When you break down the daily burden born by the neck, you may come to appreciate its unsung role in your life. Seven vertebrae are responsible for supporting the weight of your head and allowing it to move around.
For athletes engaged in sport, there is no shortage of value for a cervical region in pristine condition: swimmers need a nimble neck to breathe, football players to avoid tackles, and soccer players to pick out the penultimate pass.
Imagine a neck that bore the weight of the head but allowed you no movement: you would only be able to face straight forward, moving your entire body to look to the side or down. Besides our survival chances being considerably weakened, most daily tasks that we take for granted would become an enormous inconvenience. This is why maintaining the range of motion in the cervical region is of paramount importance.
Because of their location at the crux of the head, no other region of the spine is more vulnerable to injury. There are myriad agents, both within your control and without, conspiring to limit your cervical range of motion. As an athlete, many neck injuries result from direct trauma such as a tackle that leaves the muscles damaged and vertebrae out of alignment. Similar to whiplash from a car accident, a tackle that jars the neck results in muscle pain and stiffness. Poor posture during training can contribute to misbalanced muscles, creating stiffness and pain.
Chiropractic adjustments are important for maintaining cervical range of motion. At Family Chiropractic & Spinal Health Care Center, we provide an adjunct for athletic endeavor that allows you to perform to your very best.
Call our offices in New Jersey: in Ramsey at (201) 995-9900 and in Passaic at (973) 471-9585.
Dr. Moe Abtahi, D.C
