Two treatment options physical therapists offer for chronic neck pain

Most of us are familiar with neck pain as a minor nuisance that occurs after sleeping in a funny position. It’s also commonly caused by poor posture from looking down at a computer or phone screen for too long. This kind of minor neck pain usually lasts for no longer than a day and is treatable with light medication and rest.

Then there is chronic neck pain. People who have pain that lasts for three months or longer have chronic neck pain. Usually, chronic neck pain is the symptom of another condition, and the neck pain is accompanied by other symptoms, too. 

What other symptoms indicate you need chronic neck pain treatment?

There are many other symptoms that you can experience if you have chronic neck pain. You should visit a physical therapist for treatment if you have chronic neck pain accompanied by:

• Loss of mobility in the neck
• Pain that radiates throughout the head, neck and shoulders
• Weakness and numbness in the neck and shoulders
• Nausea, dizziness and headaches
• Fever

Unlike minor neck pain, chronic neck pain cannot be treated with only rest and over-the-counter medication. A physical therapist should be able to identify the cause of your neck pain and help you find ways to treat it.

These two therapy techniques can be used for chronic neck pain treatment

Our physical therapists can create an individualized treatment plan for your chronic neck pain. While there are many techniques that your physical therapist could use to treat your pain, there are two techniques that are more commonly used than others: 

1. Manual therapy — Physical therapists can use their hands to move and manipulate your neck, shoulders and upper back. This type of treatment is known as manual therapy. The goal of manual therapy for your neck is to improve neck mobility and reduce pain. One medical study shows just how effective this therapy method can be. This study reveals that 82 of the 91 patients who had manual therapy had at least a 50% reduction in their neck pain. 

2. Therapeutic exercises — Physical therapists also commonly recommend therapeutic exercises for neck pain. These exercises are designed to stretch and strengthen muscles that support the neck. Also, they can significantly improve neck range of motion, which can reduce pain. Researchers report that after eight weeks on a therapeutic exercise program, patients had: 

• A 26% improvement in cervical flexion
• An 18% improvement in neck extension
• A 15% and 14% respective increase in right and left lateral flexion

Find effective chronic neck pain treatment at Armor Physical Therapy

Our physical therapists at Armor Physical Therapy have years of training and experience in treating chronic neck pain. Our treatments are designed to reduce your neck pain with few side effects. They can also help reduce your need for surgery and other invasive treatments.

We’ll start by performing a free screening on you. This service is designed to reveal the root cause of your neck pain. Then, our team will build you a personalized therapy plan intended to reduce your pain and improve your ability to do normal tasks. We can even help you get physical therapy from home thanks to our virtual care and at-home therapy services. 

Contact us today for more information about how we can help you with chronic neck pain or to schedule your initial appointment.