Every year, approximately one-third of the United States population experiences neck pain. Pain in your neck can affect your ability to move your head. Decreased range of motion can prevent you from carrying out your normal activities, doing your work, or participating in sports or hobbies. Fortunately, physical therapy Gresham may be able to relieve your neck pain and return you to full function.
Identifying Causes of Neck Pain
Sometimes neck pain occurs as a result of a traumatic injury. For example, if you have been rear-ended in an automobile accident, you may experience neck pain soon afterward. This is called whiplash, and it occurs due to the violent, back-and-forth movement that your head and neck make involuntarily when another vehicle strikes yours from behind.
Neck pain can also be chronic and come on gradually. You may not be able to pinpoint a specific inciting event for this kind of neck pain. Often, some sort of degenerative process is at work, such as spinal stenosis, a herniated disk, or degenerative disk disease.
If the pain in your neck is from a herniated disc or spinal stenosis, there may be pressure on the spinal cord or the nerve roots that go out into your limbs. If this is the case, you may experience radiculopathy, which is pain, numbness, or tingling that extends down into your arms or legs. A problem with the nerves in your neck is more likely to affect your arms.
Rarely, surgery is necessary to relieve symptoms of neck pain. However, many patients get good results with physical therapy alone.
Regaining Muscle Strength
Now that you know the possible causes of neck pain, you may be wondering, “Could I benefit from going to physical therapy near me for treatment?” The answer is probably yes; even if you don’t know what is causing your neck pain, a physical therapist may be able to determine this through an assessment. If physical therapy would not be helpful, the therapist may refer you to a doctor.
A possible cause of your neck pain may be strain on the muscles in your neck because they are too weak to hold up your head. A physical therapist may teach you active exercises to strengthen your neck as well as, potentially, your core and back muscles. If your posture is contributing to your neck pain, your physical therapist may teach you exercises to correct this.
Improving Mobility and Functionality
Stiffness in the joints can contribute to neck pain, and vice versa. Neck pain often leads to decreased range of motion, which can prevent you from carrying out daily activities. Physical therapy Vancouver WA can help you regain motion and flexibility in your neck, which can increase your range of motion.
Often a physical therapist will work on neck mobility with you through passive exercises. This means that the physical therapist gently moves your head and neck manually without any muscle involvement from you. All you have to do is relax and let the therapist take your neck through range of motion. This is in contrast to strengthening exercises, which are usually active and require you to engage your muscles.
You can find physical therapy clinics online or ask your doctor for a referral.
