Neck Pain

Neck pain affects nearly one-third of all people during their lifetime, with half of them developing long-lasting pain that’s hard to treat. Whether you just injured your neck or you’ve struggled with pain for a long time, the highly trained experts at Holsman Physical Therapy can help. At 17 locations throughout New Jersey and New York City, their team provides comprehensive evaluations and physical therapy that help ease your pain, restore optimal movement, and support rehabilitation from injuries and surgery. Book an appointment online or call the nearest office today to schedule a neck pain evaluation.

What causes neck pain?

Your neck (cervical spine) consists of seven small vertebrae supported by a network of ligaments and muscles. The top two vertebrae carry the head’s weight and support its movement.

The muscles supporting your head and neck are easily strained and vulnerable to whiplash injuries (when your head snaps back and forth). Neck injuries may damage a network of nerves in the shoulders called the brachial plexus.

Age-related degenerative changes also cause painful neck conditions such as:

• Spinal arthritis
• Herniated discs
• Bone spurs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Spinal stenosis
• Pinched nerves (radiculopathy)

Any neck injury or degenerative condition can pinch the cervical nerves (radiculopathy).

What other symptoms accompany neck pain?

Neck pain limits head movement and may cause sudden, sharp pain when moving your head in a specific direction. Many people also have headaches along with neck pain.

Pinched nerves may increase your neck pain and cause symptoms like pain and tingling radiating through your shoulder, arm, and hand. A brachial plexus injury is often called a burner and stinger because it causes a sudden, electric-shock pain from your shoulder through your arm.

Severely damaged nerves cause numbness and muscle weakness in your arm and hand. You may have trouble gripping and holding items.

How does physical therapy treat neck pain?

Physical therapy is an essential treatment for neck pain, achieving better pain relief and longer-lasting results than taking pain medication.

After completing a thorough evaluation and diagnosing the cause of your neck pain, your physical therapist develops a personalized treatment plan to ease your pain, improve neck mobility, and help you return to an active lifestyle.

Your therapy may begin with ice and heat, gentle stretching, and passive exercises (neck movement performed manually by your therapist). Your therapist also teaches at-home exercises and ways to modify your activities to prevent pain.

Physical therapy for neck pain may include many possible techniques. A few examples include:

• Traction
• Electrical stimulation
• Therapeutic massage
• Cervical manipulation
• Strengthening exercises
• Posture training
• Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM)

Customized physical therapy often helps patients avoid surgery. But if that’s your best option, you can depend on the Holsman Physical Therapy team to support your recovery and rehabilitation with one-on-one care.

Call the nearest Holsman Physical Therapy office today or use online booking to schedule an appointment and begin treatment to ease your neck pain. Holsman Physical Therapy has convenient locations in Lyndhurst, Fair Lawn, Cedar Grove, Caldwell, Bloomfield, Maplewood, Newark, South Orange, Clifton, Paterson, Kearney, Jersey City, and Rahway, New Jersey, and the Crotona and Van Nest neighborhoods in the Bronx and the Cypress Hills neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City.