Physiotherapy Exercises For Neck Pain Relief

The neck is one of the most important parts of our body. A small neck injury can make it difficult for us to walk, sleep, or even sit on our favorite recliner.

While most of the neck pains can be avoided through physiotherapy neck pain exercises many others cannot be even treated without following up with other medical departments.

Actual treatment varies from one person to another. It is tailored best by a physiotherapist in Calgary after he or she has properly reviewed the cause of the pain. It may be because of the wrong sleeping position, a sudden movement, or a sports injury.

Many physiotherapy neck pain exercises include only the simplest workouts that can be followed by everyone irrespective of their age and gender.

In this article, we will review the physiotherapy neck pain exercises that apply to everyone in a general sense. Before we proceed, please note that you must consult a physiotherapist in Calgary before getting started with physiotherapy neck pain exercises.

Physiotherapy Exercises For Neck Pain Relief

The goal of physiotherapy neck pain exercises is ultimately to reduce the pain and stiffness along with improving the motion of the neck. All the physiotherapy neck pain exercises revolve around this objective.

The set of physiotherapy neck pain exercises consists of three simpler workouts. These are discussed below.

Bending Right Side

The first workout out of the three physiotherapy neck pain exercises requires you to stand straight. You may prefer to sit on a chair depending on your overall health.

Remain as straight as possible. Bend your neck to the right side towards your shoulder. Assume that you are placing your right ear on the right shoulder. Don’t move your shoulder even a little bit. Stay comfortable in that position and hold it for five seconds. The holding time may vary based on the actual condition.

Generally, physiotherapy neck pain exercises require you to hold every position for at least five seconds. Don’t push yourself if you are unable to do it. It may take time especially if you are recovering from a serious injury.

Do this five times every morning. You can do it during the evening as well. Morning time is prescribed as that is the best time to perform all the physiotherapy neck pain exercises.

In some cases, you may be required to perform whenever a session of physiotherapy neck pain exercises is scheduled at the clinic of a physiotherapist in Calgary.

Bending Left Side

Bending your neck to the left side follows the same procedure as bending it on the right side. You may either choose to stand straight or sit straight on a chair. Note that a physiotherapist may specifically recommend you the position based on how serious your neck pain is.

Assume that you have to place your left ear on the left shoulder without moving the left shoulder. Like all other physiotherapy neck pain exercises, remain as comfortable as possible. Do not push or stress over being unable to perform this exercise.

Retain the position for five seconds and then gently bring it back to normal. Repeat this process five times. Take a break only if required.

Prefer to perform this exercise in one go. A break in between can disturb the flow of your workout. This applies to all the physiotherapy neck pain exercises.

Another option that you can consider is to bend both sides one after the other. You can first put your neck to the right side and then on the left side. This is not an alternative to bending your neck only on one side but a suggestion based on the assumption that the pain is relatively on the lower side.

Neutral Nod

Nodding neutrally is one of the basic physiotherapy neck pain exercises that is prescribed by sports physiotherapists to help athletes in preventing neck pain. It is also performed as a part of a casual warm-up.

You can sit straight on a chair for this physiotherapy exercise. Once comfortable, get into the correct posture. This can be done by lifting the breastbone and pulling the shoulders backward. You will notice that the upper portion of the body is straight.

Once you are in the posture, nod your head without moving your neck. Even though your neck remains still, you would feel the impact of this physiotherapy exercise on your neck. All the physiotherapy neck pain exercises work similarly.

You may not be moving the neck yet the impact would be felt on the neck. This is an example of how our neck affects the entire body and how other parts of the body can affect our neck.

Hold your nod when your chin is closer to the chest. The holding time is best prescribed by a physiotherapist. Bring it back to the actual position and repeat it five times.

When Are Physiotherapy Exercises For Neck Pain Relief Recommended?

When recommended, physiotherapy neck pain exercises can either be for a short duration or a long duration. They are recommended only in the below-mentioned scenarios.

Injury Recovery

Just like shockwave therapy helps in treating fasciitis, physiotherapy helps to recover you after you have sustained an injury.

An injury may be at the workplace or outside the workplace. No matter what the location is and when you have gotten injured, physiotherapy neck pain exercises will be recommended while you are recovering from an injury.

Stiffness due to an injury can last longer than expected. Physiotherapy in such cases comes as a real blessing. One of its objectives is to treat the stiffness of the neck. Additionally, physiotherapy neck pain exercises help to reduce the pain during recovery to assist you to get normal.

Chronic Pain

Things get difficult when the source of neck pain cannot be diagnosed. Since the source is unknown, doctors have little idea about what they must treat first.

A set of physiotherapy neck pain exercises consisting of easy to do workouts can, during such times, offer relief. Physiotherapists have also been known to identify the source of the pain while easing it through the set of physiotherapy neck pain exercises.

All the physiotherapy neck pain exercises help to support the cervical spine, further making you resistant to any future neck pain. You are still required to take all the necessary precautions though.

Surgery Recovery

Surgeries are complicated for the doctors to perform and for the patients to recover. Pain and uneasiness after the surgery can last for weeks and sometimes for months. Doctors, therefore, often prescribe physiotherapy neck pain exercises for some relief.

Do not take on the responsibility of performing all the physiotherapy neck pain exercises at once. It takes time to get back tonormal self. The objective of such physiotherapy neck pain exercises is to increase the functioning of your neck.

One set of physiotherapy neck pain exercises also attempts to recondition the muscles to prevent the pain from increasing beyond the tolerance level.

Read How Can Physiotherapy Treat Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders?

When Are Physiotherapy Exercises For Neck Pain Relief Not Recommended?

Yes, physiotherapy neck pain exercises are not recommended under certain conditions. These are discussed below.

Underlying Issue

This refers to the medical issues that must be treated on priority. For instance, neck pain due to a tumor cannot be treated with physiotherapy neck pain exercises. Neck pain will only increase in such a case.

It is important for doctors to treat the problem of tumors. A physiotherapist can only start working on the neck pain after doctors have treated the tumor.

Another underlying issue could be an infection. Many types of infections can simply be treated with one dose of medication instead of physiotherapy neck pain exercises. If infections go unnoticed or untreated, then they can grow into a bigger problem.

Spinal Instability

Your body may lack the required stability if the vertebral bone is fractured. In such a case, the main cause must be treated. Doctors will not recommend you to start with physiotherapy neck pain exercises directly.

You must get your spinal stability back to normal. If this step is skipped, then the injury can get worse instantly. Not a single moment will be spared for the pain level to increase.

The set of physiotherapy neck pain exercises can, also, only be performed under the circumstance in which the condition of your spine is normally balanced.

Final Words

Three ways to keep the pain away through physiotherapy neck pain exercises can also be considered. These are to follow the resistance where you place your hand above the ear to push your head in the same direction, form circles after lifting your shoulders to the level of ears, and lie on the floor with knees bent to only lift your head for five seconds.

These common physiotherapy neck pain exercises will help you to prevent neck pain.

You can better perform physiotherapy neck pain exercises only under the supervision of a professional. It is recommended to book your physio session to secure a place and get the physiotherapy neck pain exercises done within the time limit.

Also Read Top Reasons to Choose Physiotherapy to Improve Your Life