Chronic neck pain is common

Chronic neck pain haunts many Canadians whether they’re spending their days sitting behind a desk, on their feet at a work site or driving their kids to soccer practice. Most people have experienced it at one time or another. That sharp jab of pain as your shoulder check in your car. The relentless ache keeping you up at night and turning your pillow to what feels like concrete. It can be a debilitating condition and severely affect the quality of life. Luckily, fixing neck pain for good can be as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Three Keys To Healing Chronic Neck Pain:

Head Position

These days the daily demands of our life usually involve a lot of sitting and working with our hands in front of us. Working on the computer, thumbing through our cell phones and watching TV can all result in the poor posture of your head and neck. What we refer to as “anterior head carriage” is a common cause of a lot of chronic neck issues and can be correctly just by being mindful of head position. The further your head travels forward the harder the muscles in your neck have to work to keep it up. Give those muscles a break by stacking your head overtop of your shoulders and not allowing it to drift out chin first!

Shoulder Blade Stability

Most people don’t know where you’re scapulothoracic joint is but it can be a key player in posture and neck health. The scapulothoracic joint is simply your shoulder blade sitting on top of your rib cage. It is controlled by a number of muscles meant to provide stability to the shoulder and neck that can cause pain when not properly engaged or chronically strained. Strengthening muscles like the rhomboids, lower trapezius and serratus anterior can help you build up the capacity to handle straining positions or activities throughout the day and avoid neck pain.

Thoracic Mobility

The thoracic spine is the upper portion of your back where your rib cage attaches. A large percentage of the population has lost the ability to rotate and extend through this region due to sedentary lifestyles and lack of use. This results in the stiffening of this region that forces other segments of the spine, like the neck, to make up for this lost range of motion. Working in thoracic mobility exercises can help free up this region and more evenly distribute the strain of certain movements throughout the entire spine.

Let us know how we can help!

Although it is always important to get a specific diagnosis for any injuries or pain you’re experiencing, these can be a helpful guide to managing and preventing chronic neck pain on your own. Despite our best efforts and intentions sometimes pain will win out and its necessary to get a professional intervention and that’s when we can help! Massage therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, and physiotherapy can all treat chronic pain and a combination of treatment options is often the most effective package. So whether you’re in West Vancouver or Port Moody, we’ve got you covered!

Heal Chronic Neck Pain!

Our specialists are renowned for their ability to assess, diagnose and treat stubborn neck pain.