Chiropractic Care for Neck Pain

Neck pain is pain or stiffness in the cervical spine, the seven vertebrae, discs, facet joints, nerve roots and supporting soft tissues that carry the head. It is the second most common musculoskeletal complaint after lower back pain. The neck supports a head weighing about 5–6 kg while allowing the widest range of motion anywhere in the spine, and that combination makes it vulnerable, particularly with long hours of phone and desk use, often called 'tech neck'. Symptoms range from morning stiffness that clears within days to persistent pain spreading into the shoulder, arm and hand, which suggests a nerve root is involved. At Bewell's Novena clinic, opening soon, a Gonstead chiropractor assesses each neck segment individually, by hand: observing your posture, checking for temperature differences along the spine with an instrument, and feeling how each level sits and moves. Only a segment the findings point to is adjusted. That specificity matters in the neck, where any force needs to be applied with care. Neck pain after a fall or accident, or with a severe headache, dizziness, clumsy hands, trouble with balance or worsening arm weakness, should be checked by a registered doctor first.