Loss Of Normal Neck Curve Increases Risk Of Neck Pain

A study in the March/April 2005 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics finds that the more a person loses the normal, forward curve in the neck, the more likely they are to suffer from neck pain and related problems. In the study, researchers examined 277 random records of patients from an Australian chiropractic college clinic. The patients’ x-ray films were measured for the amount of neck curve and how far forward their head was misaligned over the normal balance point. The films were then correlated with their symptomatic complaints at the time they began chiropractic care. After the data from the x-rays and files were collected, they were sorted by age, sex, and the amount of curve and forward head shift that were measured. The researchers found that patients with a straight or reversed curve in the neck were 18 times more likely to experience neck pain and related problems. They also found that the more a patient’s head had shifted forward, the more likely they would experience neck pain and related problems. Patients whose neck curves were within the normal range experienced statistically insignificant amounts of neck pain and were considered clinically normal. The patients’ age or sex played no part in the outcome of the study. Anytime the spine becomes misaligned, wide-ranging functional problems can and do develop. It is my job to restore and maintain proper alignment of your spine thereby helping you maintain the highest level of function possible.