Tackling the cause of a pain in the neck
Neck pain is commonly caused by sleeping in an awkward position, by bad posture, a pinched nerve, or through injury (whiplash from a traffic accident, or as a result of a fall are two common examples.). Neck pain can also be the result of issues with the bones in your cervical spine (your upper spine that extends through your neck to the base of your skull), or the nerves that sit within your cervical spine.
Most neck pain will typically only last a few weeks and relief can be sought via a variety of methods; through the use of common pain relieving medications (which may warrant discussion with your GP), using heat or cold packs on the affected area, use of a low, firm pillow and most importantly, by staying as active as possible. It is also worth noting that issues related to the neck often have a ‘knock on’ effect and can lead to tension and cervicogenic headaches (head pain originating from the neck or back of the head), which osteopathy can also help to alleviate.
How can Osteopathy help?
In the case of neck pain, treatment is very much dependent on the cause.
If the root of the problem is muscle strain, we will gently manipulate and apply local massage techniques to stimulate blood supply, increase strength and to loosen the muscles in the affected area/s. If you are suffering with an injury to your neck, a similar method of hands-on treatment will be applied but with the aim of relaxing the muscles to optimise your physical ability to recover efficiently from any sustained trauma.
In addition to in-clinic support, we can provide more generalised advice about how to avoid incurring pain in future, dietary supplements, ongoing exercises and stretches which can be performed at home, and also when medical intervention may be required.