Dr. Vincent Sferra
Natural Medicine & Rehabilitation
We’ve all probably dealt with a stiff neck in our life. You may have awakened with one, or perhaps had a sports injury or an accident which caused it, or maybe you’ve just been at your computer for too long, usually with incorrect posture. While you most likely have experienced a stiff neck at some point, if you are experiencing them repetitively, it would be wise to be examined by a qualified healthcare professional to establish the cause of your problem and learn what can be recommended to reduce your pain and recovery time, and the likelihood of your neck pain returning in the future.
Spending hours each day with our neck bent and head down, staring at our mobile device can put excessive pressure on the neck and spine, putting us at a much greater risk for neck pain, back problems, headaches, muscle tension, and more. Even disc herniations and pinched nerves are commonly caused by this type of sustained posturing. Your head weighs about 11-13 pounds, but by tilting your head forward by just 15 degrees it puts 25 pounds or more of pressure on your neck vertebra, and spine. It is this significant muscle, joint, and disc stress that will eventually cause tension, tightness, achiness, and pain.
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So, neck pain is not always caused by an injury or accident. Many times, it is constantly holding your head and neck in an improper position, be it working at the computer, a long commute, or even while sleeping, that will gradually create muscle and spinal joint imbalances. And over time, the persistent stress on those structures will create more significant problems such as herniated spinal discs, spinal arthritis, and pinched nerves. A thorough consultation and examination by a doctor who specializes in spinal care is paramount.
Numerous therapeutic modalities including spinal manipulation, soft tissue mobilization along with corrective exercises can be utilized to help improve your posture, strengthen the neck muscles; relieve pain and the risk of reinjury. For some suffering from chronic neck pain conditions, Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (EPAT) may be an option. This non-surgical and non-invasive treatment helps speed up recovery by the utilization of high-energy acoustic pressure to achieve faster healing, pain relief, and mobility restoration. EPAT treatment greatly accelerates and intensifies the body’s natural healing process of soft tissue injuries by utilizing these powerful pressure waves to enhance blood flow, affect inflammation, and improve tissue metabolism which helps damaged tissue to regenerate and heal.
The EPAT treatment is generally utilized in combination with a personalized physical therapy treatment plan but may be used as a stand-alone treatment to help patients greatly diminish levels of pain and reduce the risk of reinjury. One of the physical medicine clinicians here at NMR can discuss what option may be best for you. This type of therapy is also helpful for many chronic musculoskeletal problems such as back pain, arthritis, ankle sprains, rotator cuff pain, knee pain, hip bursitis, tennis elbow, TMJ, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, along with other long-standing injuries that haven’t rehabilitated properly.
Our team of doctors specializing in chiropractic care, physical therapy, and nutrition as well as stress and weight management will develop an individualized treatment plan to help you get rid of that pain in the neck.
To relieve your neck pain, call 908-252-0242
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Dr. Sferra is board certified in Chiropractic Medicine and Chiropractic Neurology, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association. He is the founder and Clinic Director of Natural Medicine & Rehabilitation. For more information visit www.NMRNJ.com