Most neck and upper back pain is caused by a combination of factors, including injury, poor posture, stress, and in some instances, disc problems.

Chiropractic care for neck pain In Grimsby

Our necks put up with a lot, it’s not until it goes wrong that we realise how much we move our neck during the day. It’s the simple things that we take for granted like reversing the car. The range of motion in the neck, together with the small number of muscles to support and stabilise it and the fact it has to move your  
6-7kg head, means it is very prone to injury. The best way to visualise this is like a bowling ball balancing on top of a stick, being held in place with small, thin, elastic bands. Even a small amount of force is enough to disrupt the balance.

Neck and upper back problems go hand in hand, this is because the muscles supporting the neck attach to points in the upper back. The main muscles in the neck and upper back are trapezius, the levator scapulae, cervical paraspinal muscles and scalenes.

The Causes of Neck and Upper Back Pain

A pain in the neck can be caused by any number of things. Our neck can be put under stress from day to day strains of life; lifting, carrying, poor posture etc. For the Chiropractor it is our task to find that needle in the haystack of stresses and strains that is the cause of your pain. 

Poor Posture

When it comes to posture Mum was always right, ‘Shoulders back, chest out, head up’. Poor posture has some damaging affects on the neck and shoulder and is a common cause of neck pain and can even result in headaches. It's easy to get into bad posture habits without even realising it - even an activity as "innocent" as reading in bed can lead to pain and headaches. The fundamental rule is simple: keep your neck in a "neutral" position whenever possible. Don't bend or hunch your neck forward for long periods of time. Also, try not to sit in one position for a long time. If you must sit for an extended period, make sure your posture is good: Keep your head in a neutral position, make sure your back is supported, keep your knees slightly lower than your hips, and rest your arms if possible.

Stress

The stress response is built into each and every one of us; it’s a survival response. This survival response is designed to help us in the event we come face to face with a tiger or a woolly mammoth. In Grimsby your unlikely to run into either but we do face stresses everyday which cause the body to react in the same way: muscles tense up, heart rate increases, pupil dilation etc. The areas most commonly affected are the muscles of the neck, upper back and low back. For many of us, the particular muscle affected by stress is the trapezius muscle, where daily stress usually leads to chronic tightness and the development of trigger points.

The two most effective ways you can reduce the physical effects of stress on your own are to increase your activity level - exercise - and by deep breathing exercises. When you decrease the physical effects of stress, you can substantially reduce the amount of tightness and pain in your upper back and neck.