Health blog Category: Neck Pain
Sitting for Several Hours Each Day?
Neck pain is a common complaint that we see in physical therapy. Our posture as a society has continued to decline with the increased use of phones and computers. Poor posture when sitting or standing can lead to many neck injuries that can be addressed with physical therapy.
Common Neck Injuries:
Cervical radiculopathy is a term that means radiating pain down into your arms/hands or upper back. This is due to nerve compression in the neck.
Read full blogTips to Relieving Neck Pain
Do you find yourself with a nagging neck or headache, especially after a long day or stressful event? The American Academy of Pain Medicine reports that neck pain and severe headaches or migraines make up about 30% of all commonly reported pain conditions. There are many reasons for neck pain, but the majority of episodes are caused by the following:
- Poor posture
- Weak shoulder and neck muscles
- Stress
- Injury
- Arthritis
While many of us will take over the counter medication, such as Advil, to numb the pain, the main source of the problem is still present.
Read full blogHow Physical Therapy Can Ease Your Neck Pain
Let’s talk about something we’ve all experienced at one point or another – that nagging pain in our necks that just won’t seem to go away. Whether you call it a “crick in the neck,” neck discomfort, or simply pain in the neck, one thing’s for sure – it’s no picnic!
So, why does our neck sometimes feel like it’s tied up in knots?
Well, there are a few common culprits.
Read full blogHow Physical Therapy can Help with Frequent Headaches
With people working from home, there has been a drastic increase in the number of people suffering from frequent and chronic headaches. One fact that many people do not know is that physical therapy can help treat them!
There are several causes of headaches, but many are being caused by tight neck and head muscles, poor posture, and an increase in stress. These are all areas that can be addressed with physical therapy!
Read full blogHow Does Stress Impact Our Neck?
Many people experience neck pain but aren’t sure what is causing their pain. As silly as it may sound, one source that could be to blame, is stress.
Could stress really be causing me to physically hurt? The answer is yes.
The tension of stress can cause the small muscles in our neck to tighten up and stiffen which can cause pain. This can also cause us to lose motion in our neck and make it harder for us to turn and rotate our head.
Read full blogNeck Friendly Workspace Set Up
A lot of people are working from home and have noticed neck pain during and after they are done with work. It’s easy to get lost in our work, which causes us to lose focus of the position that we are sitting in and for how long we are sitting in the same position. When we sit with poor posture for an extended period of time at our workspace, we are more likely to cause harm especially to our necks.
Read full blogWhiplash Injuries
Whiplash is a term usually used to describe injuries that occur as a result of a sudden quick movement in one direction followed by a sudden stop of movement. Generally whiplash injuries are associated with motor vehicle accidents but it can also results from sports accidents of falls/trauma. Whiplash injuries cause damage to the soft tissues and can also be referred to muscle strain injuries of the neck.
Symptoms that can occur as a result include:
- pain
- stiffness
- loss of cervical mobility
- muscle spasms
- headache
Can physical therapy help?
Read full blogFour Common Neck Conditions
The neck, a.k.a cervical spine, is comprised of 7 spinal segments and 8 nerves. The nerves that exit out of the neck go on to supply innervation and control function of the arms and hands. It is also important to know that some of the muscles that control neck motion are responsible for shoulder motion too.
Common Conditions:
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Restricted nerve mobility in the neck that can cause pain into the shoulders and arms
- Muscle Spain/Strain
- Muscle that produces pain with contraction (use)
- The term “strain” specifically refers to faulty tendon contraction. Tendons are where muscles attach to bones.
4 Causes of Neck Problems
The neck, a.k.a cervical spine, is comprised of 7 spinal segments and 8 nerves. The nerves that exit out of the neck go on to supply innervation and control function of the arms and hands. It is also important to know that some of the muscles that control neck motion are responsible for shoulder motion too.
Common Neck Conditions:
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Restricted nerve mobility in the neck that can cause pain into the shoulders and arms
- Muscle Spain/Strain
- Muscle that produces pain with contraction (use)
- The term “strain” specifically refers to faulty tendon contraction. Tendons are where muscles attach to bones.
Back or Neck Pain?
When you have an ache or pain it can leave you scratching your head as to where the pain is truly coming from. Just because it hurts in that part of your leg or arm, doesn’t mean that is where the problem is coming from. Is it a bulging disc, muscle strain or did you just over do it?
Being a physical therapist is much like being a mechanic for the body. Where is that pain coming from, what type of pain is it, are you out of alignment, what are you not able to do that you want to get back to, how is your body moving incorrectly, etc.?
