How Long Does It Take A Chiropractor To Relieve Neck Pain?

How Long Does It Take a Chiropractor to Relieve Neck Pain?

If you’re wondering how long it takes for a chiropractor to relieve neck pain, this blog will answer your question. Neck pain is one of the most common reasons why people visit chiropractors and inquire about receiving chiropractic spinal adjustments.

These pains are among the most common musculoskeletal issues. They affect around 50 percent of the world’s population. The pains can arise through how people sleep, or sit at their desks to work for an extended time. They’re also common among athletes who can sustain injuries in multiple ways.

Minor Neck Pain

Minor neck pain can be an annoyance but often requires neck pain treatment. This will usually heal itself on its own within a few days with at-home treatment methods. Drugs from over the counter can help too if the pain veers between mild and moderate.

Chronic Neck Pain

But chronic neck pain can be dangerous if left untreated. Pains could then arise in other parts of the body. Untreated neck pain can lead to headaches, arm pain, numbness, tingling, and overall body weakness. This is why it’s important to see a chiropractor for neck pain. It’s one of the least-expensive ways to treat pains that won’t heal on their own.

But it takes time for a patient to heal if the pain is strong enough that a chiropractor is needed.

The Chiropractor’s Treatment Period

If the patient needs to see a chiropractor, the neck pain is likely very serious. On average, the patient needs to make five to ten visits to the chiropractor before they see relief. This is because the chiropractor has a multi-step process for treating patients for their neck pain.

The chiropractor must first determine what kind of pain the patient is experiencing, and find the causes. This requires an examination, which includes a consultation, an x-ray, a physical assessment, and a palpitation. Through these steps, the chiropractor can discover what their pains are, and where they’re coming from. The cause will determine the number of times the patient will need to see the chiropractor.

Remember that the “five to ten” visits are only necessary “on average.” The more chronic or complicated the pain is, the more work the chiropractor will have to resolve the cause. Several more visits over several months could be required. The chiropractor themselves will provide the patient with a good estimate after they’ve seen them for an initial visit. 

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The Causes of Lighter Neck Pain

How soon the patient visits the chiropractor will determine how long the healing process takes. Lighter neck pain will arise through pinched nerves in the neck. Muscle tension and herniated discs can also be the cause. These are small pains that are easily addressed. But they’ll get more complicated when the patient does nothing to treat them. They’ll spread to other parts of the body if they don’t heal.

A quick visit to the chiropractor will lead to less visits in the future. Minor pains can be treated by small exercises the chiropractor will recommend the patient do at home. The patient will need to perform them a few times a week for the treatment to be effective. They’ll then need to visit the chiropractor again to see how effective their exercise treatment was.

These pains can arise through common activities a person performs throughout the day. Sleeping in the wrong position is a big cause of this pain. Stress on the same muscles through work and home chores and activities will be another factor. Small injuries sustained can also lead to neck pain. The chiropractor can see a patient regardless of the cause. They’ll determine what treatment works best for each patient, and the healing time required.

Another big cause of neck pain is simple age. As people get older, they can’t perform as many activities throughout the day or sleep in the same positions. Actions they participated in during a younger age could also catch up with them. Older people can also develop issues like arthritis or other pains that are genetic. The chiropractor can deal with these pains over a short period. Treatment for their posture and normal exercises can help minimize the pain from arising again. 

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The Causes of More Severe Neck Pain

The more severe the neck pain, the longer the treatment will take. The chiropractor’s examination will determine how best to approach a patient suffering from neck pain. Their estimate for healing the patient will take longer if they’re experiencing extreme pain. A multistep process is required to heal the patient, in this case. This will include in-office and hospital treatments, exercises at home, and even prescription medicine.

Minor neck pains can become severe if left untreated. Addressing this pain will require a readjustment of the spine to ensure that it will no longer trouble the patient. This could involve the use of a hot or cold temperature setting. Stretches, exercising, and massages will also be effective treatments. Electrical stimulation can also be necessary to speed the healing process along.

Massage therapy is uniquely effective for healing pain in the neck area. The treatment focuses on the body’s muscles and soft tissues. The gentle pressure on the body parts paining the patient can release tension from those muscles. This won’t work for everyone, but the chiropractor will determine the effectiveness.

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The “Teck Neck” Problem

One of the most common causes of neck pain is called “tech neck,” a newer name for an older issue. This pain arises when a patient spends hours in front of a computer, phone, or other electronic device. Doing this too often will rupture the person’s posture, thanks to the poor ergonomics with hunching over. This can result in muscle strains and spasms at the very least. Continuing to use this posture without treatment can result in spinal realignment.

The pain will arise because this poor posture creates pressure on the neck for hours each day. Neck pain can only be the start of this ergonomics issue. It will lead to shoulder pain, headaches, and fatigue.

Chiropractors will treat this by adjusting the neck to address the pain. The patient will then have to perform their own exercises to heal on their own. Occasional stretches will be prescribed by the chiropractor so the patient isn’t hunched over for too long. If the pain is severe enough, they’ll prescribe an entire ergonomics readjustment. The “five to ten” visits recommended above should suffice. But the time to heal will be extended through the actions the patient will perform between and after visits. They’ll also need to visit other places of exercise to help with their healing process.

Summary: How Long Does It Take a Chiropractor to Relieve Neck Pain?

The time it takes for a chiropractor to relieve a patient’s neck pain depends on the cause and severity. Minor issues causing neck pain will only require around five visits to the chiropractor. Severe issues will involve several visits for the chiropractor to address pain. The treatments will involve spinal realignment if necessary.

Minor neck pains could become severe if left untreated. The best idea is to see the chiropractor when smaller issues arrive. The longer the time a person waits to get treatment for neck pain, the more visits to the chiropractor are required. This answers the question of how long it takes for a chiropractor to relieve neck pain.