What Is Causing Your Neck Pain?
collapsing, which causes the space between the bones to become narrow, often causing bones to strike one another, resulting in pain. When this isn’t addressed, mechanical neck pain can spread, causing the pain to become more severe and covering a wider range of the neck. Finally, neck pain is sometimes caused by radiculopathy, which refers to pressure or irritation in the nerves of the neck, which alters the electrical signals in the neck, causing you to feel more pain throughout the day. Physical therapy can help reduce the pressure and irritation surrounding the nerves, often offering immediate relief from pain and discomfort. Theseare justsomeof thefrequentcausesofneckpain. It is important that you never assume that your neck pain is being caused by one or another of these issues, and that you instead always work with a licensed and experienced physical therapist to determine the precise cause of your pain and discomfort. IS YOUR NECK PAIN CAUSED BY SLEEP ISSUES? There is one more factor that often is not spoken about, but it’s a frequent cause of neck pain and discomfort: sleeping issues. Sometimes, sleeping in a certain position or sleeping on a mattress or pillow that is too soft or too hard will lead to neck pain. Oftentimes, this pain will appear to be chronic, as the sleeping issue is likely something that you experience day after day, causing the pain to return regularly. It may be helpful to rule out sleeping concerns as a reason behind your neck pain by assessing your sleeping conditions and making any changes that you think may be necessary. Adjust how many pillows you sleep on, the position you sleep in or even your mattress! Patient Success Spotlight I came in with neck pain and shoulder pain. It was hard to drive because looking to my left was difficult and reaching caused extra shoulder pain. After my visits to King Physical Therapy and Karla showing me the proper exercises, I AM PAIN FREE! Pain? No, thank you!” - Joyce G.
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 restore blood circulation and improve range of motion in the neck. This therapy is approached in a careful and deliberate way so as to not cause further pain in the neck region. Sometimes, neck pain develops after a particular injury, such as due to athleticism or even as a result of a car accident or a slip and fall accident. 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 of good to alleviate the pain. However, attempting exercises on your own could also result in further pain. In some cases, mechanical neck pain can develop as a result of a change in the neck joints. This may develop as a result of a disc
Exercise Essentials
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NECK SIDE FLEXION STRETCH Slowly lower your ear towards your shoulder as far as you comfortably can. Use your arm to guide your head slightly further until you feel a gentle stretch in your neck. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times on each side.
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