A Sports Chiropractor’s Approach to Neck Pain

Why your neck pain keeps coming back, and what to do differently.

Stretching. Rest. Adjustments. Massage. If your neck pain keeps coming back despite trying all of these, you’re not alone. Most treatments miss the bigger picture. In this post, we’ll break down the most common mistakes people make with neck pain, how a sports chiropractor looks at it differently, and simple steps you can start today to finally find lasting relief.


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Neck Pain Isn’t Just About Your Neck

If you’ve ever thought, “I stretch every day but my neck still feels tight”—you’re experiencing what most active adults do.

That’s because neck pain is rarely just about your neck.

It’s usually a symptom of something else:

  • Forward head posture from hours at a desk, computer work, driving, or scrolling your phone

  • Weakness in your mid-back muscles that forces your neck to pick up the slack

  • Poor breathing patterns that stress your spine and overload your traps.

  • Core or hip dysfunction that throws off the foundation for your whole spine

  • Stress and sleep issues that keep your nervous system “on guard” and your muscles tight.

Which means… treating the neck in isolation almost never works.


The Most Common Mistakes People Make With Neck Pain

Here are the four major mistakes we see most often, and what you should do instead.

❌ Mistake 1: Stretching tight muscles without building strength or stability

Stretching feels good… for about five minutes.

But tightness often comes from instability, not short muscles.

If you’ve ever found yourself rubbing that tight spot under the back of your skull, pulling your head toward your shoulder desperately trying to “release” your tightness, or dreading that inevitable headache creeping up your neck toward your head, consider that muscle tightness may be your body’s way of protecting your spine.

If your brain lacks trust in your body, its default response is to tighten everything up to protect you from injuring yourself. This is why trying to fix your muscle tension, without restoring trust in your brain will keep you stuck in an endless cycle of pain and tension.

 

❌ Mistake 2: Focusing only on posture

Yes, posture matters. But it’s not about “sitting up straight” all day—it’s about how your body moves.

Static posture stretches and magic posture “fixes” don’t retrain your body and are usually a waste of time.

If you’re wanting real, lasting relief from postural pain, consider strengthening your body and raising your overall fitness. This shift will not only help you become more resilient to pain, but it will also help you live a more active and longer life.

 

❌ Mistake 3: Ignoring stress and recovery

Your neck might be tight because your nervous system is tight. Chronic stress, poor breathing, and lack of recovery keep your muscles bracing 24/7.

A simple approach to improving your stress and aiding your recovery is breath work. Improving your breathing and forcing yourself to slow down gives your nervous system a chance to relax and recharge.

Here is a quick resource and a great place to start exploring this concept:

 
 

❌ Mistake 4: Treating your neck in isolation

Adjustments, massage, or ice packs only for your neck = temporary relief.

True change requires looking at the entire kinetic chain of your body: hips, spine, shoulders, and core.

If your neck pain hasn’t changed in weeks or months, it’s a red flag that you’re ignoring or missing the real cause behind it.


The Sports Chiropractor Difference

Here’s how working with a sports chiropractor can change the game for you:

Assessment Beyond the Neck

  • We don’t just check your neck—we screen your posture, thoracic mobility, shoulder strength, hip stability, and even how you breathe.

Reset the System

  • Adjustments and soft tissue therapy calm irritation, restore mobility, and create an opportunity for change.

Rebuild for Resilience

  • We layer in corrective exercises to strengthen weak links and restore balance—so your neck isn’t doing excessive work it wasn’t designed to do.

Integrate With Real Life

  • We help you identify where you’re straining and guide you to improving your daily habits through lifestyle coaching.


A Quick Self-Check: Where’s Your Neck Pain Coming From?

Try this at home:

  • Wall Test: Stand with your head, shoulders, and hips against a wall. Can you hold your head back without strain?

  • Rotation Test: Can you fully turn your head side to side without engaging or lifting your shoulders?

  • Breathing Check: Take a full deep breath and hold it for as long as you can before needing too exhale. How long can your last? If it’s less than 60 seconds, it’s likely breathing is affecting the way your spine is functioning.

These simple tests are a great starting place and just a preview of how your neck may or may not be causing the pain you’re feeling.


Real-Life Example

Sarah, a 36-year-old CrossFitter here in Chattanooga, came to us with neck pain that flared up every time she did overhead lifts. She had tried stretching, massage, physical therapy, and even traditional chiropractic care, but her pain always came back within a few days.

When we evaluated her, we discovered:

  • She couldn’t rotate her neck fully side-to-side while sitting or standing, but while laying flat on her back she had no limitation or pain.

  • She couldn’t rotate her thoracic spine fully to her right side.

  • She couldn’t raise her right arm over her head fully without some discomfort.

  • She couldn’t effectively brace her core and balance on her right side.

  • She had sub-par breathing capacity and was only able to hold her breath for 42 seconds.

All of this revealed a clear pattern of dysfunction in Sarah’s spine, specifically on her right side starting with her hips, low back, and core.

After three weeks of working together, her pain was no longer returning and she was back in the gym working out as normal.

Three weeks after that, she hit a new personal record for her Clean + Jerk pain free and told us she had been struggling to hit a new PR for months.

in sum, we spent a total of 8 weeks working with Sarah targeting the areas of her body that we’re working as well as they should’ve been.


Our Reset + Rebuild Approach

The system we’ve developed that helped Sarah, and hundreds of other clients recover from chronic pain and injuries is built around the idea of full body functional movement. We call it our Reset + Rebuild framework: This approach is designed to do more than just get you out of pain—it’s about helping you take control of your body so you can move with confidence and live without the fear of setbacks ro roadblocks.

  • Reset is about creating the space for change. We calm irritation, release tension, and restore mobility so your body stops fighting against itself. This gives you immediate relief and a fresh starting point.

  • Rebuild is where the lasting change happens. We strengthen weak links, stabilize what’s been compensating, and retrain your movement so your body works as one complete system—not a collection of parts.

By combining the Reset and Rebuild phases, you’re not just patching the problem—you’re transforming how your body feels and functions.

The outcome?

  • Relief that lasts beyond the moment

  • Freedom to train, play, and live without hesitation

  • Resilience that keeps old injuries from holding you back

  • Confidence knowing your body can handle whatever you ask of it

This is the difference between chasing pain and building lasting health.


The Bottom Line

If your neck hurts, it’s time to consider working on more than your neck. It’s time to stop chasing your pain and tightness, and start building strength and resiliency.

Working with an expert who looks beyond your neck and assesses the way your entire body works is how you move beyond short-term relief into long-term resilience.

So the question remains, Are you ready to break the pain cycle?

If the answer is yes, click the button below to New Patient Evaluation today and take your next step toward a stronger, more resilient, pain-free version of you.

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Sports Chiropractor vs. Traditional Chiropractor: What’s the Difference?