Neck Pain in Sutton Coldfield

Hello and welcome back to the ThreeSpires Physiotherapy blog where we take a look at all things physiotherapy and health related. Also, welcome back to our series of articles about the physiotherapy services that we offer in Sutton Coldfield. Today we are going to have a look at an extremely common but complex condition that affects a large number of people and that our physiotherapists are able to help patients in Sutton Coldfield with: Neck Pain. In this article we shall look in depth at how ouir physiotherapy service in Sutton Coldfield can help patients with neck pain and we shall do this by looking at the answers to a series of questions. Before looking at the specifics of how we help patients in Sutton Coldfield with neck pain it is probably worth looking at a bit of anatomy and trying to uncover what might be some of the causes of neck pain.

Neck Anatomy and Structures

As ever with physiotherapy before thinking about what is causing a problem such as neck pain we need to know the anatomy of the area and some of the structures involved. Now, the neck is an extremely complex area and we could spend several blogs just looking at the specifics 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 is made up of 7 vertebrae (bones) which are labelled C1 to C7 with the C standing for Cervical. You can't actually feel C1 & 2 as they are underneath the skull but if you put your finger to the back of your neck the highest up bone that you will feel as you come down from the large bump on the back of your skull (called the occiput) is C3. C7 is also fairly easy to find and will be the reasonably large bump as you descend down the spine. Each of these vertebrae has a disk between them and also has a nerve root leaving at both sides. These nerves then intertwine and mingle and come together at what is known as the brachial plexus which is found either side of the neck and underneath your trapezius muscles. This "plexus" is where the nerves of the neck become the nerves of the are such as the radial nerve, ulnar nerve and median nerve. There are also a large number of ligaments around each of the joints of the neck and these provide stability at end of range movements. 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?

Okay, now we have had a look at some of the structures in the neck, we can begin considering what might be happening in the neck and what might be wrong. As discussed above there are a lot of fairly complicated structures in and around the neck and all of these can be a problem at times. 

• Muscles: the neck has a lot of muscles which are responsible for all of the movements of the head and neck 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: the neck has 7 bones (vertebrae) each of which articulates (forms a joint) with the bone above and below. Sometimes (often due to age) these joints can become irritated - a common reason for this being that the cartilage between the joints has become worn. This can then lead to neck pain and also commonly pain in the muscles supporting the neck.
• Intervertebral Disks: in between each of the vertebrae (bones) of the neck is a disk and as we age these tend to get thinner and more worn. This can in turn lead to the disk becoming irritated and causing pain which also commonly leads to muscular tightness and pain in an effort to compensate.

So, as we can see there are a lot of structures in the neck that can cause pain, next we need to look at some of the reasons that these structures can become irritated.

Why Does The Neck Become Painful?

Modern life creates a whole range of reasons as to why your neck may become painful:

1. Poor Work Posture/Positioning: many people these days work in an office and at a desk and often work long hours in a very static position. Now, when you are younger and have only just started your working career being in a constant poor posture may not cause you any problems but as you grow a bit older the structures in yoru neck such as your joints and the muscles start to protest and get irritated. Now, I know there is a lot of controversy around posture and whether or not it is a cause of pain but that is probably worthy of another blog all on its own and in this case I think it is reasonable to accept that being slumped over a PC for hours one end is highly likely to irritate your neck after a while.

2. Poor Sleeping Position: everybody (well almost everybody) will have gone to bed fine and then woken up the next day with a stiff and very sore neck. What has happened is that in the night you have moved and your head and neck have ended up in an unusual position and you ahve stayed like this for several hours and this has irritated the joints of your neck. Sometimes though we see patients who have too many pillows and are sleeping with their head and neck in an extreme angle and this 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 Sutton Coldfield?

We offer a home visit physiotherapy service throughout Sutton Coldfield for anyone with neck pain, we are based in Lichfield but serve anywhere within a 20 minute drive which includes Sutton Coldfield. For anyone struggling with neck pain in Sutton Coldfield one of our physiotherapists will visit the person 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 Sutton Coldfield. 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 then believes 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 Sutton Coldfield. 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.

Do You Have An Example Of Treating A Patient With Neck Pain In Sutton Coldfield?

Absolutely we do and we have a large number of testimonials available via either our website or Facebook page detailing how effective we have been. One of the most common complaints that our patients in Sutton Coldfield seek help with is neck pain and our physiotherapists are experts in helping and treating patients with neck pain through a combination of hands on therapy and appropriate strengthening and stretching exercises. To see how the system works and how it might help you, it may be helpful to have a look at a case study of a patient in Sutton Coldfield with back pain.

In this case our patient - a male in his 40s had developed a pain on the right side of his neck, it had come on slowly and now was giving him headaches and making it difficult to turn his head. He worked from home at a computer and his symptoms were worse at the end of a day. Our physiotherapist attended the patient's home in Sutton Coldfield, removing the need to take time off work and travel to a clinic. A full past medical history was taken and a comprehensive physical examination was undertaken to determine the underlying cause of the neck pain and the best treatment and management plan. In this case the patient received hands on soft tissue massage to relieve pain in the muscles of the upper back, shoulders and neck and a programme of exercises designed to stretch his neck and reestablish full range of motion. It was also discovered that his office set up was not good and he was given advice on how to change this and enable him to make a full recovery. Over a period of a few weeks our physio attended several times until eventually the patient had made a full recovery and no longer needed the help of a chartered physiotherapist.

If you work at a desk or drive a lot then most likely you will have experenced neck pain at some point in your life. For some people it comes and goes and only lasts for a day or so but for others it is extremely problematic, causes them to have to take time off work and lasts for long periods of time. Our physiotherapists offer a home visit physiotherapy service in Sutton Coldfield and surrounding areas such as Mere Green and Four Oaks and will be able to visit you at home in Sutton Coldfield to assess and treat your neck pain. So, if you are having neck pain, live in Sutton Coldfield 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