Functional Rehab Chiropractic

Neck pain doesn’t always stay in the neck.

A problem in the cervical spine can show up as:

• Headaches or pain behind the eye
• Upper trap or shoulder blade pain
• Aching into the arm
• Numbness or tingling into the hand

The important part is that these patterns don’t all mean the same thing.

Facet joints, irritated nerve roots, and overloaded muscles can each produce different referral patterns — and the treatment approach should change depending on what’s actually driving the symptoms.

I put together this graphic to show some of the most common cervical referral patterns, including C6, C7 and C8 nerve roots, cervical facet joints, and muscles like the levator scapulae, upper trapezius, SCM and suboccipitals.

One key point: pain location alone doesn’t give you a diagnosis. These patterns overlap, and real patients don’t always follow a perfect anatomy chart. But understanding the pattern can help narrow down where the problem may be coming from and what needs to be tested.

If you’ve been treating the shoulder, upper back, or arm but the problem keeps coming back, the neck may be worth a closer look.

Functional Rehab Chiropractic
functionalrehabny.com

This is the kind of work I want patients doing: learning how to control their body, build capacity, and move with more confidence.

Hands-on care can be useful, but the goal isn’t to keep coming back for the same thing over and over. The goal is to make your body more adaptable so everyday movement, exercise, and sport feel better.

At Functional Rehab Chiropractic, treatment is only part of the process. The bigger piece is figuring out what you need to improve, then progressively building it.

Move better. Get stronger. Break the cycle.

📍 Brooklyn
🔗 functionalrehabny.com

Most people think chiropractic means getting cracked and coming back forever.

The research says otherwise. Spinal manipulation works about as well as other recommended treatments for back pain. What actually prevents the next episode is the right movement, plus understanding why it hurts.

The adjustment isn't the point. It's one tool. Full version here:

https://functionalrehabny.com/blog/what-does-a-modern-chiropractor-actually-do

Why we built Functional Rehab Chiropractic

Pain has a way of shrinking your life. The run you skip. The deadlift you're scared to touch. The workday you spend shifting in your chair, waiting for it to ease up. Most people are told to rest, take something for it, and hope it passes — and when it comes back, they're handed the same advice again.

Dr. Jason Fidler didn't learn movement-based rehab from a textbook. He learned it from decades of asking his own body to do hard things — as a lifelong surfer, former competitive swimmer, everyday city cyclist, and advanced pickleball player. He knows overuse injuries, compensation patterns, and the frustration of being told to "just rest it" from the inside, not just from behind a clinic desk.

That perspective shapes how we work. Dr. Fidler has practiced chiropractic in Brooklyn since 2009 — more than 15 years serving CrossFit South Brooklyn, the borough's fitness community, and active adults across NYC. He holds a doctorate from New York Chiropractic College, has been certified in full-spine Active Release Technique and Kinesio taping since 2006, trained in Elite Sports Science at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center, and has worked alongside mobility expert Dr. Kelly Starrett on biomechanics and movement protocols. You'll also find him as a regular physician at NYC endurance races and CrossFit competitions.

Our approach is simple to explain and harder to fake: we find out why you hurt before we touch anything. That means looking at how you actually move, not just where it's sore. From there we combine chiropractic care, hands-on muscle work, and rehab that retrains your body to move the way it should. The adjustments and muscle work bring relief fast; the movement work is what makes it last.

Whether you're chasing a personal best, trying to survive a pickleball season, or just trying to sit at a desk without your back seizing up, you'll get treated the way Dr. Fidler would want to be treated: assess the real problem, fix the movement behind it, and get you back to what you love — without needing to see us forever.

Ready to stop managing pain and start fixing it? Send us a message or book a first visit.
597 Degraw St , Brooklyn (above CrossFit South Brooklyn)

**Caption:**

Tight hamstrings that won't loosen up no matter how much you stretch? It might not be a muscle problem at all.

Your hamstrings and your sciatic nerve run through the same territory in the back of your thigh — so they can feel almost identical when something's off. But they respond to completely different treatments. Stretch a nerve issue like it's a muscle issue, and you'll stay stuck.

Swipe through to see how to tell the difference 👉

A few clues:
🔴 Muscle tightness — broad, dull, stops at the knee, eases with movement
🟠 Neural tension — sharp/burning/electrical, travels below the knee, changes with position

These are clues, not a diagnosis. The only way to know for sure is a proper assessment.

Dealing with hamstring tightness that won't go away? DM "HAMSTRING" and I'll walk you through what I look for. 👇

📍 Gowanus, Brooklyn