It’s not uncommon for kids to complain of neck pain. We're here to guide you through why kids often complain of pain in their neck, how to help your kids feel better, and offer tips to preventing neck pain in the future.

First Off - Why is Their Neck Hurting?

There are many reasons why your kiddo’s neck can be hurting, but the most important factor to establish early on is whether there was an incident or specific moment that originally started their pain. Did they have a fall at school? Any collisions with furniture at home? Sudden hits at sports practice?

Pain that occurs after an episode like these would be called acute pain, or pain that started suddenly and tells the brain there may be an injury. However, pain that develops slowly over time and lasts for longer than 3 months is considered chronic pain. Typically, this kind of pain does not have one single cause, but rather layered causes. It can be a previous injury that didn’t heal correctly, the body’s response to long term poor posture, or potentially other underlying medical conditions.

When deciding if you should have a chiropractor check in on their neck pain, there are a few considerations. If the answer is yes to any of the questions below, getting in with Well Spine Family Chiropractic is a good idea:

Is their pain continuing for longer than a few days with zero improvement?
Does it affect their ability to stay or fall asleep?
Does the pain significantly impact their neck or shoulder motion?
Are they feeling any traveling pain like “zingers” or tingling in their arms or legs?
Are they experiencing new headaches? New fevers?
Can they hear or feel a clicking or snapping sound when they move their neck?

What Do Chiropractors Do for Neck Pain?

Treatment for pediatric neck pain can vary widely depending on what symptoms they are experiencing, but you can expect a thorough evaluation of the neck, shoulders, and upper back. It’s our job to see how well their body can move in addition to how strong those muscles supporting that movement are. Additionally, we are addressing tension in the muscles. Hypotonicity means the muscle is weaker than it should be, which can make the joints more flexible than normal. Hypertonicity means the muscle is stronger than it should be which has the opposite effect, limiting the joint’s range of motion.

There are times when a chiropractic adjustment is necessary to mobilize restricted joints in the neck, increase blood flow, and decrease muscle tension. However, there are times when specific exercises are warranted to promote neck stability and strengthening.

If you are frequently seeing your kiddo trying to move their head in funny positions to get their neck to make a “cracking” sound, there’s a chance they have a cervical restriction that is alerting their brain to pay attention to that spot!

Chiropractors are experts when it comes to neuromusculoskeletal health, meaning if the pain is caused by nerve, muscle, or bony irritation, we have the skills to diagnose and treat the root cause. Chiropractic care is also an affordable option for injury assessment as orthopedic and neurologic testing can be performed if needed. If we feel the pain needs additional care or is outside of our scope of practice, we give you specific referrals for the next steps that need to be taken.

How to Give Relief at Home:

When it comes to providing relief for your child's neck pain at home, there are many easy tricks you can try.

1) Applying Heat or Ice

Starting off with a heat or ice pack is a great first step. Ice is recommended for controlling inflammation and swelling. Heat is best for relaxing muscle tension and bringing more blood flow to the injured area. When using heat or ice packs, it is best to remember these are most effective when used at the mid to lower neck, upper back, or tops of shoulders. Even if their pain is located at the base of their skull, sides, or front of their neck, there are nerves and blood vessels present which are very sensitive to changes in temperature — avoid them to be on the safe side!

2) Slow Introduction of Movement

Additionally, slow introduction to movement is important to keep that area mobile. Here are some simple exercises to have your kids try when they have neck pain:

Slow, big neck circles: They can start this by tilting their head to one side, gently roll their head forward, pause with chin to chest, tilt to the other side, then roll so they are looking up at the sky and pause, and repeat.
Shoulder shrugs: They can lift both shoulders up towards their ears as high as they can go, pause, and slowly lower them back down to the start.
Head tilts: Finally, you can get their upper trap moving by having them gently tilt their head side to side (or ear to shoulder) taking intentional pauses at each side.

If you are not sure how to start the injury rehab process or want more guidance, check out our previous blog post on pediatric injury management for more details!

Preventing Neck Pain in Kids:

Prevention is key, and establishing healthy habits early on can make a significant difference. We can make a difference in day-to-day neck pain through minor alterations in their activities of daily life.

1) No Cracking Your Neck at Home

One major recommendation we have is to remind your littles to not try and crack their own neck! It is not dangerous to occasionally hear a “snapping” or “cracking” sound in the neck when moving it through normal movements, but intentionally trying to provoke that sound can lead to more problems down the road.

2) Posture with Technology Use

Another consideration, especially with all the technology we have available to kids these days, is to remind them not to sit in the same position for hours on end. There will be days where your child is sitting like a shrimp curled up watching TV or playing video games, but the key is making sure they interrupt that posture with new movements as well.

3) Movement Breaks

Our bodies are made to bend and twist, but they also need to lengthen and extend to avoid tension building up in the same spots over time. It’s not realistic to expect perfect posture 24/7, so encourage movement breaks every hour or two!

Schedule a Visit at Well Spine

While most neck pain for kids will go away on its own, there are times when their bodies need a little extra support to help them heal themselves. Here’s some signs your child needs chiropractic care:

Neck pain that won’t seem to heal
Neck makes sounds when they move
Neck pain travels down to parts of their arms or hands
Neck pain impacts their sleep
Neck pain is causing headaches

Our work ensures your child receives the specialized and sound care necessary for a healthy and pain-free life as they continue growing! Schedule a visit today!

Here’s just a few (not all!) of the key neck muscles that we evaluate during treatment!

Schedule Here

XO, DR. MALIA WEINANDT & THE WELL SPINE TEAM

Kids' Neck Pain: Tips for Relief and Prevention