How To Get Rid Of a Crick In Your Neck With Chiropractic Care

Wondering how to get rid of a crick in your neck? The best way to reduce the stiffness and pain caused by a crick in your neck is to rest and relax. If that's not enough to ease the discomfort, seeing a chiropractor might be your best solution. 

Getting a crick in the neck is about as annoying as it sounds. All of sudden, you can't move your head because each move results in sharp pain. So you try to stay put, even though this is a very unnatural position, all while living with the stress of provoking another painful episode. 

Fortunately, most cricks in the neck (or "cervicogenic headaches" as they are officially called) are easily treatable. They are the result of tight muscles in your neck and shoulders causing misalignment in your spine. At the first sign of a crick in the neck, you should visit your doctor or a chiropractor, who can help realign your spine and ease the pain. You can also prevent future cricks in the neck by maintaining good posture and stretching regularly.

Let's explore what this condition is, what its potential causes are, and why seeing a chiropractor is your best option.

What Are The Potential Causes Of a Crick In Your Neck?

Before looking at how to get rid of a crick in your neck, let’s first have a quick look at what causes this condition in the first place.

A crick in the neck happens after you've held your head in an improper position for an extended amount of time. As you might expect, this is closely related to work and sleep ergonomics. Most people get cricks in their necks after sleeping in a bad position, or after a long day's work at the office. Improper ergonomics determine the vertebrae in your neck to move out of position, which eventually causes pain.

Other potential causes for this condition are putting particular strain on your neck during fitness exercises, running, dancing, sports, or other repetitive motions involving your head and neck. You may not feel it right away, but the next day, you are surely going to. Remember to always warm-up before doing physical exercise and to include warm-up exercises for your neck in the routine. Less common causes for cricks in the neck are arthritis, pinched nerves, or an infection.

How Long Does a Crick In Your Neck Last?

Depending on how badly your neck is affected and what you do for pain relief, the crick in your neck may be gone as soon as the next day, or it can carry on for a bit longer. It is important to know when wondering how to get rid of a crick in the neck that this condition is different from chronic neck pain. It is acute in nature and episodic. 

Depending on your work and sleep ergonomics, it can happen every once in a while, but it will not become chronic unless you have a more serious underlying issue related to the vertebrae in your neck.

How To Get Rid Of a Crick In The Neck With a Chiropractor’s Help?

Since there are no nerve roots in the neck, there’s little that can be done to relieve the pain associated with a crick in the neck. That’s why chiropractic care (often referred to as “chiropractic adjustment”) is so effective in relieving neck pain. 

First, the chiropractor will examine you, to determine the cause of the sudden pain in your neck. Be prepared to answer questions about your work and sleep habits and your exercise routine.

Next, your doctor will determine the treatment plan that is best suited for you. This will include a series of chiropractic adjustments, but it can (and likely will) also include a series of physical exercises for you to do at home on a regular basis.

In the office, chiropractors use gentle, targeted movements to realign the spine and restore optimal function. As a result, they can help reduce pain and inflammation, restore range of motion, and improve your overall health.

In addition to relieving neck pain, chiropractic care can improve a number of other conditions. For example, it has been shown to help people with chronic low-back pain and neck pain due to car accidents. It also helps to improve balance, coordination, and organ function.

So what does this all mean? If you have neck pain or discomfort, consider visiting a chiropractor. You may be surprised at how quickly your symptoms ease up!

Can You Pop a Crick Out Of Your Neck?

When trying to find a quick solution for how to get rid of a crick in the neck, you might be tempted to pop the crick in your neck on your own. But you should only attempt home treatment if you have experience with this type of procedure, or if your chiropractor has already shown you what to do when you get another crick. If you have no prior experience with fixing a crick by yourself, then you are better off going to see a chiropractor because there is a high chance that you will make your pain worse, by applying pressure in the wrong areas.

Keep in mind that you may need more than one visit to the chiropractor to treat the crick in your neck, but you will definitely feel an immediate improvement after the very first session, so don't hesitate to make an appointment.

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