Question 1

Neck pain in students: can posture correction alone fix it?

Accepted Answer

It starts with posture, but once it has gone on for a long time, simply sitting up straight won't bring it back. In many cases, the position of the bones has already changed too.

Question 2

Numb hands: how do you tell carpal tunnel syndrome from a herniated disc in the neck?

Accepted Answer

It can be either. If the nerve is pressed at the wrist, it is carpal tunnel syndrome; if it is pressed in the neck, it is a herniated disc in the neck. Where and when the numbness occurs are different.

Question 3

Can rounded shoulders be fixed by treating the shoulders alone?

Accepted Answer

In many cases, looking only at the shoulders doesn't resolve it. That's because the shoulders are often just where misalignment pushed up from below or down from above shows on the surface.

Question 4

How does torticollis (head tilt) differ depending on when it began?

Accepted Answer

When it started matters most. Whether it has been there since infancy, developed while growing up, or appeared suddenly in adulthood makes it a completely different story.

Question 5

Forward head and slouching in children: when should it be checked?

Accepted Answer

Parents tell us their child's posture has set: the head juts forward when sitting, and when standing the belly pushes out and the lower back arches too much. Even at a young age, the child says the back of the neck feels stiff and the lower back is uncomfortable.

Question 6

Can a child's inability to sit for long also be a neck or shoulder problem?

Accepted Answer

Parents tell us that after sitting only a little while, their child's neck and shoulders pull so badly that the child ends up lying face down or lying back. They also say the child often sleeps poorly because of the discomfort at night.

Question 7

Clicking in the jaw joint: when does it need treatment?

Accepted Answer

If it only clicks, doesn't hurt, and your mouth opens well, it's fine to watch it. If the clicking comes with pain or your mouth doesn't open as wide, it's better to get it checked.

Question 8

Correcting facial asymmetry: what can change and what can't?

Accepted Answer

The shape of the facial bones themselves does not change. What can change is where the lower jaw sits and the difference in muscle thickness between the left and right sides.

Question 9

How do the jaw joint and the neck bones affect each other?

Accepted Answer

They do. The lower jaw hangs from the skull, and the head sits on top of the neck, so when the angle of the neck changes, the position where the jaw closes changes too.

Question 10

When jaw pain while chewing makes eating hard, what do you look at?

Accepted Answer

Patients tell us their jaw hurts sharply when they open their mouth or chew, so they avoid chewy foods and eat only soft things. Mealtimes become a burden.

Question 11

When a child has jaw joint symptoms along with headaches, how do you look at it?

Accepted Answer

Parents tell us their child's jaw clicks every time they open their mouth, and after school the child rests because of a headache. Some children also say they hear sounds in their ears.

Question 12

When your mouth won't open well (limited jaw opening), when should you hurry?

Accepted Answer

If your mouth is stuck open and won't close, your jaw may be dislocated, so see a doctor right away. Do not try to force it back into place.

Question 13

What do you measure when looking at differences between the left and right sides of the face?

Accepted Answer

Patients tell us their face looks lopsided in every photo. When we ask, they say they always chew on the same side and that side of the jaw feels stiff.

Question 14

How do you decide whether to use a jaw joint appliance?

Accepted Answer

We use it when hands-on treatment alone can't keep the jaw in place. We don't recommend it from the start. If several rounds of acupuncture and manual treatment help only for the moment and it keeps going back, that's when we discuss it.

Question 15

How do you approach jaw pain combined with sleep and digestive problems?

Accepted Answer

Patients come in for jaw pain, but when we ask, they also say their sleep is light and their stomach feels bloated. They think they are suffering from three separate problems.

Question 16

Can headaches with no cause found in tests be related to the jaw?

Accepted Answer

They can. The muscles that move the jaw attach widely to the temples and cheeks, so when those muscles stiffen, the area is felt directly as head pain.

Question 17

How is tinnitus (ringing in the ears) related to the jaw and neck muscles?

Accepted Answer

Some cases are related. If the volume of the sound changes when you move your jaw or change your neck posture, it may be the type where muscles and joints are involved.

Question 18

What causes should be ruled out first in dizziness?

Accepted Answer

Dizziness is a symptom with some causes that need urgent checking. If you have even one of the signs below, go to the emergency room or see a neurologist before coming to us.

Question 19

Why do you also check the jaw for neck and shoulder pain?

Accepted Answer

Patients tell us that every afternoon the back of their neck stiffens and their head throbs. A massage or physical therapy makes that day comfortable, but by the next day it's back.

Question 20

Why look at the whole body when jaw treatment keeps going back?

Accepted Answer

Patients tell us their jaw feels stiff and their neck and shoulders are always tight, and even after several places treated just those spots, it soon came back.

Question 21

For chronic headaches and neck pain with no cause found, what do you look at again?

Accepted Answer

Patients tell us their headaches and neck pain have gone on for years, but scans of the head and neck only showed "nothing abnormal." Medicine helps for a while, then it comes back, over and over, and many come to us thinking this is their last try.

Question 22

When neck and shoulder stiffness leads to headaches, how do you look at it?

Accepted Answer

If you have a sudden, severe headache unlike any you've had before, a stiff neck with fever, or weakness in your arms or legs or slurred speech, the emergency room or a neurologist comes first.

Question 23

With tremors and tinnitus but normal test results, where do you start checking?

Accepted Answer

If the tremor is only on one side, or you have weakness, slurred speech, or one side of your face won't move, see a neurologist first.

Herniated Disc in the Neck · Forward Head Posture

🏥 FAQs by Condition

Herniated disc in the neck · Forward head posture

TMJ (jaw joint) disorder · Facial asymmetry

Headaches · Dizziness · Tinnitus

💬 All FAQs 23questions