Acute & Chronic Neck Pain Treatment in Daisy Hill

Chronic neck pain is a prevalent issue that can stem from various causes, with acute injuries often evolving into persistent discomfort. Acute neck pain typically results from joint or muscle strain, such as overstretching or tearing of tendons and muscles, or soft tissue sprain involving ligaments. These injuries often occur due to sudden forces, such as whiplash from car accidents or sporting activities. Prolonged awkward positions, like poor sleeping posture or work ergonomics, can also contribute to neck strains.

The blood supply to the soft tissue in the neck facilitates relatively quick healing of minor injuries, providing relief within days or weeks. Non-surgical interventions, including ice, heat, and physiotherapy, play a crucial role in reducing recovery time and alleviating pain during the healing process.

At The Brisbane Spine Clinic, we have a special interest in chronic neck pain and provide tailored physiotherapy, even in cases with severe degenerative findings on MRI or CT scans. Some of our clients, prior to seeking our physiotherapists, had been offered invasive treatments like steroid injections, radio-frequency nerve ablation, and surgery.

This is a natural process of wear and tear on the cervical spine over time. The discs in the spine slowly lose hydration and are unable to effectively cushion the vertebrae. In more severe cases, further degeneration can lead to a painful pinched nerve or a herniated disc.

This occurs when the protective outer layer of the disc tears and allows the jelly-like inner layer to leak though. Herniated discs may press against the cervical nerve or come close enough to cause irritation.

The facet joints in the spine are supposed to move smoothly on the cartridge cushioning. However, as the facet joints wear down over time, they may grind bone on bone. This also places a risk on the nearby nerve to become pinched or pressed.

Spinal stenosis is caused by a narrowing of the spinal canal which may be caused by a herniated disc pushing into the spinal canal. As the spinal canal narrows, the spinal cord is at risk of being compressed resulting in myelopathy. Compression of the spinal cord may lead to symptoms of weakness and co-ordination issues with arms and legs.

The common belief from an orthopedic perspective is that a degenerated or herniated disc may lead to more serious conditions such as cervical osteoarthritis or nerve root compression commonly known as a pinched nerve. Recent anatomical studies have shown that the actual incidence of this is not high and nerve function is not affected even with a high percentage of spinal compression. A new perspective is that disc degeneration is a natural part of the normal ageing process and is not a direct cause to many of the symptoms you may be experiencing.

Chronic neck pain physio treatment begins with a thorough assessment of your: 

• Range of motion – identifying any stiffness or tightness
• Flexibility
• Strength. 

Your physio then uses evidence-based approaches to ease your chronic neck pain. These may include: 

• Hands-on treatment to massage the soft tissues of your neck or mobilise your neck joints
• Prescribe tailored exercises which may include:
  • Stretches to encourage ease of movement
  • Strengthening the muscles that support your neck
• Advising you on how to improve your posture (if that is the cause of your neck pain).