Ever Have a Sore Neck?

Keeping the neck healthy is very important! Many things can cause neck problems but we will focus on the muscles. Inflammation is the leading cause of neck problems. Every day we work with repeated motions using our cell phones, computers, playing games, etc. Excessive and inappropriate exercise or motions such as car accidents, resulting injuries, aging and degenerative change in the cervical spine all contribute to spinal health and/or muscle inflammation. Swelling puts [pressure on the nerves or nerve sensors with the person feeling pain. Pain can be dull or sharp and also shoot down the arm. Most people do not know neck muscle inflammation can cause headaches, migraines, insomnia, sinus distress, mental fogginess, moodiness, lack of focus, depression, and anxiety. Ever have any of these problems? Oftentimes we are more aware of them upon waking from a night’s sleep.

How can acupuncture help our neck muscles? Good question. The trained acupuncturist will ask how the pain first started and examine the neck muscles to locate inflammation and what makes it feel better or worse. A skilled acupuncturist will treat the inflamed area in a way to release lactic acid changing the pressure on the muscle (s) and bringing oxygen to relieve pain. This process creates a self-healing action to the nerves and body sensors. Pain is reduced or eliminated. Oftentimes the result is immediate but sometimes 4-8 acupuncture treatments are required to eliminate the pain. Every case is unique.

Why acupuncture treatments? There are many approaches to relieving neck pain. Surgery is the last resort for structural problems. Pain killers are Band-Aids at best and only treat the symptoms and not the root cause of the problem. Many people come to acupuncturists only after they have exhausted other options. Getting rid of muscle inflammation is our first consideration. This approach takes time and some patience but is known to work where other things have failed.