Neck Pain Treatment in Royal Palm Beach | Chiropractor for Neck & Shoulder Pain
Why Your Neck Hurts (And Why It Matters)
Your neck has a tough job. It's holding up your 10-12 pound head while allowing you to move in basically every direction.
When something goes wrong—whether it's misalignment/joint restriction, muscle strain, or nerve irritation—the pain can radiate everywhere. Down your shoulders. Into your arms. Up into your head causing headaches. Sometimes you get numbness in your hands and fingers.
The thing is, most people wait way too long to do anything about it. They figure it'll go away on its own, or they just keep taking ibuprofen and hoping for the best.
Here's what actually happens: the longer you wait, the more your body compensates. Your muscles tighten up trying to protect the area. Your posture shifts. Other parts of your spine start taking on extra stress. Before you know it, your simple neck problem has turned into more of a whole-body issue.
Types of Neck Pain We See Every Day
Tech Neck (Forward Head Posture)
This is probably the most common thing I treat. You sit at a computer or look at your phone for hours, and your head drifts forward. For every inch your head moves forward, it adds 10 pounds of extra weight your neck has to support. So if your head is 3 inches forward, that is 40+ pounds of stress to your cervical spine.
What it feels like: Stiff and painful neck, sore shoulders, sometimes a nagging ache at the base of your skull. Gets worse as the day goes on. Maybe you can't comfortably turn your head all the way to the left or right.
How we fix it: Adjustments to restore proper movement mechanics to your cervical spine and muscle work, if needed, to release trigger points in various muscle groups of the neck. But here's the key—we also have to change the habits causing it. I'll show you how to set up your workspace properly and give you exercises and tools that can actually help at home or at the office.
Whiplash (Not Just from Car Accidents)
You don't necessarily need to be in a major crash to get whiplash. Even slip and falls on wet surfaces or sudden movements or hits during sports can cause it.
What it feels like: Stiffness and pain that progressively gets worse over the first few days. Reduced range of motion. Sometimes dizziness, headaches, or even trouble concentrating.
How we fix it: Targeted chiropractic adjustments or gentle mobilizations to restore lost movement to the joints of the spine that are also designed to reduce inflammation, reduce scar tissue formation and ensure proper ligamentous healing to give the most optimal long-term prognosis.
Pinched Nerve (Cervical Radiculopathy)
When a nerve in your neck gets compressed, it can cause pain that shoots down your arm. Sometimes with numbness, tingling, or weakness in your hand(s) can also be present.
What it feels like: Sharp, electric-shock or sometimes burning qualities of pain. Might hurt worse when you turn your head or side bend certain ways. Your arm might feel weak or your fingers might go numb. Some people describe it as "my arm's falling asleep but it won't wake back up."
How we fix it: We need to take pressure off that nerve. Usually that means specific adjustments to open up the space where the nerve exits the spine, combined with traction and decompressive techniques and exercises to keep it from happening again. If severe enough or not responding to care, an MRI would be the next step we take.
Cervical Disc Issues
The discs in your neck can bulge, herniate, or just wear down over time. When they do, it can put pressure on the nearby nerves or cause significant local neck pain.
What it feels like: Deep, aching pain in your neck. Sometimes sharp pain with certain movements. If it's pressing on a nerve, you'll likely get radiating arm pain and numbness I mentioned above.
How we fix it: Decompression techniques, specific adjustments, and a lot of patient education about what makes it better or worse. We will also utilize some care exercises or things you can be doing at home to help. Surgery is rarely necessary—most disc problems respond well to conservative care.
Tension Headaches and Migraines
A huge percentage of headaches start in the neck. The muscles at the base of your skull get tight from over compensating for immobile joints in your upper neck that is typically combined with prolonged forward head posture that leads to tension and headaches.
What it feels like: Headache that starts at the back of your head and creeps forward. Sometimes it feels like a tight band around your head. For migraines, you might get sensitivity to light, nausea, vomiting, visual changes and balance issues. It is common during a migraine to feel a throbbing type of pain more focally located over one of your orbital (eye) areas.
How we fix it: Upper cervical adjustments. They're gentle but incredibly effective. I've had patients who've dealt with chronic headaches for years get relief after a few treatments. Not all headaches are caused by neck problems, but when they are, chiropractic works really well. Migraines can have many triggers including psychological stress, hormonal changes, dietary, changes in atmospheric pressure and biomechanical. Chiropractic care can still be quite effective in reducing the frequency migraines occur while also at times reducing the severity and duration of migraine episodes, particularly if there is a biomechanical component involved.
Arthritis and Degenerative Changes
As we age, our spines show wear and tear. Bone spurs, disc degeneration, arthritis—it happens. But age-related changes don't have to mean constant pain.
What it feels like: Stiffness, especially in the morning. Grinding or crunching sounds when you move your neck. Reduced flexibility. Pain that's been gradually getting worse over time.
How we fix it: We can't reverse arthritis, but we can absolutely improve how you feel and function. Regular adjustments keep the joints moving well, which reduces pain and prevents helps it from getting worse as fast.
Vertigo
Vertigo is fairly common and there are several types with different causes. The two most common that lead people into my office are:
Cervicogenic vertigo - This stems from joint dysfunction in the upper cervical spine or injury, sometimes from a trauma, sometimes with daily life. When your upper most cervical spine joints become dysfunctional this can cause altered nerve and joint receptor input to the brain which will disrupt your body's ability regulate balance and spatial awareness.
Benign proximal positional vertigo (BPPV) - This is caused by tiny calcium crystals in the inner ear that become displaced, sending incorrect signals to the brain about your body's head position. A lot of times this happens idiopathically (without a known specific cause) .
What it feels like: Either constant or intermittent bouts of dizziness, nausea or vomiting, and feelings of general unsteadiness, especially when standing up straight or going from seated to standing. It is also very common to feel as if the room is spinning.
How we fix it: First we will do some in-office testing to determine if the cause is from BBPV, coming for the neck or sometimes other areas. For cervicogenic vertigo the fix is typically quite simple - targeted adjustments to the upper cervical spine to restore lost mobility and to also act as a neurological reset to the receptors and nerves of that area. For BPPV we will do several rounds of specific cycles of head and body movements designed clear the calcium crystals to restore normal fluid balance.
What We Do Differently
We Actually Examine You
I know that sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised. A lot of places have you fill out paperwork, talk to you for two minutes and send you on your way with recommendations you're already doing at home.
Not here. I'm going to check your range of motion, test your reflexes, feel for muscle spasms and joint restrictions, check your posture. Sometimes we will do orthopedic tests to figure out exactly what's causing your pain.
We Explain What's Happening
You're going to understand your condition. I'll show you on a model or draw a picture if we need to. When you know what's wrong and why we're doing what we're doing, you heal faster. Plus, you can make better decisions about your care.
We Don't Just Crack and Go
Don't get me wrong—adjustments are a huge part of what we do. But they're not the only thing. Depending on what you need, we might also do:
Soft tissue work to release tight muscles
Stretching and strengthening exercises
Ergonomic advice for your workspace
Lifestyle modifications (pillow recommendations, sleep positions, etc.)
We're Realistic
If you've had neck pain for five years, I'm not going to promise it'll be gone in two visits. But I will give you an honest assessment and a realistic timeline. And if we're not seeing the progress we should, I'll tell you that too.
Your First Appointment
The Consultation
We'll sit down and talk. We go over how your condition started, how it feels, any goals you may have, ect.
The Exam
I'll check your neck's range of motion, feel for areas of restriction or tenderness, test your muscle strength and reflexes. I want to see how you move and where the problem's coming from.
X-rays (If Needed)
Sometimes we need to see what's happening inside on a structural level. Only a minority of cases require imaging before beginning treatment, however if we do need some, I'll explain why and what I'm looking for before referring out for any imaging.
The Report
We will discuss the results of the exam and consultation and what I believe to going on and how we can help. We'll talk about treatment options, how long it typically takes, and what you can expect.
First Treatment
If it makes sense, we usually start treatment the same day. My goal is always have you feeling better than when you walked in.
How Long Does Treatment Take?
Recent injury (happened this week): Might be just a few visits over 1-2 weeks. Sometimes less.
Ongoing problem (weeks to months): Plan on several weeks of regular treatment. Maybe 8-12 visits. We'll space them out as you improve.
Chronic issues (years of pain): This is a bigger project. Could take a couple months of consistent care. But people who commit to it usually see significant improvement.
I'll have a better idea after I examine you. Every person's different as well as their response to care so I can not give you a one-size-fits-all answer.
Questions People Always Ask
Is it safe to get your neck adjusted?
Yes, when done properly by a licensed chiropractor. The risk of serious complications is extremely rare—we're talking less than 1 in a million. Chiropractors have one of the best if not the best risk profile for their scope of treatment of all healthcare providers. This is reflected in our low malpractice insurance rates compared to that of traditional medical doctors which can have well over 10x the insurance costs we do. You can view some data on this here on our general FAQ page.
Will you make me come back forever?
Nope. We'll get you feeling better, teach you how to maintain it, and you're good to go. Some people feel the best coming in every few weeks for maintenance. Others don't. Totally up to you.
What if my neck problem is serious?
Part of my job is screening for red flags. If I suspect something that needs further investigation—like a fracture, infection, or tumor—I'll refer you out. But the vast majority of neck pain is musculoskeletal and responds well to chiropractic care.
Can chiropractic help with chronic neck pain?
Absolutely. Even if you've had it for years. It might take longer to resolve, but most chronic neck pain improves significantly with proper treatment.
Do I need a referral?
No referral needed. Just call or book an appointment directly online with the buttons on the top or bottom of the page. No phone calls necessary. Once booked, you will receive a text message with all your appointment information and paperwork.
What about insurance?
We're a cash-pay practice with straightforward pricing. For auto accident injuries, we work with PIP insurance and your attorney. Otherwise, we keep it simple—you pay for the service, we provide the care. No insurance headaches.
Serving the Royal Palm Beach Area
We're located right here in Royal Palm Beach, easy to get to whether you're coming from Wellington, West Palm Beach, or Loxahatchee. Just off Southern Blvd, nearState Road 7 and US-98 with plenty of parking.
No need to drive to Boca or all the way to Palm Beach Gardens for good chiropractic care. We're right in your neighborhood.
Stop Letting Neck Pain Run Your Life
You shouldn't have to plan your day around your neck. You shouldn't have to turn your whole body to look at something because you can't turn your head. And you definitely shouldn't have to keep downing ibuprofen just to get through the day.
There's a better way.
Call or book online below. Let's figure out what's causing your neck pain and get you back to feeling normal again.
Frost Chiropractic
11931 Southern Blvd, Suite 320,
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411
Proudly serving Wellington, West Palm Beach & Loxahatchee
This information is for educational purposes and doesn't replace a professional examination. If you're experiencing severe symptoms like loss of consciousness, difficulty swallowing, or progressive weakness, seek immediate medical attention.