Although an estimated 10% to 20% of Americans report incidents of neck pain, physical therapy can prove a safe and effective antidote to neck pain. For employees, ergonomic assessments also can prove beneficial.

Are you one of the many people suffering from a literal pain in the neck? According to the National Institutes of Health, neck pain ranks among the top five disorders in the U.S., with an estimated 10% to 20% of Americans — some 30 million to 65 million people — reporting incidents of neck pain.

“Cervical pain and stiffness associated with conditions of the neck or cervical spine as well as related symptoms that radiate down into the shoulders, arms and fingers are very common, and are becoming an increasing issue in our world today,” said John Gallucci Jr., MS, ATC, PT, DPT and CEO of Woodbridge, N.J.-based JAG-ONE Physical Therapy. “Thanks to our society’s excessive use of laptop computers, smart phones and other handheld electronic devices as well as the proclivity for young people to play video games, we spend long periods of time hunched over computers and in a constant flexed or rotated position to access the screen,” he said. “This static position of our musculature causes muscles to tense up, fatigue and go into spasm, which results in the cervical pain we feel.”

Gallucci said that pain in the neck and/or shoulder area, often the result of muscle fatigue and strain, can manifest itself in such symptoms as stiffness and decreased range of motion; by contrast, neck pain that radiates elsewhere — resulting in arm weakness, tingling and numbness in the arms down to the fingers, and even headaches — could be caused by cervical disc herniation, a common cause of neck pain that occurs when one or more spinal discs in the neck region is pressing on a nerve root. “If the disc herniation is advanced enough, it could cause permanent damage to the nerve, so it’s important to address this promptly,” Gallucci said.

Happily, physical therapy can prove a safe and effective antidote to neck pain.

For neck issues caused by muscle strain, “a trained physical therapist will work a patient through corrective biomechanical exercises such as neck rotations and both flexion and retraction exercises as well as hands-on mobilization and massage,” Gallucci said. “As patients are healing and returning to full functionality, the physical therapist also will introduce exercises to help their muscles perform activities of daily living (ADL). Performance of range-of-motion exercises to the fullest extent of the region will definitely reduce the incidence of spasm, but strengthening exercises will still be critical to restoring them to full and pain-free functionality,” he said.

According to Gallucci, neck pain driven by cervical disc herniation is typically diagnosed based on the symptoms of severe pain, radiation and decreased range of motion and is usually confirmed by a physician through an X-ray, MRI or other imaging tool. “Treatment by a physical therapist would include a combination of range-of-motion exercises, hands-on manual traction, and hands-on range-of-motion activities to help reduce the radiating symptoms,” he said. “Once the symptoms are alleviated, physical therapy will then focus on strengthening activities to stabilize the disc as well as a return-to-ADL protocol that includes strengthening exercises for the cervical spine and upper extremities.”

Top Tips to Resolve Neck Pain

Following, Gallucci shares top tips to help prevent neck pain and/or safely and effectively treat it if it occurs:

• Be Attentive to Ergonomics — For the best biomechanics, “it’s important to work at a computer where your screen is at eye level and to avoid keeping your neck in a flexed or rotated position continuously,” Gallucci said. “JAG-ONE can provide an ergonomic assessment at your company to ensure that the work site is ergonomically positive for employees.”
• Don’t Ignore Radiating Symptoms — “If you’re experiencing any radiating symptoms such as pain, numbness or tingling down the arm or in the fingers, seek medical attention as soon as possible, because this can lead to long-term effects like loss of strength and decreased range of motion in the upper extremities if it’s left untreated,” Gallucci said. “The good news is that research shows that herniations that are treated early enough and addressed appropriately can be fully resolved within eight to 10 weeks of onset.”
• Pursue Physical Therapy — “Treat neck stiffness and pain right away with a qualified physical therapist, such as the specialists at JAG-ONE,” Gallucci said. “The targeted treatment will enable you to work and play pain-free and get you back to the life you love.”

For More Information

JAG-ONE Physical Therapy is a comprehensive physical and occupational therapy company with 56 locations throughout New Jersey, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, Westchester, Manhattan, Long Island and Pennsylvania. The company’s multispecialty staff has been serving the tri-state area for more than 20 years and has developed a unique, care-first model of rehabilitation delivering high quality clinical outcomes for its patients. For more information, visit www.jagonept.com and visit on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.