Neck Pain and Chiropractic in St. George
Why Should Active Parents See a Chiropractor for Neck Pain and Headaches?
Neck pain and headaches are one of the most frustrating things we can endure as parents.
Nothing is worse than migraines that always creep up after smelling something our body doesn't like, or a headache that wraps around our head on both sides towards the end of the work day.
Understanding Neck Pain and Headaches in Active Parents
What Causes Neck Pain and Headaches?
As parents, we put our bodies through a lot. Between lifting kids, carrying groceries, and squeezing in workouts, the spine and our neck often takes the brunt of our busy lifestyles.
There are millions of nerve receptors around the top bone of our neck (the atlas bone) and even slight inflammation or nervous system tension can cause our body to go into "protect" mode, which often results in headaches and neck stiffness.
How Chiropractic Care Relieves Neck Pain
The Science Behind Chiropractic Care
Chiropractors focus on the relationship between your spine and overall health. Pressure, inflammation, and obstruction of nerve transmission, in the spine, called subluxations, can lead to pain, limited movement, and can have other downstream effects to all parts of your body.
In contrast, through gentle adjustments and care of the atlas bone (and other bones in your neck), we can interrupt this pain cycle and train your body to heal, and tell it that everything is safe.
We do this through targeted adjustments, and chiropractors can restore proper alignment, reduce inflammation, and improve function of nerve transmission.
Techniques Used by Chiropractors for Neck Pain and Headaches
There are many different adjusting techniques - the most "traditional" technique that many are familiar with, called "Diversified" technique, is where the chiropractor applies a High Velocity, Low Amplitude thrust to the spinal joints, which opens up the joint spaces being adjusted and makes a loud "pop".
This action triggers a signal through the nerves to the brain, which tells the brain to send anti-inflammatory chemicals to the area of restriction (where the chiropractor adjusted).
This flood of anti-inflammatory chemicals often results in a feeling of immediate relief, as endorphins are often also released after the adjustment. However, some people find these types of adjustments abrupt, aggressive, or forceful, and instead prefer a softer and gentler technique, especially in the neck area.
This softer technique is what we use at Davar Health in St. George, where we use a low-force instrument around the neck region that does not cause twisting, popping, or cracking, but achieves the same nerve signal effect that traditional chiropractic adjustments do. We are happy to show you how this works in our office.
Soft Tissue Therapy:
Techniques like massage or myofascial release relax tight muscles and improve circulation.
Lifestyle Guidance:
Chiropractors often provide advice on posture, exercise, and ergonomics to help prevent flareups and regression of pain.
Therapeutic Exercise
This is known as "active care" - where the patient takes a larger ownership role in their health outcomes by actively engaging and strengthening their muscles through targeted, deliberate movements that re-calibrate and re-align how the brain, nervous system, and muscles are communicating.
Often overlooked, therapeutic exercise is critical for long-term stability and maintenance of progress (and reduction of pain from the start of care) as many painful episodes in the future can be prevented by intentional, purposeful exercise and movement that encourages spinal stability and overall wellness.
Why Active Parents Need Chiropractic Care
Stay Active and Pain-Free
As an active parent, especially living and raising a family in St. George, you don’t want neck pain slowing you down.
Whether it’s running by the Virgin River with friends or hiking the national parks with your family, chiropractic care helps keep your body in motion.
By addressing the root cause of your pain, you can stay active without relying on painkillers or avoiding your favorite activities out of fear of re-injuring yourself.
Prevent Long-Term Issues
One of the number one predictors of all-cause mortality in the long-term has been shown to be inactivity. The last thing we want you to do is to stop doing the activities you enjoy because you were told you shouldn't do it because you might re-injure yourself, or make it worse. In almost all cases except for the very serious ones, exercise and conservative care such as chiropractic and physical therapy are far and away the best options for recovery and prevention.
Perform at Your Best
When your spine is properly aligned, your body works more efficiently. Improved alignment enhances strength, balance, and endurance—all key to performing well in your favorite activities. Plus, you’ll have more energy to keep up with your kids!
Why Early Care Matters
One of the biggest mistakes I see is parents waiting too long to seek help and be proactive about their neck pain. Addressing pain early, and having a clear plan in place for attacking it head-on, makes treatment faster and more effective. It also prevents minor issues from becoming chronic problems.
Tips for Managing Neck Pain and Headaches Between Visits
While chiropractic care is essential, there are definitely things you can do at home to support your recovery and prevent future pain:
1. Stay Active
Gentle activities like walking or swimming help keep your muscles and spine flexible and reduce stiffness.
2. Practice Good Sitting Habits
Be mindful of your sitting especially if you sit at a desk for long periods for work. Breathing deeply for 2 minutes every hour, where you focus on bracing your core, while breathing downwards into your lower pelvis, helps your back rest after supporting your body in one spot for a long time. Walking a few hundred steps every hour during long work days can help your back during these long sitting periods.
3. Stretch Regularly
Incorporate daily stretches to loosen tight muscles and improve flexibility. Focus on stretches that target the lower neck, mid back, and below the base of the skull. Here are some example exercises that have been shown to be helpful. CLICK HERE (1)
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4. Lift Properly
When lifting heavy objects (or kids!), bend your knees, keep your back straight, and use your legs to lift. Avoid twisting motions in the middle of a controlled lift or neck movement.
5. Rest and Recover
Don’t push through pain. Allow your body time to recover, especially after intense activities. Applying ice or heat can help ease soreness.
6. Take A Look At Nutrition
You may have seen the rise of influencers talking about how inflammatory foods, such as seed oils, processed packaged foods, food dyes, and other substances in our food supply are affecting our health.
For some, especially in my clinical experience, I have seen remarkable turnarounds in pain and inflammation (and healthy weight loss) by simply eliminating or swapping certain cooking oils for butter or olive oil, eating more meat and whole dairy products such as steak, ground beef, or eggs, and by cutting out "healthy drinks" such as diet soda - and just drinking plain water or sparkling water. When your body isn't focusing on cleaning out what you've eaten, it can dedicate time and energy to healing the rest of your body, including that chronic neck pain, migraines, and neck pain that just hasn't gone away the last few years.
