While we all may deal with an occasional bout of feeling a little stiff, especially as we age, if on a daily basis, your neck chronically feels stiff, achy, or lacks the ability to move fully from side to side, back and forth, or front and back motions, chiropractic may be able to help.
A stiff neck is characterized by issues with mobility combined with soreness in the neck. This is especially true when trying to turn your head from side to side. It may also be accompanied by headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, or arm pain.
If you notice that you are rotating your entire body rather than just your head in order to look over your shoulder, it’s time to see your chiropractor.
What Could Be Causing Your Stiffness?
A neck sprain or strain can occur when an injury occurs to the muscles, ligaments, or tendons in the neck. The cervical spine should have a wide range of motion in all directions. This becomes limited when damage occurs.
SPRAINS: affect the ligaments that provide stability to the joints.
STRAINS: affects the cervical muscles and tendons that connect the muscle to the bone.
Strains and sprains of the neck can occur when soft tissues are stretched to nonnormal lengths that push them beyond their range. This can result in a sprain or tear causing pain, tenderness, and loss of full range of motion. These can happen due to sudden injury such as an auto accident or sports impact injury or they may form over time due to bad posture and repetitive use.
Pain may radiate away from the neck, down the shoulder, into the shoulder blade and upper back. Neck strains and soft tissue injuries are often accompanied by inflammation around the area of injury. Muscles may spasm (painfully) as the body tries to stabilize the injury.
Another cause of neck pain has come to be known as text neck. Spending too much time looking at screen devices can cause your neck to hurt.
Cervical Osteoarthritis – This condition occurs when the facet joints in the neck become arthritic. It can develop in conjunction with degenerative disc disease. Both conditions can lend themselves to feeling stiff.
How Long Do Neck Sprains and Strains Take to Heal?
Many cases will resolve after a few days, but flare-ups or a feeling of aching pain may last continually or intermittently for weeks or months post-injury.
How an individual manages and cares for stiff neck symptoms can affect pain levels, recovery time, and the likelihood of whether it will return.
If you are experiencing a stiff neck that does not seem to be resolving on its own, you may have one or more subluxations of the cervical vertebrae. These can easily be manually adjusted, gently, by your Chiropractor.
If you are in the Southwest Florida area – we invite you to visit us at The West Coast Integrative Wellness Center, formerly Kaster Chiropractic for an adjustment. www.WestCoastIntegrativeWellness.com | 239-332-2555.
Neck pain and stiffness are not normal. You do not have to continually live with pain.