses as well as fluid that lubricates the area where two bones meet. When you put liquid under pressure (which happens when you put pressure on a joint), the tiny gas bubbles in the joint are released, creating a popping sound.

It’s similar to opening a can of soda. The pressure in the can is released when you open it, and the gas bubbles forcefully rise to the top with a pop!

When the gas bubbles are released, the fluid within the joints lubricates the joint surfaces restoring movement and nerve function. But best of all, you feel relief.

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So If You Feel Better, What’s the Problem?

Each time you manipulate your own joints, you are causing your ligaments to stretch like a rubber band.

When you stretch a rubber band too many times, it loses its shape and can become unstable and could even snap.

Your ligaments function in the same way.

When you continually stretch them by cracking your own neck or back, they can no longer provide the structure and stability that the joints in your neck or back need to maintain proper alignment.

This can lead to a whole list of problems including pinched nerves, misaligned vertebra, stiffness and pain.

In addition,when you crack your own neck or back, the joints you’re actually “cracking” are supported by the ligaments that are already stretched too thin, not the areas of the spine that are locked up and causing you pain or stiffness.

So, you’re never really fixing the problem – just releasing the gasses, stretching ligaments and lubricating joints that are already too stretched out.

So what’s the alternative?

Chiropractic Care for Neck Pain

A good chiropractor will take the time to to a through examination and X-rays to determine which areas of the spine are locked up (hypomobile) and which areas are too stretched out (hyper mobile).

Conservative chiropractic care for neck pain will then follow with a Report of Findings where the chiropractor will explain the results of the exam and suggest a written treatment plan to restore normal motion to your joints.

Take Away: A spine that is functioning normally has the ability to heal and maintain proper function without relying on constant manipulation.

Cracking your own joints may feel good temporarily, but if it creates long-term structural problems in your back and neck, it’s not worth the risk.

Learn more about neck pain treatment through chiropractic therapy or schedule an appointment online to see if our conservative chiropractic care for neck pain can help with the specific symptoms you’re experiencing.

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A male in his late 20s presented to Caulfield Family Chiropractic complaining of mid-back pain, neck pain, and left shoulder pain. His symptoms initially started 2 days prior, as a dull ache and quickly worsened until it had become quite unbearable. The pain had remained constant ever since. The patient stated that his mid-back pain and shoulder pain in particular, had become so severe that it had started impair his ability to breathe normally – “the pain felt like a sharp knife”.

The patient had no history of these symptoms before and was quite concerned about what was happening.

The patient traveled a lot for work, including long hours driving and often staying in hotels with pillows and mattresses of varying firmness and quality. When he wasn’t travelling, he spent long hours working at a desk. It’s likely that these lifestyle factors, amongst many others, contributed to his symptoms.

A thorough history and examination was performed on the patient to assess where these symptoms were coming from. Examination from our chiropractors at Caulfield Family Chiropractic revealed significant forward head and shoulder posture, in addition to a notable lean to the right-hand side. Range of motion testing showed limitations in neck and back movement, particularly rotation. Joint restriction, muscle spasm, and tenderness to palpation was noted throughout the neck and mid-back, and it was observed that palpation of the mid-back musculature reproduced the patient’s shoulder pain.

Treatment was scheduled at Caulfield Family Chiropractic over a period of four weeks, with a progress exam performed after that period. At the progress exam, the patient reported significant improvements to all symptoms, including 100% resolution of his mid-back pain and a 90% improvement to his neck and shoulder pain. The patient now reports having no difficulty breathing and is able to perform activities of daily living without any limitation.

The patient is now more aware of the effects our lifestyle can have on our bodies, and is taking a more positive approach to health to help prevent his symptoms returning.

Does this sound like you? Are you in your 50s well have a read of this one.

Patient Y presented to Caulfield Family Chiropractic complaining of low-back pain, hip pain, neck pain and shoulder pain. This was really getting to her.

At the time of presenting to Caulfield Family Chiropractic her symptoms had been present for 5 days and were worsening.

The patient stated that her pain, which was reported to be 8/10 (10 being the worst pain imaginable), was constantly aching, punctuated by very sharp episodes.

The patient could not recall anything that may have precipitated this complaint, except that she had only just returned to normal activities of daily living, following prolonged time off due to illness.

The patient reported similar complaints in the past, which were relieved by chiropractic care however, none had ever been this severe.

So we did our thorough history and examination which we are known for at Caulfield Family Chiropractic on the patient to determine the nature of her health problem.

The examination revealed significant forward head and shoulder posture, in addition to a notable lean to the right-hand side. Range of motion testing throughout the spine was severely limited due to pain. Joint restrictions, muscle spasm and tenderness to palpation was noted throughout the patient’s entire spine, particularly evident throughout the cervical spine and sacrum. Palpation of the low-back musculature and neck/shoulder musculature was extremely painful and reproduced the patient’s hip and shoulder pain.

At the progress exam the patient reported significant changes to all symptoms with an overall improvement of 95%. The patient now reports having no pain and no difficulty completing activities of daily living.

The patient has now adopted a more positive approach to health care, by looking after herself better and taking steps to prevent future recurrences.

If you want to do the same give us a call and let us help you.