Do you need neck pain relief?
Are you looking for a safe and effective way to achieve neck pain relief in Beaverton or Lake Oswego, OR?
Neck pain can significantly interfere with your daily activities. Dealing with neck pain alone, especially when you don’t know what’s causing it, can be difficult. Our physical therapists at Hopstown Physical Therapy will identify the source of your neck condition and assist you in regaining normal pain-free motion and function.
If you are looking for neck pain relief in Beaverton and Lake Oswego, OR, know that our physical therapy clinic is committed to assisting you in achieving long-term results through research-backed treatments. Request an appointment with Hopstown Physical Therapy today to get started on the road to recovery!
Why am I having neck pain?
There are many reasons why you could be experiencing pain in your neck, as well as many different sources of your neck pain. Actual trauma (such as from a whiplash injury) can cause injuries to joints in the neck and the related soft tissue (ie muscles, ligaments, discs); however, certain degenerative disorders can also be causing neck pain.
Poor posture and prolonged positions
Our spines need to move. Poor posture/prolonged positions are one of the most common causes of neck pain. Our modern society is far more sedentary than previous generations, and the prevalence of neck and upper back pain is increasing, particularly while working on a computer.
Poor posture causes neck pain, which is commonly associated with prolonged activities such as sitting and lying with your head in an awkward position. Overuse of your neck muscles can be caused by something as simple as sitting at your desk all day with your neck craned toward the computer screen. Did you know that your 10 lb head becomes 60 lbs when you are looking down at your phone with a forward head posture. Doing this too often can put an excessive strain on your neck and begin causing neck pain over time.
Neck injuries
When you overstretch your neck muscles, you can have a neck muscle strain. Neck muscle strains are frequently caused by traumas such as sports injuries, car accidents, or repetitive stress injuries (i.e., turning your head repeatedly while swimming).
Whiplash is a type of sprain/strain injury that occurs when the head whips back and forth rapidly, injuring the soft tissues in the front or back of the neck. A sprain occurs when ligaments are overstretched, whereas a strain occurs when muscles are overstretched.
Automobile accidents, high-impact sports collisions, and accidents involving a slip or fall are the most common causes of whiplash injuries.
Requesting an appointment with our physical therapists in Beaverton or Lake Oswego, OR is the best way to determine the cause of your neck pain and begin getting on the road to recovery.
Bulging or Herniated discs
Discs are specialized tissues that are located between two vertebrae (i.e., spine bones). The discs help protect against excessive torsion, absorb forces and help with joint compression.
Excessive bending with twisting movements are especially dangerous to the discs, especially when combined with sudden movements from accidents and falls. The disc can also become vulnerable to prolonged postures such as sitting or lying in an awkward position with your head in an awkward position.
Injury to the discs can cause significant neck and upper back pain and progress to a more serious condition known as a cervical radiculopathy (nerve pain) in your arm, forearm, and hand. A cervical radiculopathy can cause nerve pain down your upper back or arm and hand, numbness or tingling down your arm, and/or weakness into your arm and hand.
If you have a herniated disc in your neck, the nerves that branch off your spinal cord may be pinched, irritated, and inflamed where they exit the spine.
The good news is that these neck conditions do extremely well conservatively (without surgery) and the expert clinicians at Hopstown Physical Therapy in Beaverton or Lake Oswego, OR clinic are ready to help you begin on the road to recovery if you are suffering from acute or chronic neck pain.
Degenerative disc disease (DDD)
The neck joints, like any other joint in your body, can deteriorate with age, and become a source of pain, which is known as degenerative disc disease (cervical DDD). Cervical DDD is most commonly associated with normal aging, and just because imaging shows that you have degeneration in your spine, it is not a reason to be alarmed. Smoking, certain medications, and injury can also contribute to increased degeneration in the spine.
Pain from degenerative disc disease frequently manifests as changes in mobility occur. It is commonly felt when turning to look over your shoulder while driving or looking up at the sky.
People frequently describe a dull, painful ache in the neck that worsens with prolonged head elevation or turning in one direction.
Patients often get this diagnosis from their doctors and assume they actually have a “disease” in their spine. Degenerative disc disease is NOT an actual disease, but rather describes normal, age-related changes in the spine. This does not mean that your low back does not hurt, or discount any of the pain you are experiencing, but just note that these changes to your spine are normal.
Whatever the cause of your back pain is, our Hopstown Physical Therapy physical therapists can help you get to the bottom of it and, more importantly, give you the tools you need to control it for the long term!
Will physical therapy help my neck pain?
Approximately 70% of the population will experience neck pain, and up to one-third of people have experienced neck pain at some point in the previous year. Seeking help as soon as possible is often the key to relieving neck pain!
When left untreated, neck pain can persist, worsen, and, in severe cases, necessitate bigger interventions (like injections or surgery). According to research, seeking physical therapy early on can help alleviate the current situation while reducing the risk of a future problem.
In the early stages of neck pain, the most common symptom is pain on one side of the neck with associated loss of motion when turning the neck one direction. Tension (tightness) in the upper back muscles (i.e., traps) is also common. It may be worse at the end of the day or after a long day staring at a computer screen.
Some people wake up with pain that appears to have started for no apparent reason. The pain could be mild or severe, ranging from a dull ache to sharp, stabbing pain.
Furthermore, neck pain can occasionally be accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Difficulty sleeping due to pain and discomfort
- Weakness in your arms or shoulders
- Headaches that include neck pain and radiating pain from the base of the skull or behind one eye
- Numbness or tingling in the upper extremities
- Stiffness and muscle tightness in the upper back and neck
- Inability to turn or sit up straight
- Pain when remaining in the same position for too long
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, our Beaverton and Lake Oswego, OR physical therapy clinic can help! Our therapists are experts at determining and treating the cause of your neck pain!
Finding neck pain relief in Beaverton and Lake Oswego, OR
One of the most effective treatments for neck pain is Physical Therapy. Choose physical therapy over medications, injections, more imaging, and surgery if you want research-backed, long-term relief from your neck pain.
Our physical therapists at Hopstown Physical Therapy will perform a thorough examination to determine the mobility in your neck and upper body, your upper body strength, and the location and severity of your pain. We routinely perform neurological screens on all of the patients coming in with neck pain. We will also inquire about your pain, injury, and general medical history.
This information will assist us in understanding your condition and determining which treatments are most appropriate for you.
Our Beaverton and Lake Oswego, OR physical therapists use targeted manual therapy techniques, such as joint mobilizations and/or spinal manipulations and soft tissue techniques to relieve your pain, increase your neck’s range of motion, and restore your mobility.
We’ll recommend specific exercises to help you strengthen your neck and upper body muscles, improve your posture, and improve and maintain your neck mobility.
Every treatment plan is different, and what works for one patient may not work for another. But you can trust that your physical therapist will tailor your treatment to your specific needs!
Make an appointment today to find relief from your neck pain.
You may be living with severe neck pain, but this does not have to be the case. The physical therapists at Hopstown Physical Therapy can help you unlock a new, healthier phase of life.
Click here to make an appointment with one of our licensed Beaverton or Lake Oswego, OR physical therapists!
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