RELIEF FOR LIFESTYLE-CONNECTED NECK PAIN VIA NERVOUS SYSTEM CALMING
Chronic
neck pain is very common
today with lifestyle matters like smart phone use,
stress, and teleworking. A meta-analysis of randomized clinical
trials published about
the effectiveness of
manual manipulative therapy stated that it
has been described as and demonstrated to be a safe, less
painful, and common way to reduce chronic neck pain
and related neck disabilities. (1) And a paper that just
came out on June 1, 2023, related that
long-standing
neck pain treated with manual therapy statistically significantly improved and reduced heart rate
variability consistent with reduced sympathetic tone (a positive
thing!) and patient-perceived pain. (2) Sympathetic tone is the
‘fight or flight’ response to stressful (like long-standing, chronic neck pain)
or unsafe situations and is part of the autonomic
nervous system
(the system of functions you don’t have to think
about controlling like blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, sweating,
urination, etc.). These autonomic signals begin in the spinal cord
and extend out throughout the body. Calming sympathetic tone can
go a long way in managing neck pain.
The chiropractic treatment
technique we use at Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka termed Cox® Technic spinal
manipulation has been well-studied and verified
to manage neck pain, too. It has been shown to decrease
intradiscal disc pressures which are seen with neck pain. (3) NIH and HRSA
funded studies have shown clinician proficiency in mastering proper Cox® protocols after training.
(4,5,6) Further,
case studies have been published demonstrating decrease
in pain and disability with
Cox® Technic like one case of severe neck and arm
pain that was alleviated in 15 visits in 10 weeks and another with
10 treatments in 4 weeks.
(7,8) Let us calm your nerves and lessen
your neck pain! They’re all spine related!
TIP OF THE MONTH: Add Breathing Exercise with Physical Exercise
Do you think about breathing? How about when you are
exercising? Most of us do not. Breathing just takes place without
a thought. As mentioned in the above article,
breathing is part of the autonomic nervous system that makes sure
these types of functions persist without our thinking. A study looked at how chronic neck pain patients
breathed and if better breathing exercise could help. 68 chronic neck pain
patients were put into one of 2 groups: one with breathing
re-education exercise or routine physical therapy. The breathing group showed
significant improvement in neck flexibility, extension, endurance, and strength
of neck flexors and extensors. (9) Since this breath work seems to benefit
neck pain patients, studies are now in the works for chronic low back pain
patients. One that will determine how conscious connected breathing
may help highlighted how closely related the
respiratory system is throughout the body and “bidirectionally related” to
emotion, stress, and pain. (10) Another study will have back pain patients perform
exercise with specific breathing techniques and without and compare
outcomes related to pain, disability, anxiety, sleep, quality of life, health
status, and more. (11) Breathing more consciously and exercising appears
to be an up-and-coming benefit for the treatment plan of chronic back and neck
pain adn good additions to Sitka chiropractic care!
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Lee Hazen and Cheri Hazen on The Back Doctors Podcast with
Dr. Michael Johnson as they described their combined
efforts in helping back pain patients attain less pain and enhanced
function with The
Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management and breath coaching.
CONTACT Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka
Schedule your next Sitka
chiropractic appointment with Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka soon. We’ll
see you soon!