Neck Pain

Many people experience neck pain or stiffness occasionally and can be caused from a variety of issues relating to the neck/ cervical region. Common causes of neck pain include poor posture often associated with prolonged sitting or standing and office jobs, overuse, muscle imbalances, off, mental and/or physical stress, trauma from whiplash or external forces, musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis or herniated disc, conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, pinches nerves in the cervical neck and other health conditions. Neck pain may be an acute, subacute, or chronic long-lasting issue and symptoms can vary throughout your recovery.

Symptoms of neck pain include a stiff neck causing reduced range of motion and movement in the neck, pain when moving either bending, extending or twisting the neck, sharp pain generally localised to one area, tingling or numbness often radiating down the neck into the shoulder, elbow, forearm or hand caused by the nerves within the neck or a dull pain often in the form of a headache possibly radiating into the base of the skull or front of the head.

Often neck pain can be caused by muscular imbalance between the front and back of the neck (anterior and posterior muscles) resulting in an over development in one place and underdevelopment in the other. Due to the multitude of potential issues that can result in neck pain, it can be very beneficial to have a qualified physiotherapist have a look to help determine the nature of your specific presentation and advise you on the best management strategy for you. Most presentations of neck pain respond very well to physiotherapy strategies and are resolved within a period of one to three weeks depending on the underlying cause.

In addition, we also provide postural and workplace ergonomic advice to reduce your risk of neck issues, and exercises to prevent future episodes of neck pain.