Most people think neck pain happens suddenly, but in reality, it’s often the final chapter in a story that started years earlier. Here’s what I see in my Thunder Bay practice every day and why lasting relief means retraining how your spine moves.
A 25-year-old patient sits across from me, staring at her X-ray in disbelief. “But it just started hurting last week,” she says, pointing at the screen showing clear signs of degenerative changes in her cervical spine.
This moment happens in my clinic almost daily. After 17 years of practice, I’ve learned that neck pain tells a story that began long before the first twinge. Pain is often the last symptom to appear and usually the first to fade once the underlying issue is addressed.
Most people think neck pain works like a light switch: one day it’s fine, the next day it hurts. But neck pain affects 203 million people globally, making it the fourth leading cause of disability. These numbers don’t happen overnight.
The Hidden Progression You Never Feel
When I take X-rays to determine if chiropractic care is appropriate, I often find signs of degenerative change that have developed over years such as a loss of normal curvature, early bone changes, and narrowing disc spaces.
During this time, patients usually feel nothing. For months or years, the body quietly adapts, losing mobility, developing stiffness, and changing muscle and reflex patterns. The spine is sending signals, but pain isn’t one of them yet.
These degenerative changes tend to creep up slowly. They’re usually the result of repetitive strain or chronic wear and tear, not necessarily age. I see this even in young adults whose spines reveal the impact of thousands of hours spent hunched over screens.
Why Getting Out of Pain Is Just the Beginning
Here’s what surprises most patients: when we begin care, discomfort often eases quickly. They feel that instant relief when a joint releases and regains its normal range of motion.
That’s when they think they’re fixed.
I explain it like going to the gym. If we start today and don’t follow up for two weeks, we’re essentially starting over. The issue took years to develop, and it can take time for the body to retrain and adapt.
Proper care involves rebuilding joint and muscle memory. Adjustments can help restore mobility and comfort, but improving spinal strength and function takes consistency. You might feel better in a few weeks, but stabilizing those changes can take several months.
What I Feel When Your Spine Starts Learning Again
Joint dysfunction creates stiffness and rigidity. It reduces the spring in the spine and causes protective muscle tightening around the affected area.
When I perform an adjustment, I’m encouraging the joint to move properly again. I can feel the spring return to the joint, that subtle shift where the body lets go of tension and starts moving more freely.
Some patients experience instant relief when there’s a release or cavitation to the joint. We’ve all felt that “ahh” moment following an adjustment, when the spine regains healthy movement patterns.
But here’s the challenge: your spine wants to revert to its old holding patterns.
The Daily Saboteur of Spinal Health
Sitting is the most common saboteur of good spinal hygiene. We’re simply not built to sit, yet most of us do it for eight or more hours a day.
The biomechanics are startling. When you look down just 45 degrees at your computer or phone, your neck muscles work as if lifting a 50-pound weight. That’s the equivalent of carrying a bag of potatoes on your neck all day!
Our daily habits, posture, and activity levels shape how the spine functions. This is why ongoing chiropractic care and at-home exercises are so important, to retrain movement, interrupt old patterns, and strengthen support muscles.
The Science Behind That Instant Relief
There’s science behind why many people feel better after an adjustment. Some research suggests that chiropractic care increases levels of natural pain-relieving hormones like oxytocin throughout the body.
But feeling better doesn’t mean the underlying problem is gone. Between 50% and 85% of people who experience neck pain will have it return within one to five years if the contributing habits or patterns aren’t addressed.
The Real Timeline of Healing
I tell patients to think in phases:
Phase one is getting out of pain, which often happens within weeks.
Phase two is stabilizing the changes, which takes months.
Phase three is maintaining those improvements through daily awareness and lifestyle choices.
X-rays don’t lie. They show the accumulated effects of years of poor posture, repetitive strain, and spinal neglect. Reversing those patterns takes time, patience, and consistency.
Your spine has memory. My role is to help it remember how to move properly again and teach you how to support that memory through better daily habits.
The next time your neck “suddenly” starts hurting, remember: that story began years ago. The good news is, with the right approach and consistent care, we can help your spine move and function the way it was meant to.
Start Paying Attention to the Small Signs
Your body communicates long before pain arrives. Listen to stiffness, tightness, or fatigue as early signals to move, stretch, or check in with your chiropractor.
If your neck has been sending quiet warnings, schedule an appointment at Santin Chiropractic and take the first step toward restoring healthy, natural movement.