Most people will experience chronic back or neck pain at some point in their life. Acute pain is sudden, sharp pain that subsides after a few days or a couple of months. However, some people continue to be afflicted from the pain long term and this is what we would characterize as chronic back or neck pain. Chronic pain may last for a dozen plus weeks, numerous months, or even multiple years and be continuous or intermittent. There are levels to chronic back or neck pain ranging from mild all the way to disabling however both can restrict mobility and interfere with your quality of life.

What causes back and neck pain?

In most cases, back and neck pain may have many different causes, including any of the following:

• Overuse, strenuous activity, or improper use, such as repetitive or heavy lifting
• Trauma, injury, or fractures
• Degeneration of vertebrae, often caused by stresses on the muscles and ligaments that support your spine, or the effects of aging
• Infection
• Abnormal growth, such as a tumor or bone spur
• Obesity, which places increased weight on your spine, and pressure on your discs
• Poor muscle tone
• Muscle tension or spasm
• Sprain or strain
• Ligament or muscle tears
• Joint problems, such as arthritis
• Smoking
• Protruding or herniated (slipped) disk and pinched nerve
• Osteoporosis and compression fractures
• Congenital (present at birth) abnormalities of your vertebrae and bones
• Abdominal problems, such as an aortic aneurysm

What are the symptoms of back and neck pain?

Symptoms associated with back pain may include:

• Dull, burning, or sharp pain in your back.  The pain can be confined to a single spot or cover a large area
• Leg numbness or tingling above or below your knee
• Stiffness or achiness that occurs anywhere along your spine (from your neck to your tailbone)
• Sharp, shooting pain that radiates from your low back to your buttocks, down the back of  your thigh, and into your calf and toes
• Consistent ache in the middle or lower part of your back, especially after standing or sitting for an extended period

Symptoms associated with neck pain can be:

• Arm numbness or tingling
• Headaches
• Shoulder pain
• Sharp shooting pains or a dull aches in your neck

The chiropractic care profession is devoted to the non-surgical treatment of disorders of the nervous system and/or musculoskeletal system. Chiropractors manipulate the spine delicately with their hands (or a handheld device) knowing proper alignment of the body’s musculoskeletal structure will enable the body to heal itself without surgery or medication.  Spinal manipulation includes applying pressure at specific points, pulling, and skillfully repositioning of the head, shoulders, neck, back, or hips to help reduce back pain.

In a non-invasive, non-addictive treatment, known as a chiropractic adjustment, chiropractors reduce joint restrictions or misalignments in the spine and other areas in the body in an effort to lessen inflammation and better the function of both the affected joint and nervous system.  Mobility can be restored to joints restricted by tissue injury often from a traumatic event, such as falling, improperly trying to lift a heavy object, or repetitive stress such as sitting in an office chair without proper back support over time.

By increasing joint mobility and improving your nervous system function and spinal health, your body has the ability to better manage the discomfort in the back or neck.  The American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society, in their patient care guidelines, included spinal manipulation as one of several treatment options for trained practitioners to consider using. Including Chiropractors.

4 Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustments

Below are 4 research findings (evidence) supporting the beneficial outcomes from receiving chiropractic adjustments.

1. Sciatica: The European Spine Journal published findings from a clinical trial uncovering how chiropractic adjustments resulted in a 72% success rate in treating sciatica-related symptoms. This can be compared to a 20% success rate from treatment with physical therapy, and a 50% success rate from corticosteroid injections.

2. Low Back Pain: Another study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found patients with chronic low-back pain treated by chiropractors showed greater improvement and satisfaction one month following treatment compared to patients treated by family physicians. Satisfaction scores were higher for chiropractic patients, as a higher proportion of chiropractic patients (57% vs. 13% in the family physician group) reported that their low-back pain was better or much better.

3. Neck Pain: In a clinical trial compared was the effectiveness of manual therapy (chiropractic), physical therapy, and continued care by a general practitioner in patients with nonspecific neck pain. The success rate at 7 weeks was twice as high for the manual therapy group (68.3 percent) as for the continued care group (general practitioner). Hoving et al (2002), Annals of Internal Medicine

4. Neck Pain: In a Randomized controlled trial, 183 patients with neck pain were randomly allocated to manual therapy (spinal mobilization), physiotherapy (mainly exercise) or general practitioner care (counseling, education and drugs) in a 52-week study. The clinical outcomes measures showed that manual therapy resulted in faster recovery than physiotherapy and general practitioner care. Moreover, total costs of the manual therapy-treated patients were about one-third of the costs of physiotherapy or general practitioner care. Korthals-de Bos et al (2003), British Medical Journal.

Further studies that prove Craniosacral Therapy is effective in treating neck pain can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4894825/

How the Head is Involved

Your brain produces a fluid called Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF), it’s consistency is that of a liquid substance. It is encased and travels within the head and spine. This controls your nerves , which control your muscles and also provides the energy for the rest of your body to function properly.

When subluxations / restrictions develop in your body, the functional physiology of your nervous system is altered, it shifts and becomes impeded resulting in conditions of muscle tightness creating the symptoms of pain.

Allowing your body to have those restrictions released by a chiropractor and additionally with craniosacral therapy, will allow your body to improve its muscular function, energy distribution and result in the cessation of pain.

Research studies show that herniated discs, spinal stenosis and other physical internal bodily variances have very little to do with pain. Plenty of people without pain have herniated discs. Pain comes from the lack of CSF flow within the spine, and facilitating treatment to include the head and neck is a very effective approach.

How Does a Chiropractor Manage Chronic Pain?

Acute pain and Chronic pain respond well to Chiropractic care and Craniosacral Therapy (CST). CST improves the function of the Central Nervous System through the release of energetic flow restrictions within the body’s connective and fascial tissue networks. Once that is facilitated through hands-on care, conditions off all kinds and their symptoms resolve quickly.

Schedule a consultation and treatment with Dr. Kaminsky, and feel well again.

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About Dr. Kaminsky & Craniosacral Therapy

Dr. Kaminsky earned his Chiropractic degree in the year 2000 and is licensed to practice in NY. He has since completed close to three thousand hours of continuing education seminars in various healthcare fields.

Since 2015, he is implementing primarily the hands-on techniques of Craniosacral Therapy (CST), a gentle, non-invasive, laying of the hands that brings about reversal and restoration.

The Craniosacral Mechanism is the driver of moving fluid in the body and head called cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF), which is produced by the Choroid Plexus of the brain and encapsulated within the head and spine.

The craniosacral system is the hydraulic mechanism of a human being and is a component of the Central Nervous System (CNS) and (ANS) Autonomic Nervous system.

There is a function inside of your brain that autonomically generates rhythmic impulses that function to pump CSF throughout your body via the craniosacral pathways, regulating your central and peripheral nerves, nervous system and organ systems, musculoskeletal system, etc.

This moving fluid is palpable to a trained craniosacral therapist, like the heart rate, pulse rhythm, breath, that can all be seen, heard or felt, so too can the Cranial Sacral Rhythm (CSR) be palpated and diagnosed for its health.

By placing his or her hands on your body, including your head and sacrum, the therapist can detect, feel and evaluate the SQAR (symmetry, quality, amplitude, rate) of this fluid rhythm.

The health of your body and mind are dependent on the vitality of this fluid. Compromises of your CSR’s rhythmic impulse correlates to CSF flow restrictions in the system which, when the fluid isn’t flowing optimally, your bodily rejuvenation and recovery is affected.

With anatomically correct hand placement on different parts the body during a session, through gentle manipulation and mobilization the therapist guides and facilitates a positive change in that region of the body which brings forth a correction. A myofascial release in a sense.

A craniosacral therapist stimulates and helps your rhythm refocus, allowing for improvement of musculoskeletal tightness and spasms, neurological issues, organ function, many common conditions, pain, and the mind-body re-connect.

Through a practitioners properly focused and individually attuned touch, your body is facilitated to release channels of fluid stagnation and flow restriction, which ultimately breakthrough, overcome and improve your rhythmic fluid and your potential for health improvement.

The existence of the Craniosacral mechanism was first discovered by Osteopath Dr. William Sutherland in the early 1900’s, who called it Cranial Osteopathy. And many years later, renamed to Craniosacral Therapy by Osteopath, Dr. John Upledger.

Dr. Alex Kaminsky is an advanced and certified Craniosacral Therapist, having studied advanced levels including SER, Brain and Pediatric courses. He has built a significant skill-set with many years of experience treating adults, children and babies. To learn more, visit the other pages on this website. Call to schedule your appointment with Dr. Kaminsky.