LoudounPT_Stay a Neck Ahead of Chronic Pain

HEALTH & WELLNESS The Newsletter About Your Health and Caring for Your Body

LOUDOUNPT.COM Leesburg: (703) 794-5581 Lansdowne: (703) 794-5587

INSIDE: Is Your Neck Pain Caused By Sleep Issues? • Avoid the Flu: Tips for Boosting Your Immune System • Staying Healthy & Physically Fit

Neck pain can be both debilitating and terrifying. When you experience an injury that leaves your neck in severe pain, the thought of not being able to freely turn your head is overwhelmingly stressful. What’s more, the pain itself is unbearable, and since the neck is so sensitive to injury, it is important to be as careful as possible in finding treatment and solutions for the pain. It is incredible to realize how common neck pain is — especially among American adults! More than two-thirds of U.S. adults will develop neck pain at least once in their life, and the reasons for the neck pain are as varied as the population of the nation itself. Injury, muscle strain and even stress can cause significant pain in the neck and upper back. If you aren’t careful, a neck injury can lead to chronic pain, and it is even possible for chronic headaches like migraines to develop as a result of regular neck pain. There are a lot of different ways that you can relieve neck pain, but the best treatment for your personal needs depends entirely on the type of injury that you’ve experienced. Here is a quick breakdown of what could be going on to cause your neck pain: If your pain is developing gradually over time and is not the result of any particular injury that comes to mind, then it may be a result of Degenerative Disc Disease . When this develops, you may experience chronic neck pain as a result of fluid-filled sacs that are becoming weakened over time as a result of stress and strain. Physical therapy can help alleviate the pain from degenerative disc disease by helping STAY A NECK AHEAD OF CHRONIC PAIN MAKE EACH DAY PAIN–FREE

restore blood circulation and improve range of motion in the neck. This therapy isapproached inacarefulanddeliberatewaysoastonotcause further pain in the neck region. Sometimes, neck pain develops after a particular injury, such as due to athleticismorevenasaresultofacaraccidentoraslipandfallaccident. When this happens, your pain could be a result of a muscle strain or sprain. When this is the case, then using traditional methods like hot and cold therapy and targeted physical therapy treatment can do a lot ofgoodtoalleviatethepain.However,attemptingexercisesonyourown could also result in further pain. Insomecases, Mechanical Neck Pain candevelopasaresultofachange intheneck joints.Thismaydevelopasaresultofadisccollapsing,which causes the space between the bones to become narrow, often causing bonestostrikeoneanother,resulting inpain.Whenthis isn’taddressed, mechanical neck pain can spread, causing the pain to become more severe and covering a wider range of the neck. Finally,neckpain issometimescausedby Radiculopathy ,whichrefersto pressureor irritation inthenervesoftheneck,whichalterstheelectrical signals in the neck, causing you to feel more pain throughout the day. Physicaltherapycanhelpreducethepressureand irritationsurrounding the nerves, often offering immediate relief from pain and discomfort. These are just some of the frequent causes of neck pain. It is important that you never assume that your neck pain is being caused by one or anotherofthese issues,andthatyou insteadalwaysworkwitha licensed and experienced physical therapist to determine the precise cause of your pain and discomfort. Scheduleanappointment todayonourwebsite at loudounpt.com/newsletter-request-appointment.

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