Neck pain or cervicalgia Physiotherapy Mechelen
Neck pain or cervicalgia can occur due to various causes such as poor posture, sudden movements, contact during sports, a shifted intervertebral disc, degeneration of the intervertebral discs and facet joints or traumatic events. Here we discuss the most common types of neck pain.
Mechanical neck pain
In most cases of neck pain it is not possible to make a specific pathological anatomical diagnosis, which we describe as mechanical neck pain. Often this pain comes from the surrounding musculature, the intervertebral discs or the facet joints. Degeneration of the intervertebral discs is common in elderly people. In severe degeneration osteophytes can grow and there is a chance of clamping the outgoing nerve root.
Thorough examination by your doctor is crucial in order to be able to exclude serious pathologies. At the start of the rehabilitation, your physiotherapist will also examine the neck. This research will serve as a guideline for the treatment.
In the vast majority of cases, neck pain is treated conservatively. Manual therapy will be applied during rehabilitation and will serve to relax the muscles in the neck and shoulder girdle. Furthermore, we apply manual therapy to mobilize and possibly even manipulate the rotated neck vertebrae to reduce the pain and increase range of motion of your neck.
The exercise therapy will focus on mobilizing the neck, mobilizing the thoracic spine, restoring the muscle balance and correcting any bad posture. In the first place, it is important to reduce the pain after which we can start to regain the functions and prevent any recurrences.
Cervical Radiculopathy
With a cervical radiculopathy the pain is situated in the neck and arm. In some cases even only in the arm. A pinched cervical nerve root can also cause tingling or a drowsy feeling in the arm, sometimes even in the fingers. The inflammation can be caused by irritation in the intervertebral canal where structures such as intervertebral discs or osteophytes can cause clamping of certain nerve structures.
In most cases we opt for conservative treatment for these types of complaints.
What to do when experiencing neck pain?
The vast majority of neck complaints are transient, it is important to keep moving the neck without provoking the pain too much so that the tissue can heal again.
You should visit your doctor when:
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The pain is caused by a trauma such as a car accident or a fall.
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The pain has become worse or has not improved after a few days.
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The pain is accompanied by other symptoms such as: a tingling sensation in the arm, a feeling of weakness in the arm and difficulties with balance.
Cervicogenic headache
Headaches can also originate from the neck and specifically from the upper 3 cervical vertebrae and the muscles responsible for moving the neck and head. The headache occurs in combination with limited movements of the cervical vertebrae and a problem in muscle function. Because of the disturbed muscle function, different muscles will send pain signals too. The treatment is largely in line with the rehabilitation of mechanical neck pain as described above. Reducing pain is a priority here.
Through a screening we can see which exercises will make your neck and shoulder region pain free again. You also receive an exercise program for home and we make the chance of injury recurrence as small as possible.
