Testing for Chiropractic, Part 1

By Dr. Wade Thompson

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 whether either one of these motions are painful.  The second thing is if one side or the other (either right or left) can turn further than the other side.  Normal range of motion (being able to turn your head to the left or right ) is being able to turn your nose parallel with your shoulder.  Is there pain in the movements? Then there is possibly something wrong with the bones in your neck.

From the time we are born our necks go through a lot of abuse.  From the actual birthing process, falling while learning to walk, to the many injuries that we get through life, the neck is very vulnerable to being injured. A chiropractor would be able to diagnose exactly what the cause of the pain is or what is causing the reduced range of motion in your neck. Many times when you experience pain or reduced range of motion in your neck means that either the joints that connect the bones are stuck in place, or that the bones are out of alignment.  These problems may lead to headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, arm or hand pain and many other more severe problems.

 

The Shoulder Pinch Test

Have you ever had someone give you a back rub and felt that your shoulders were very sore?  The soreness can come be from dysfuntion in the bones that those muscles are connected into.  Try this……take your pointer finger and your thumb and gently pinch your shoulder muscle.  Is it sore?  If so, this may be do to referred pain (pain that comes from a problem somewhere else, or trigger points in the muscle.  There are many times that the muscle pain and soreness are due to areas of the spine that are out of place.  Because the muscles hook into the bones, when the bones pull out of place they pull on the muscles and create dysfunction.

 

Have You Ever Been In An Auto Accident?

If you have in an auto accident of any kind, you need to be seeing a chiropractor.  Car accidents can, and usually do cause injury to the neck and even lower back that, if left untreated, can lead to worse problems in the future and even degeneration of the spine.   Recent research suggests that even low impact (fender benders of even 5 mph) can cause damage to the spine, and especially the bones of the neck.