Have you tried everything for neck pain but feel like nothing is working?
Next Level Physio is Here to Help! Find Neck Pain Relief in Bergen County, NJ today!
Did you know that over 30% of adults in the US suffer from neck pain? Did you also know that nearly 50% of all people will experience some sort of neck pain in their lifetime?
Well, one thing is clear: neck pain is a problem most of us will likely face at some point in our lives…
There are many different types of neck pain, causes for neck pain, and ways to treat neck pain. The good news is that Next Level Physio has helped hundreds of clients suffering neck pain in Bergen County, NJ get back to feeling their best!
Causes of Neck Pain
One of the most common causes of neck pain is a muscle strain. Some clients describe it as a “kink” or “stiffness”. Oftentimes, this can result from poor posture, sleeping in a bad position, trauma, sports injury, or a more serious medical condition.
Some of the most common conditions associated with neck pain include:
- Herniated discs in the neck
- Poor posture
- Sleeping in an awkward position
- Neck trauma or injury
- Cervical DDD (Degenerative Disc Disease)
- Cervical osteoarthritis
- Cervical herniated disc
- Infection (usually meningitis)
- Emotional stress that leads to tension
- Myofascial Pain Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Spinal tumors
- Spondylolisthesis
Identifying the cause of your neck pain is one piece of the puzzle, but so is figuring out what type of neck pain you have.
Types of Neck Pain
There are many different kinds of ways neck pain can take shape. Some peoples’ neck pain is a dull, irritating ache. Others experience burning, debilitating nerve pain that radiates down the shoulder or arm. Knowing what kind of neck pain you have is crucial for determining how to treat it.
- Axial Neck Pain, also known as mechanical neck pain, is focused on one part or region of the neck. Axial neck pain can feel dull, achy, and throbbing or may feel sharp and stinging. The key factor here is that axial neck pain does not move or radiate. Still, symptoms often increase with certain movements and poor posture. Common causes of axial neck pain include neck muscle strains, ligament strains, and trauma in the form of cervical disc degeneration, facet joint syndrome, and vertebral bone fractures.
- Radicular Pain in the neck occurs when a nerve root in the cervical spine becomes inflamed. Radicular neck pain tends to feel like an electric shock and the pain intensifies with movement. Spinal degeneration, osteophytes (bone spurs), and cervical herniated discs are usually the causes of radicular neck pain.
- Referred Pain in the neck is when the pain comes from a location other than where it is felt. It usually shows up as a deep, achy, cramping, or throbbing pain much like radiating pain. Referred pain is tricky when it comes to finding trigger points and their predictability. Additionally, referred pain can be referred to the neck from the heart, jaw, or other locations, but the neck can also cause referred pain to other parts of the body. This may appear as a headache, shoulder pain, upper back pain, and more.
- Myelopathic Pain is similar to referred pain in that symptoms are felt elsewhere besides the neck. With myelopathic pain, the spinal cord becomes compressed, leading to loss of function and/or sensation in the neck, arms, legs, lower back, or feet.
It’s important for our physio team to dial in where your pain may be coming from and the root cause.
Chronic or Acute Neck Pain
In addition to the diagnosed type of neck pain, another factor is whether your neck pain is chronic or acute.
Acute neck pain starts as a response to an acute injury or trauma and usually lasts several days. Causes of acute neck pain may be sleeping on a strange angle, poor posture, carrying heavy objects on one side, trauma, or injury.
Chronic neck pain is the next progression when acute pain hasn’t been resolved and has been going on for several weeks, months, and years. Our past clients often describe chronic neck pain as a lingering dull, achy, burning pain that is worse with certain activities. They’ll also say, “yeah, I’ve had this pain on and off for years!”
Because people tend to ignore pain and think, “Oh, this will go away,” the source may not be as easily identifiable as acute neck pain. Chronic neck pain may also be related to an underlying medical condition like cervical degenerative disc disease or cervical osteoarthritis, but could develop without a known cause.
Treatment for Neck Pain
As you can see, the type of treatment you receive for neck pain depends on many factors. Working with our skilled physio team may be the next plan to help get you back to the activities you love!
We use our 3 step MEI (Move.Excel.Inspire) Method to determine the best plan of care for your neck pain. In our Move phase, we focus on a whole body “reset” and alignment to dial in on the root cause of your neck pain. During our Excel phase, our goal is to stabilize, secure, and strengthen. Finally, our Inspire phase is all about challenging your capacity to do those activities you couldn’t do before coming to see us. Our initial plan of care for neck pain physical therapy in Bergen County, NJ may involve 2-3 sessions per week to start, but the goal is to reduce your frequency as you progress through our phases. We want you to get back to your favorite activities!
We also use a variety of cutting edge modalities cupping, dry needling, Australian hands-on techniques, and specific exercise programs catered to your individual needs. We’re not a cookie-cutter practice like many of the other physical therapy practices out there!
Find Neck Pain Relief Today!
If you are experiencing neck pain, Next Level Physio can help!
Get much needed neck pain relief when you call our offices today! Our physio team will do a complete assessment to get you on the road to better health. Work with us for experienced, professional, and compassionate surgery-free, medication-free pain management in Bergen County, NJ.
