NECK PAIN TREATMENT

Neck Pain Shouldn’t Control Your Life

Neck pain can start suddenly after an injury—or build so gradually that you don’t realize how much you’ve changed your life around it.
At Stotts Chiropractic in San Angelo, we take the time to determine why your neck hurts, not simply where it hurts.
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATION

No twisting. No popping. No cracking.

Precise, instrument-guided adjustments while your neck remains in a comfortable position.

Serving West Texas Since 1989

Decades of experience caring for generations of San Angelo families.

Answers Before Decisions

Understand what’s happening, hear your options, and decide what feels right for you.
WHEN YOUR NECK HURTS

Symptoms That Can Accompany Neck Pain

Neck problems don’t always feel like “neck pain.” Because the neck supports and positions your head—and contains an important network of joints, muscles, nerves, and sensory receptors—problems in this area may be associated with a variety of symptoms.
The important question isn’t simply “Where does it hurt?” It’s “Why is it happening?”

Symptoms can include:

Neck stiffness or restricted movement
Pain when turning your head
Pain between the shoulder blades
Upper back pain
Shoulder or arm pain
Numbness or tingling into the arm or hand
Muscle tightness or spasms
Headaches
Pain at the base of the skull
A heavy or tired feeling in the head and neck
Dizziness or balance complaints
UNDERSTANDING THE SOURCE

What Causes Neck Pain?

There isn’t one cause of neck pain. That’s why two people with nearly identical symptoms may need very different approaches. Some of the more common causes we see include:

The joints of your neck are designed to move. Injury, repetitive stress, prolonged posture, degeneration, or previous trauma can change how those joints move and how surrounding muscles respond.

That car crash from 10 years ago may seem like ancient history. Your neck may disagree. Previous whiplash injuries, sports injuries, falls, and other trauma can sometimes contribute to neck problems years later.

Phones, tablets, laptops, and long hours at a computer can place the neck in sustained positions for hours every day. Your head is heavy. The farther it moves forward from its normal position, the harder the muscles of the neck and upper back have to work to support it.

The discs between the vertebrae provide cushioning and help allow normal movement. Over time—or following injury—discs can degenerate, bulge, or herniate and may contribute to neck, shoulder, or arm symptoms.

People often say, “It’s probably just my muscles.” But muscles don’t operate independently. Nerves tell muscles when to contract, how strongly to contract, and how to coordinate movement. That’s one reason we look beyond the painful muscle itself.

Degenerative changes become increasingly common as we age, but an X-ray showing arthritis doesn’t automatically tell us exactly why someone hurts. We’ve seen patients with considerable degeneration who function remarkably well—and others with relatively modest changes who are miserable. The entire clinical picture matters.

THE NECK-BRAIN CONNECTION

Your Neck Does More Than Hold Up Your Head

There’s another part of neck function that most people have never heard about. It’s called proprioception—your brain’s ability to understand where your body is in space.
Specialized sensory receptors in muscles and joints continually send information to your brain about movement and position. The upper cervical region is particularly important to this sensory system.
Your brain uses this information to help coordinate:
Head Position
Posture
Eye Movements
Balance
Movement and Coordination
That’s one reason we don’t look at the neck as simply a collection of bones and sore muscles. We look at how it moves, functions, and communicates with the nervous system.
YOUR FIRST VISIT

How We Evaluate Neck Pain

We don’t believe every patient with neck pain should receive the same treatment.
Your first visit begins with a free consultation.
1

Free Consultation

We want to understand what you’re experiencing, how it is affecting your life, what you’ve already tried, and what you’re hoping to accomplish.
2

Honest Direction

If we believe your problem may be better evaluated or treated by another type of healthcare provider, we’ll tell you. If we believe chiropractic care may be appropriate, we’ll explain the next steps.
3

Focused Evaluation

A more complete evaluation may include a focused examination and, when clinically appropriate, digital X-rays to help us understand the structure and function of your spine.
4

Clear Findings and Options

Then we sit down and explain what we found. You should understand what’s happening before deciding what you want to do about it.
No treatment commitment. No pressure. No obligation to become a patient.
OUR APPROACH

A Precise, Comfortable Approach

We use proven techniques and a whole-person approach to help you feel and function your best.

Chiropractic Without Twisting, Popping or Cracking

One of the first things many new patients tell us is:

“I don’t want anyone twisting my neck.”

We understand.

At Stotts Chiropractic, Dr. Stotts uses precision instrument-guided adjustments rather than traditional twisting, popping, or cracking techniques.

The instrument allows us to deliver a controlled adjustment to a specific area while you remain in a comfortable position.

There is no need to forcefully rotate your neck to perform the adjustment.

For patients who have avoided chiropractic care because they’re nervous about traditional neck manipulation, this can make the experience very different from what they imagined chiropractic care would be.

We Don’t Stop at the Adjustment

Correcting joint function may only be part of the picture.

When appropriate, your care may also incorporate rehabilitation designed to improve the way your nervous system and muscles work together.

Your nerves control your muscles.

When movement patterns have been altered by pain, injury, poor posture, or years of compensation, simply strengthening a muscle doesn’t necessarily address the entire problem.

Our rehabilitation approach is designed to help improve movement, stability, coordination, and the communication between the nervous system and the muscles supporting your spine.

The goal isn’t simply:

“Make it stop hurting today.”

We want to understand what contributed to the problem and help you reduce the likelihood of returning to the same cycle again.

Special Circumstances

What If I’ve Had Neck Pain for Years?

Then you’re exactly the kind of patient we want to talk to.
Many people come to our office after trying:
Medication
Massage
Stretching
Physical therapy
Injections
Previous chiropractic care
Or even surgery
Some have simply learned to live around their pain. Long-standing pain doesn’t automatically mean nothing can be done. It does mean we need to understand why you’re still hurting.
Sometimes the most important thing we can give someone at the beginning isn’t treatment. It’s a better explanation.

What If I’ve Had Neck Surgery?

Previous surgery doesn’t automatically rule out chiropractic care.
Patients with spinal fusions, surgical hardware, or other previous procedures require careful evaluation and an approach appropriate for their individual situation.
Our instrument-guided techniques allow us to be highly specific without relying on forceful twisting or rotational manipulation. We’ll review your history and determine whether we believe you’re an appropriate candidate for care.
And if we don’t believe chiropractic care is right for you, we’ll tell you.

Why San Angelo Patients Choose Stotts Chiropractic

Dr. Darci Stotts has been caring for West Texas families since 1989. Over those years, we’ve had the privilege of caring for multiple generations of many families. Our approach is built around a few simple principles:

Listen first.

Find the problem.

Explain what we find.

Use precise, comfortable techniques.

Give patients choices.

You won’t be pressured into care simply because you walked through our door. Our job is to determine whether we believe we can help—and give you the information you need to make your own decision.

Neck Pain Frequently Asked Questions

No. Stotts Chiropractic uses precision instrument-guided adjusting techniques that do not require traditional twisting, popping, or cracking of the neck.

Not everyone does. X-rays are used when Dr. Stotts determines they are clinically appropriate and would provide useful information for evaluating your condition.

Disc problems can contribute to neck, shoulder, and arm symptoms. Whether chiropractic care is appropriate depends on the type and severity of the problem, your symptoms, examination findings, and other factors. We evaluate each patient individually.

Whiplash and other neck injuries are common following motor vehicle crashes. Even relatively low-speed collisions can place significant forces on the neck. A history of a previous crash is important information when evaluating neck pain.

They can. Certain headaches can originate from structures in the neck, particularly the upper cervical region. If headaches accompany your neck pain, be sure to tell us during your consultation.

There are many possible causes of dizziness, some of which require medical evaluation. The neck also provides important sensory information involved in balance and spatial orientation. We evaluate the complete clinical picture rather than assuming dizziness is coming from the neck.

Not necessarily. The duration of your symptoms is only one part of the picture. The first step is determining what may be contributing to your symptoms now and whether we believe our approach is appropriate.

If your neck pain keeps returning, limits your movement, interrupts your sleep, causes headaches, or simply isn’t getting better, the next step is finding out what’s going on.