Neck Pain
Neck pain and a stiff neck are most often tied to desk posture, phone use, sleep position, arthritis or a whiplash injury. East Mountain Physical Therapy treats neck pain for patients in Cedar Crest, Edgewood, Tijeras and Moriarty with hands-on care for the neck and upper back and exercises that you keep doing at home.
Why necks hurt
Posture and desk work
Hours with the head forward ("tech neck" or "text neck") load the muscles at the back of the neck and the joints below them.
Whiplash
A sudden jolt from a car crash or a fall can strain the neck and leave it stiff and sore for weeks.
Arthritis
Wear in the joints of the neck stiffens it and can bring a dull ache, worse in the morning.
A pinched nerve
Cervical radiculopathy sends pain, tingling or weakness down the arm. The cause is at the neck even though you feel it in the hand.
Pain, numbness or tingling that travels into the arm
If your neck pain spreads into the shoulder blade or down the arm, a nerve may be involved. We check neck movement, strength and reflexes to see whether the neck is the source, and we treat it as one. If your symptoms are mostly in the hand, carpal tunnel can be the other candidate. Shoulder trouble can also be mistaken for neck pain; see shoulder pain.
What treatment for a stiff neck involves
Manual therapy
Joint and soft-tissue mobilization, myofascial release and, when it helps, manual traction to ease the neck and upper back.
Exercises for the deep neck muscles
Strength and control for the muscles that hold your head up so the joints do less of the work.
A better workstation
Screen height, chair and phone habits, adjusted to your day. Small changes here are what keep neck pain from coming back.
Neck pain with headaches or jaw pain
Tight neck muscles are a common trigger for headaches that start at the base of the skull. We cover that on headaches and migraines, and jaw pain on TMJ and jaw pain. After a head injury, see a doctor first about concussion.
See a doctor first if
- neck pain began after a fall or crash
- you have dizziness or vision changes when you move your neck
- arm weakness is getting worse
Neck Pain care in the East Mountains
We see patients from Cedar Crest, Edgewood, Tijeras, Moriarty and the East Mountains.