Neck pain is a very common complaint. Gone are those days when only grandparents complained about aches and pains. Nowadays, teenagers and middle-aged people too are becoming victims of neck pains. Regular office desk jobs and lack of physical activities are taking a toll on people’s esprit, resulting in chronic pain in the neck and back muscles. Using pain relief can only constrain the discomfort for the limited time being, but they will not provide you with a permanent solution. It is reported that neck pain is the reason 25% of people attend outpatient physiotherapy.
Medications can temporarily cure, but physiotherapy for neck pain can serve you with effective and sustainable results by strengthening the neck and spine and dealing with the underlying problem.
An experienced physiotherapist will instruct you on how to impede recurrent problems as well as show you ways to improve your body posture. The treatment may also use the application of heat or cold or even electrical stimulation to relieve the pain. Physiotherapy for neck pain usually incorporates both active and passive treatments.
How does physiotherapy work?
The purpose of physiotherapy is to enable your body to become strong and for you to learn enough to avoid injury or pain again in the future. Physiotherapists initiate the treatment with a conversation to know about patients' medical history and current condition, the better knowledge will help diagnose and treat the cause of pain.
After identifying the cause and stringency of the neck pain, physiotherapists use two different types of physical therapy to regulate neck pain, passive and active physical therapy.
Passive physical therapy involves treatments that don't impose activity on the patient such as massage therapy, ultrasound, hot and cold packs, and electrotherapy.
Active physical therapy for neck pain includes the patient undertaking prescribed exercises and activities designed to strengthen their neck, restore their mobility and ensure that the pain does not occur again.
A combination of the two is usually used to treat neck pain depending on its seriousness. A physiotherapist will work with a patient to make sure you are feeling as good as new, as fast as possible.
Active physical therapy for neck pain
These exercises are organized to help you to maintain the neck muscles and strengthen the surrounding area of the neck as well. A gradual process slowly raises the workload on the neck over time to strengthen it unhurriedly. Here are some of the popular exercises practiced in physiotherapy for neck pain-
Neck strengthening exercises
When your upper back or neck muscles are weak, it causes the head to sag and results in additional pressure on the cervical spine. By strengthening these muscles you can lessen the load on the cervical spine, get your head to a neutral position, and ease neck pain. This will also benefit your posture.
What is done: Chin tuck, wall pushups, prone rows, and the shoulder scapular squeeze.
Neck stretches
Slouching with the shoulders and neck crouched for lengths of time can cause chest and neck muscles to decrease. These exercises help to stretch them back in such a position to reduce neck pain.
Core and back strengthening
If physical therapy is suggested to improve neck strength and functioning, it is likely that the back and core muscles around the trunk also get profit from strengthening. In addition, these muscle groups all work together to support the spine and render to improving posture.
Aerobic activity
This type of exercise elevates blood flow and breathing levels as the heart and lungs struggle tougher for the duration of the workout. Some common examples of low-impact aerobic activities, which do not jerk the spine, like cycling on an upright or reclined bike, swimming using a mask, and snorkeling are included to eliminate neck rotation and brisk walking.
When should you avoid physiotherapy?
In certain cases, physiotherapy for neck pain should actually be avoided. Particularly, when suffering from severe health conditions that are resulting in immense pain in your neck like tumors or spinal fractures, physiotherapy won't assist you in recovery. It may even make the problem disastrous.
VL Therapy, a famous therapy center in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia offers customized recovery programs for neck pain, joint pain, arthritis, muscle pain, sports injuries, pre, and post-operative discomfort with the process of physiotherapy by a team of experienced therapists. To know more about their services please visit the official website http://www.vltherapy.com.my/.