Physical Therapy Services
Neck Pain
Treatment for the cervical spine, where flexibility makes injury common.
Neck Pain
The neck, also called the cervical spine, begins at the base of the skull and contains seven small vertebrae. The cervical spine supports the full weight of your head which is on average about 12 pounds. While the cervical spine can move your head in nearly every direction, this flexibility makes the neck very susceptible to pain and injury.
How This Works
What neck pain treatment involves
The neck — the cervical spine — begins at the base of the skull and contains seven small vertebrae, and it supports the full weight of your head, on average about twelve pounds. It can move your head in nearly every direction, and that flexibility is exactly what makes it susceptible to pain and injury.
Assessment covers cervical movement in each direction, the joints and muscles of the neck and upper back, and, where symptoms travel into the arm or hand, a neurological screen. Treatment combines hands-on work to restore movement and settle irritated tissue with exercise for the deep neck and shoulder-blade muscles, plus changes to the sustained positions that keep provoking it.
What to Expect
Your visits, step by step
Assessment of the neck and everything attached to it
Your therapist assesses cervical movement, the upper back and shoulder blades, and — if you have symptoms into the arm — nerve involvement, since neck problems often refer symptoms down the limb.
Hands-on treatment
Soft tissue work, joint mobilisation and stretching are used to restore movement. Where a manipulation technique is being considered, screening comes first, as it does anywhere on the spine.
Exercise and position
You are given specific strengthening and mobility work, along with practical adjustments to screen height, pillow and driving position — the sustained positions that keep loading the neck between visits.
Review
Range and symptom behaviour are re-checked, and the programme is progressed against what actually changed.
Benefits
What neck pain treatment is used for
- Used to address neck pain, stiffness and limited range of motion in the cervical spine.
- Used to address symptoms associated with sustained postures — desk work, driving and screen use.
- Applied to the shoulder blade and upper back mechanics that load the neck, not only the neck itself.
- Includes practical guidance on workstation, pillow and driving position.
Results of an injury vary from person to person. What is appropriate for you is decided at your evaluation — call (718) 714-6995 and we can talk it through.
Common Questions
Neck Pain FAQs
My neck pain goes into my arm and hand. Is that still a neck problem?
It can be — symptoms in the arm and hand are often referred from the neck. That is one of the reasons the examination includes a neurological screen rather than looking at the painful area alone. Mention exactly where the symptoms travel when you come in.
Will my neck be manipulated?
Not automatically. Any manual technique is used only after a physical and neurological examination has screened for contraindications, and there are gentler mobilisation techniques that address the same restriction. Tell your therapist if you would prefer to avoid manipulation.
Is my pillow or my desk causing this?
Sustained positions are a common contributor, and your therapist will go through your screen height, driving position and sleeping setup with you. Whether that is the main driver in your case is what the assessment determines.
How soon should I be seen?
If you have new weakness, numbness, or symptoms following a significant impact, speak to a doctor promptly. For ordinary neck pain and stiffness, call us on (718) 714-6995 and we will find you a time.
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