Treating Neck Pain

Neck pain and stiffness are very common and can have a huge impact on your life. Symptoms can include the following;

Symptoms;

• Pain at the neck radiating to the shoulders or into the arm
• Pain or aching at the top of the neck/base of the skull
• Stiffness or restriction
• You may experience sharp twinges with turning or sudden movements
• Associated headaches are common

When to seek help;

• If your symptoms are significant and impacting on everyday activities including sleep then you should seek help. This is an indication that your symptoms are severe enough that they may not settle by themselves and you may require treatment to experience relief. 
• If you are experiencing pain into the arm accompanied by numbness, tingling and paraesthesias (pins and needles) then you should seek help. Indication that the nerves coming from the neck are being aggravated and you need to have this assessed to determine if there is any nerve damage occurring. All patients presenting with these symptoms will undergo an upper limb neurology assessment to ascertain if there is nerve damage. Referral where appropriate will be undertaken by your practitioner and it will be explained to you exactly what is going on.
• If you are experiencing dizzyness, nausea or visual blurring you should seek help. These symptoms can be signs that the neck is irritated to a greater extent than simple “mechanical” aggravation and you may take longer to recover and require very specific care.

Can we help?

Yes we can Neck pain is the most common complaint we see after low back pain!

Neck and arm pain or neck pain and headaches are more common than neck pain alone. Our therapists will utilise the most effective techniques in line with best evidence to provide you with relief. This may include soft tissue release, joint mobilisation or manipulation, acupuncture, activator, IASTM (Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation) and Taping techniques.

If you are struggling with neck pain, call us today at our clinics

Neck and Arm Pain

At our clinics we see neck and arm pain more commonly than we see arm pain alone.

Symptoms;

• Pain in the neck radiating to the top of the shoulder and into the upper arm
• Pain on neck movement especially rotation (turning movements) and extension (looking overhead)
• Pain can be nagging, achey & dull, interspersed with sharp, shooting pain on certain movements or unguarded movements
• May be accompanied by numbness, tingling or paraesthesias (pins & needles)
• The arm may feel or be heavy and weak
• If you have unremitting pain shooting into the arm with numbness and paraesthesias it is likely that you have radiculopathy and it is important that you have this assessed

What the cause?

Neck problems are very commonly associated with poor posture or weakness of the muscles of the upper back. This can be made worse by poor working position, stress and poor sleep position. Identifying causative factors is very important. If we don’t know what caused the neck issues how do we stop them from coming back?

Treatment

At our clinics we employ a number of different techniques in order to provide you with relief. This may be soft tissue release, joint mobilisation or manipulation, acupuncture, activator, IASTM (Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation) and Taping techniques

Can we help?

We certainly can! This is the second most common condition we see at our clinics. Are treatments are very effective for neck and arm pain.

If you are struggling with neck and arm pain, call us today at our clinics

Nerve Pain - Radicular Pain

Symptoms;

• Severe pain in the neck and arm
• Pain will be easily aggravated and sharp/stabbing when irritated
• Constant background dragging, nagging, horrible pain
• Pins and needles and tingling in the arm - this will be in specific fingers. If it’s in the whole hand then this is nerve involvement but it indicates a Brachial Plexus irritation rather than a specific nerve root

What causes Radicular Pain?

Radicular pain from the neck is caused when one of the nerves from the neck is being irritated. The nerves from the neck supply the sensation, reflexes and muscle strength to the upper arm. The most important differentiation when you experience symptoms like this is whether the nerve is being irritated alone or if it has been irritated enough to affect it’s ability to function. This will lead to sensory deficit (loss of touch sensation), weakness and reflex loss. Therefore it is extremely important that you have your upper limb neurology assessed if you are experiencing these symptoms. This has a huge impact on how likely you are to respond to treatment and whether or not you would require surgery. Some times it is important to refer for MRI to help us decide what is the best treatment approach!

Can Radicular Pain be treated?

Yes. The first option should always be conservative care. Surgery in the neck has significant risks and would only be undertaken in non-responsive cases. Conservative care must be specific and appropriate.

When you are in so much pain, our initial goal is to relieve any irritation to the nerves and reduce your pain. This means addressing the arm pain first. We have a number of techniques that are gentle and specific in conjunction with a lot of home advice and specific, gentle exercises at regular intervals.

VERY IMPORTANT

If you experience lower limb or body symptoms in addition to the above then you need to contact your GP immediately. Should you experience leg or foot numbness or loss of control of your bowels or bladder then you need to call an ambulance.

So if you are suffering from Radicular Pain call us at our clinic to find out how we can help you.

Whiplash

Symptoms

Neck and upper back aching and pain, which may radiate to the shoulders. You may also experience upper limb symptoms including numbness, pins and needles and also headaches. Symptoms can appear immediately after the injury, but often are not felt until days afterwards. Whiplash is usually confined to the spine. The most common areas of the spine affected by whiplash are the neck and thoracic spine (between the shoulder blades). You may also experience some dizziness, nausea and, lack of ability to concentrate and irritability.

Treatment

Treatment will generally consist of spinal manipulative therapies, massage therapy, exercise therapy and dry needling.

If you have been suffering whiplash injuries and would like help please call our clinic today.