No Cookie Cutter Approach For Neck Pain
Physical therapy can help get rid of the pain in your neck, but just not life’s pains in the neck. Whether treating neck pain due to the joint, disc, nerve, or even headaches, a lot what I do is very similar regardless of the diagnosis once the pain generator is identified. The treatment can be broken down to manual therapy/hands-on treatment and exercise. I stick with my philosophy of less is more when it comes to home exercise prescription and tend to only give patients two to four exercises max that are simple, but very specific.
1. Manual Therapy/Hands-on Treatment
I spend a lot of the early on treatment sessions doing hands on manual therapy including joint mobilizations and distraction of cervical and thoracic spine and soft tissue massage. It’s common to find limited motion and restriction in the spinal segments which results in limited range of motion and also decreased strength and pain. Most patients find the hands-on treatment to be enjoyable and feel good, but there are times they will experience an initial increase in soreness and discomfort before feeling better. A new trick up my sleeve is dry needling with e-stim which I have had pretty good results and decreased pain and muscle tightness.
2. Exercise
I’m going to share my biggest secret today……exercise and movement is actually what gets the longest lasting results and best outcomes. I do have a few tried and true favorites that I utilize with basically all of my patients experiencing neck pain which include chin tucks, banded rows, and banded extension, but no one patient is the same and I don’t use a cookie cutter approach. A big focus is trying to improve the recruitment and endurance of the posture muscles of the deep neck and shoulder blades which can take unneeded stress and strain off of the joints and soft tissue. There are an almost infinite number of exercises that can be used to where it varies on a case-by-case basis and it all comes down to what their limitations are with regards to ROM or strength. Another main point of emphasis is posture. My patients probably get annoyed with me talking about posture and avoiding sitting with slumped, rounded shoulders, forward head posture and I become that annoying voice in their heads to ‘sit up.’
If you are interested in learning more or about treatment options, don’t hesitate to call/text 701-318-4731 or email alison@pinnalcetherapywellness.com to learn how we can help. Don’t forget to follow on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the happenings at Pinnacle Therapy & Wellness.