Neck pain affects millions of people every year. Neck pain and injury are varied. Examples include acute pain due to whiplash or chronic pain due to degenerative diseases. The neck can affect headaches, the shoulder joints, and the nerves traveling down the arms, through the elbow, and even down to the wrist and fingertips. The cervical spine (bones of the neck) protects the spinal cord so injury and damage to this vital area can not only impact quality of life through pain and mobility loss, but it can also impact organ system function.

Common symptoms of neck conditions include local neck pain with spasmed muscles. The pain can also radiate into the back of the head, down the shoulder blades, into the chest muscles, and down the shoulders into the arms and hands. Radiating, or radicular pain, can be sharp or dull, pins and needles, and even total numbness. Radiating symptoms are a sign that the underlying problem is affecting the nerve tissues and the condition is worsening. If the nerve (or spinal cord) is damaged enough, muscle weakness and then atrophy (muscle loss) will occur. These changes will be permanent if nothing is done to reverse the damage.

The cervical spine responds very well to regenerative medical intervention. Thanks to the rich blood supply to the support structures of the neck, allograft and PRP therapies work better than in circulation poor tissues like cartilage and bone. Injured nerves that cause many of the pain and symptoms of radicular pain are also relatively close to the surface of the muscles of the neck—making it easy for the cellular therapy to reach the inflamed areas of the nerves.

Once the tissues begin to heal, manual therapies that may have failed in the past usually begin working again. Pain and inflammation will begin to resolve due to the natural healing process of both the body and the growth factor rich therapies. As the muscles and connective tissue start to function properly—chiropractic care, functional neurological rehab, and physical therapy become effective at further correcting the underlying mechanical problems.

Neck Conditions that respond to care:

• Cervical degeneration (OA of the neck)
• Cervical disc degeneration
• Bulging or herniated disc
• Cervical strain/sprain (whiplash type injury)
• Radiating Pain (“pinched nerve”)
• Peripheral Neuropathy symptoms
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Burner/Stinger injury
• Torticollis (frozen neck)
• Cervical headaches and migraines
• Post fusion pain relief (failed neck surgery)
• Reversed neck curve or “military neck”