Have you ever experienced neck or back pain and your first instinct was to try and “stretch it out”? There’s a really good chance it didn’t give you any relief and if it did it was likely very temporary.

You felt tight! You were in pain! It’s natural to make the assumption that the tightness was causing the pain and stretching would relieve it. I get it because I see it all the time. The vast majority of people that come to see me have tried stretching along with some sort of massage in an attempt to relieve their neck or back pain. 

But, it really didn’t work or they wouldn’t be in my office. The million dollar question is why doesn’t stretching offer long term relief. After all the muscles are tight and you have a hard time bending your back or turning your neck. 

WHY STRETCHING ISN’T THE SOLUTION FOR NECK OR BACK PAIN

In order for stretching or any other treatment to be effective it must be correcting the cause of the problem. Most people make the assumption that the tight muscles are the cause of the pain when the reality is far different. 

Most of the time tight muscles are the effect of the problem and not the cause. It goes deeper than that. The majority of the time tight muscles are a strategy of the body to stabilize an area that is swollen, inflamed or unstable. When you stretch you might get temporary partial relief but the body tightens those muscles back up because the tight muscles are doing an important job. 

IF ITS NOT TIGHT MUSCLES, WHAT IS THE CAUSE?

I often explain to patients that muscles don’t do anything on their own. If they are tight or in spasm it is because they are getting a message telling them to tighten up. Where does that message come from?

The nervous system controls the muscles. If muscles are acutely tight it is because the nervous system has sent a message to the muscles telling them to tighten up. 

The next logical question is why is the nervous system sending a message to the muscles to go into spasm and where is it coming from?

THE SPINE AND NERVOUS WORK TOGETHER

If the nervous system is telling muscles to tighten up it is likely because of an imbalance or misalignment in the spine causing an instability or irritation to the nerves. This irritation results in the nervous system telling the muscles to tighten up in an attempt to bring stability to the area. 

This muscle spasm is often the end result of a long process of misalignment and nerve irritation that has reached the point of needing more support. The pain might have come on suddenly but the process has likely been in the works for weeks or months. 

CORRECT THE CAUSE…THE CORRECTIVE REBALANCING PROGRAM

Because non-traumatic neck and back pain are most often the result of very long standing chronic imbalances we need to restore balance to the spine, the nervous system, and the muscles.

This is why I put together four complementary strategies to correct these imbalances. I call this program, the Corrective Rebalancing Program. The focus is to bring the nervous system and spine back into a state of balance.

This is the program I use in my life. The intention is to counteract the stresses of modern life that  result in chronic neck and back pain, headaches, anxiety, and pain. 

CORRECTIVE BALANCING PROGRAM

Corrective Chiropractic Care

At Life Chiropractic of Grass Valley, we take a holistic approach to treating neck and back pain. Our corrective chiropractic care focuses on restoring spinal alignment and preventing the development of spinal arthritis. By relieving nerve pressure and improving muscle function, we can provide relief from headaches, migraines, and neck pain.

Benefits:

• Restores spinal alignment and prevents or slows the development of devastating spinal arthritis.
• Provides headache, migraine, and neck pain relief through relieving spinal nerve pressure.
• Provides muscle-melting, spine aligning, top-to-bottom back pain relief.
• Improves mood and releases stored tension by balancing the autonomic nervous system and increasing blood flow throughout your body.

Posterior Chain Activation

We also offer posterior chain activation, which helps to activate the key muscles needed for pain-free movement. By decompressing the spine, improving posture, and relieving back pain, this technique can help you move more easily and gracefully through life.

Benefits:

• Relieves back pain and improves posture by decompressing the spine
• Move more easily and gracefully by taking pressure off your joints and activating key muscles
• Provides back pain relief by correcting the imbalances that come from sitting, hunching over screens, and other habits of modern life
• Reverse the damage done from poor posture by activating the key muscles of posture, the posterior chain.

Spinal Joint Flossing

Another important aspect of our approach is spinal joint flossing, which helps to restore and maintain healthy spinal joint movement. By improving spinal joint movement and lubrication, this technique can reverse damage caused by dysfunctional movement patterns and provide long-term pain relief.

Benefits:

• Improves spinal joint movement and lubrication
• Reverse damage from dysfunctional spinal movement patterns
• Provides neck and back pain relief by reteaching your body proper spinal motion
• Provides long term pain relief by rewiring proper coupled joint movements

Stress Resilience Code

Finally, our stress resilience code helps to rewire your nervous system’s stress response, leading to less muscle spasm, tension, and pain. By releasing stored tension, promoting deep relaxation, and improving your mood, this technique can help you take control of stress and improve your overall well-being.

Benefits:

• Effortlessly release stored tension and experience deep relaxation
• Sleep better by down-regulating your Nervous System
• Provides immunity from stress by rewiring your stress response
• Improves your mood by increasing your Vagus Nerve function
• Helps you take control of stress by learning to self-regulate

If you’re tired of living with chronic neck and back pain, it may be time to consider a different approach. Chiropractic care offers a safe, effective, and drug-free alternative to traditional medical treatments. By addressing the mechanical and neurological issues that are often at the root of neck and back pain, chiropractic care can provide long-lasting relief and improve your overall quality of life. So why wait? Schedule an appointment with Life Chiropractic of Grass Valley today and take the first step towards a pain-free future.

About Dr. Berkowitz  

Bringing more than 3 decades of practice experience, Dr. Bill Berkowitz focuses on balancing and corrective care, applying his expertise to provide patients with predictable, repeatable and measurable results.

Dr. Bill consistently strives to enhance the well-being of his patients by addressing the root imbalances of their problems and promoting optimal balance, alignment, and function of the spine and nervous system.  

Bill’s wealth of knowledge and experience has allowed him to develop a nuanced understanding of the human body and its intricate connections. With each adjustment, he supports the body in returning to a state of balance that goes beyond mere symptom relief, focusing instead on long-term correction for his patients’ well-being. 

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