As a doctor of chiropractic, I can assure you that neck pain is a common part of people’s daily lives. Unfortunately, most people just get used to it and accept their pain as a fact of life.

Neck pain — and the postural dysfunction associated with it — can and will most likely lead to conditions and symptoms such as: chronic headaches, loss of restful sleep, loss of concentration, jaw pain, mid back pain, loss of range of motion, shoulder and arm pain with numbness and low back pain. Neck pain associated with poor posture can also lead to a 30 percent loss in vital lung capacity and high blood pressure … WOW!

The good news is that most of the above conditions are preventable and in many cases reversible. Regular chiropractic care is a highly effective and essential part of maintaining the overall health of your neck but adjustments alone are not enough. Exercises to strengthen all of your neck muscles and restore normal posture are a must.

Try this: Have a family member or a friend, take a side profile picture of your head/neck area. If your head appears to be shifting forward past your shoulders, you have a postural issue. Did you know that your head weighs about 15 pounds?

Now look at that profile shot. Every inch that your head moves forward relative to your shoulders adds 10 pounds of biomechanical weight. In other words, if your head is 3 inches forward from where your shoulders sit, you are putting an additional 30 pounds of stress onto that region of your body.

Our bodies are not designed to handle this. That’s why we experience pain and many other serious health issues.

Believe it or not, the care and treatment of these neck-related issues is quite easy. A series of simple and easy to perform neck and upper back exercises can reverse — or at the very least — relieve most neck and neck-related problems.

If you get serious about your neck strengthening and upper body training, the results can and will be life changing.

Please join me Saturday, Nov. 17, for a special workshop on How to Build, Sculpt and Strengthen Your Arms with a special segment on Neck Exercises and Neck Safety While Working Out. All attendees are eligible to receive a free spinal fitness/athletic symmetry/neurological stress evaluation.

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