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My neck has "no curve" to it.....problem?


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....I just went over xrays with my chiro this week. He seemed to think it was serious but fixable over a long time. I have slight neck/shoulder issues but I thought any pain I've had lately is just due to stress.... so I don't have "pain" from this problem. (I actually had gone to see him because of backache & he took xrays because it was my first time seeing him.)

 

He showed me an xray of the natural curve of someone's neck and then my xray where my neck bones all looked like they were on an invisible straight stick leaning forwards.

 

Has anyone else ever had this problem? My friend ironically had a chiro tell her the same thing (she lives in NC). Her chiro, on the other hand, had her so worked up about how serious a problem it was that she was sobbing! My chiro was much more laid back about the thing.

 

So - if you have dealt with this - what are your thoughts? What has your experience been? I'd love to hear.... I'm not sure how worried I should be or not. I figure to some degree the dr is promoting treatments to keep me coming back..... I don't want it to be a problem when I'm 60 or so... kwim?

 

ty

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Yep - I have this, too. My chiro made a big deal about it and I have to say that while I went regularly it did feel better. I get tons of headaches and I get some in my neck that last for days.

 

But...since I moved I haven't found a chiro I liked and really couldn't afford it, anyway. I'm trying to do yoga regularly, and massage. I just don't know if I'll really regret later on. Hopefully I'll be able to afford more chiro at some point.

 

Oh - I did wonder if the chiro was somehow lying to me, but I recently had an x-ray done by my doctor and it showed the same thing.

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DH has this problem too... chiro thinks from spending 10 years in the Marine Corps carrying heavy back packs and such....

 

He has been seeing a chiro fairly reguarly and feels much better. In the beginning he was going several times a week, then dwindled down over a couple months - he is now going roughly once a month and that seems to be working just right as far as pain is concerned.

 

His chiro says he will never really "regain" the normal curvature, but it has improved significantly and most of the pain has abated.

 

Yoga, massage, stretching, alternating heat/ice, and if you can get a TENS unit... those will all help.

 

Good luck!

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Yes, I have that same problem, and yes, chiropractic has helped quite a bit.

 

If you can afford it, do it. It will take more than one treatment; consider that it took quite a while for your neck to lose its curviness :-)

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I have this problem; it's called Forward Head Posture. It can cause all sorts of problems (muscle strain in neck, shoulders, upper and lower back, headaches, pinched nerves, TMJ disorder, and eventually deterioration of the vertebrae in your neck and upper back (even osteoarthritis). I think it may even contribute to the fractures associated with dowager's hump, but I'm not sure about that. The problems are minor when you're young, but get progressively worse as you age. Google "Forward head posture", and you'll get tons of information.

 

Get the book "The Core Program", by Peggy Brill. She's a physical therapist that specializes in "core" strengthening programs for women. I've been using the exercises in this book for several years, and haven't needed a chiropractor since I started. The exercises only take 15 minutes a day, and are wonderful for strengthening those muscles between your shoulderblades (mine get all tied in knots if I don't do these exercises), and in your neck. Also, work every day to train yourself to hold your head back (further than you think feel "right". I was 35 years old before I learned that I really should be able to see my br@asts if my head is in a good position! If you can't see 'em, your head is too far forward!

 

My chiropractor have tried months of traction and different adjustments to try to get my neck right, but nothing worked. But, I've seen pictures of myself as a child, and my head has been too far forward my entire life. YMMV. The Core Program book has helped me more than anything else.

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It is quite likely that your pain/discomfort is due to your neck problem.

 

It is almost probable that allowing your neck to stay that way will allow problems to build up over time. You risk major arthritic changes over time--which leads to unremitting pain.

 

I have this problem (due to scoliosis--everything is pushed out of whack from this). My brother-in-law's mother has this problem, and in her case she has ended up with big problems in her neck and takes painkillers every day to manage it. She is a candidate for surgery to have some vertebrae fused at some point.

 

I don't want to scare you--I DO want to urge you to address this problem now, before it gets really bad.

 

I would also advise you strongly to do physical therapy concurrently with chiropractic care. The adjustments "stick" better when you are stronger. Once your pain is diminished and you ease up on the chiro care, you can still continue to do exercises at home to continue training the muscles to hold your head properly.

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Get the book "The Core Program", by Peggy Brill. She's a physical therapist that specializes in "core" strengthening programs for women. I've been using the exercises in this book for several years, and haven't needed a chiropractor since I started. The exercises only take 15 minutes a day, and are wonderful for strengthening those muscles between your shoulderblades (mine get all tied in knots if I don't do these exercises), and in your neck. Also, work every day to train yourself to hold your head back (further than you think feel "right".

 

 

Could you describe some of these exercises? I've been doing some neck stretching ones which have helped. I would love to know how to get in between my shoulders blades.

 

I have what you described and I just wanted to add that working my upper back with lat pull downs in combination with the neck stretches has decreased my pain (if I remember to do these things of course).

 

TIA

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Oh, I have no advice, but I can top your condition: when I went to the chiro, he said my neck had a *reverse* curve to it.

 

I figure it's from too much nose-in-a-book syndrome, lol.

 

I think chiros can be quacks, but boy, a good one makes all the difference. After baby #2 (& the neck thing & scoliosis), I got to the pt that I couldn't stand up straight until about 3 hrs after I'd gotten up in the mornings. It just hurt too bad.

 

I finally went to a chiro, & after the first visit, I could get out of bed. It was wonderful. But we couldn't afford to continue on the sched. he had, so after going 1/wk for a mo or two, I quit. That was about 2 yrs ago, & my back hasn't been that bad since.

 

GL w/ your neck. Hope you feel better!

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My favorite two upper back exercises from the book:

 

I'll just call them Exercise #1 and Exercise #2

 

Exercise #1:

Lie on your stomach with your shoulders and elbows at right angles, (as in "Stick 'em up!)

Lift your upper body off the mat/carpet, so your weight is on your hips and lower tummy and thighs.

Pinch your shoulder blades together as tightly as you can.

Slowly straighten your arms, above your head, like Superman (palms pointing down toward the floor).

Hold for six seconds.

Then, bend your elbows and bring them down to your side, still bent, with palms still pointing toward the floor (like you're running "like a girl").

Hold for six seconds.

Repeat 3 more times: six seconds of Superman, followed by six seconds in "silly girl running position", Up to Superman, Back to silly girl, Up and Back again. After a total of four flights up and back, relax your upper body, and rest on the floor for a few seconds.

 

Then: Keep your upper body on the floor, with your forehead on your arms, looking down at the floor.

Raise your legs with your toes pointed out in first ballet position.

Your leg weight will be on your pubic bone. Quickly move your straight legs slightly out and back in for 30 seconds, like you're clicking your heals over and over again.

Then, rest them again on the floor.

 

Repeat step one (Superman), and step two (heel clicks), and one more Superman. You'll do a total of three sets of Supermans and two sets of heel clicks (alternating between them).

 

Then, roll over on your back and do some leg stretches or ab work, or something to rest your back before doing Exercise #2.

 

Exercise #2

This one is very much like #1, but a little more rigorous. It feels wonderful!

You begin by lying on your stomach, and lifting your upper body in the "stick 'em up" position.

You do the Superman-to-running girl thing, but you do it quickly, up and back for 30 seconds (about the time for 15 rotations).

Then, rest your upper body on the floor to work your legs and lower back.

 

The leg thing is different than in #1. You rest your upper back, and lift your legs, but you point your toes straight back and "swim" kick with straight legs for 30 seconds. Your forehead should be on your arms, while you look straight down at the floor. Don't lift your head to look forward while lifting your legs because it can put too much strain on your neck.

 

Then, do the Superman-to-silly-girl thing and the Swimmer kick at the same time. It will look like you're swimming. Do it for 30 seconds.

 

Rest your body for a few seconds on the floor, then you're done for the day.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Depending on the condition of your back, this may be too rigorous at first. If you need a gentler introduction to these exercises, just do the lifting of the upper body (stick 'em up), but don't move your arms above your head. Just hold it for six seconds, and lie back down. Then, raise your legs for six seconds (without moving them), and lay them back down. Alternate until you start to feel some fatigue in your back. After a few days, start adding the Superman arms, and the leg motions.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you're out and about, and your upper back starts to hurt, you can do some variation of this exercise while standing or sitting. Just lift your arms, and point your palms out while pinching your shoulder blades together. Hold for six seconds, and release. Repeat several times.

 

Or, my favorite is to pull against my steering wheel in the car. I hold my hands at 9 and 3, and pull on the steering wheel while pinching my shoulder blades and resisting my own pull. I hold for six and repeat several times. I can do this at stop lights, and it really helps.

 

Also, keep that head back! All the time! It makes a world of difference on the strain in your back.

 

Hope you feel better soon.

Suzanne

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....I just went over xrays with my chiro this week. He seemed to think it was serious but fixable over a long time. I have slight neck/shoulder issues but I thought any pain I've had lately is just due to stress.... so I don't have "pain" from this problem. (I actually had gone to see him because of backache & he took xrays because it was my first time seeing him.)

 

Two words: RUN AWAY.

 

Find a good physical therapist--and possibly a massage therapist!

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For much of my life, beginning in about 4th grade, I had headaches because of the muscle tension in my neck and shoulders from holding my head up.

 

That cervical curve I don't have acts like your head's shock absorber and without it it is the muscles in your neck and shoulders that do all the work.

(I suspect my twin was sitting on my neck and it just never grew right but that is only speculation.)

 

As time went on, it got worse and I began to hunch against the pain, really throwing off my musculature. No one could figure out what was wrong until a dentist of all people, who was seeing if it might be TMJ, told me what was wrong. Fast forward to years of crippling headaches that became normal to me. I am still staggered that I worked 3 jobs and put myself through college like this!

 

After my first born, my arm went numb and my sister told me to go to her MASSAGE THERAPIST. From day one, this gal identified my problems and SHOWED ME HOW TO GET BETTER. It took years but I have been pain free for the last 10. She gave me back a quality of life I couldn't even remember. A true miracle. The real miracle is that I only had to go TO her maybe 5 times. She wanted ME to do the work and she kept tabs on my progress and cheered me on. Much unlike the chiro's I had seen to no avail.

 

The ways I stay pain free now are; always watch my posture, head up, shoulders back. If I start to get tight in the neck and shoulders, much as I hate it, I ice those areas. Never ever carry a shoulder bag, those muscles are already working hard enough holding your head up!

 

You can't regain curvature, but with help, I was able to train my muscles to move back where they are supposed to be and strengthen them and learn to troubleshoot. (the unconscious hunching had literally shifted them over the years)

 

It will be ok, just find the right help.

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I have the same thing and usually the chiro shows me and we start treatment. the last chiro wanted a signed contract for 2K and made me cry about it. I left and I do get some serious pain at times but I read some about it online and am not convinced it's dire.

 

One thing a chiro did years and years ago was give me the neck roll pillow thing years ago I can lay on for 10 minutes a day. I moved before we got to the head weight thing ;-) but I love the pillow. feels like I am doing something for it. rolling up a towel would work too

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"Two words: RUN AWAY."

 

What?

Why run away?

 

A chiro can fix it. You will have to go very often in the beginning to fix it though. My neck was the same way in x-ray's.

Also, the back of my neck stayed swollen and now it is great.

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I had the same problem, and it was due to stress. When I'm anxious or stressed, I curve my shoulders in and hunch forward. Adjustments and using a traction pillow has helped a great deal.

 

I hate "fear mongering" chiros. Mine is so great. He never lets $$ get in the way of treatment. He barters his services with many patients, which works for everyone. If bartering isn't possible, he'll let the patient figure what they can afford and he'll contract with them for that amount then reassess later if the patient's situation changes. It's been a good business practice for him; his family lives quite comfortably.

 

I think chiros who truly care about helping people will work with patients on payments.

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Its a very common problem and a chiropractor suggesting an intense and rather expensive course of action is not neccessarily a quack. It's what happens to our necks when they get lots of use and little maintenance, unfortunately. The course of action suggested is the best one. If you can afford it. It will make you feel better for a few weeks, much worse for a few more, then much better.

A good chiro isn't going to use shock techniques to scare you into attending, and will explain what is happening. My chiro can always tell when I've had a fight with hubby, the same vertabrae where the kidney nerves are go out :glare: When my daughter was small, I could tell when her neck was out because she'd have trouble feeding on one side, and would vomit more than usual.

There is no quick fix, but as someone else said, it took a long time to make the problem too. Something like Pilates or yoga is very good in addition, but it's probably best to talk to the chiro. I imagine you need your spine to be in the right spot before you start strengthening exercises, or you'll strengthen yourself into the wrong spot.

Your nervous system is all connected, and only about 10% of a nerve has pain receptors, so you can be in a real mess and not feel it, or feel it somewhere different. Your neck and back problems are all related.

Anyway, I like my chiropractor.

:)

Rosie

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"Two words: RUN AWAY."

 

What?

Why run away?

 

A chiro can fix it. You will have to go very often in the beginning to fix it though. My neck was the same way in x-ray's.

Also, the back of my neck stayed swollen and now it is great.

 

Because this is a standard chiro line. According to chiros, just about EVERYONE is suffering from this dire condition. And chiropractic's successes are almost in spite of itself--usually because they're doing something else OTHER THAN chiropractic. Please do research chiropractic theory. Go to several chiros with a perfectly pain-free person and see what they say about each of you. Chiropractic can be extremely dangerous, FAR beyond what most alternative medicines entail. Spinal adjustments can cause permanent spinal damage, stroke, and even--extremely rarely--death. In fact, a spokesperson for a chiropractic group, in defending its safety, said that those who get regular neck adjustments shouldn't at all be concerned because their changes for stroke caused by them are merely 1 in 100,000.

 

Those are not statistics that I would live with for a medicine I'm taking. Why would I risk it with a semi-medical procedure?

 

You'll get the most relief from back pain typically by just plain learning better posture. You can get that many, many places. Bad posture doesn't need to be dressed up in any pseudo-medical jargon.

 

BTW, I'm a ballroom dancer. I've been an instructor. EVERYONE naturally holds their heads forward. I mean EVERYONE. Those who do it a huge amount will get back aches, but it's NOT A DEFORMITY. It's a habit. It takes a lot of training to hold it upright. You have to stretch ligaments that are normally never moved in that way and move your entire head back to balance on your spinal column. It does greatly reduce shoulder tension even for people who type a lot.

 

One thing you can do to check your posture is to hold a pen or pencil up along one side of your spine, following a STRAIGHT line down your back to the floor. Move your head back on your spinal column until your neck continues the line. Then keep this posture. Forever. *g* Practice it in the car. Use straight-backed chairs at home. Do it until it's like breathing.

 

A pelvic tilt is the second major thing you can do to reduce back pain from bad posture. Lie on the floor with your knees up so that your pelvis tilts to make your spine flush to the floor. Lower your legs to the ground, maintaining the pelvic tilt with your core muscles to keep you back flat. Once you can do it lying down, you can do it against a wall--you'll have to bring your heels a little away from the wall, the amount dependent on the size of your rear. *g* Get to where you ALWAYS maintain this posture when standing and keep a straight back also when sitting.

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Such as?

 

Such as giving you legitimate exercises to do. (Another friend of mine got some, too!) Such as giving you posture lessons. Such as listening to a customer and recognizing a real medical (non-spinal-alignment) problem that their doctor ignored. Such as lots of things other than the dangerous practice of spinal manipulation!

 

If it weren't for the manipulations, I wouldn't be against chiropractic!

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Such as giving you legitimate exercises to do. (Another friend of mine got some, too!) Such as giving you posture lessons. Such as listening to a customer and recognizing a real medical (non-spinal-alignment) problem that their doctor ignored. Such as lots of things other than the dangerous practice of spinal manipulation!

 

If it weren't for the manipulations, I wouldn't be against chiropractic!

 

I guess I'm not understanding you. You DON'T think chiros should give exercises or posture lessons? I'm confused.

 

Maybe my chiro is different from the norm. Last year, when I fell in the bathtub while putting up wallpaper (a practice I discourage now), I injured my shoulder, badly. Enough to send me to the ER. Nothing was broken, thankfully, just some soft tissue bruising. They put me in a sling, told me to keep it immobile for 5 days and take vicadin. A) I don't do medications, normally. B) Even I knew that keeping it immobile would lead to stiffness. C) They made no recommendation to ice it or do anything for the tissue swelling. When I told my chiro what happened, he immediately told me to ice it down, take off the sling and do only the movement I could comfortably do. He wouldn't even adjust me until the swelling went down. He did gently massage the area and saw me daily for a week before he'd adjust me and even then, wouldn't have me lay on the table for another week so as to not aggravate the shoulder again. With his treatment, I didn't NEED vicadin. The shoulder has since healed and it's back to 100% mobility and use.

 

If you don't care for chiropractic, that's fine. I'm not here to change your mind, but I think you paint them all with a pretty big brush and that's unfair and inaccurate. Actually, it was the medical community that inspired me to find alternate treatments. When your medical doctor tells you that your cancerous mole is "no big deal" and yet you end up with stage 2B melanoma, that's a problem. When your EX's doctor misdiagnoses bipolar disorder and puts him on drugs that exacerbate the problem, making your EX violent and paranoid, that's a problem. When your ped refuses to acknowledge your dd has orthopedic problems and you have to demand a referral to a specialist, that's a problem.

 

I'm not saying the entire medical community is bad; it's not. But the medical care paradigm is drugs. The chiro-care paradigm (at least my chiro's paradigm) is keeping the body in a state of health so that drugs aren't needed. And, for me and my dd, that's worked 1000% better than medical doctors who want to toss me a 'scrip for every little thing. And, I'm not saying drugs are NEVER needed, ever. But I don't think they're needed for everything. Anyway, I don't mean to go on and on, but I've found someone who can treat me and my dd without the use of drugs and we've been healthier and stronger since starting chiro care, and I'm passionate about that. I realize there are chiro-quacks and you should run from any that tell you they can cure anything with an adjustment. There are also medical-quacks and you should run from any who's only method of treatment is tossing out prescriptions. I guess I'd be ok with medical doctors if they'd stop trying to make me take drugs! LOL

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I guess I'm not understanding you. You DON'T think chiros should give exercises or posture lessons? I'm confused.

 

No. I don't think chiros should practice spinal manipulation. That practice is dangerous and is based on really bad "science." For the rest of it, I feel like they provide an important service to some people by giving them answers that often work and aren't in a pill bottle! :-P They also often--sadly--catch things that doctors shouldn't have missed in the first place.

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You are making broad, sweeping generalizations about chiropractors. This is unfair and inaccurate.

 

I will grant that there are quacks out there--as there are in every branch of medicine. I have had excellent doctors; I have also had terrible doctors. I have had some skilled chiropractors, and I have known some who were NOT skilled at all. It just doesn't make sense to dismiss the entire theory of spinal manipulation just because some people do not practice with competence or honor. It would be equally nonsensical to dismiss the traditional medicine just because some doctors are incompetent. There are competent chiropractors who do help people heal.

 

Prior to getting chiropractic care, I tried (extensively, over years) two different regular doctors, three different physical therapists, and several massage therapists. The PTs helped the most but could only bring things so far--I was still experiencing not only pain, but really limited mobility. In other words, I couldn't turn my head. Literally. I tried many other options, for many YEARS, before trying a chiropractor.

 

It was a chiropractor who gave me back mobility in my head. She also significantly reduced the pain in my back. It became literally much, much easier to hold good posture. It is also a chiropractor who helped reduce the numbness in my hands. I am soooo thankful to have found a chiropractor who gave me back so much mobility.

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  • 3 years later...
Guest Demonile11

I was born with a straight neck, so I know the pain very Very well. Only problem is, is that I'm only 18 and I live with constant pain and struggles to keep my back from curving because of the unnatural shape of my neck. It leaves me in pain an suffering all hours of the day, though some are much better than others.The muscles are always stiff... I wish Chiropractors were cheaper, because the one time I went to one, I was in heaven. I finally got to know what a pain-free day was like.

I can't blame my parents for not doing anything about it, mainly since I grew up with it and didn't notice it as much as I do now. I'm very tall and, admittedly overweight putting more strain on my muscles. Sitting in classrooms for hours on end didn't help any either, but I had no choice. Pain pills I will not do simply because I do not believe in relying on such a short term relief. And the amount of chemicals from regular daily use isn't exactly healthy. And when you're like me, and have weaker 'systems' than most, you shouldn't really be adding problems.

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....I just went over xrays with my chiro this week. He seemed to think it was serious but fixable over a long time. I have slight neck/shoulder issues but I thought any pain I've had lately is just due to stress.... so I don't have "pain" from this problem. (I actually had gone to see him because of backache & he took xrays because it was my first time seeing him.)

 

He showed me an xray of the natural curve of someone's neck and then my xray where my neck bones all looked like they were on an invisible straight stick leaning forwards.

 

Has anyone else ever had this problem? My friend ironically had a chiro tell her the same thing (she lives in NC). Her chiro, on the other hand, had her so worked up about how serious a problem it was that she was sobbing! My chiro was much more laid back about the thing.

 

So - if you have dealt with this - what are your thoughts? What has your experience been? I'd love to hear.... I'm not sure how worried I should be or not. I figure to some degree the dr is promoting treatments to keep me coming back..... I don't want it to be a problem when I'm 60 or so... kwim?

 

ty

 

I was born without one, took years to figure out why I had such bad headaches. No carrying weight on my shoulders, not even heavy coats.

I use a tennis ball to massage when I need to and ice if the shoulder and neck muscles feel tight. It took a long time to straighten out and correct my posture as I had hunched from the pain for so long but a fabulous massage therapist helped me. I only had to see her three times and religiously did the work and now I am living almost pain and headache free. It took two years if constant work and now maintenance with ice and tennis ball work. But it is completely doable. :001_smile:

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Anyone can have this problem depending on how the xray was taken.

 

It rarely indicates any problem at all. I cannot believe a chiropractor would make anyone cry about it or even tell someone it was the cause of all his ills.

 

Sometimes muscle spasms can cause an increase in loss of curvature such as after a car wreck. I guess the chiropractor is using this fear to get a couple of grand out of people. Everybody's got to make a living.

Edited by Minniewannabe
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my neck had a retroverted curve - but it was part of the reason for my headaches. my chiro put it back into the correct curve in a single visit. . . . (okay, he had to do it again - a YEAR later, and it wasn't nearly as bad as it was the first time.) My neck is almost always in need of adjustment - but not because of the curve. and I can physically tell the before and after difference.

 

I've been to many chiros, some good, and some not. a good chiro will check over each area when you go in BEFORE doing an adjustment. a not so good one will automatically "adjust" you without making sure that area even needs adjustment.

 

I love my chiro - but there are many chiros out there who try to drum up business like any other speciality by getting the patient worked up. (psychiatrists refer to them as "cash cows") if that happens, I would be RUNNING out of that door and looking for a new chiro.

Edited by gardenmom5
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This is exactly what dd8 has. After multiple visits to many different specialists, and multiple MRIs, it was a physical therapist MD that diagnosed the problem. She was probably born with it because her father has it also. She sees a massage therapist once a week and is making good progress. Her's had led to massive muscle spasms and headaches. The therapist has also pointed out that activities like long usage on a computer or hand held game will make the condition worse because of the position you hold you neck in. She will never have the normal curve and will have to overcome the symptoms throughout her life. One thing that made hers worse is being so young, she just stop using the muscles in her neck. This caused massive muscle memory loss. Basically the muscle forgot what they were supposed to do. So just running and playing for 20 minutes would bring about muscle spasms in the neck. She has to do exercises to strengthen those muscles and the massage helps get the oxygen flowing in those areas again. She also spends about 10 minutes a week actually stretching the neck. It is not pleasant for dd8 at the time but she later feels great relief. Due to her age we chose not to see a Chiropractor. If she were older and better aware of her body we would consider it. Yes, ice treatment helps the most. The therapist explained it like this. When you are about to start the exercise we apply heat to loosen up all the toxins built up in the muscle tissue then we complete the exercises. After we apply ice to flush the toxins out of the tissue and drink alot of water to get the body to rid itself of the toxins. It has been a long struggle but now knowing the problem has made a world of difference.

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  • 10 months later...

Because this is a standard chiro line. According to chiros, just about EVERYONE is suffering from this dire condition. And chiropractic's successes are almost in spite of itself--usually because they're doing something else OTHER THAN chiropractic. Please do research chiropractic theory. Go to several chiros with a perfectly pain-free person and see what they say about each of you. Chiropractic can be extremely dangerous, FAR beyond what most alternative medicines entail. Spinal adjustments can cause permanent spinal damage, stroke, and even--extremely rarely--death. In fact, a spokesperson for a chiropractic group, in defending its safety, said that those who get regular neck adjustments shouldn't at all be concerned because their changes for stroke caused by them are merely 1 in 100,000.

 

Those are not statistics that I would live with for a medicine I'm taking. Why would I risk it with a semi-medical procedure?

 

You'll get the most relief from back pain typically by just plain learning better posture. You can get that many, many places. Bad posture doesn't need to be dressed up in any pseudo-medical jargon.

 

BTW, I'm a ballroom dancer. I've been an instructor. EVERYONE naturally holds their heads forward. I mean EVERYONE. Those who do it a huge amount will get back aches, but it's NOT A DEFORMITY. It's a habit. It takes a lot of training to hold it upright. You have to stretch ligaments that are normally never moved in that way and move your entire head back to balance on your spinal column. It does greatly reduce shoulder tension even for people who type a lot.

 

One thing you can do to check your posture is to hold a pen or pencil up along one side of your spine, following a STRAIGHT line down your back to the floor. Move your head back on your spinal column until your neck continues the line. Then keep this posture. Forever. *g* Practice it in the car. Use straight-backed chairs at home. Do it until it's like breathing.

 

A pelvic tilt is the second major thing you can do to reduce back pain from bad posture. Lie on the floor with your knees up so that your pelvis tilts to make your spine flush to the floor. Lower your legs to the ground, maintaining the pelvic tilt with your core muscles to keep you back flat. Once you can do it lying down, you can do it against a wall--you'll have to bring your heels a little away from the wall, the amount dependent on the size of your rear. *g* Get to where you ALWAYS maintain this posture when standing and keep a straight back also when sitting.

 

 

So I just wanted to inform you, so that you do not give out false info, that this can and is a real deformity! My little girl is only 9 and has suffered from major neck spasms and headache most of her life. We were recently seen by a team of nuero specialists at John Hopkins hospital and she has a "head forward lack of curvature in her upper spine neck area". She was probably born this way since there has been no accident to cause it and she is too young for it to be caused over time. She is having to undergo intense and sometimes painful therapy both massage and physical. So you might want to look into it before you make the assumption that is is not a real deformity ever.

 

As for your opinion of Chiro's I neither agree or disagree because I have always been too chicken to try one for either myself or my daughter. lol

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  • 2 months later...
Guest Mandy40

I have just had a very upsetting experience at a local Chiro clinic :-(

 

I only went as my husband got a Groupon for Chiro as he was suffering from neck/shoulder pain. Part of his Chiro was to have me come and listen to the "talk" on all things Chiro. Harmless enough I thought....... After listening for almost 2 hours my DH was taken along with myself to review his x-rays and have his manipulation. I was encouraged to have my x-rays taken too as they were in the "Family Business of health". Again, I thought this was harmless enough until they called me in a few days later to show me what they found.

 

I was told in these exact words that my neck was "No different to Christopher Reeves"!!!!! The x-ray showed a -2 curvature instead of the +34 that it should be. When I questioned the Chiro's sweeping statement he basically told me that it didn't matter what the rest of my spinal x-ray showed or the fact I had no symptoms. The fact that my neck was like this meant I needed to sign up for almost 3 thousand dollars of treatment.

 

Hmmmmmm. This did not sit well with me and being a retired nurse I questioned him some more. I am only 40 and the only problem I suffer from is plantar fasciitis but this seemed irrelevant to my Chiro treatment as he was more concerned with my whole nervous system and body being in a degenerative state.

 

To make matters worse, he told me all this with my 10 year old son sitting in the room. When I looked at him, he had tears in his eyes as he thought his Mom was probably going to die. I spent the next 5 minutes reassuring him that this was not the case and with that, the Chiro left and sent in the accounts/money person to talk details.

 

I did not sign anything.

 

I feel there is a place for Chiro as an alternative therapy but I would advise people to be very careful with whom you choose to see. It seems to me that this particular practice use bullying and scare mongering tactics to get their patients.

 

I will go and see a different Chiro that a friend has recommended and find out his opinion on my spine/neck but for sure I will not be going any where near the jokers I've just met.

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I have this problem too. I have been to several chiropractors and the curve has never improved. I too had neck pain and headaches and constant muscle tension in my neck and shoulders. The adjustments help in the short-term, but the thing that has helped me the most, except for the very occasional menstrual headache has been a paleo diet and intense exercise. Strengthening my core, neck, back and shoulders and eating a diet that does not promote inflammation is the best cure. No more headaches, no more neck pain, no more shoulder pain (except after a hard work out--different kind of sore and temporary).

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Yes, paleo diet is helping me with neck and other joint issues as well. Neck used to crack and pop, pain (both shooting and dull) and stiffness, frequent headaches....same for ankles and oddly, even my collarbone and chest area. Used to see chiro regularly, insurance dropped it so I did, too. I can only attribute my symptom decreases to paleo diet (3 months and lost 20 pounds, too!).

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Yes, paleo diet is helping me with neck and other joint issues as well. Neck used to crack and pop, pain (both shooting and dull) and stiffness, frequent headaches....same for ankles and oddly, even my collarbone and chest area. Used to see chiro regularly, insurance dropped it so I did, too. I can only attribute my symptom decreases to paleo diet (3 months and lost 20 pounds, too!).

 

 

Maybe it is losing 20 pounds that made the difference. Would help my knees I guess.

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  • 8 months later...
Guest simon w

Here's the lowdown guys......

 

There is a number of clinical manifestations that occur when you have a straight neck, they don't all result in pain, but do cause some significant issues, they are as follows"

1. Early degeneration (osteoarthritis) in the lower cervical spine and in the thoracic kyphosis

2. Rib subluxation

3. Sometimes increased thoracic kyphosis and tight thoracic spine

4. In approx. 30% of people, the L5/S1 disc space can be reduced due to altered biomechanics

5. Sometimes it will cause spontaneous acute fascial spasms down in the low back

6. Neck tightness often resulting in chronic headaches often appear

 

This is the reason why many chiropractors put such an emphasis on getting the cervical lordosis correct

 

In regard to the person below who claims chiropractic causes strokes etc, the stats are 1 in 5.85 million people who receive a cervical manipulation can suffer from a vertebral artery dissection (Kapral & Bondy. Cervical manipulation and risk of stroke). You have to also be aware that not only chiropractors, but osteopaths, some physios and physical therapists also preform manips on the neck, but you'll only hear bad press about chiros, as most of this data comes from the medical profession.

 

If you have any safety concerns about chiropractic, look at summaries from the Wilk trial (1976) or the New Zealand Commission of Enquiry (1979) where these issues are dealt with in the court of law, rather than some idiot spreading propaganda on a heath forum.

If you compare chiro to medical care in terms of safety, look at World Health Organisation stats, you'll learn that medical misdiagnosis and mis-prescription is the 3rd highest cause of DEATH in America. Chiro has been deemed VERY SAFE in the court of law in both quoted circumstances.

 

In regard to whether your chiropractor is being honest, simply ask to see some radiographs of someone who has a straight neck and has radiographic findings that are more advanced than your own, which will support the chiropractors recommendations.

 

There is a nurse below that suffered from plantar fasciitis, the reason this occurs is from a forward load bearing posture, therefore putting tension on the fascia, like a case of bursitis, your condition is one that is secondary to poor biomechanics. It sounds like your chiro didn't deal well with your management, and I can understand why this didn't sit well with you, however not all chiros ask for a large sum of money up front, I'd urge you to go seek another with a good reputation in your area.

 

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Yes, I have this problem. Yes, it is a problem, but you can definitely live with it. Left unattended it can lead to pain and arthritis. In my case, I have both the lack of neck curvature as well as bone spurs on my spine. This does lead to painful muscle tension and occasional light hand numbness. My understanding is that one bone spur in particular is responsible for the hand numbness, so you may never experience that effect. I have never found the occasional numbness to be more than a mild irritant and I usually just ignore it. My fine motor skills have not been affected at all.

 

In my case, we have never been able to correct it, though the chiropractors have certainly tried. I don't know if this is because I also have mild scoliosis or not. It's nothing to panic about. It's not a cancer or diabetes diagnosis. I find that it is not that big a deal to live with.

 

The very best thing you can do is a combination of chiro and exercises. If your muscles are not strong, they will not "hold" the adjustment well. I definitely find that my pain and hand numbness is significantly better with exercise. In fact, if I had to choose either chiro or targeted exercises, I would choose the exercises because they help more with muscle tension and day to day discomforts.

 

Find a good physical therapist who is specifically oriented towards a highly athletic (sports) approach. If you cannot afford regular therapy, then just ask for a consultation or two and get a battery of exercises. I have had many PTs over time, and I find that most do not give nearly enough exercise. You will want stretches and exercises that work not only the head and neck. but also the upper body (shoulders, upper back, and arms). The stronger the whole system is, the more effectively your muscles will learn to pull and hold your head back.

 

Also, an easy thing to do is roll up a towel and lay with the towel supporting your neck in the proper curvature. Just lay there a couple times a day. It's just a gentle way to persuade the spine to rest in the correct position.

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  • 4 months later...

 

Because this is a standard chiro line. According to chiros, just about EVERYONE is suffering from this dire condition. And chiropractic's successes are almost in spite of itself--usually because they're doing something else OTHER THAN chiropractic. Please do research chiropractic theory. Go to several chiros with a perfectly pain-free person and see what they say about each of you. Chiropractic can be extremely dangerous, FAR beyond what most alternative medicines entail. Spinal adjustments can cause permanent spinal damage, stroke, and even--extremely rarely--death.

 

Okay, I'm probably really late to this topic, but I just want to take a second to defend chiropractics.

 

In my opinion, there are two types of chiropractors: the gentle and the ones I loving refer to as the "cracky-poppy" kind. Yes, legit terms being used here (joking around.)

 

I first went to the more violent kind. I have migraines (almost every woman in my family does) and I do not have a natural curve to my neck. (Which I didn't know at this point in time.) He was an acquaintance who was willing to give me a free adjustment. He twisted my head around in weird ways and I hated it. It scared me and it hurt. My 7th vertebra actually had a stinging/burning sensation afterwards. He told me that I probably had existing nerve damage. Needless to say, I never went again.

 

Years later, I ran into an old friend from school who was a chiropractor and he convinced me to give it another go. He started off with taking my medical history (the other didn't), took xrays (where I found out about my lack of curvature), and did a few tests to see what I needed (bend this way, turn that way, walk over there, etc to see how I held my body and what seemed to be out of place.) I felt like an idiot, but I already felt like he was actually examining me rather than just grabbing and twisting.

 

When we finally got down to business, he had me lie on a table and gently (but firmly and quickly) pushed on one small area of my neck and was done. I rested for a few minutes, he checked everything one more time to see if it took or anything else needed adjusting and I left.

 

After that, I went back regularly. He was cheap, did house visits if needed, met outside office hoirs if needed, took payment plans...I was thrilled. After a few visits, my migraines went away. I can tell when I need an adjustment because I get headaches again. My stress levels were much more managable, my emotions more in check,and my shoulder pain went away.

 

He never said a word about the neck curve other than that I had it. He did address an out of place rib and a knee injury (the injury happened a week ago). He's always been upfront about everything; for example, my adjustments probably wouldn't hold too much longer than they do now until I exercised and built up my muscle strength.

 

I do plan on asking him about my neck because I trust his answers. I've asked him questions before where he has answered "I don't know." Or "an adjustment wouldn't really help that, why don't you try/talk to..." I even had a girl (who goes to the other type) tell me I should ask to get certain areas popped and had my doctor look at me like I was nuts and go "you can't adjust that!"

 

I've been going to him for over 2 years now and he's really helped me a lot. I've only gotten healthier since seeing him.

 

The doctors that twist and pop your neck...yea I don't trust them. I've been told they can make situations worse. However, that doesn't mean all chiropractic medicine is bad. They have helped a lot of people, but they aren't miracle workers and every field of medicine has bad doctors.

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