Neck pain is another common ailment our physiotherapists treat daily. People usually experience discomfort in the neck, shoulders, or upper chest, often accompanied by difficulty in turning or moving the head freely. Tension headaches that may extend to the back of the head or behind the eyes. Sometimes people even feel the sensation of pins and needles in the arms or hands, possibly indicating nerve involvement.
Most causes of neck pain are due to muscle strain, often due to poor posture, such as prolonged use of electronic devices (“tech neck”) or sleeping in awkward positions. Other causes include injuries like whiplash from sudden movements like car accidents or degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis and disc injuries which slowly lock the neck up.
Physiotherapy is the leading treatment for neck pain. We work on freeing up the neck using hands on therapy and provide easy movements to loosen up the joints and surrounding muscles. Some of our self-care tips include maintaining good posture, taking regular breaks from screen time, and performing neck exercises consistently. For the severe cases especially if your neck feels unstable, there is associated fever or if there is worsening numbness, book in to see your GP and they will organise scans for your neck.
Once you’re better we want you to stay that way as long as you can. During our treatment sessions we drip feed prevention tools that you can use for yourselves. Some of the basics involve practicing ergonomic habits at work and while using devices, incorporating regular exercise and neck stretches into your routine, and avoiding long periods of inactivity.
