Why do I have these knots in my back?

That’s what our new patient, Anabel, asked me on her first visit to the Center of Alternative Health NICTEHA. She was looking to chiropractic for relief of her pain and tension between the shoulder blades and lower neck. She estimated that the pain had begun three months earlier and had been steadily worsening in spite of the two Tylenol and various “sport crèmes and menthol salves” that she applied DAILY! What finally brought her to us were the strong headaches and “torticollis” rigidity in the neck that had begun one week ago.

Upon viewing her radiographs we noted a marked decrease in the normal cervical curve. Due to her habitual “hunched back, shoulders rounded forward” posture the seven bones of the neck were oriented in a “military” or straightened formation. The negative result of this “head forward” posture is that the small sub occipital and neck muscles end up holding all the weight of the head which they are NOT designed to do.

Anabel, like many of us, works 8 to 10 hours a day sitting at a desk in front of her computer and talking on the telephone. She doesn’t have much time to exercise and NEVER stretches her muscles. Her aches and pains are very common in our “modern” society as they are the result of a poor sitting posture and the lack of flexibility and BALANCE of certain groups of muscles. The good news?? We can certainly help!

First, we have to modify her workplace a bit:

1. The monitor should be directly in front of her with the first (highest) line of text at eye level when she is perfectly seated. Moving the monitor to the right or left of the keyboard to free up “desk space” is a sure way to irritate neck and upper back muscles.
2. The seat needs to be adjusted so that the feet are flat on the floor with knees bent at 90 degrees.
3. The elbows bent also at 90 to 110 degrees when fingers are on the keyboard. Wrists should NOT be overly extended as this one of the common causes of “carpal tunnel” type symptoms (which will be discussed in future articles.)
4. A wrist support in front of the keyboard can be improvised by using a small folded towel if the typical “gel” pad cannot be purchased. A quality “soft” light and efforts to reduce glare on the monitor are essential to reduce eyestrain headaches.

Next we need to correct and balance the posture:

1. Stretches for the pectorals (chest) muscles 3 to 5 times a day (one minute duration each stretch) to lengthen fibers and create flexibility. Stretches can be thought of also as a “neurologic reset button” as we are reminding the muscle of its normal resting state of tension. Until we can “open” the chest posture we will never completely remove the neck and upper back problems!
2. A simple way to help yourself open the chest is to turn your palms forward and put your “pinkies in your pockets” while taking a deep breath and raising your chest proudly with the shoulders pulled back.
3. Stretches for the irritated, chronically contracted muscles of the upper trapezius and Levator Scapula (muscles most often involved in Torticolis or Wry neck syndromes.)

Finally and most important, Specific Chiropractic Adjustments:

1. Your doctor of chiropractic will look for the articulations in your spine that are not moving correctly. This lack of normal biomechanics is a lesion referred to as a SUBLUXATION and if left untreated it can cause irritation to the delicate spinal nerves where they exit the spine.
2. The doctor will make a Specific Adjustment to the involved spinal segments which is a fast but shallow force designed to restore the normal articular motion.
3. Sometimes the Adjustment causes a sound of gas moving in the liquid of the articulation which is the infamous “pop” or cracking sound. What is much more important is the sensation of restored motion that the patient feels immediately after the treatment.

Of course Anabel will also receive a few sessions of deep therapeutic massage combined with hot moist packs to reduce the muscular spasm and work the “trigger points” that have developed in both the chest and neck/upper back muscles.

Author: Dr. Joseph Will, 1997 Graduate of New York Chiropractic University and has been working 6 years in a multi-doctor clinic in Cancun (phone #8870028). Now he is also available to patients of Playa del Carmen in the easily accessible clinic of alternative medicine in the community of Nicte-Ha located just north of the “Colosio” with a direct entrance from the highway.

The number to make an appointment there is: 984-859-2625 email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

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