Neck Pain Relief in Apple Valley, MN
You have been told to stretch it, ice it, and wait it out. Years of that advice is how a stiff neck becomes a cervical spine that has lost its curve. At ABLE Chiropractic, Dr. Brian Smith, D.C. finds what is structurally wrong in your neck and treats it without drugs or surgery.
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Safety: FDA-Cleared / Non-Invasive
Led by
Dr. Brian Smith, D.C. with 34+ Years Experience
Medically Reviewed by:
Dr. Brian Smith, D.C.
Proudly serving Apple Valley and the Greater Twin Cities
Part of the
ABLE Chiropractic
Super Recovery Protocol
Are you experiencing these signs of chronic neck pain
You did not sleep on it wrong. A neck that has hurt for months is telling you something mechanical has changed. You may be a candidate for our protocol if you experience:
Understanding neck pain: what is actually causing it
Your cervical spine is supposed to curve.
A healthy neck holds a gentle backward curve. That curve is structural, not cosmetic. It positions the head directly over the shoulders so the weight sits on bone rather than being held up by muscle. When the curve flattens or reverses, the load transfers off the skeleton and onto soft tissue that was never designed to carry it full time. More on how the cervical spine works.
Muscles that are holding a load all day do not get to rest. They tighten, restrict movement, and pull the vertebrae further out of position, which flattens the curve more. Discs between those vertebrae compress unevenly and wear at the pressure points. Over enough years the body responds the way it always does under uneven load, by laying down bone. That is cervical arthritis, and it is usually the end of a long mechanical process rather than a condition that arrives on its own. We cover this in detail in part three of our cervical spine series.
Headaches follow the same pathway. The upper cervical vertebrae sit directly beneath the base of the skull, and the nerves exiting there refer pain forward into the head. Which is why a headache that starts in the neck and moves toward the temples is frequently a neck problem being felt somewhere else. Treating the headache does nothing to the joint generating it.
Tech neck is a load problem, not a habit problem.
Every inch your head drifts forward from neutral increases the leverage acting on it, and the muscles at the back of your neck have to counter that leverage for as long as your head stays there. A phone, a laptop, a monitor set too low, a car seat. The specific device does not matter. What matters is total hours per day spent with the head in front of the shoulders, something we see in children as much as adults.
This is why posture correction alone rarely fixes it. Being told to sit up straight asks a muscle system that is already fatigued to work harder. Until the joint restriction is released and the curve is addressed, holding good posture is a fight against your own structure.
Neck Pain After a Car Accident
Whiplash is a cervical spine injury caused by the head being thrown rapidly in one direction and snapped back in the other. It damages ligaments, muscles, and joint capsules in the neck, and it does not require a dramatic collision. Low-speed impacts produce it regularly.
The pattern that brings people to ABLE is the delayed one. You felt stiff for a week or two after the accident, it settled, and you assumed it resolved. Then months or years later the neck starts stiffening, headaches begin, or the range of motion is not what it was. Injured ligament tissue heals with scar tissue, which is shorter and less elastic than what it replaced. The joint never fully recovers its movement, and the restriction sets in gradually enough that most people do not connect it to the accident at all.
If you were in a collision at any point and your neck has never been the same, that history matters. Bring it up at your Discovery Visit even if the accident was years ago and the settlement is long closed. It changes what Dr. Smith looks for on your X-rays.
Why Standard Neck Pain Treatments Provide Temporary Relief
Muscle relaxants reduce spasm. Spasm is not the problem, it is the response to the problem. Relax the muscle without changing the joint restriction underneath it and the spasm returns, because the reason your body was guarding that joint has not changed.
Stretching gives real relief that reliably fades. Stretching lengthens tissue temporarily but does not restore joint movement or change the position of the vertebrae. This is why people describe stretching as something that works while they do it and stops the moment they stop, and then blame themselves for not being consistent enough. Consistency was not the missing piece.
Steroid injections reduce inflammation around an irritated nerve root and can provide months of relief. They do not restore the curve, release the joint, or rebuild the disc. When the medication clears, the mechanical cause is exactly where it was.
Cervical fusion and disc replacement have a place, and for a small number of patients with progressive neurological loss they are the correct call. But fusing two vertebrae eliminates movement at that level, and the joints above and below absorb what the fused segment no longer does. Dr. Smith’s rule has not changed: try everything you can before you cut. Because once you cut, you can never uncut.
At ABLE, Dr. Smith addresses the mechanical cause with chiropractic care to restore joint movement and position, and layers laser therapy and PEMF to give the damaged disc, ligament, and muscle tissue the cellular energy to repair rather than simply stop hurting.
About the Doctors
I built ABLE because I refused to accept surgery as the only answer. After football injuries left me with serious groin damage and multiple torn tendons, every doctor said “you need to go under the knife.” I said no – and spent three months healing my own body with High-Intensity Laser and PEMF therapy instead. For me: No surgery. No drugs. Full recovery.
That philosophy drives everything we do at ABLE. Dr. Jason and I have treated thousands of patients here in Apple Valley who came to us after years of pain, failed injections, and surgeons ready to cut. Our approach combines traditional neuro-structural chiropractic adjustments with advanced cellular therapies – PEMF, Red Light, High-Intensity Laser, and Shockwave – to restore movement, repair damaged tissue, and get your body healing the way it was designed to.
My rule is simple: try everything you can before you cut. Because once you cut, you can never uncut.
How Does A Visit to ABLE Work?
For new patients, each visit starts by finding out more about your needs and your body’s story. Then you’ll receive a one-on-one consultation thorough physical exam. Then you’ll experience your first “Energy Deposit” session. Lastly, you’ll visit with one of the doctors to review your report and review your visit.
Real Neck Pain Recovery Stories
Stop the Neck Pain. Book Your Discovery Visit.
You do not need to commit to a care plan today. You need to find out what is structurally wrong in your neck and whether it can be corrected without surgery. That is what the Discovery Visit is for.
Your $49 Discovery Visit Includes:
Frequently Asked Questions About Neck Pain Treatment in Apple Valley
Take the first step towards healing today!
We have helped patients across the Twin Cities find relief from neck pain since 2005. We’d love to help you! Give us a call to schedule your Discovery Visit today!
