Head and Neck

Injuries and conditions: head and neck pain

HEADACHE

Often referred pain from stiff joints in your upper neck, joints in your upper thoracic spine or tight neck muscles. Can be related to posture, whiplash, stress and tension. Responds well to physiotherapy including various treatments from mobilisation and stretching to acupuncture.

MUSCLE SPASM

Most commonly found in the back or neck as a protective mechanism against further injury. Normally has an underlying cause such as a joint or disc problem. It is important for our physiotherapists to assess and diagnose the underlying cause otherwise the muscle spasm is likely to return.

NECK PAIN

This is an area that physiotherapists treat on a daily basis. There are so many structures in a small space that can be the cause including nerves, discs, joints, muscles and ligaments. This can present in muscle spasm, pain, stiffness, weakness, numbness or pins and needles. See also nerve pain.

NERVE PAIN

This can be found nearly anywhere in the body when a nerve pathway has been damaged. It can present as weakness, numbness, pain or pins and needles. Most commonly seen in your arms or legs.

OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA)

This is a fancy name for wear and tear that can happen in most of your joints, most common being knees, hips, back, neck, shoulders and fingers. The joint becomes worn like a rusty chain on a bike and cause pain. Commonly aggravated by the cold and wet weather. Can have acute episodes of aggravation and painful swelling. Physiotherapy can be very helpful with OA using treatments such as mobilisation, exercises, acupuncture etc.

PINCHED NERVE

See nerve pain.

REFERRED PAIN

It is very common for pain to be referred from a structure in one part of the body to another. The main two ways this occurs are through nerve compression or trigger points in muscles.

SLIPPED DISC

Don’t worry, the disc does not slip out of place! The disc actually bulges out. This bulge varies dramatically in severity varying form a slight bulge with minimal pain to a large bulge that can give symptoms down the arm all the way to the fingers. Symptoms including, pain, weakness, numbness and pins and needles. It is important to treat these quickly to stop the bulge getting stuck in that position.

THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME

This injury is where the nerves exiting the neck and thorax are damaged resulting in pain, weakness, numbness or pins and needles anywhere between your neck and fingers. Commonly presents as shoulder pain. It is important to get this assessed and treated as soon as possible as there are many structures that can be affected.

THORACIC PAIN

In between your neck and your lower back is called the thoracic spine. Pain in this region is commonly due to stiffness affecting your posture which leads to pain, muscle spasm and sometimes referred pain to other parts of the body.

TRIGGER POINTS

There are tight areas of muscles that can refer pain to other body parts. We treat these very successfully with massage, trigger point release, acupuncture and stretches.

WHIPLASH

A common occurrence after a road traffic accident (RTA) that can result in headaches, pain, numbness, pins and needles in the arm, neck or back. Your joints (in the neck especially) get jarred together very quickly causing the muscles to go into spasm to protect against any further damage. We help to reduce the muscle spasm and pain, and slowly encourage your joints to start moving with mobilisation and stretches. Sometimes acupuncture can be very helpful with this type of injury.