The neck is made up of 7 vertebrae that support the skull and allow us to turn, bend, straighten and tilt our heads sideways. Spaces between the vertebrae allow the spinal cord to pass from the brain and supplies sensation and power throughout the body.
It is possible to have referred pain from the neck which can often radiate down the arm and this can go into the fingers or thumb depending on the area affected. Often with this you may experience pins and needles or numbness and this is a sign that a nerve may be irritated.
Pain may also be felt at the back of the neck or radiating into the muscles around the upper shoulders.
If you have had trauma to your head/neck or symptoms such as dizziness, problems speaking or swallowing, drop attacks, nausea, visual disturbance or numbness then please SELF REFER to be assessed.
What can I do to help?
Ice or heat: If your neck is painful then applying an ice pack, hot water bottle or gels may be helpful for reducing pain. A packet of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel works well as an ice pack. Leave the peas in place for up to 20 minutes at a time. This can be repeated several times a day. If using gels then check with your GP or Pharmacist if you have other health conditions/medications which may prevent this.
Reducing the strain on your neck: It is usually best to carry out your normal activities, but try not to overdo it. You need to pace yourself to start with and try to do a bit more each day.
Rest: Aim for a balance between rest and exercise to prevent your neck from stiffening up. Try to avoid the movements that are most painful. However, it’s important to remain generally active even if you have to limit how much you do.
Exercise: Exercise is a helpful treatment for neck pain and will give the joint strength and flexibility. Below are a few exercises to try for your neck. They should not aggravate your pain whilst you perform them, if they do, A little post exercise discomfort is not uncommon and not a sign of damage. If you experience pain that regularly lasts for more than 30 minutes after exercise and feel that overall your pain is worsening please stop the exercises. Please visit our COntact Us page to see how to be referred to our clinic.
Complete these exercises once per day. Try and complete the exercises 10x per exercise.
If you can manage more then slowly increase the repetitions that you complete.
Shoulder shrug
Standing nice and tall either with two small tins in your hands or without, slowly shrug your shoulders upwards. Gently lower your shoulders back down.
Neck diagonals
Sitting tall in your chair, start with looking into the bottom right corner and slowly then start moving your head so you end up looking in the top left corner. Complete this again but in the opposite direction.
Thoracic rotation
Sitting tall in your chair, cross your arms across your body, gently rotate your chest and neck at the same time towards one side. Return to the starting position and then complete the same movement but to the other side.
Thoracic extension
Sitting in your chair. Cross your arms across your chest and then slowly start to arch you back over the back of the chair. If you have a high backed chair then slightly slightly forward in your chair an then arch your back.