You may notice neck pain, but this will often be simply the first symptoms to arise. Similarly, upper back pain, shoulder tightness and tension are often the first symptoms to arise when there are subluxations and spinal interference in your lower neck area.

Here is an artistic representation of the connections among nerves.

If this subluxation is allowed to remain uncorrected, then further dysfunction will be expressed in a variety of ways. The next thing you may be aware of is tingling and numbness in your arm, hands or fingers. When your hands begin to fall asleep, we call this paresthesia and this is a sure sign that your nerves are not functioning at 100%. Sometimes, these symptoms can be mistakenly diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

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Along with these symptoms, you may also be aware of your hands feeling tight or swollen, making it harder to put wrings on and off.  Feeling your hands and fingers being colder can be another sign that there is a problem with your nerves. Raynaud’s is a disorder where the hands and fingers are colder and sometimes painful. This may or may not be related to the condition you are experiencing.

Finally, if you do not address this issue with your spinal nerves, you may begin to notice weakness and difficulty doing overhead activities like doing your hair, putting on your shirt, lifting your kids and putting things away in your cabinets or up in the garage. You may also experience hand or finger weakness and find that you’re dropping things more frequently Have you noticed any of these things?  This is not normal!

Now, besides the fact that some or all of these symptoms are all being expressed, these same nerves are also the ones that control your vocal cords and thyroid, among other tissues and glands. Some of the symptoms of these organs being affected include having to clear your throat much more often and problems with voice pitch (if you are a singer you may notice this more).

When the thyroid is affected by these nerves, you may experience changes in energy levels, mood, have weight loss or gain, anxiety and racing of your heart. There are also blood test changes in cholesterol and thyroid hormone levels that will show up. If you’ve noticed any of these symptoms, you’re heading down the wrong path.

How Can Chiropractic Help?

This is really the ultimate question and, as a chiropractor in Gilbert, one I hear often. You can see how a variety of symptoms, like muscle spasms, weakness and altered sensation can be the result of spinal subluxations affecting the nerves that control the muscles and skeletal system.

Then, we discussed how these same nerves also regulate organ function, like the vocal cords and thyroid gland. In other articles, we discuss how the gastrointestinal (GI) system and other bodily organs can be affected in the same manner.

How chiropractic care can help you is by removing the interference to the function of your nervous system so that your body can function at its best. Now is the time to change the course that you’re on. You can reverse many of the changes that have taken place by having your spine properly evaluated, then having your subluxations corrected. Spinal degeneration is a reversible process if it is corrected in time. Looking forward to helping you soon!

Pay special attention to the spaces between the vertebrae – the disc spaces (dark) – as they become shorter in height. Notice how the spinal bones lose their smooth uniform shape around the edges to form more spurring and roughened sharp edges. Also, you’ll notice how the natural curve in the neck disappears and creates a more flattened and straightened appearance.

These changes can FEEL like less range of motion, a stiff or painful neck, headaches, tingling or numbness in the arms, hands or fingers – mimicking carpal tunnel syndrome. It could also present as upper back pain, a ‘hump’ in the upper back and a head carried forward on the shoulders posture.

What you’re seeing is simply the result of the types of physical, mental, emotional and biochemical stresses that we talk about in the office manifesting themselves as these long-term, degenerative changes to the spine. Understand, it isn’t postural problems that CAUSE these changes, it is a combination of the stressors just discussed.

Your posture is simply a REFLECTION of – or RESULT of – long-term stress and tension in the body. So, how do you help prevent this? Chiropractic care, of course! Specific, effective and gentle chiropractic is the approach we take in our office to help you.

What this care does is assist your body in unwinding the tension that builds within the tissues and muscles surrounding your spine that would lead to such degenerative changes. For the purposes of this article, understand that this video demonstrates how the spine changes shape due to these subtle, yet ‘real’ stressors of life.

Dr. Michael Funicello is a Gilbert chiropractor and has been serving the communities of the Southeast valley since 1998. He continues to help people of all backgrounds and health conditions find relief from their pain and regain their life again. If you’d like to find out how we can help you, contact us today!

What other types of situations may cause stiff neck?

A giraffe can't blame their long neck on their neck stiffness, they have the same number of vertebrae in their neck as you and I do.

Besides the reasons noted above, there are more insidious causes of muscle tension, muscle spasms or more focal trigger points as they’re called.  You can learn more about those specific things by linking to the articles we’ve written about those topics.

However, it is important to discuss one of the primary ways that your neck can feel stiff, tight, tense and otherwise limit your ability to turn it in the normal directions.  The most common issue I find is spinal tension caused by a nervous system that is very ‘wound up’ for lack of a better term.

photo credit

You see, your body is adapting as best it can to the various forms of stress that you encounter in your life.  These can come from a variety of sources; dietary, physical accidents or sports injuries, and emotional or mental realms.  When these stressors are not ‘digested’ appropriately by your body because it simply doesn’t have the means to deal with them, the ensuing result will be tension that your muscles and tissues ‘store’ until it’s safe to experience.

As an athlete, even on a more casual basis, you will see how this tension will inhibit performance.  If you are an elite athlete, times will decrease, reaction speed will suffer and your mental game will be challenged.  The casual or weekend warrior type of athlete will find that they are much more prone to injury.

The tension that your body is holding will inhibit how well you are able to respond to the world around you not only in your chosen sport but also in your daily life.

Of course, since you’re probably looking for ways of improving your golf swing or having more focus on the putting green, these things are of critical importance.  Do you think that you (or your child athlete) would have an advantage if you could be more receptive and responsive to the subtle cues from your body?  Of course you would!

This tension will also affect your ranges of motion.  So, not only will your neck feel stiff, but it will limit how well you can turn your head, too.  This is a bad thing no matter what, but it is especially limiting if you play sports where a fully flexible and responsive body is key.

“…a few months ago, I was experiencing tremendous neck and shoulder pain due to stress and tension.  Not wanting to accept the miserable state I was in, I sought out advice from my general doctor.  After X-rays, muscle relaxers and physical therapy, my body continued to hurt.  I was extremely frustrated!  There had to be a better, non-medicated way of healing.

Since beginning Network Care (3months ago)…no pain meds!  No physical therapy!  No more pain and discomfort!  My entire being has been transformed into positive energy .  Through prayer and the precious knowledge of Dr. Mike, I now have peace.  My body knows how to deal with stress and tension in a proper manner naturally.  Network care has been life changing!  The past three months have allowed me the opportunity to experience my “wonderful self” again.”

What I enjoy most and what I would like someone to know about Network Care at Infinite Healing Arts Center is…

“You will be enlightened; mentally, physically, and spiritually!  Dr. Mike creates an environment that uplifts the human spirit.  Thank you for giving me the tools to live in harmony with myself.  You exude an abundance of happiness!”

~Jennifer W., Gilbert

If you’ve been injured in an accident and you’re looking for a chiropractor in Gilbert to help you, then consider Infinite Healing Arts Center. We’ve been providing gentle chiropractic care to people injured in accidents of varying levels of severity since 1998. Listen to one story here…

My reason for beginning Network Care was…

“My reason for beginning Network Care was due to a car accident 5 years ago; I have had continuous pain in my neck and back and nerve damage in my right arm.  I was diagnosed with bulging C5-6 and C6-7 disk and herniated disk, as well as nerve damage.  I have had pain blocks done for 3 years with it only being a temporary fix.”

Since beginning Network Care (about 1 month ago), I’ve noticed these changes in my symptoms, my body and my life…

“Since I started with Dr. Mike I have noticed that I’m no longer a walking blob of pain!  I’m off all of my pain medication as well as muscle relaxers.  My life is more exciting.  I’m able to get up in the morning without feeling pain and go all day without taking a nap due to all of the medication.  I’m more relaxed and not as irritable “I’m actually pleasant to be around again”.  I have a positive outlook on life.  Since the accident it was taken away from me for 5 years it’s good to have it back!

I can actually tell what my body is feeling and what my posture should be doing and how I should feel.  It’s a GREAT feeling to be able to have control over my mind and body!”

What I enjoy most and what I would like someone to know about Network Care at Infinite Healing Arts Center is…

“I look forward to going to Dr. Mike every week!  If it wasn’t for him I would still be on all of the pain medicine and still going through life wondering if I was ever going to feel good again.  I’m a living testimony that Network Care at Infinite Healing Arts Center can change your life!

Thank you Dr. Mike!”

~Chandra C., Gilbert

My reason for beginning Network Care was…

“I had a lot of pain in my hip and sciatic area after a fall from my horse.  I also was experiencing some neck and lower back pain.”

Since beginning Network Care (3 months ago), I’ve noticed these changes in my symptoms, my body and my life…

“The pain in my hip and sciatica has almost completely disappeared.  I’ve noticed my posture has improved and I’m much more aware of my body alignment in general.

I have been surprised at the difference I’ve seen in myself with regard to having more patience and in particular more compassion toward other people.  I have told a few trusted friends of an abusive situation from my childhood that I’ve carried around for many years and never talked about.  It helped to defuse the situation and I felt very freed from the burden of carrying it around inside myself.”

What I enjoy most about Network Care at Infinite Healing Arts Center is…

“The inner peace I have found and of course the freedom from the physical pain I was experiencing.  The sessions feel very spiritual and are both physically and emotionally cleansing.”

~Kathy B., Gilbert

Some medicines work great for this but not for that. In any case, as a Gilbert chiropractor, my philosophy is to help you find relief from your headache pain. And, not only that, but we’d like to do this by helping your body to develop its own ability to unwind the tension that is so very often at the root of the issue you’re experiencing.

“Network Spinal Analysis is beautiful work that apparently works on many levels.  A friend recommended I try it when I told her of my headaches, stiffness, and pain in left shoulder and neck, and depression.  Soon after beginning entrainments – maybe the second or third week – the stiffness and pain lessened.  Headaches were less frequent.  And I always came away from a session feeling mellow and at ease.  With my first progress consultation I was impressed with the changes in body posture, confirmed by before and after pictures.  The after photos showed generally more presence or energy.  Shoulders were less round and tailbone less tucked.

Now 2 months later I no longer have the neck pain or the headaches.  I have a growing awareness of tension as they happen:  I catch myself with a tight jaw and clenching when there is repressed anger.  I am often aware of how I walk with my head thrust forward and shoulders raised when I am “thinking up a storm”.  I notice this, pause to take a breath and feel at ease walking upright.

I notice a change in relationships.  Being more at ease myself, I am less defensive with others.  And suddenly (it seems) I am not afraid to share true feelings with my husband and to express my desires and wishes even if they go against his.

I like my body now and more often honor and listen to it.”

~G.G., Tucson

What did you used to feel like?

“Hell.  I always felt like a fleet of trucks had run over me.  For months all I wanted to do was lay in bed or sit in my chair.  I was unable to stand for a long period of time so we ate out a lot as cooking was a big chore.”

How do you feel now?

“Much better.  I can get out of bed and chairs without pain.  It used to hurt so bad to turn over in bed.  My back and shoulders was always in pain.  Now I can go for walks, shopping without a lot of discomfort.  If I over-do it – I know my limits – I hurt the next day so I try to do as I should.  I’m a long way from being in the health I know I can be but I’m a lot better than I was 2 years ago. “

~Irene P., Gilbert