Neck Pain Treatment in Mission Viejo, CA
“Every time I turn my neck a certain way, I get this shooting pain into my shoulder blades.” He hears it constantly.
Neck pain is treated at Foudy Chiropractic with a combination of precise cervical adjustment, Saunders neck traction, and soft-tissue work — after digital X-rays and a surface EMG scan identify which cervical levels are involved. Most modern neck pain traces back to forward head posture from computer and phone use, which shifts load onto the discs and joints of the neck. Cervical traction is particularly effective for cervical disc herniation and spondylosis, and for numbness and tingling that radiate into the arms and fingers.
What it feels like
If several of these sound like you, they are worth measuring rather than guessing at.
- Shooting pain into the shoulder blade when you turn your head
- Stiffness that makes checking a blind spot difficult
- Numbness or tingling down the arm and into the fingers
- Headaches that start at the base of the skull
- A neck that aches by mid-afternoon at a desk
- Grinding or popping with movement
| Relief | Correction | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Quiet the symptom | Address the cause |
| Typical length | A few visits | A course of care, then maintenance |
| What is included | Adjustment and modalities | Adjustment, modalities, and corrective exercise |
| Re-testing | Not usually | Progress exam against your own baseline |
| Likelihood it returns | Higher | Lower, if the exercise work is done |
What this means for you: both are legitimate choices, and Dr. Foudy will not push you toward the longer one. You just make the choice knowing which one you picked, and what it does and does not buy you.
Forward head posture is usually the story
The head weighs roughly a dozen pounds when it sits over the shoulders. Every inch it drifts forward multiplies the load the neck has to carry. Years of that, and the curve of the cervical spine flattens or reverses — which changes how the discs are loaded and how well the nerves exiting the neck can do their job.
This is one of the clearest things a digital X-ray shows, and one of the most satisfying to correct.
What treatment looks like
Saunders cervical traction decompresses the neck and is excellent for cervical disc herniation and spondylosis. Intersegmental rolling traction, electric stim, and soft-tissue work quiet the spasm. Then a precise, technique-matched adjustment — Diversified, Activator, or Thompson drop, depending on your body and your comfort level.
Melanie's corrective exercise work addresses the posture that caused it, because otherwise your desk will undo the adjustment by Thursday.
In summary: neck pain at Foudy Chiropractic
- What it is. “Every time I turn my neck a certain way, I get this shooting pain into my shoulder blades.” He hears it constantly.
- How it is found. Surface EMG reads nerve-root function level by level, digital X-rays show the structure, and palpation validates both — so the cause is measured rather than guessed at.
- How it is treated. Chiropractic adjustment, the open-floor modalities, and where discs are involved, AccuSpina spinal decompression. Corrective exercise follows so the correction holds.
- What it costs. An adjustment visit is $90 with every modality included. Decompression plans are quoted in person after your exam.
- Where. Foudy Chiropractic, 28892 Marguerite Pkwy #150, Mission Viejo, CA 92692 — (949) 365-0403.
Neck Pain — questions people ask
Does the neck adjustment hurt?
No. Most patients describe relief rather than discomfort. If you are nervous about a manual neck adjustment, Dr. Foudy has instrument-based options — the Activator method delivers a low-force, precise impulse instead.
Can neck problems cause my headaches?
Frequently. Many headaches originate at the top of the neck, at the atlas and axis. Dr. Foudy takes a specific AP open-mouth X-ray view for headache cases so those two bones can be seen clearly.
Why is my arm numb if the problem is in my neck?
The nerves that supply your arm and hand exit the cervical spine. When a disc or a misaligned vertebra narrows that exit, the symptom shows up downstream — in the arm — while the cause sits in the neck.
How long does neck care take?
It depends on how long the posture has been building. Acute cases often respond quickly; a cervical curve that has been flattening for twenty years takes a course of care plus corrective exercise. You get the honest timeline at the Report of Findings.
Other things this office sees every week
Sciatica
Pain running from the low back into the buttock and down the leg. Dr. Foudy hears this almost every day — and can almost always help.
Read more →Lower Back Pain
The most common reason people walk through this door — and the one Dr. Foudy says he can almost always help.
Read more →Headaches & Migraines
“I'm getting these headaches that are kind of all over my head.” Many of them start at the top of the neck.
Read more →Herniated & Bulging Discs
A gentler alternative to medication or surgery — decompression with oscillation at maximum load.
Read more →Numbness & Tingling
Where you feel it is rarely where it starts. The scan finds where it starts.
Read more →Forward Head Posture
The posture your desk gave you — measurable, and correctable.
Read more →Sports Injuries & Performance
The chiropractor behind a gold medal team. What the athletes got is what you get.
Read more →Whiplash & Auto Injury
Symptoms often arrive days after the collision. The exam finds what the adrenaline hid.
Read more →Scoliosis
A curve that is measured, tracked, and worked on — not just watched.
Read more →Shoulder & Hip Pain
Almost every joint in the body can be adjusted — not just the spine.
Read more →Pregnancy & Prenatal Care
Gentle care for the back and pelvic pain that pregnancy brings with it.
Read more →Get an answer, not a guess.
One visit tells you whether neck pain is something this office can help with. You will see your own scan and your own X-rays before any plan is proposed.