Chiropractic Care Shown to Correct a Reversed Neck Curvature

The Journal of Physical Therapy Science published the results of a case study on May 1, 2023, documenting chiropractic care causing the correction of a neck curvature in a patient. Loss or reversal of neck curvature has been linked to many health issues.

When seen from the side, a human neck x-ray should show a rounded curvature forward. A reversal of the normal curvature is known as a cervical kyphosis and has been linked to a variety of short and long-term health issues including headaches, neck pain, and radiating pain into the shoulders and arms.

Cervical kyphosis does not always cause symptoms. The authors of this study point out that many people have reversal of the normal neck curve without having any symptoms at all. However, they note that the lack of a proper forward curvature does put unusual load stresses on the neck and spine and can, in time, lead to other neck problems and spinal disc degeneration.

In this case, a 24-year-old woman sought out chiropractic care due to having discomfort in her right shoulder. She reported that she had injured the shoulder years earlier. She rated the pain as only a 1.5 out of a possible 10 in severity.

On examination, the woman had no unusual findings, and her range of neck motion was within normal. A cervical x-ray of the side of the woman’s neck showed a complete reversal of the neck curve. Based on the findings, specific chiropractic procedures were started to work toward correction of the woman neck curvature.

After 17 weeks of care, new neck x-rays were taken that showed the neck was now beginning to curve in the proper direction. This dramatic change was maintained throughout the patient care. Three years after the care was rendered, the woman had another x-ray taken which showed that the correction was still present, but that some loss of the correction was noted.

The authors emphasized that this case demonstrates the value of preventative chiropractic care when it comes to neck curvature. They point out that although this woman had almost no symptoms, problems from her neck curvature were on the horizon. They demonstrated this issue by presenting a series of neck x-rays with similar finding who did not receive chiropractic care. Years later the newer x-rays showed that person now had spinal degeneration due to the incorrect neck curvature.

The authors explained this issue by saying, "It is clear and evident that spine misalignment, particularly gross deviations, set the precedence for biomechanical deterioration over time. Further, it is easier to correct smaller spine deformities than larger deformities. Thus, for these reasons, it is important to diagnose spine misalignments early (e.g. perform posture and spine screening) and to treat spine deformities at the earliest recognition (while a patient is asymptomatic/presymptomatic); as goes the saying, 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’."