Neck Pain
A total pain in the neck.
Neck pain is incredibly common but usually doesn’t stem from a serious problem.
Good neck function is essential. It allows us 360 degree vision, helps protect our spinal cord and nerves that transmit messages from our brain to the rest of our body.
Neck pain or stiffness can also be involved in symptoms of headaches, dizziness and nausea. Working from home, has led to a sharp increase in the number patients attending with neck pain and headaches.
Poor working setup is often involved. We can assess and advise on ways to overcome some of these issues, as well as providing sensible exercises and manual therapy to help treat your symptoms.
When things aren’t working as intended in our necks, there can be significant and often painful consequences.
What type of neck pain do you have?
We see many different types of neck pain in clinic. From whiplash injuries, sustained in road traffic accidents, to postural neck pain caused by sitting still, tapping away on laptop keys for hours! Sometimes pain starts in the neck, but sometimes it can travel down the shoulder blades or down the arm. Some neck pains are accompanied by tingling or numbness down the arm or into the hand. Some of the many different types of issue we see are shown here:
Disc injuries
Discs, or intervertebral discs, act like cushions between the spinal bones called vertebrae. When they are injured or are subject to wear and tear, their function is reduced, which can lead to degeneration and pressure on the bones, nerves, and surrounding soft tissues.
Arthritis
Different types of arthritis can affect the neck. These may include spondyloarthritis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. These often create degenerative issues and can impact parts such as nerves and discs.
Chronic Neck Pain
Neck pain is generally classed as chronic when it persists or frequently recurs for at least three months. It can result from many conditions and injuries, can range from mild to severe, and can lead to issues such as regular numbness in certain fingers.
Treatments we recommend for neck pain
Your Head2Toe Physio will carry out a thorough assessment, looking at what you can do, what you can’t do and whether there’s anything that should be of greater concern. Most neck pain resolves if dealt with sensibly. A combination of exercise therapy and manual therapy often proves helpful. Combined with a little education on what’s happening and why, things can often improve pretty quickly.
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Our frequently asked questions about neck pain?
Lots of factors can cause or contribute to neck pain. Poor posture, sleeping awkwardly, whiplash, muscle strain, nerve compression, degenerative joint and disc disease, can all be involved.
Neck pain can be aching or sharp, deep or more superficial. Other symptoms which can occur with neck pain, include stiffness and limited mobility in the neck, as well as headaches, numbness or tingling in the arms or hands, and muscle weakness.
Your Head2Toe Physiotherapist will ask you all about your health and neck symptoms. How did it start? what makes it worse or better? Have you had something like this before? There are lots of things, some obvious and some much more subtle, that can help us work out what type of neck issue you have. We then use a physical examination and any relevant image reports (like MRI, CT and X-Ray) to help confirm our diagnosis.
If your pain is accompanied by other symptoms such as fever or vomiting, or you experience severe numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or hands, then it’s a good idea to see a doctor. If after assessing you, we think that urgent referral is needed, or specific further investigations are warranted, we will advise you of this. At Head2Toe Physio we have excellent relationships with local doctors and consultants. We can advise on who the best person to see is and why.
Preventative measures may include maintaining good posture, avoiding repetitive motions, stretching and exercising regularly, taking frequent breaks during prolonged sitting or computer use, and using proper lifting techniques.
Home treatment options include rest, ice or heat, plus over-the-counter pain relievers. At Head2Toe Physio, dependent on what we find in your assessment, we have a number of different treatment options. These include soft tissue therapy, joint mobilisation and manipulation, exercise therapy and acupuncture.
Having treated tens of thousands of patients over the years, we can say with some confidence that simply having the reassurance of a good diagnosis and prognosis, plus some sensible advice on what to do to help, can do more good than any fancy gadget you see advertised on facebook!
You’ll be pleased to hear that you can get your neck pain treated at any of our 3 clinics in Surrey and West Sussex.
Our excellent Head2Toe Physios work at clinics in Dorking, Leatherhead and Crawley.