How Do I Know If I Should Be Seeing A Bellevue Chiropractor?

Written by Dr. Michael Weir Wednesday, 04 May 2011 11:22

One question that I hear all the time from my patients is "how does my wife or husband know if they should be seeing a chiropractor?" There are multiple ways to know if you should be seeing a chiropractor and not all of them have to do with pain and discomfort. I have developed a test for the neck to determine if you are a candidate for chiropractic care called the "head turn test".

One question that I hear all the time from my patients is "how does my wife or husband know if they should be seeing a chiropractor?" There are multiple ways to know if you should be seeing a chiropractor and not all of them have to do with pain and discomfort. I have developed a test for the neck to determine if you are a candidate for chiropractic care called the "head turn test".

Try turning your head as far as you can to the left and to the right. The first thing that you want to look for is if either of these motions are painful at all. The second thing that you will want to look for in this test is if on one side or the other (either right or left) you can turn further than the other side. Normal range of motion (or being able to turn your head to the right and the left) is being able to turn your nose parallel with your shoulder. Is there pain on these movements or are any of them reduced?

When you do the head turn test, and you feel pain or restriction during the movements this can be a possible sign that you have dysfunction in the bones and joints of your neck. When you work at a desk all day or simply sleep in a poor manner this can put a tremendous amount of stress on your neck. Even worse may be old and new injuries, such as falls, or car accidents that can literally tear the structures of the neck and make it even more susceptible to pain or restriction.

A Bellevue chiropractor will be able to diagnose what the cause of this restriction or pain in your neck. All too often the major causation of this type of dysfunction is what we call "joint fixation" or the bones and joints getting stuck out of their proper position. I see this type of neck most often in those whiplash cases, or in cases of prolonged, poor posture, such as sitting at a desk.

These problems may lead to headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, arm and hand pain, and many other more severe problems. Even in the absence of pain or discomfort, a reduced or restricted ability to turn your head could mean that trouble is on the way and getting checked by your chiropractor would be a good idea. Joints that are stuck and bones that are out of place are what chiropractors primarily treat on a daily basis, and not being able to turn your head is one big sign that you should be seeing a chiropractor.