Cervicalgia (Neck Pain)

Cervicalgia is a common term used to describe neck pain. Neck pain can arise from various causes and the treatment of your neck pain depends on your diagnosis. Common causes of neck pain arise from repetitive or chronic neck strains including poor posture, muscle fatigue from overuse and even poor sleeping positions. This is due to the fact that your neck is constantly working to support your head, which weighs on average 10 pounds! Keeping your head in proper position throughout the day puts a lot of stress on your neck. Cervicalgia can also arise from an incident of trauma such as whiplash from an accident. Whiplash is a soft tissue injury that occurs when the head is whipped back and forth quickly and abruptly that causes ligaments and supportive muscles to be overextended.

Signs and Symptoms

• Decreased flexibility in the neck
• Pinched nerves in the neck
• Tightness in the neck
• Headache, facial pain, or shoulder pain
• Burning sensation in neck or upper back
• Pain when rotating head / neck

Possible Causes

• Poor workstation ergonomics with repetitive activities
• Heavy lifting and manual work
• Poor posture, sustained postures
• Trauma such as car accident

Treatment for Cervicalgia

Some minor forms of cervicalgia may go away after a couple of days with rest and a hot/cold pack treatment. However, if you continue to experience neck pain, your soft tissue injury can be treated with physical therapy. At Therapydia, our physical therapists work with each patient individually to customize a treatment plan, utilizing the latest research and technology, to help you recover faster and for the long term. Your physical therapy treatment may include manual therapy, a hands-on, massage-like treatment to improve neck range of motion, postural training, and specific corrective exercise to address neck pain and weakness.

Every individual and every episode of neck pain is unique. A thorough evaluation by our physical therapists can help identify specific features about your condition and how to best manage them. Understanding as much as possible about your current condition is a very important aspect of the recovery process and will empower you to take the necessary steps to get back to your normal activities with as little discomfort as possible. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.