Physical Therapy for Neck Pain

Recent research shows that Physical Therapy is a better treatment than surgery or pain medication (such as opioid medication) for relieving many cases of neck pain.  

Our Physical Therapists create specific treatment programs that will speed recovery, including exercises and treatments that can be done at home. Physical therapy can help you return to a normal lifestyle and activities. 

We work with patients to:

Reduce Pain & Other Symptoms. Our Physical Therapists use different types of treatments and technologies to control and reduce pain and symptoms. These may include gentle hands-on techniques (manual therapy), specific neck movements and exercises, and the use of technologies - such as electrical stimulation or traction.

Avoid Surgery. In most cases, a Physical Therapist can design an individualized treatment program to help relieve neck pain—even severe radiculopathy—to help individuals with neck pain avoid surgery. Only in rare cases does radiculopathy require surgery to relieve its cause.

Improve Posture. If our Physical Therapists find that poor posture has contributed to neck pain, they will educate the patient on improving posture so healing can occur.

Improve Motion. Our Physical Therapists choose specific activities and treatments to help restore normal movement in any stiff joints. These might include "passive" motions that the Physical Therapist performs to move the spine or active exercises and self-stretches.

Improve Flexibility. The Physical Therapist determines if any of the involved muscles are tight and teaches gentle stretching exercises that can be performed. They also may supervise the performance of particular stretches during the Physical Therapy treatments.

Improve Strength. Suppose our Physical Therapist finds any weak or injured muscles. In that case, they will choose and teach correct exercises to gently restore strength and agility. For neck pain, "core strengthening or stabilization" is commonly used to restore the strength and coordination of muscles around the spine.

Improve Endurance. Restoring muscular endurance is essential for people with neck pain. Our Physical Therapists will develop a program of activities to help regain the patient's endurance before the neck pain began.

Return To Activities. Our Physical Therapist will discuss activity levels with each patient and use them to set your work, sport, and home-life recovery goals. The treatment program will help you reach goals in the safest, fastest, and most effective way possible. For spine problems like neck pain, the Physical Therapist may teach correct ways to lift objects that will help protect the spine from further injury.