It started out like any other morning. She was rushing around the kitchen, trying to get breakfast made, keep her toddler entertained, and mentally check off the growing list of things to do that day.
That’s when it happened. In one of those chaotic but sweet toddler moments, her two-year-old jumped up and wrapped himself around her neck. He was trying to be cute. But the twist of her neck caught her off guard.
She felt a quick pinch and some tightness, but nothing dramatic. Just one more thing to deal with on a busy morning. She figured she’d pulled a muscle and kept moving.
By the next morning, she couldn’t turn her head. Not left, not right, not even a little.
Getting dressed became a struggle. Drying her hair was out of the question. Loading her son into his car seat, checking the rearview mirror, even backing out of the driveway became frustrating and painful.
Still, she didn’t call. She kept putting herself last. She kept thinking it would get better. She had things to do, people to take care of, and a never-ending list of reasons not to take time for herself.
But it didn’t get better. A few days turned into a week. Then two. Then a month.
Finally, someone told her, “Call Cavanaugh.”
So she did.
What We Found
When she came into the office, she was still trying to brush it off. But you could see the pain in the way she moved. Her shoulders were tense. Her movements were guarded. And she could barely turn her head at all.
During the exam, we found trigger points in her suboccipital muscles, which sit right at the base of the skull and can create a dull, aching tension that’s hard to shake. Her upper traps were tight and in spasm. Her neck and upper back were tender to the touch, and her range of motion was limited.
This wasn’t just a sore neck. It was the result of weeks of muscle tension, joint restriction, and pushing through pain instead of addressing it.
What We Did
We got started that same day.
We adjusted her neck and upper back to improve joint movement and relieve pressure. We used electrical muscle stimulation to calm down the spasms. We also talked about posture and how being hunched forward or always looking down at a phone or a child can keep your neck irritated. We gave her a few easy home exercises she could do between visits to keep things loose and speed up her recovery.
She came in a total of six times.
After her first visit, she said it wasn’t perfect, but she finally felt like she could move her neck again. She wasn’t flinching every time she looked over her shoulder. Things started to feel normal again.
By her last visit, she was pain-free and back to doing all the little things that had become so difficult just a few weeks before.
At one point, she laughed and said, “I didn’t realize how often I used my neck until it stopped working.” That stuck with me because it’s true. We don’t think about how much our neck does until it can’t do it anymore.
Don’t Wait to Feel Better
Neck pain is sneaky. It starts as a little stiffness or tension, and before you know it, it’s affecting everything you do. And if you’re a parent or just someone who’s always busy, it’s easy to push it aside and hope it goes away on its own.
But when your body is trying to tell you something, it helps to listen.
At Cavanaugh Chiropractic, we help people with neck pain every single day. Whether it came on suddenly or has been building for weeks, we can help you find relief and get back to moving the way you should.
If you’re in pain, don’t wait a month hoping it gets better. Let’s figure it out together.
Call us at 337-984-5852 or fill our this brief form and someone will contact you to schedule an appointment.
Same-day visits are often available. And yes, we’ll help you take care of yourself, even if you’ve been putting it off for a while.
