- September 9, 2023
Most of us experience neck pain at some point in our lives. Many people work jobs that require them to crane their necks all day to look up or down at computer screens, and the result can be a severely sore neck! This can be especially debilitating and uncomfortable when it starts to affect your daily life and activities.
It’s common for neck pain to extend down into your shoulders as well, which causes more discomfort. According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), approximately one-third of the population will experience neck pain in any given year. It can get worse if left untreated, and in severe cases, surgery may even be needed.
Sharp pains in your neck can prevent you from functioning properly in your day-to-day life, because your neck plays such a huge role in your integral movement. Whether your neck pain causes problems for you when you’re trying to sit up straight in your chair at work or tilting your head down to tie your shoes, physical therapy can help get you back to a normal, pain-free function. Many people are able to find relief every day from their neck pain through the help of physical therapy. Our Bridgewater, NJ physical therapy practice is dedicated to providing you with the relief you need, so give Good Hands Physical Therapy a call today!
Neck pain typically runs from the base of the skull to the top of the shoulder blade, and finally settles in the back of the neck. Pain levels can vary in severity, from a persistent, dull ache to sharp and stabbing pains. Good Hands Physical Therapy treats all times of neck pain symptoms.
Additional symptoms include but are not limited to:
Typically, an injury to bone structures or tissues in the neck cause neck pain; however, there are specific degenerative conditions that lead to it as well.
A few of these conditions include:
Neck joints can erode with age, similar to any other joint in your body. This results in moderate to severe pain. Other pain conditions such as osteoarthritis can also reduce the amount of healthy cartilage between the vertebrae in the upper spine.
There are many illnesses and diseases that can result in feeling pain in your neck. Two common ones are meningitis and rheumatoid arthritis.
The muscles in your neck can become strained by overuse. Even something as mundane as sitting at your desk all day with your neck craned toward the computer screen can lead to a strain on your neck muscles.
One of the most common injuries that result in neck pain is whiplash. Whiplash is typically sustained by an automobile or high-impact sports collision. This is known as a “strain” injury, causing the head to whip rapidly back and forth, thus affecting the soft tissues in the back of the neck.
If you have a herniated disc in your neck, or narrowing of the foramen (space where the nerves exit the spine), the nerves that branch out from your spinal cord can become compressed. In some cases, nerve pain can cause a condition known as “radiculopathy”, where the pain will radiate from the neck all the way down to the hands and fingers.
Treatment may include manual, or “hands-on” therapy, which consists of special techniques designed to reduce the stiffness of your neck and improve its range of motion. Our Bridgewater, NJ physical therapists will also recommend targeted exercises that will strengthen, build, and improve the muscles and tissues in your neck.
Therapy will focus on improving your posture to speed up the recovery of your neck muscles, as well as avoiding re-injury in the future. Some treatment plans may include ice and heat therapy, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation, depending on your condition.
You don’t have to tolerate your pain in the neck any longer! Contact Good Hands Physical Therapy to request an appointment with one of our licensed Bridgewater, NJ physical therapists today. We will help you get started on the road to recovery.
