Clicking in Your Neck Could be a Telling Sign for a Bigger Issue

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As we age, our joints weaken, and things stop working how they used to. Cracking and popping noises may appear one day, but their routine appearance often results in us drowning them out and thinking they are “normal.” One common symptom adults tend to report to our chiropractic team at Advanced Spine and Posture in Las Vegas, NV is a clicking or cracking sound when they turn their heads to the side.

Because this noise may not always be accompanied by any severe neck pain, you may think nothing of it and continue about your day. But these clicking noises are not to be ignored. They actually may indicate cartilage damage in the neck or another problem that should be treated to prevent pain or injury.

What’s causing the cracking?

There are a few different reasons why your neck might be clicking or cracking, and some are more serious than others. The cervical spine (neck) is made up of numerous vertebrae and discs with facet joints between them, along with muscles, ligaments, and nerves. Clicking or cracking sensations or sounds may be originating from a combination of these many integrated parts.

The occasional crack is usually not a big deal. These cracks might happen because of a buildup of gas bubbles within your joints that get released with movement. If you move your neck and it cracks, but you can’t crack it again until later and you don’t feel any pain, you probably don’t need to worry.

However, if you can crack your neck repeatedly with movement, and/or you begin to feel pain, stiffness, or swelling following the cracking, there may be an underlying issue you need to address.

Concerns about neck cartilage

The most likely reason you’re hearing a clicking is because of damage to the cartilage in your neck. Cartilage is a smooth and elastic-feeling tissue that covers the ends of your facet joints and absorbs shock when you move. Over time, this cartilage can get worn down and damaged, typically because of a condition like osteoarthritis.

When cartilage gets damaged, it loses its smooth texture and thins out, making movement across the cartilage less easy and gentle. The clicking or grinding you feel when you move your neck is called crepitus and is caused by the rough movement of damaged cartilage and bones grating on bones.

Osteoarthritis can become severely painful and debilitating if it continues to degenerate your cartilage, potentially leading to increased swelling, stiffness, and immobility. If you feel pain or experience stiffness or swelling in combination with neck crepitus, visit a doctor as soon as possible.

Treating cracking in the neck

There is no set cure for crepitus or its underlying conditions like osteoarthritis. However, you may be able to find relief from pain by visiting a chiropractor.

Through our Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) technique, gentle manipulations of the cervical spine, stretches, and exercises led by one of the chiropractors at Advanced Spine and Posture in Las Vegas, NV may help with pain management and lead to improved mobility of the neck.

Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.

Osteoporosis Doesn’t Just Affect Women

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Osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disease, affects over 50 million people in the United States. The disease is known to occur more in older adults and is particularly common in females. However, that does not mean it cannot affect males.

Many men assume osteoporosis won’t affect them, but the disease is silent and can sneak up on you unexpectedly. One in four men aged 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime.

Osteoporosis goes beyond causing brittle bones, though. It can cause a lifetime of pain, immobility and posture problems – which can put your whole body out of whack. At Advanced Spine and Posture, we encourage both women and men in Las Vegas, NV to visit our team of spinal experts to learn more about osteoporosis and identify a care plan that may help minimize pain.

What happens during osteoporosis?

Just like every other type of cell in your body, bone cells die and regenerate. Your bones are actually living tissue, being broken down and replaced by new cells.

When osteoporosis occurs, the bone cells are being broken down faster than new ones can be created, causing a decline in bone density. This makes bones more brittle and prone to breakage, and can also cause structural changes in the body, such as a hunched appearance.

How osteoporosis affects men

Having low levels of the sex hormone testosterone is the most common cause of osteoporosis in men. A decrease in testosterone levels may occur as a result of age, congenital defects, or medical treatments such as cancer treatment or arthritis medication. However, the way osteoporosis affects men is slightly different from the way it affects women.

Whereas women typically lose trabecular bone, which is the spongy bone located inside the hard bone, men usually experience trabecular thinning. This causes bone loss to proceed much slower than in women.

Unlike women, who usually begin monitoring bone density after the age of 50, men do not always receive routine scans to measure bone loss in their senior years. This often results in the condition worsening behind the scenes until a bone fracture or break appears.

It is advised that men also begin paying attention to bone density as they age to get ahead of the problem and prevent painful fractures. Men should also be aware of the risk factors for osteoporosis, which include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyles, and poor diet.

Dealing with osteoporosis

If you are a male worried about osteoporosis, a chiropractor may be able to help you identify the signs of the condition and reach a diagnosis. If you have been diagnosed, there are numerous treatment methods available. Chiropractic manipulations are one of the ways in which your chiropractor may be able to improve your mobility, strengthen your body and reduce the risk of falling to make managing your osteoporosis easier.

The chiropractors at Advanced Spine and Posture serve both men and women suffering from osteoporosis at our office in Las Vegas, NV. Our approach to client health, called Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP), puts emphasis on improving your entire body by focusing on the spine. If you’re searching for a way to treat bone density loss, we may be able to help.

Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.

Lumbago: The Lingering Low Back Pain You Just Can’t Seem to Shake

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Everyone feels lower back pain once in a while. Perhaps you had to carry something heavy or twisted in a strange way, resulting in a sprain. This pain generally goes away after a few days with the help of an ice pack and pain medication, but what happens if it doesn’t? Persistent lower back pain is not something to ignore – it may be indicative of a more serious problem.

Mild to severe lower back pain is also called “lumbago,” and it can be difficult to manage and treat. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced professional like the ones at Advanced Spine and Posture in Las Vegas, NV, you may be able to identify the root of your pain and find ways to ease it, so you can get back to your everyday life.

What exactly is lumbago?

Having a healthy lower back is important for your health – not only does the lower back help support your entire torso, it is also instrumental in free movement. However, there are a lot of bones, joints, muscles and connective tissues in and around your lumbar spine (lower back) that can get injured and cause pain.

The term “lumbago” covers a broad spectrum of pain, including chronic and acute pain, as well as who it affects, from young to senior patients. People who work very physical jobs and the elderly are at higher risk of lumbago because of the added pressure on their backs.

Lumbago may manifest in a few different symptoms, the most obvious being pain in the lower back. Your pain may also radiate to other areas, including the buttocks, groin, and legs, as well as produce tingling sensations in these areas. Your pain may last for just a short while, or be considered chronic, lasting longer than three months. It may also limit your movement, affect your posture or cause stiffness.

A few different types of lumbago exist. These categories and their symptoms help doctors understand what exactly is causing the pain.

  • Axial: Axial pain does not radiate to the surrounding limbs but stays central to the lower back. This type of pain is the most common form of lumbago.
  • Radicular: Radicular pain is lower back pain that often radiates down to the legs and feet. It’s normally caused by compression or injury of the nerve root (which is also known as sciatica).
  • Referred: Referred pain is the least common type of lumbago. It is back pain that moves and radiates from the back to other areas of the body like the groin or limbs; however, the pain you feel is due to your brain’s inability to pinpoint the source of the pain. Pain may actually stem from an injury to any of the surrounding areas you feel pain in.

Diagnosing and treating lumbago

The main way to best treat your lumbago is to identify and address the cause of the pain, not the symptom of pain itself. Visiting a chiropractor can allow you to work with a professional to get to the bottom of your back pain.

Unfortunately, reaching a diagnosis can be challenging because of the wide number of potential causes of lumbago, which range from herniated discs, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis to scoliosis or even a spinal tumor.

In order to diagnose the cause of your lumbago, your chiropractor will need to know a few important things. Namely, what type of pain you’re feeling in your lower back – shooting, dull, aching, etc. – and when the pain occurs. Additionally, they’ll need to know where the pain is felt – is it concentrated in the lower back, or does it extend elsewhere? Giving your chiropractor as much information about your pain as possible may help you reach a solution faster.

Once a specific cause is diagnosed, your chiropractor may be able to ease or eliminate your pain by implementing a care regimen. Chiropractic manipulations may help or even rectify the underlying cause of your pain, especially if it lies in the spine. Your chiropractor may also walk you through gentle exercises and stretches to strengthen your back.

If you or someone you know if suffering from persistent lower back pain and not seeing much relief, contact Advanced Spine and Posture in Las Vegas, NV. Our experts use a practice called Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) to holistically examine each patient and work to identify the underlying cause of their symptoms.

Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.

A Sedentary Lifestyle Could be the Cause of Your Coccydynia

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For many types of pain, the first instinct of a patient will be to rest. Sitting or lying down usually helps relieve pressure on various parts of the body – typically the legs, back or shoulders. However, rest and relaxation are not the cure for one type of pain in particular: coccydynia.

Referring to pain in the tailbone, coccydynia may appear in many forms and be caused by a few different things. But one cause in particular may surprise you: too much rest. Prolonged periods of inactivity and sitting down may be causing your tailbone more harm than good, leading to pain.

Fortunately, increasing your activity level and getting assistance from a chiropractor like the experts at Advanced Spine and Posture in Las Vegas, NV may be able to relieve your discomfort for good. If this type of pain is starting to sound familiar, read on and examine whether your lifestyle is playing a role.

Understanding coccydynia and its causes

Your tailbone, or coccyx, is a triangular section of bone situated at the very bottom of the spine near the sacrum. It usually comprises four bones and numerous semi-fused joints that permit some movement.

The coccyx plays an important role in supporting your body while seated and shifts with movement alongside the pelvic muscles and hips.

When coccydynia begins, it usually manifests in the form of localized pain that is usually intensified when sitting or putting pressure on the tailbone. Most people describe this pain as aching or sore until additional pressure is added to the tailbone, in which case severe pain may begin. Although seated position may cause pain, movement may also be difficult.

Your pain may become more intense when shifting from a seated position to a standing one due to the rotation of the pelvic bones and coccyx. Pain may also shoot down the legs or radiate up into the back.

There are a few common causes of this type of pain. Most commonly, coccydynia begins after a localized trauma to the coccyx, such as a fall or childbirth. Hypermobility may also contribute to pain because it stresses the joints between the sacrum and coccyx.

However, you may be surprised to discover that not moving enough can also have an effect on your coccyx. Sitting in one position for too long may cause your tailbone to tilt or become misaligned, adding pressure to the bones and joints in and around the coccyx. This can make it painful to sit after time. Sedentary lifestyles also don’t allow for much stretching of the muscles. With an inactive pelvic floor, the muscles in the area may begin to tense and shorten, making you feel uncomfortable or in severe pain while both moving and remaining still.

In a similar vein, obesity increases your risk for coccydynia. The pelvis tends to rotate less in people who are overweight, which puts continual stress on the coccyx for extended periods of time. Additionally, being overweight means there is additional mass adding pressure to the lower half of your body than there normally would be, increasing the likelihood of pain.

Getting active may reverse the problem

Fortunately, coccydynia caused by sedentary living is usually reversible. You may want to visit a chiropractor to discuss the health of your spine and tailbone and to receive recommendations for treatment.

One of the most important things you can do to reduce your coccydynia symptoms is to stay active. You don’t need to go from sitting on the couch all day to running marathons, but make it a point to go on a daily walk or try yoga at home. Additionally, your doctor may recommend you lose weight if it is putting more pressure on your coccyx and causing you pain.

A chiropractor may also be able to provide some pain-relief techniques, both while in the office and for at home. At-home ice and heat therapy may help reduce swelling, minimize pain and improve healing. In-person manipulations of the coccyx, in which the joint of the coccyx is manually adjusted, may help promote additional mobility.

The spinal experts at Advanced Spine and Posture have years of experience assisting Las Vegas, NV patients with their spinal pain problems. Using our specialized, holistic approach to patient care, Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP), we aim for total-body wellness through adjustments to the musculoskeletal system and lifestyle recommendations. Contact us for more information.

Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.