Neck Pain in Rugeley

Hello and once again welcome back to the ThreeSpires Physiotherapy blog where we look at all things physiotherapy related. As you might have noticed recently I have been going on about the benefits of exercise and staying fit (nothing new there!)  but today I thought we would return to looking at our physiotherapy service in Rugeley and surrounding areas such as Colton, Little Haywood, Armitage and Handsacre. Specifically in this blog we will look at how our physiotherapists help with neck pain.

Neck Anatomy and Structures

As always, in the world of physiotherapy before we are able to think about what is the cause of a problem such as neck pain we need to have a good understanding of the anatomy of the area and the structures involved. Now, the neck is a wonder of anatomical design and we could spend several blogs just looking at all of the structures of the neck and how they work but for the purposes of this blog we shall attempt to keep it relatively simple. The neck consists of 7 vertebrae (bones) which are named C1 to C7 with the C standing for Cervical. It isn't possible to feel the first two vertebrae as they are underneath the skull however the first bone that you feel as you come down from the bump on the back of your skull (the occiput) is C3. The last part of the neck: C7 is also easy to find and is the large bump as you come down the neck and onto teh upper back (thoracic region). Between each vertebrae is a disk and there is also a nerve root leaving the spinal cord at each side. These nerves then twist and conjoin at the brachial plexus which is found either side of the neck and underneath your trapezius muscles (there are the muscles that come out from each side of your neck and run into your shoulders). The brachial "plexus" is where the nerves of the neck join each other and become the nerves of the arm such as the radial nerve, ulnar nerve and median nerve. Each joint in the neck has a large number of ligaments and these give stability to the joint when it as at end of range. Many muscles also connect into the neck and they allow the neck to move through a large range of motion. Some of the more important neck muscles are trapezius - this is easy to find is the two large bumps either side of where your neck joins your back. The scalenes and sternocleidomastoid are also very important for neck movement and stability and attach to the collar bone and first rib.

What Structures Cause Neck Pain?

Now we have examined some of the structures in the neck, we can start thinking about what could be happening in the neck and what might be going wrong. As mentioned earlier there are many complicated structures in and around the neck and these can all be a problem at times. 

• Muscles: there are a range of muscles at and around the neck which move the head and neck in all directions and also keeping the head, neck and shoulders stable. Sometimes muscles such as trapezius, sternocleidomastoid and the scalenes get overloaded and aksed to do too much and they can get fatigued and cause pain.
• Spinal Joints: as discussed above the neck has 7 bones (vertebrae) each of which has a joint with the bone above and below. Sometimes (this happens more often as we age) these joints can become irritated - one reason being the cartilage between the joints has become worn and thinner. This can then lead to neck pain and also commonly pain in the muscles supporting the neck.
• Intervertebral Disks: in between all the vertebrae (bones) in the neck is a disk and as we grow older these unfortunately tend to get thinner and a bit more worn. This sometimes leads to the disk becoming irritated and causing pain which also commonly leads to muscular tightness and pain in an effort to compensate.

Okay, clearly there many structures in the neck that can cause pain, in the next section we need to discuss some of the reasons that these structures can become irritated.

Why Does The Neck Become Painful?

This sounds like an easy question to answer but unfortunately due to the number of structures in the neck and the way in which these can become irriatted it is often hard to pinpoint one cause of neck pain. There are however some factors that we can certainly point to as being likely to cause neck pain with modern life creating a whole host of reasons as to why your neck may become painful:

1. Poor Work Posture/Positioning: a large proportion of people work in an office or at a desk and often spend long hours in a very static position. This trend has increased over recent years with a large percentage of people now working from home. Often those working from home are just doing so from their kitchen table on a laptop in a poor position and not taking any breaks. Now, if you are young and are only just at the beginning of your working career then being in a poor posture may not cause problems but as you age the structures in your neck such as your joints and the muscles start to protest and get irritated. Now, in the world of physiotherapy there is a bit of controversy around posture and whether or not it is important but that is probably another blog all on its own. In this case I think most people would accept that being slumped over a desk for hours on end is highly likely to irritate your neck after a while.

2. Poor Sleeping Position: at some point almost everyone will have gone to bed fine and then woken up the next day virtually unable to move their neck. What happened was that in the night your head and neck have been in an unusual position and have stayed like this for several hours which has irritated the joints of your neck. Occasionally, though we do see patients with far too many pillows and they are sleeping with their neck at an extreme angle which is causing them to have a bad neck.

3. Trauma: any kind of impact or jarring around the head or neck can irritate one of the joints or ligaments in the neck and cause neck pain. Sports that involve physical cotact such as boxing or rugby can often cause neck pain. Another common cause of neck pain is whiplash from a road traffic accident although there is a large amount of dispute around this. 

4. Age: as with most conditions affecting the human body, age does unfortunately play a role in neck pain. As we age the structures in our neck get more worn and the disks and cartilage between the joints gets thinner and this means they can get irritated and become painful.

What is our Physiotherapy Service for Neck Pain in Rugeley?

We offer a home visit physiotherapy service throughout Rugeley and surrounding areas such as Armitage, Handsacre and Colton for anyone with neck pain. We are based in Lichfield but serve anywhere within a 20 minute drive which includes Rugeley. For anyone struggling with neck pain in Rugeley one of our physiotherapists will visit you at home, complete a detailed and thorough assessment and provide manual therapy and exercises at home. A large amount of experience has demonstrated that this is a very effective method of reducing neck pain in patients.

What will happen when the Physiotherapist Treats My Neck Pain?

Commonly when I am discussing with patients how our physiotherapy service could help with their neck pain they will ask: "what will it involve?" This is a very reasonable question as most patients will not have had treatment at their home for their neck pain before. In general, after booking an appointment (either via phone or email) one of our physiotherapists will visit the patient at home in Rugeley. The session usually begins with a chat to discuss the problem, find out what irritates the issue, how long it has been going on, to discuss any past medical history and finally to consider any goals for treatment. After this the physiotherapist will complete a full physical assessment which will look at range of movement, strength and flexibility. It will also involve the physiotherapist palpating (touching) various body areas for example the upper back and neck to determine if they are sensitive or tight etc. The physio will then discuss what the issue is that they have identified as being the cause of the neck pain and treatment options. After this treatment will commence which will usually involve some manual therapy such as massage to alleviate any muscular pain. Finally the physiotherapist will give the patient a series of exercises and stretches aimed at reducing their neck pain and getting them back to full fitness. The physiotherapist will have a plinth (massage table) with them upon which any therapy will take place. For more detail about this please have a look at our FAQs.

What if I Need a Scan for My Neck Pain?

To be honest this is actually very unusual and in one of our previous physiotherapy blogs I went into a fair amount of detail about whether someone with neck pain is likely to need a scan or not and for a comprehensive look at this topic click here. However, if our physiotherapist assesses you and they believe that there is a good reason that you need a scan for your neck pain then they will discuss how best to make this referral. They will in general suggest one of the following options: a written letter to the GP detailing why it is advisable that you have a scan or if you have private medical insurance they can once you have authorisation make a direct referral to a private imaging provider. 

What if Physiotherapy Can't Help My Neck Pain?

Again to be completely honest this would be very rare and in the vast majority of cases physiotherapy will be able to help you recover from your neck pain in Rugeley. It may take time and perseverance but in general we have a very high success rate with helping people with neck pain make a full recovery and keep fit once recovered. However, in some cases we may not be able to help or our physiotherapist may feel that the patient needs to see a doctor for an opinion. In this case our physiotherapist will be able to make a referral usually via a written letter detailing the issues involved.

Okay, hopefully you have found this article about our physiotherapy service in Rugeley and surrounding areas for people with neck pain helpful. Our physiotherapists offer a home visit physiotherapy service in Rugeley and areas such as Armitage, Handsacre, Colton and Little Haywood and will be able to visit you at home in Rugeley to assess and treat your neck pain. So, if you are having neck pain, live in Rugeley and would like to find out what you can do about it, please get in touch either via email: enquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk or by phone on 07884281623