Table of Contents
From time to time, a chiropractor in Draper, Utah would have hands full of people begging for help with their neck pain. Many of these people are outdoor adventure junkies who just took a risk too far or got carried away by their adrenaline fix.
Utah’s rugged but beautiful outdoors attract hundreds of people from all walks of life. Many hike up the Lone Peak via the Jacob’s Ladder Trail. Others take the Cherry Creek Logging Trail on their way to the peak.
It is not hard to imagine why people invest time and energy going to Lone Peak after one sees and admires the tan-colored cliffs and rocks that are accented by tall, green pine trees. The 12-mile hike, however, taxes the body of both novice and experienced backpackers. Most, if not all of them, experience:
- Joint and muscle pain
- Accidental falls and slides
- Whiplash
- Neck Pain
Neck Pain and Backpacking
People who do outdoor sports such as hiking and mountaineering are prone to neck pain, mainly due to the heavy load on their backs. It is not uncommon for outdoor lovers to carry the burden of a backpack that weighs as heavy as 50 kilograms. The backpack is heavy, of course, because it contains the clothes, food, cooking utensils, at least one tent and sleeping bag, survival tools, and other camping essentials needed for the trip.
Some carry heavier load if they plan to stay at the peak or a mountain camp for more than two or three days. Even when they set up camp and sit down to rest, the neck would still have to carry around the head’s weight, which is around 12 to 13 pounds for the average adult.
Retiring at night, the neck again has to endure unusual positions or tight angles while sleeping inside a cramped tent or when cooped up inside a sleeping bag. It is never easy, but that is simply the way it is in the outdoors.
During the hike itself, the bodyweight’s up and down motion during the ascent makes the shoulder straps of the camping bag drag down the hiker’s torso. Combining the backpack and gravity weight adds more tension on the neck, which always results in pain and discomfort.
Dissecting the Outdoorsman’s Neck Pain
A visit with a chiropractor in Draper, Utah, is always informative, aside from being a source of neck pain relief. People who have never had an upper cervical spine adjustment would learn that all the discomfort they feel after the hike could be any of these conditions:
-
Muscle Pain
All the hike’s physical exertion would naturally cause the body’s muscles to stretch, contract, and compress. Over-exertion makes the neck so tense that the pain could even radiate down the back all the way to the hip and legs.
-
Cervicogenic Headache
The pain itself could be due to a strain on neck muscles or a misalignment in the upper cervical spine area; hence, the term, cervicogenic. Though generally only creating a dull pain sensation, people who have cervicogenic headaches are sensitive to touch in the neck area and some parts of their heads.
-
Nerve Pain
When a nerve root is pinched or irritated, it results in inflammation and even bouts of muscle spasms. This, too, could start from a misalignment in the atlas and axis bones of the upper cervical spine region. Since the nerves of the human body span from the top of the head to the toe, pain can sometimes affect different parts of the body. In some cases, shooting pain produces a very sharp sensation that comes and goes.
-
Facet Joint Pain
Sharp or aching pain can also impact surfaces in between vertebrae have inflammation. The vertebrae are 33 bones that form the chain or series of bones that compose the entire spinal column.
Trauma, overexertion, or heavy loads can compress or cause a misalignment in the vertebrae, leading to pain. Since various muscle fibers and nerves are attached or intertwined with the spine, any abnormal movement or external force applied to the vertebrae would cause an injury, which prompts the body’s defense mechanisms to produce or cause inflammation. This kind of pain or injury takes time to heal and needs special care.
-
Referred Pain
In some cases, people experience pain in one part of the body, but its cause is actually in another part of the body, called referred pain. Many people seek a chiropractor in Draper, Utah because of unusual pain in the shoulder and upper back. Some also have signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, upon palpation and other forms of physical examination, it turns out that these pains were due to a neck bone misalignment.
3 Tips to Relieve Neck Pain
1. Choose the right hiking equipment
The great thing about outdoor sports these days is that there is a whole gamut of supplies and equipment that can provide comfort, safety, and convenience for the average outdoor lover and the expert adventure athlete.
Hiking backpacks now have specially rigged sternum straps, hip belts, and adjustable shoulder straps that enable balanced weight distribution. This gives the user the ability to carry loads without over-exerting or over-burdening some muscle groups, especially the hips, knees, and neck area.
2. Get a good massage
After each outdoor adventure, why not treat yourself to a good spa or massage? This would allow the trained masseuse to soothe your tired muscles, relieving you of the stress of a hard day’s climb or a rough descent from a mountain range.
It is normal for the body to develop lots of tension, especially in the neck, back, and legs after hours of walking and strenuous jumps over boulders and crevices on the way to the peak. With a good massage, your muscles can be relaxed while your mind also quiets down after all that adrenaline pumping in your system.
3. Get help from a professional chiropractor in Draper, Utah
Go ahead and enjoy nature’s best but do make sure to get checked for any upper cervical spine misalignment before and after a hike. Carrying a heavy load, especially for itineraries of more than two or three days is normal.
To lessen the toll of that heavy load on the body, allow your neck to recover by having adjustments done. When the atlas and axis bones in correct alignment, the entire body all the way down to the legs and feet are functioning as they should. Therefore, you can minimize pain while enabling your body to recover from all that physical exertion.
Many hikers have found much-needed pain relief when they visit Source Chiropractic and Wellness to get precise, gentle upper cervical spine adjustments.
With the right knowledge about caring for one’s neck, using the right equipment, and getting other therapies that help rejuvenate the body, going on outdoor romps need not be a painful experience. Instead, nature itself will be a source of fun, health, and enjoyment for both the avid mountaineer and the average weekend hiker.
For more information about upper cervical chiropractic care as a natural pain reliever, visit our official website, draperchirosource.com.
To schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Cheney, call our Draper office at 385-331-7035. You can also click one of the buttons below.
For English Consultation:
Para Consulta en Español: