Physio for Neck Pain
Do you suffer from neck pain, stiffness and headaches? This is an extremely common presentation we see in the clinic every single day. We usually see it in office workers, students, tradies and parents, but it can occur to anyone. Keep reading to see how physiotherapy can help to get you out of pain!
Understanding Neck Pain
Causes: Usually caused by poor postures, prolonged positions, stress, tension or an acute strain. Looking down at your phone, book or computer screens for long periods can exacerbate your symptoms.
Symptoms: Common symptoms often include pain, stiffness, reduced range of movement, tightness and headaches. You may have all of these symptoms, or just one or two.
While minor pain can improve with rest, persistent or worsening symptoms often need a little more help - this is where a physiotherapist can help!
Two day rule: We like to go by the two day rule - if you wake up with a sudden onset of neck pain, give it two days. If your symptoms are improving, then it will likely go away with rest. However, if the symptoms are persisting or getting worse, then an assessment from a physio might be needed!
How a Physio Can Help
Physiotherapy is extremely effective method to relieve your neck pain. We look at both the symptoms (where the pain is and what it’s presenting like) but also the root cause. This might be your new desk job that you’ve recently started. Or maybe you’re breastfeeding and spending prolonged periods sitting and looking down? We will ask you lots of questions about your day-day life, activities and hobbies, work set up, repetitive positions you may do etc. This helps us determine what the underlying cause might be.
Assessment & Diagnosis:
We complete a thorough assessment of your neck and upper back to determine where the pain is coming from. We look at your posture, range of movement, strength, endurance, stiffness in your joints, as well as tightness and trigger points in your muscles. This forms a working diagnosis for your neck pain, which allows us to start treating it!
Treatment:
We provide hands-on physiotherapy treatment to give you some instant relief from your pain. We use massage, mobilisations, trigger point therapy, as well as cupping and dry needling if you are open to trying this!
Management Plan:
Here at Sunny Side Physio, we email you an individualised treatment plan after your Initial Appointment. This plan includes tips to reduce the aggravation, self-management strategies to relieve your pain at home by yourself and basic exercises to prevent the pain from returning.
We don’t want you to be reliant on weekly or fortnightly physio forever! We want give you some relief, strengthen your muscles and then teach you how to manage it at home yourself.
Preventing Neck Pain.
Preventing neck pain isn’t always possible, but there are a few small daily habits you can implement to reduce the likelihood of developing neck pain and headaches. These include:
Check your posture – keep an eye on your posture, especially with prolonged sitting, reading and looking at your phone or laptop. Pilates and yoga are also great at improving your posture!
Take regular breaks – if you’re working a desk job, taking regular stretch/movement breaks every 30-60 minutes can help increase blood supply and reduce the strain or tension on your muscles.
Set up your workspace – use an ergonomic chair with the screen at the right height so you’re not setting yourself up to fail! The 90/90/90 rule is a basic one to follow (see picture for details)
Avoid tummy sleeping – if you’ve got acute neck pain, the worst position to sleep in, is on your stomach! Try to avoid this for a short time whilst your neck is sore and make sure you have a supportive pillow that isn’t over two years old.
Stay active – Exercise is the best thing you can do to prevent neck pain and headaches. Gentle movement, mobility and strengthening keeps your joints and muscles happy and reduces the likelihood of stiffness and pain.
These habits, combined with physiotherapy when needed, can go a long way in preventing and reducing neck pain and headaches!
Have you tried all of these and still experience pain?
If you’ve tried everything above, or if your pain is getting worse then feel free to book in for some hands-on treatment with us at Sunny Side Physio.
We use a combination of massage, mobilisations, trigger point therapy, therapeutic ultrasound and cupping to release tight muscles, joints and trigger points to provide you with some relief. If you’re still unsure or if you have questions, we are always open for a chat – so feel free to send us a message or come on down to Summertown Studio and say hey if our door is open!