The Head, Neck and Shoulder Machine

The Head, Neck and Shoulder machine is the most advanced non-surgical treatment for people who suffer with headaches, neck, shoulder and arm pain that are a result of degenerative, bulging and herniated discs.

Most headaches, neck, shoulder and arm pain come from compression of nerve fibers. If the nerves become pinched or irritated as they exit the spinal column it may result in headaches, neck pain, numbness or pain in the shoulder, arm, or fingers.  This simple non-surgical procedure to reduce the compression may eliminate the pain and allow healing to take place.

By taking significant pressure off the intervertebral discs, it can reduce the pressure within the discs to start a reduction of the bulges and protrusions that may be pressing or pinching on the spinal nerve roots. This will help to eliminate a multitude of symptoms that you may be experiencing, such as headaches, neck pain, decrease in ability to move the head in any direction without increased pain or pain that radiates from the neck down the shoulder, elbow and into the hand.

The HNS machine can also help widen degenerated disc spaces. Intervertebral discs have no direct blood supply and receive their nutrition by imbibition (pumping action).

The HNS machine can be used to produce a pumping action that can assist in re-hydration of the intervertebral discs. By increasing the height of the disc space, it can not only improve pain and other symptoms, it can increase the movement of the neck. This advanced treatment has been very successful in helping senior-citizen patients who have degenerative disc and arthritis in the neck and have tried all types of other therapies and continue to suffer with neck pain that disrupts their activities of daily living.

Patient Control

The HNS machine is unique in that the patient is given an easy to use hand held control that allows them to find a comfortable position and regulate the amount of force applied.

The HNS machine is used in a sitting, reclined position. A comfortable fitting neck harness is placed around the back of your head so that there will be no pressure on the throat or anterior neck.
A controlled comfortable distraction is applied to stretch the neck for 5-8 minutes during the initial treatment. The time can be gradually lengthened to 12-15 minutes as the treatment protocol progresses.

Shoulder and Neck Pain Symptoms

Any pain can be annoying. But ongoing pain or weakness in your neck or arm can restrict the use of your arm and hand.  This can impair your ability to work.  Even worse, you may have found that none of the treatments you’ve tried—rest, medications, physical therapy, injections—have relieved your symptoms.  The following are symptoms that you could experience if you have head, neck or shoulder problems: pain, muscle weakness, numbness, coolness, color changes or swelling in your neck arms or hands. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, please contact our office for an evaluation.

Causes of Head, Neck and Shoulder Pain

There are two main causes of neck and shoulder pain: structural stress and compression. Virtually all types of conditions and injuries that lead to neck and shoulder pain will have structural stress or compression as main components.

Structural Stress

The most common characteristic of structural stress or poor posture is chronic slouching which causes what is known as a forward head. Slouching forces the head forward in relation to the ribcage, causing the small muscles of the neck to have to constantly hold up the ten pound weight of your head so it doesn’t roll forward and off your shoulders. Imagine how difficult that becomes after a long day at work.

Consider this occurring day in and day out for weeks, months and even years... the result is chronic structural stress.

Structural stress can affect how far you can turn your head. To illustrate this, sit in an intentional slouch and turn your head to look to the right and then to the left. Notice how far you can turn in each direction. Now, sit up nice and straight and again turn your head to the left and right. Do you notice a difference in how far you can turn? Most people do. Did you also notice that turning in each direction while sitting up straight is more comfortable? This is because when sitting up straight, all the muscles and bones in the neck and upper back have room to move and do not get in each other’s way.

Compression

The bones of the neck are stacked on top of one another, like a stack of children’s building blocks. The muscles of the neck are like two strong, wide elastic bands on either side of the neck holding the bones in a stack. The discs between the bones form a cushioning and shock absorbing layer that protects the spinal cord and the base of the brain.

Discs can be illustrated by imagining marshmallows between the stacked building blocks. If the elastic bands, or muscles, are balanced and in good condition, there is ample space between the bones of the neck to avoid squeezing of the disc spaces. If, on the other hand, the elastic muscles along the sides of the neck are too tight, then the disc spaces are squeezed, squashing the discs (or marshmallows in our example), leading to bulging discs. In severe compression, the walls of the discs break down and lead to herniation of the discs. Pain is the result.

Compression forces the irregular shape of the bones of the neck to come closer to one another. In this state, they tend to get in the way of one another and make it more difficult to turn the head. Often, people will begin to try to unconsciously correct this situation by shifting the head even more forward, or by raising the shoulders to create slack in the muscles at the side of the neck. More pain is the result.

Self Assessment:

The following are some questions you should ask yourself about how your head, neck and shoulder problem has affected your life; 

Physical Effects- Do you miss work because of your pain?  Does your neck pain shoot down your arm? Does your arm or hand feel numb or weak? Do you have headaches, or pain between your shoulder blades? 

 
Social Effects- Are you unable to join in family activities because of your pain? Does your pain force you to spend time alone, away from family and friends?  When you are with other people, do you find yourself distracted by your discomfort and unable to enjoy yourself? 

Emotional Effects- Does your pain make you feel frustrated or depressed? Are you afraid of losing your job due to too much time off? Do you ever feel that other people think your pain isn’t real? Do you feel that you have no control over your life?

If you answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, and would like to do something about it, to get your quality of life back, contact our office at 570-882-9009 to schedule your free initial consultation. Let us help you.