Symptoms - Conditions - Treatment - Examination
The neck, or cervical spine, has 7 vertibrae, intervertebral discs, and 8 cervical nerve roots. One cervical nerve root is found on each side of the cervical spine. The places where vertebra move against each other are called facet joints.

     The cervical spine has a normal range of motion of:

Tucking the chin - 45 degrees
Tilting the head back - 45 degrees
Bending to the right - 45 degrees
Bending to the left - 45 degrees
Rotating to the right - 80 degrees
Rotating to the left - 80 degrees

All nerve impulses and reflex impulses to and from our hand, arms, shoulders, neck and face are sent through the cervical nerve roots.
     These nerve roots are C1 through C8. C5 through C8 connect from the shoulder to the finger tips. C1 through C4 connect to everything above the shoulder. These are the ones usually involved in stenosis, traumas, degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis.

SYPTOMS
What it feels like.
Decrease of mobility (range of motion). Stiffness, soreness, pain or tingling in the shoulder or down the arm. Headaches.

CONDITIONS
What your chiropractor calls these. Subluxation or Luxation of a joint - Facet syndrome - Stenosis - Disc protrusions or herniation - Degenerative disc disease - Osteoarthritis Curvature problems (hypo or hyperlondosis, scoliosis) - Sprain or strain.

Degenerative Disc Desease:
A breaking down or degeneration of an intervertebral disc (thinning or loss of height of the disc). This is usually from continuous mechanical stress or simply age.

Disc Herniation:
A rupture or fragment of a disc protrudes into the interverttebral foramen which compreses the nerve root. Or, the disc protrudes into the spinal canal compressing the spinal chord (or the cauda equina in the lumbar, lower back, region).

Facet Joint Syndrome:
A degeneration of facet joints found the rear or posterior of the each vertebra. They act to prevent excessive spinal motion. Its causes may be hyperextension injury, degenerative erosion and sceratic changes. Usually results in reduced motion of the involved spine. It may be further complicated by muscle spasms.

Luxation - Subluxation:
is one of the more common conditions for chiropractic treatment. LUXATION is a joint that has moved “out of place,” such as a hip, knee, shoulder, vertebra. This causes a disruption of normal range of movement. SUBLUXATION happens when the luxated joint causes irritation or damage to soft tissues - nerves, circulation, muscles, etc. - resulting in problems with the part, or region, of the body they supply. An example is sciatica.

Osteoarthritis:
Typically develops from trauma or other conditions and comes on gradually, even subtly and results in an erosion of the joint cartilage. It mainly happens on weight bearing joints and is more common in older people.

Strains or Strains:
Occur when a muscle or ligament is injured from over use, and when a joint goes through a motion range greater than normal, but doesn’t fracture or dislocate. Stenosis: can be congenital or acquired. It is a narrowing of the canal the spinal nerve passes through or a foramen the spinal root nerve travels through.

TREATMENT
Chiropractic offers a variety of techniques for effective treatment of the majority of cervical conditions. The area of involvement will be completely examined and x-rayed, if needed. Your chiropractor has a variety of manipulation techniques and will choose those best suited for the condition you have. Both the conditions of stenosis and vertebrobasilar instability must not be treated with chiropractic manipulation for fear of permanent injury.

   The purpose of chiropractic manipulation is to restore the involved area to normal joint functioning. This increases blood flow, joint mobility and decreases tissue stress. The area of the spine functions as intended. This allows any involved area of the body to begin to heal and repair also.

EXAMINATIONS
A thorough chiropractic examination includes: complete history, vital signs, orthopedic, neurologic and physical exams. Neurologic and orthopedic exams take place in the involved area (cervical, thoracic, lumbar and extremities). Vital Signs include weight, height, blood pressure, pulse, respiration, ausculation. A Complete History of the problem helps determine the cause or if it is hereditary.