“I have had chronic neck pain and headaches for the past ten years. I use the computer a lot, at work and at home. What do you think my problem could be?”

Your neck has seven small vertebra numbered Answer: C-1 to C-7. The vertebra are connected to each other by discs, ligaments, and tendons that help give the neck its shape (cervical curve). Many neck problems develop from chronic poor posture and stress which lead to spinal and muscle imbalance. This imbalance causes spinal nerve stress and ultimately pain. For example, if you carried a bowling ball around for the entire day, but, instead of carrying it closely at your side, you held it straight out in front of your body, you’d get tired very fast. If your head is not centered over your shoulders but is out in front of your shoulders in what is called a head forward posture, this will create tremendous strain on your neck muscles and cause your cervical vertebra to lose their normal alignment with each other, creating a lot of nerve irritation and pain. The muscles fatigue from the strain and you begin to feel soreness/achiness in your neck muscles which can give you a headache. Over time, your cervical vertebra may assume this misaligned position and sometimes even reverse its normal curve. Eventually, this may cause degeneration and arthritis in your neck. Most people who sit at a desk assume a head forward position because it is difficult to maintain good posture while sitting for long periods of time. To treat you, I would do trigger point on your muscles to release the tension and give you an adjustment (using my hands or high speed instrument) to relieve the nerve pressure. I will also give you specific postural exercises to strengthen your neck. You will feel so much better! Call 479-587-0227 to make an appointment and go to www.thegibsoncenter.com for more information.