A 42-year-old female patient presented with neck pain that had been present for two months. The pain came on gradually and without a specific cause. Her vocation is answering the phone for a busy mail order shoe store. She works 40 hours a week, 5 days per week. Her neck pain worsens with work, especially by the end of he eight-hour shift. Other pain producers include driving more than 30 minutes, reading more than 30 minutes, and washing her hair with the head back. Her pain improves when she rests her head on a chair or pillow, moves her head in circles, takes 600 mg of ibuprofen (repeated 3x/day), and after a hot shower. She describes the pain as an ache with intermittent sharp pain that is becoming more frequent, “…when I move the wrong way.” There is no shooting pain into her arms or hands.
Sound familiar? People with neck pain present to chiropractic offices around the world every day; however, each patient is different and every person is unique and each case must be individually managed. For example, some patients “hate doctors” or are extremely anxious about going to any doctor. This might stem back to a prior “bad experience” with a healthcare provider at a very young age or perhaps even a more recent event. Nonetheless, the approach used in this type of presentation may be best if it is very methodical, reassuring, and fully explained. A “low-force” type of manipulation may be best suited for this type of person as “cracking” of the neck may be too frightening for them. On the other hand, a different patient may not be happy unless there is a “good crack” and will not be satisfied until a chiropractic adjustment is performed.
It is equally important in both cases that a patient get a complete explanation regarding:
Providing answers to these questions will usually aid in achieving the best results, as the patient will understand the issues most important to them and will have confidence that those issues are understood and appreciated by the doctor. In either case, management for this particular patient may include:
Let’s take a look at how neck pain can create stress in your life and how our neck pain protocols at Coast Chiropractic Centers in Fort Myers could change your very life, for the good.
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