Your symptoms can be caused from a series of structures ranging from a simple muscle strain to a facet joint or disc injury. We will assess your neck and advise you on which structures are causing your pain, as well as how to treat the cause of the problem. Please scroll down to learn more about certain types of neck pain and injury.
If you fell, had an accident or the pain came on suddenly then you may have torn a ligament, cartilage, disc or even suffered a fracture, you need to get the neck assessed by a Physiotherapist or Osteopath immediately. Even if you have not had a traumatic injury it is essential that you get pain and other symptoms assessed by a Physiotherapist or Osteopath so that you do not do further damage.
If you have a clicking neck, please click on the link to learn more about what the causes of a clicking neck could be.
FAQ
What causes neck pain?
Most neck pain is mechanical: sustained screen and phone postures, sleeping awkwardly, sudden movements, or muscle tension under stress. The usual findings are stiffness in the cervical joints and irritation of the surrounding muscles. Disc and nerve-related causes are less common and produce more distinctive symptoms in the arm.
How long does neck pain take to settle?
Acute mechanical neck pain usually improves substantially within two to four weeks, and a simple stiff neck often settles within days. Pain persisting beyond twelve weeks generally responds better to a strengthening and load-management programme than to hands-on treatment alone, and recurrence is common without that second stage.
What is a trapped nerve in the neck?
A trapped nerve, or cervical radiculopathy, is irritation or compression of a nerve root as it leaves the neck, usually from a disc bulge or age-related narrowing. It produces pain, pins and needles, numbness or weakness following a specific path into the shoulder, arm or hand rather than staying in the neck.
I woke up unable to turn my neck — what has happened?
This is usually an acute wry neck: a sudden painful restriction, often from a joint or disc irritation, that locks movement to one side. It is alarming but generally settles within a few days to two weeks. Gentle movement within the pain-free range and heat help; forcing it in the blocked direction does not.
Why do my neck and shoulder hurt together?
The muscles between the neck and shoulder blade are shared, and the upper cervical nerves refer symptoms into the shoulder region, so the two rarely behave independently. Treating one without the other is a common reason neck and shoulder pain keeps returning after it seems to have settled.
Can neck problems cause dizziness?
Upper neck dysfunction can contribute to a sense of unsteadiness or light-headedness, because the joints there feed positional information to the balance system. It is worth saying clearly, though, that dizziness has many other causes, several of them needing medical assessment, so new or severe dizziness should be checked by a GP first.
What does neck pain treatment at Octopus Clinic involve?
Assessment to identify which joints, muscles or nerves are involved, then hands-on treatment to restore movement and reduce muscle guarding, followed by deep neck and shoulder blade strengthening and advice on your desk setup. A 30-minute physiotherapy assessment is £86; 60 minutes including treatment is £129.