Literally a pain in the neck….

Neck pain is the second most common problem we treat in the physiotherapy world. It affects approximately 10 – 20% of the UK population and is more common for females than males (surprise, surprise for us poor ladies!) and more common for the older age group than the younger but we’re very aware of the ‘middle-aged’ group due to the potential burden of disability – potential to be off work, reduced activity levels, stress and other lifestyle changes than can take place. It also has a 50% recurrence rate ie once you’ve had an episode you are very likely to have another.
That sounds all very doom and gloom but on the whole neck pain isn’t serious. By which we mean it’s unlikely to kill you, not that the pain isn’t serious and debilitating. XR’s and scans aren’t always the most helpful investigations as there doesn’t appear to be a strong link between what is seen on these and what a person experiences. This means we’re not always in a rush to get these done and rely much more on an actual examination and assessment of the patient.
Here at Plym Physio we want to help. Understanding what’s going on helps educate and inform and potentially reduce the stress and anxiety associated with any painful condition. Knowing what to do (and potentially what not to do) is key so invariably exercises that help improve mobility, strength, control as well as desensitise structures tends to form part of neck treatment. There are other physiotherapy treatments that can help such as manual therapy, taping, posture re-education and exercise classes and even acupuncture.
Necks can also refer pain to other areas of the body. Generally this will be in the upper part of the body such as the arms but also head and face. They can trigger headaches and migraines. So it is always worth bearing physiotherapy in mind if any of these symptoms sound familiar as it can very often help ease these.
We have a page on our website dedicated to neck pain with some exercises you can try and which you can view here:

If you would like to see one of our Physios you can call us on 656340 or book in online here.

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