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Overview
Neck pain is a common complaint that can arise from any of the structures in the neck — the spine, discs, muscles, ligaments and nerves. The neck is a highly mobile region of the spine that carries the weight of our head and is therefore prone to strain.
Today, long-term phone and computer use, a sedentary lifestyle and poor posture have made neck pain common at every age. Neck pain most often stems not from a serious structural problem but from muscular imbalance and poor posture.
Causes
- Long-term phone and screen use — holding the neck bent forward places a load on the neck structures.
- Incorrect working position — a screen that is not at eye level and a poorly adjusted desk and chair.
- Weak neck muscles — weakness of the posterior neck muscles increases the load on the spine.
- Stress and tension — causes the shoulder and neck muscles to remain constantly contracted.
- Wrong pillow and sleeping position — holds the neck at an unnatural angle.
- Sudden and strenuous movements — can cause muscle strains.
Symptoms
- Stiffness, tension and pain in the neck
- Difficulty turning the neck side to side and bending it forward and backward
- Pain radiating to the shoulder, upper back and between the shoulder blades
- Headache and dizziness may accompany it
- Numbness and tingling radiating to the arm (if there is nerve compression)
Diagnosis
The most effective method for diagnosing neck pain is the physical examination. Our physician takes the patient's history and assesses the location of the pain, restriction of movement, muscle strength and reflexes. When deemed necessary, imaging methods such as X-ray, MRI and CT are used.
Imaging findings alone are often not enough to explain the true cause of the pain. For this reason, we always evaluate imaging results together with the physical examination findings and make the diagnosis within this whole picture.
Treatment
The great majority of neck pain cases can be relieved with conservative methods, without the need for surgery. We regard surgery as a last resort. The main treatment options are as follows:
- Physical therapy — pain-reducing agents and appropriate exercises.
- Manual therapy and chiropractic — to achieve spinal alignment and relax tense muscles.
- Dry needling and, when required, injections — to relieve tense trigger points.
- Personalized exercise — lasting recovery by strengthening the neck and upper back muscles.
What We Do
When a client comes to us with neck pain, our doctor first performs a detailed examination, makes the diagnosis and determines the treatment protocol. Because we regard surgery as a last resort, we adopt a holistic and personalized approach.
In cases where it is needed, our doctor applies dry needling to painful and tense trigger points, and gives injections when necessary. We then refer our client to our specialist physiotherapists.
Our physiotherapists relax the tense neck and shoulder muscles with mobilization, cupping therapy, Graston and clinical massage; in suitable cases they achieve spinal alignment with chiropractic application. After relief, we apply fully personalized, three-dimensional exercise programs to strengthen the weak neck and upper back muscles that are the real problem. The human body is a three-dimensional structure; for this reason we base our work on purposeful, personalized rather than standard exercise.
We finish the sessions with kinesiology (athletic) taping so that the effect of the treatment is carried throughout the day. At the end of the process we see our client off with satisfaction and continue with remote follow-up. Our principle is clear: we treat the person, not just the condition.