How Can Spine Rehabilitation Address Neck Pain?
Most people experience some degree of neck pain at various points during their lives. While this type of discomfort is very common, its treatment is often less than straightforward. That’s because the pain can be caused by any number of issues in the spine as well as the rest of the body – even though the tenderness may be limited to a precise area of the neck. Additionally, neck pain can result from an injury or medical condition, or it can be referred from a distant part of the body.
At Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine of Houston, we offer physical therapy as a first-line treatment for many types of neck pain. For instance, we may recommend spine rehabilitation for a patient after confirming that the cause of his or her neck pain is related to:
- Poor posture
- Osteoarthritis
- A whiplash injury
- A shoulder injury or condition
- A compressed spinal nerve
- Muscle tension, weakness or strain
The specific type of physical therapy recommended for neck pain will depend on its cause. Some options include:
- Therapeutic massage
- Targeted stretches and strengthening exercises
- Low-impact aerobic activities, such as walking and aquatic therapy
- Postural improvement
- Taping or strapping
- Ergonomic improvement
- Graston Technique®
- Ultrasound therapy
- Electrical stimulation
- Acupuncture
Many of our patients do very well with spine rehabilitation for neck pain, sometimes to the point that prescription medications and surgery are unnecessary. In most cases, we recommend continuing a maintenance program at home after a formal physical therapy program is completed. For example, if years of poor posture led to the development of neck pain, several weeks of physical therapy may temporarily alleviate the discomfort, but home exercises and lifestyle changes will be necessary to ensure that proper posture is maintained going forward in order to prevent the pain from returning.
If you’d like to learn more about spine rehabilitation for neck pain, you can request a personal consultation with a physical therapist at Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine of Houston. In the state of Texas, a physician’s referral is not required for an initial appointment with a physical therapist.