Feeling an almost constant pain in your neck as you go about your daily routine? If you said yes, there are many reasons why you might be feeling this chronic neck pain. 

Chronic neck pain is defined as neck pain that lasts for at least 12 weeks. People are far more likely to develop chronic neck pain than you might think; it’s reported that 30% of the patients who experience neck pain develop chronic symptoms. Treating chronic neck pain must start with understanding the source of your pain, and physical therapists can help you learn the cause of your pain. Additionally, a physical therapist can help you get effective treatment for your constant neck pain. 

These are three common reasons people develop constant neck pain

Physical therapists are trained to treat the human musculoskeletal system, which includes the structures in your neck. This training allows your therapist to identify the cause of your chronic neck pain, and three common causes they might identify include: 

1. Untreated neck injuries — Injuries to neck soft tissue can occur at almost any time. However, you might not notice symptoms of your injury until long after it has occured. This is especially true of some sports and car accident injuries, like whiplash. Yet such injuries can lead to chronic pain if left untreated. 

2. Poor posture — It may seem natural to bend your neck and head to look at your smartphone or laptop, but staying in this position for too long can be tough on your neck. In fact, poor head and neck posture can often trigger chronic neck pain if it’s not corrected. 

3. Neck osteoarthritis — There are joints running along the back sides of your neck vertebrae called facet joints. Like other joints, facet joints contain cartilage that can deteriorate as we age. The result can be neck osteoarthritis. 

How can your physical therapist address constant neck pain?

Determining the reason for your chronic neck pain isn’t the only way physical therapists can help you. They’re also trained to perform many techniques that can help address your pain. Some of the techniques your therapist may use to treat chronic neck pain are: 

• Therapeutic exercises
• Dry needling
• Aquatic therapy
• Manual therapy
• Functional capacity evaluations

Rehab Access PT offers top-notch treatment for constant neck pain

Fed up with the constant neck pain you’ve been living with? Our physical therapists at Rehab Access are primed to assist you with your chronic neck pain. We can do a comprehensive evaluation of your neck to determine the source of your pain. In addition, our therapists excel at creating customized physical therapy plans intended to reduce your pain. Even better, you can work with our therapists from home if you sign up for a virtual therapy appointment with us. 

Contact our team today for more information about our chronic neck pain treatment services or to schedule your initial appointment.