When should I go to physical therapy after a neck injury?
When Physical Therapy May Be Recommended. Recovering from injury. Some injuries, such as whiplash, can damage the neck’s soft tissues and joints, resulting in pain and/or stiffness that can last for weeks or much longer. A physical therapy program can reduce pain and help return the neck to normal functioning.
How do you treat a neck injury at home?
Rest may be helpful during the first 24 hours after injury, but too much bed rest may delay recovery. Heat or cold. Either heat or cold applied to the neck for 15 minutes up to six times a day can help you feel better. Over-the-counter pain medications.
How do you treat a whiplash injury on your neck?
Either heat or cold applied to the neck for 15 minutes every three hours or so can help you feel better. Over-the-counter pain medications. Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), often can control mild to moderate whiplash pain.
What are the goals of physical therapy for neck pain?
Goals of Physical Therapy for Neck Pain. Physical therapy for neck pain typically includes the following goals: Reduce pain and stiffness. Improve head and neck range of motion. Develop dynamic strengthening of the neck and its supporting musculature.
What is the best treatment for neck and shoulder pain?
How Are Neck and Shoulder Pain Treated? The treatment of soft tissue neck and shoulder pain often includes the use of anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve or Naprosyn). Pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) may also be recommended.
What is the recommended treatment for someone with a neck or back injury?
If you suspect someone has a spinal injury: Call 911 or emergency medical help. Keep the person still. Place heavy towels or rolled sheets on both sides of the neck or hold the head and neck to prevent movement. Avoid moving the head or neck.
When should you seek medical attention for a neck injury?
Seek medical care if your neck pain is accompanied by numbness or loss of strength in your arms or hands or if you have shooting pain into your shoulder or down your arm.
Can physical therapy help neck and shoulder pain?
Physical therapy is one of the most common treatments for chronic neck pain. Most physical therapy programs for neck pain involve applying treatments to reduce pain and/or stiffness enough to begin an exercise program of strengthening and stretching the neck.
What can you do to help minimize arm and shoulder injuries?
RecoveryRest and ice are key. Apply ice every few hours.Ask your doctor if you can take over-the-counter pain relievers like aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen.If your doctor suggests physical therapy, make sure you do it.Don't wear a sling. You want to keep your arm free to move. Just don't overdo it.
What kind of doctor should I see for neck and shoulder pain?
If you have neck pain, an orthopedist may be the right specialist to see. An orthopedist is a highly trained surgeon, knowledgeable about the skeleton and its structures. When it comes to treating neck pain, many patients consider orthopedic care the gold standard.
How do I know if my neck injury is serious?
Some signs of a serious neck injury:Pain that doesn't go away or is severe.Shooting pain in your arms or legs.Numbness, weakness, or tingling in your arms or legs.Trouble controlling your bladder or bowels.
Can neck pain go down your arm?
Neck problems can cause a range of symptoms including pain (which may go down your arm), stiffness and pins and needles/numbness in your arm or hand.
How do doctors describe neck pain?
Many people describe this as having a stiff neck. If neck pain involves nerves, such as a muscle spasm pinching on a nerve or a slipped disk pressing on a nerve, you may feel numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arm, hand, or elsewhere.
Is physical therapy worth it for neck pain?
Recent research has shown that physical therapy is a better treatment than surgery or pain medication (such as opioid medication) for relieving many cases of neck pain. Physical therapy treatments often can help people avoid the need for surgery or medication altogether.
How long is physical therapy for neck?
Eliminating or significantly reducing neck pain usually occurs over a period of 6-12 weeks.
What does neck therapy consist of?
Stretch, Strengthen, and Straighten Up Treatments such as cold or heat application, deep tissue massage, electrical stimulation, and ultrasound may be used prior to exercise. During physical therapy, you will practice a range of exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles that support your neck.
Complete treatment for your neck injury
Neck pain can make daily activities – working, driving, exercising or simply turning your head – difficult. Your pain could be the result of a repetitive motion, poor posture, an accident, sports injury, fall or a long-term problem in your spine. The good news is that most neck pain does not require surgery and responds well to physical therapy.
Neck Injuries We Treat
A disc works like a shock absorber for your body. Your cervical discs allow you to turn your head and stabilize it. Over time, discs can become worn or damaged. Symptoms of disc injury can include:
What is shockwave therapy?
Shockwave therapy delivers physical/mechanical pulses that travel through the tissue and help break down scar tissue and promote healing. Occupational therapists focus on activities of daily living and how you can reduce or avoid pain as you drive, get dressed, shower or work.
How does aquatic therapy work?
Aquatic therapy uses water to build strength and flexibility while reducing the pressure of gravity. Negative pressure (vacuum) massage works by applying negative pressure to certain areas of the body to activate the lymphatic system, which helps move metabolic waste.
What does a physical therapist do?
Physical therapists may use various techniques to help you with mobility and function:
Can you have lower back pain if you have a prior injury?
Anyone can experience lower back pain at any time, even if you don’t have a prior injury or any of the risk factors. Learn more about lower back pain and what causes it.
How to treat a weak neck?
Your treatment may include pain management with heat or ice, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), physical therapy, posture education, range of motion and strengthening exercises to reduce stress on your neck while doing daily activities. Repetitive strain.
How to help neck pain?
Weakness. Your treatment may include pain management with heat or ice, posture education, massage, exercise to improve your flexibility, strength and endurance. In addition, at-home exercise will help reduce neck pain. Whiplash. Whiplash is the result of a forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement in your neck.
What to do if you have numbness in your arms?
Treatment may include pain management with heat, ice or electrical stimulation, posture education, massage and stretching and movement exercises to help restore range of motion and get you back to your daily activities.
What is whiplash in the neck?
Whiplash is the result of a forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement in your neck. It often occurs during a rear-end auto accident, but can also result from a sports accident or trauma. Symptoms of whiplash can include: Dizziness.
What nerves are involved in the neck?
Pinched nerve. Nerves in the neck carry information to and from the arms and brain. They transmit sensations like hot, cold and pain. They also activate the muscles in your arms. A pinched nerve occurs when a nerve in the neck – the part connected to the spinal cord – is injured or inflamed.
How to treat a disc injury?
Treatment for your disc injury can include traction or physical therapy on your muscles and joints to reduce your pain and stiffness. Exercises can help increase your range of motion while correcting your posture can improve neck pain. Pinched nerve. Nerves in the neck carry information to and from the arms and brain.
What are the symptoms of cervical disc injury?
Your cervical discs allow you to turn your head and stabilize it. Over time, discs can become worn or damaged. Symptoms of disc injury can include: Loss of mobility. Numbness radiating down your shoulder, arm and hand. Pain or stiffness. Weakness.