Neck pain or cervicalgia is an extremely common problem, with up to 80% of people suffering from neck pain at some point in their lives.
Most neck pains are highly treatable with physical therapy. There are no long wait times and we can normally see you within 24-48 hours. Booking is easy with our online system, allowing you to quickly start feeling better.
There are many causes of neck pain, ranging from something as simple as a stiff neck from sleeping in an uncomfortable position, to more complex issues.
Acute neck pains might be caused by a sudden accident such as a fall, sporting injury, or whiplash. Typically in these cases you will be able to pinpoint the moment the accident happened and the pain occurred.
Chronic neck pain (ongoing pain that isn’t due to a sudden injury) can be due to a wide range of underlying conditions such as:
Whatever the cause of your neck pain, we will be able to give you an accurate diagnosis and recommend the most appropriate form of treatment.
People feel neck pain in many different ways. The most common type of neck pain is axial pain, meaning the pain stays in one place – generally where the area of injury is – and does not move. You may feel something like a persistent ache, or pain when touching the area.
Radicular pain, as the name suggests, refers to the pain radiating out from the neck into the shoulders or elsewhere. Often this is due to a nerve in the cervical spine becoming compressed, causing it to send pain signals to other parts of the body. You may feel a shooting pain or tingling, which may be worse when making a certain movement.
Deep aching or throbbing sensations may also be a result of referred pain from elsewhere in the body. Headaches, backaches and problems elsewhere may all cause a chain reaction leading to pains in the neck.
At your first appointment, we will use various techniques to diagnose your neck pain, depending on the location and nature of the symptoms you are experiencing. This always begins with listening to you describe your symptoms and any factors or injuries you think may have caused your injury. We’ll also assess your general posture and biomechanics to understand how your body functions, and whether your neck pain is causing or caused by any issues elsewhere in the body.
We will typically ask you to carry out various simple movements to see how your neck functions and which particular movements are causing pain. We will also use palpation (touch) to assess the structure of your neck and any localised areas of muscle tightness.
If you are experiencing shooting pains or other symptoms which may be nerve-related, we may carry out neurological tests such as checking your nerve reflexes, or relative muscle strength tests in muscles served by nerves originating in the neck.
Whilst scans such as X-rays are not required to diagnose the majority of neck pains, we are able to advise when these are necessary and refer you to an appropriate service.
We use a range of physical therapy treatments to help you recover from your neck pain. These might include:
Spine or Joint Manipulation – directly manipulating the vertebrae of the cervical spine or elsewhere to improve alignment and release tension.
Western acupuncture or dry needling – the insertion of extremely fine needles into the muscles around the neck and shoulders or elsewhere, leading to improved blood flow to the muscles, reduction of muscle knots, and faster healing.
Massage – therapeutic massage techniques to release and relax muscles and encourage healing.
Mobilisation – actively moving affected joints to increase flexibility and range of motion, leading to improved function.
Bespoke exercises – we may give you exercises, stretches or similar to do at home that will help with the healing process and build up strength to prevent your injury recurring.
At your first appointment, we will explain the treatments which we think will be beneficial in your particular case and why. If you have not experienced a particular treatment before, your therapist will explain and demonstrate it to you. You will communicate with your therapist throughout your treatment.
You can learn more on our what to expect page, or if you would like to discuss any of our treatments please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to help. You might also like to see our osteopathy and dry needling pages.
We have clinics in Medstead and Alton, and are easily accessible via a short drive from the surrounding areas.
Making an appointment is quick and easy with our online system and we can normally see you within 48 hours.
The information on this page has been reviewed for accuracy by Michael Boyd BSc (Hons) Ost, Osteopath and Practice Manager at the Medstead Osteopathic Practice.
To arrange an appointment please click on the button below.
