Are you suffering from neck and shoulder pain? You are not alone. Millions of people are suffering from neck pain due to bad posture, car accident and degenerative changes of the disc. Neck pain is almost as common as back pain in the United States. The number of neck pain sufferers is staggering and appears to be rising. Between 38 and 50 percent of adults have neck pain.



Causes of Neck Pain

Pain in the neck can be triggered by pinched nerves, neck spasm, stress, trauma, injury, prolonged bad posture, etc. The pain can range from very mild discomfort to severe, burning pain.

Whiplash

Whiplash is a neck injury that most often happens to drivers who are hit unexpectedly from behind by another car. Most of these injuries are short term, but 10% of whiplash sufferers will have long term pain. The pain can be so severe that sufferers can not work or enjoy a normal lifestyle. Disc Degeneration Disc degeneration is a common cause of neck pain and most likely appears by middle age. As we age, the degenerative changes of the discs and facet joints of the cervical spine cause neck pain, usually felt as a stiff neck.

Due to many years of wear and tear, the discs become thinner and this causes the spaces between the vertebrae to become narrower. If the nerves in the cervical area are becoming irritated or pinched, this may lead to numbness or tingling in the neck and shoulders.

Stress and Tension

People who sit for long periods bending their head build up stress in the cervical spine causing neck pain. The muscles at the back of your neck must always be tensed to avoid your head falling forwards when you are sitting. Most common example is a computer job. The combination of stress and bad postures causes neck spasm. In most cases this type of neck pain can be reduced or eliminated by adjusting the computer position and changing some work habits

How to treat neck pain?

There are many ways to treat neck pain. You can use at-home remedies, physical therapy or alternative treatments like seeing a chiropractor and acupuncturist. It is important to find a certified professional who can analyze the cause of your neck problem first. For severe acute neck pain resulting from an accident or injury, doctors usually recommend bed rest, a neck brace or collar, and cold treatment (such as an ice pack) for neck pain relief.

What is Neck Traction?

A common neck pain treatment by chiropractors is neck traction. This is commonly performed to help relieve muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders, and to help relieve the pain of pinched nerves in the neck.

During the Cervical traction the weight of the head is gently lifted off the neck anatomy and may temporarily decompress pinched nerve roots and result in reduction of herniated intervertebral disk. Visiting a chiropractor is the best way to get useful "adjustments" to the spine.

After the treatment you can obtain a neck traction device for home use. Some chiropractors may hesitate getting the traction device for you fearing it would result in the loss of your business.

Keep visiting your chiropractor after you have received a home traction device. The chiropractic adjustment is still beneficial and a chiropractor can answer your questions about the use of the device.

Neck Traction by Air

An effective and affordable device is the inflatable device. Unlike over-the-door traction device the ChiSoft neck traction device does not us a bag of water.

Just place it around your neck and pump the inflation bulb until you feel a comfortable stretch. Once the air traction device is filled up with air, it will lift the weight of the head while gently stretching your tight muscles, and relieving joint and nerve pressure.

Start at lower tensions to be certain the treatment does not increase your discomfort level significantly. Start with one traction session per day in mid-afternoon or evening. Proceed to two sessions per day, one in mid-afternoon and one just before bedtime.

Air neck traction units are very portable and can be used almost anywhere. The simplicity of the design makes it the ideal tool for home or office use.