70% of Americans will experience neck pain symptoms within their lifetimes. The vast majority of these symptoms are secondary to the musculoskeletal system and effectively treated by Physical Therapists. Patient’s who experience multiple episodes of neck pain or have experienced symptoms for a longer duration (> 3 months) often present with weakness in the cervical...
Neck pain is an area consistently under treated by clinicians. There are countless passive temporary remedies for neck pain including massage, manipulation, and dry needling, but only high level exercise is able to reduce the long term effects of neck pain. When patients remain under passive care for their neck pain they will experience more...
Aging occurs in all of our body systems including the spine. Similar to wrinkles and grey hair, the spine will demonstrate age related changes including disk bulges, herniations, facet and ligament changes, as well as, degeneration around age 30. Interestingly, we find a high percentage of these changes in people with and without neck pain. Thus,...
Arm pain referred from the cervical spine (cervical radiculopathy) often is the result of nerve root compression by either bone or soft tissue in the bony canals of the neck. These canals protect the nerve roots as they exit from the spinal cord, but can also compress these neural structures leading to pain, numbness, pins and...
Neck pain is a common problem affecting up to 70% of the population in their lifetime. Cervical and thoracic manipulation remains an effective Physical Therapy treatment to restore mobility and decrease pain in patients with neck pain. Recent research has shown no difference between one manipulation technique over another with both showing equal benefits for...
In previous blog posts, we have described the clinical and financial benefits of seeing a Physical Therapist first for treatment of neck or low back pain. Patients who choose Physical Therapy first experience accelerated recoveries with decreased pain and recurrence rates compared to other providers. In addition to the clinical benefits, this patient group is...
Some of the highest quality Physical Therapy research details the effectiveness of our profession treating patients with neck pain. Patients can expect an accelerated recovery with less short and long term pain if they see a Physical Therapist for their neck symptoms. In addition, Physical Therapy interventions including manual therapy and exercise are about 1/3...
Traction has a long history of utilization for patients with neck and back pain dating to ancient times. A more contemporary use of this modality involves using traction to relieve pressure from symptomatic spinal joints, nerves, and soft tissues. In our experience, this treatment is best utilized in patients with symptoms including radiating arm or...
The standing row is an excellent exercise to develop strength and stability in the upper back, shoulder, and arms. In addition to the standard standing position, individuals may choose other positions including using TRX straps or a bar to increase the demands on the upper body and core musculature. A recent article examined the recruitment...
Neck Pain Background Information Neck pain affects 10-15% of the population at any one time, with a lifetime incidence of 22-70% (1). Only 6% of patients with neck pain report resolution of symptoms at one year (2). A recent systematic review demonstrated the prognosis from idiopathic neck pain is poor (3) and 50-75% of patients with neck...
