What can physical therapists do for the neck pain at the base of your skull?

If you experience neck pain at the base of your skull, you shouldn’t ignore your pain. Sometimes this kind of pain can be worsened over time by ignoring it. The good news is that neck pain is often caused by a condition that can be improved with physical therapy. 

Do you experience neck pain at the base of your skull? If so, physical therapy can help relieve your symptoms and manage your pain. 

What could be causing your neck pain at the base of the skull?

There are a few different conditions that commonly cause pain in this specific area. The most common is a tension headache. These kinds of headaches are often brought on by stress, lack of water or sleep, or poor posture. However, they can also be chronic. 

Tension headaches should be distinguished from migraines. The difference between a headache and a migraine is that the latter is usually accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines can also cause nausea and vomiting.  

Another condition that could be causing neck pain at the base of the skull is occipital neuralgia. This condition occurs when the occipital nerves that run from the top of the spine to your scalp are irritated or compressed. If you have a throbbing pain that radiates from your scalp to your neck, you might be suffering from occipital neuralgia. This can occur from stress or neck tension that compresses the occipital nerve at the top of your spine. It can also occur after an injury if you have pinched the nerve. 

How physical therapy can help

If you think you might be suffering from any of these conditions, physical therapy can help you. In fact, physical therapy is one of the most common approaches to treating chronic neck pain. The goals of physical therapy are to: 

• Reduce neck stiffness/tension that may be contributing to your pain. 
• Provide relief for neck pain.
• Incorporate exercises that can strengthen the neck and ease muscular tension. 
• Work on improving posture. 
• Develop personalized approaches to preventing future neck pain.

Armor Physical Therapy is ready to relieve your neck pain

If you suffer from neck pain at the base of your skull, then consider physical therapy as a way to get relief. Our specialists at Armor Physical Therapy are experts in treating neck pain and the headaches that often come with it. We are prepared to develop a personalized treatment plan that targets the cause of your neck pain and helps prevent future problems.

Contact us today for more information about how we treat neck pain or to schedule an initial appointment.