Non-Surgical Solutions for Neck Pain

Neck pain is one of the top problems that keeps people from work, sports, or activities they love. It can have a lot of different causes, from a herniated or slipped disk to degenerative disk disease and arthritis. No matter the cause, the first recommended treatment – such as physical therapy and pain-relieving medicines – is always non-invasive.

A personalized physical therapy plan for neck pain can relieve your symptoms and improve your health, preventing future problems. Your physical therapist will evaluate your neck so they can design a customized plan that may include treatments such as:

Manipulation Techniques

Manipulation techniques move your neck into specific positions to try to relieve any muscle or ligament tightness. They can be combined with massage to help relieve tension.

One technique is strain counterstrain. In this technique, your therapist will move your neck into a position that feels comfortable, where you don’t have any pain. They will then hold your neck in that position for 90 seconds, helping to calm painful nerve impulses.

Active release techniques include over 500 moves that use tension and specific movements to help relieve pain. For instance, the physical therapist may press on a muscle in your neck while you turn or move your head.

Myofascial Release

Myofascial release is a type of massage that focuses on gently stretching and lengthening the fascia, connective tissues around your muscles. Tight fascia can pull muscles and vertebrae out of place, leading to pain. During massage sessions, your physical therapist will put pressure on the fascia. The pressure can help release tension.

Exercise Program

Your physical therapist will create an exercise program for you to complete during your sessions and at home. These exercises will likely include stretches to help loosen up neck muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

They may also give you exercises to improve your posture. Poor posture, especially when using technology like phones and computers, commonly causes recurrent neck pain and headaches.

Your physical therapist may use the MacKenzie Method to determine what exercises are right for you. The MacKenzie Method uses a comprehensive, specialized evaluation to determine the exact causes of your pain. Based on the evaluation’s results, you will be given a specific set of instructions you can do yourself to relieve and even prevent future pain.

You can find a solution for your neck pain without surgery or invasive procedures. Contact Bon Secours In Motion today to learn more about physical therapy for neck pain.