Neck Pain
Most neck pain is mechanical/musculoskeletal in origin and therefore may benefit from osteopathic treatment. In a few cases, neck pain is a feature of an illness or caused by a disease process; in these cases osteopathic treatment will not be suitable and the osteopath will recommend that the patient goes back to see their GP.
Acute muscle spasm. This painful but relatively short lived condition might follow sleeping in an awkward position or carrying out an unaccustomed activity and sometimes causes the head to be held to one side. This type of muscle spasm may benefit from osteopathic treatment to relax muscles and improve mobility.
Arthritic pain. Wear and tear of the discs and joints of the spine happens to all of us to a greater or lesser extent as we age and these changes may or may not cause pain. Mild aching pain can be interspersed with intermittent painful episodes with muscle spasm. Careful osteopathic treatment can assist in calming spasm down to a more manageable state, reducing muscle tightness and improving general neck mobility.
Whiplash.
Arthritic pain. Wear and tear of the discs and joints of the spine happens to all of us to a greater or lesser extent as we age and these changes may or may not cause pain. Mild aching pain can be interspersed with intermittent painful episodes with muscle spasm. Careful osteopathic treatment can assist in calming spasm down to a more manageable state, reducing muscle tightness and improving general neck mobility.
Whiplash.
How can an Osteopath help with neck pain?
As osteopaths, we pay attention to other parts of the body as well as the neck. In some cases a mechanical imbalance some distance from the symptomatic area may be the underlying cause. For example, a fallen arch in the foot which has caused a tilt in the pelvis and affected the balance of the spine may result in the neck being awkwardly and painfully held to one side.
Your osteopath will review your symptoms, complete your medical history and examine you both standing and lying down.
Following the case history and examination the osteopath will decide whether your symptoms are musculoskeletal in origin in which case we will almost certainly be able to help. On the other hand, if there was concern that the problem required further medical tests then you would be asked to return to your GP.
Treatment
We can assess the tiny movement in the facet joints in the neck and determine whether the load placed through the joints is too great. We assess your posture, movements and daily activities. Bringing this together we devise a suitable treatment plan, combining different techniques from gentle rebalancing techniques to soft tissue massage and stretching of muscles and joints. In a few cases the osteopath may decide that a high velocity manipulation will be helpful and would discuss this treatment with you. Advice on posture, exercise and neck care will also be given as a matter of course.