This Heat Wave Is a Serious Pain in the Neck

(Newswire.net — July 1, 2018) Darien, CT — You woke up today with a sore and stiff neck. Maybe you slept funny. Perhaps you think you need a new pillow. Have you ever wondered why your neck seems to hurt more when temperatures soar? There is a good reason for neck pain. The head is supported by some fairly thin muscles and some spinal vertebra. The neck vertebra and the muscles of the neck have to work together to ensure a pain-free existence. The sweltering heat adds a dimension that is most overlooked when it comes to neck problems.

The extreme heat forces us to mitigate with extreme cold. So if your neck is even slightly out of place, the sudden extreme temperature shifts will cause the neck muscles to spasm. This can be a severe type of pain that won’t respond to Advil or Aleve. The spasm may be so strong that it actually pulls the vertebra out of place causing a subluxation. Think about this, your muscles are working hard. You exit your very cool car to a 95-degree pavement. There is almost a 25-degree difference between both extremes. The neck muscles give out and you have a terrific spasm jolting the spinal bone and irritating the spinal nerve. Chances are there was an underlying weakness or everyone would be walking around with stiff necks when it gets hot outside. The problem is that you are not aware of an impending neck problem until the pain starts. 

This is where your chiropractor comes into the equation. Like your teeth, you only have one spine. A regular yearly checkup would go a long way to ensure structural stability of your spine. 4 out of 5 people will have a back problem. With 80% chance of developing a spine issue, it just makes sense to get your spine checked out once a year. Think of the pain you will avoid and the cost savings as well. If you take care of a problem when it is a small, there is a much better chance of a favorable outcome. 

If you are like most people, you will only act when it becomes a really big problem. In this era of declining health care coverage, a pre-emptive strike is really a good idea. So here is my advice, find a chiropractor you like and go have a spinal exam. Once a year should do it. So if you don’t neglect your spine, maybe the next heat wave will not hurt your neck as much as it could.