Neck Pain

Physio K offers treatment for many different types of neck pain. Problems in this part of the body can present in many different ways.

Some common presentations of neck pain include:

• Reduced range of motion

• Pain when turning the head

• Muscle tightness, either constant or with movements of the head

• Pain radiating in the shoulders or arms from the neck

• Pain at the top of the neck, often combined with headaches

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CAUSE OF NECK PAIN:

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BAD POSTURE:

Poor posture during the day can cause the weight of the head to shift forward and away from the center of the body (forward head posture), forcing the neck muscles to work harder to support the head.

Prolonged computer work or looking down at a phone not only moves the head forward but also forces the neck to bend with it. This bending can overextend the muscles in the back of the neck, resulting in pain and inflammation.

SLEEPING POSITION:

Sleeping with the head turned or twisted can result in neck pain (e.g. with sleeping on the tummy or on a pillow that is too thick or too thin). Short term symptoms could be stiffness and muscle pain. Sleeping with the head rotated to 1 side can result in disc problems in the long run. The intervertebral discs are supposed to recover during the night and that’s not possible when the neck and head are rotated during the entire night. .

Cold also has a big impact on the neck muscles. Air Conditioning or sleeping next to a window with a breeze can make the muscle tense up and result in a stiff neck in the morning.

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TEETH GRINDING:

Bruxism is a condition in which people grind or clench their teeth while they sleep. Grinding or clenching the teeth puts pressure on the muscles in the jaw and neck, which can cause neck tension, pain or headaches.

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WHIPLASH:

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Whiplash is caused by an injury to the neck when the head moves forward and backwards in a rapid motion that ends up placing strain on the surrounding muscles and ligaments and usually occurs in a motor vehicle accident. Symptoms of whiplash include:

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• Neck pain and stiffness

• Reduced mobility of the neck

• Headaches

• Disc issues (bulges or herniated discs)

• Nerve issues with referring pain in the shoulders or arms

Neck pain caused by whiplash can become chronic if left untreated.

STRESS:

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Stress has a huge impact on the entire human body. It affects some parts more often than others; the neck being one of the most frequent areas. Stress is the body’s natural reaction to a dangerous situation. When we feel threatened, a chemical reaction occurs in our body that allows us to act in a way to prevent injury (‘fight-or-flight reaction’). When a person experiences stress regularly, their muscles remain tense and contracted for longer periods, which can result in neck and shoulder tension.

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"Most neck pain is a result of bad posture combined with stress and asymmetric movements."

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It normally builds up over time, but people usually don’t realise it. It’s like slowly filling up a bucket with water; and most people only remember the last drop that makes the bucket overflow: the last wrong movement or the bad position we slept in, which results in a stiff neck.

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​NECK PAIN TREATMENT:

Neck pain is treated in our clinic after determining the cause of your pain. We perform a thorough examination after taking a health history. Once we know the cause of your problems, we can treat you with a broad range of techniques. Manual therapy, exercise treatment, education and dry needling can all be used to help get you back moving well and feeling great.

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Watch the following exercises videos for neck pain:

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Neck pain treatment

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In the above video, Anthony from Physio K runs you through a neck mobility program, targeted at increasing your movement during the early stages of neck pain.

1. Gentle range of motion exercises.

Standing up or sitting down, bringing your chin down towards your chest, then coming back up looking up towards the roof and then coming back down to eye level. Then, try to rotate across to the right and to the left. The last one is side bending or lateral flexion of the neck: taking your ear down towards the shoulder on the right hand side and then coming back again towards the other side. When you're performing these exercises we generally get you to do it for about 10 times per day and you really can't get enough of these; especially during those early stages of neck pain.

2. Upper trap stretch

For this one here, we have you sitting right on top of your right hand, reaching over your head with your left hand and gently pulling your left ear down towards that shoulder. Now as you're doing this exercise, you'll get a nice stretch through your upper trap muscle, that's exactly what we're looking for. You're going to hold this stretch for 30 seconds and repeat that three times.

​Best neck exercises

In the above video, Kenny from Physio K is showing a combination of 2 of the best exercises to do when you’re having neck pain. The first one is great when you are doing computer work or are sitting for prolonged periods. The second one is the best strengthening exercise for the neck.

1. Shoulder rolls

You can do this one sitting or standing up. Just relax your arms in your lap and rotate the shoulder girdle backwards, making big circles backwards. Try not to use your arms, relax them in your lap and make big circles backwards. Do this for a full minute, if possible 10 times per day. Your muscles are under constant stretch when you’re sitting all day so we would like to get some blood flow in your upper trapezius muscles.

2. Deep neck flexor strengthening

Almost everyone could benefit from this exercise. It’s good to improve your strength and also to improve your posture! Start with laying on your back on a mat on the floor and try to make a double chin and hold this for 12 seconds. Keeping your head on the floor.

If this is easy, you can go to the next step which is basically the same but after making a double chin, then try to lift up your head just slightly, for 1 centimeter off the floor and hold this position for 12 seconds. This is a tough exercise, try not to compensate and keep the double chin position at all times!