Neck pain is incredibly difficult to live with.  Most people who first experience it are amazed at how often the neck is involved in our daily affairs.  A stiff neck can easily tighten up the shoulders, refer down into arm pain, lead to general stiffness, aching, and/or pinching in the region.

Some people experience this because they have herniated a disk in their neck and are experiencing a pinched nerve condition which is extremely painful at times.  Others are experiencing arthritis or a muscle spasm.  I see these cases every day.  Referred pain from an acute disk herniation is a challenge for anyone in the medical field.  This can lead to arm pain and or numbness.  Epidurals work but not all the time.  Acupuncture helps many people with this condition but not all- it’s certainly worth a try though because there are no side effects.

I’ll tell you what Acupuncture is EXCELLENT for though and that’s stiff necks due to muscle spasms.  I see dozens of these per week and almost everyone gets significantly better.  I have yet to see a treatment that matches acupuncture in efficacy in relieving a tight trapezius muscle.  I have worked side by side with orthopedic surgeons, physiatrists, physical therapists ,and chiropractors and we are all amazed at how effective acupuncture is for this type of neck pain.

Acupuncture with some proper rehabilitation together is even better.  In my experience, most patients with neck pain need some muscular retraining because of poor posture.  These few exercises are easy to do and they help ensure that the neck pain does not come back.  In fact, when a new patient comes in with a stiff neck, I tell them that they will never need to see me again after a small handful of visits if they do their homework.  A few simple exercises can go a long way!

So if you are suffering from a stiff neck, make sure you find a local acupuncturist who can help you.  Pinching and aching in the region are things you don’t have to live with anymore.  Many of these patients also complain about wrap-around headaches that start in the occiput (or base of the neck) and radiate upward into the head and even around the eyes.  A simple treatment in the neck has often relieved years of suffering in patients in my clinics.

Tags: Acupuncture, Neck Pain, Pain

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 10:53 pm and is filed under Acupuncture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.