Have you ever and a “crick” in you neck? You know, that pain which hurts real sharp when you turn your head too far one way? The pain you probably had after a poor nights sleep on a bad pillow or couch? If so, then you were likely experiencing an issue with your spinal facets, or special joints on either side of your vertebra (bones of the spine) which glide across each other to assist in directing spinal movement.
Many patients that come to Better Chiropractic suffer pain coming from these joints when they get restricted, or “stuck.” Lots of different things could cause your facets to become restricted, and subsequently irritated producing pain:
- Adhesions, or scar tissue that builds up beneath your skin to make it stick together, can form in the joint, stopping or limiting movement
- Aging spinal discs can put more stress on the facets, creating greater effort for the facet joint to ‘slide’ and initiate movement
- Excessive inflammation in or around the joint can put pressure on or degrade nearby structures
As we’ve mentioned before, movement is the way that our spine stays healthy, so when our facet joints don't work properly, our spine can’t get the nutrients it needs. Luckily, Chiropractic adjustments restore motion to the joint. Plus, when you cobine that together with stretches and exercise, you can reinforce those changes to keep yourself from slipping back into a position where you’re in pain over and over.
These are all things that we focus on at your Premier Gilbert Chiropractic Clinic to help you Feel, Live, and Perform Better. If you’re having a bad day putting up with pain such as this in your neck or back, we can help! Call us now so we can get you back in working order.
