Alleviate Persistent Neck Pain With Physical Therapy
Have you ever had one of those days at work or school when your neck just won’t stop bothering you? Or maybe turning your head to check for cars is difficult or painful. Neck pain can really impact your day and make life less enjoyable. Good news! At Nestor Physical Therapy, we’ve got a team that knows just how to help you feel better and give you tips to keep the pain away.
Most of the time, neck pain happens because there’s something wrong with a muscle or joint. Figuring out what the real source is can be difficult, but with the help of our experienced therapists, you can get to the root of your problems, and more importantly, get the solutions you’re looking for.
Our therapists will use treatments like specific stretches, hands-on techniques, and strength exercises that are tailored for immediate and lasting relief. Our ultimate goal? To help you return to a life you can enjoy to the fullest.
Take action today! Request an appointment and set the wheels in motion for the lasting relief you deserve.
Source of Neck Pain: Causes and Symptoms
Neck pain is a multifaceted condition, and its origins can vary widely from person to person. Whether your discomfort starts from an unfortunate car accident or something that seems insignificant, like maintaining an improper posture while working at your desk, our team can help.
What may appear to be a minor issue, such as a recurring crick in your neck, could potentially develop into a chronic issue that disrupts your daily life.
For some individuals, the issue lies deeper within the structure of the spine (for example, changes to the discs, the cushions between vertebrae). Disc degeneration can lead to pain and difficulty moving the neck., whereas problems such as bulging or herniated discs can be particularly painful and can even lead to nerve compression. This often results in additional symptoms such as sharp, radiating pain or numbness extending into the shoulders or arms.
Luckily, our physical therapists are skilled at identifying these contributing factors and formulating an effective treatment plan tailored to alleviate your specific symptoms.
Physical Therapy: Your Pathway to Relief
We’ll start with a comprehensive evaluation, including gathering as much information about your health, previous history of neck pain, and information about your most recent episode.
Next, we’ll conduct a physical examination, including a hands-on assessment of your neck and upper back muscles. We’ll assess your posture and movement patterns to identify any restrictions or limitations contributing to your pain.
Our treatment programs are built on several key elements, all aimed at facilitating the health of your neck:
- Posture Correction: Poor posture is a significant contributor to neck pain. Working with you, our therapists will guide you through the steps to correct your posture, effectively alleviating muscle strain on your neck and shoulders.
- Hands-on Therapy and Custom Exercises: Our expert therapists use specialized manual treatments to free up restrictions and alleviate tension in soft tissues. We’ll also develop personalized exercise routines aimed at targeting the source of your pain to improve mobility and strength.
- Ergonomic Evaluation: Our therapists will provide practical recommendations for your work and home environments that can help minimize any physical strain on your neck and shoulders. We will also introduce you to stress-minimizing methods that can be seamlessly integrated into your work life.
We are committed to working closely with you to craft effective, proactive programs to restore mobility and contribute to overall well-being.
Ready to Take the First Step Toward a Pain-Free Neck?
Don’t let neck pain hold you back any longer. At Nestor Physical Therapy, our team of experts is here to give you the personalized help you need to feel better and stay that way. Let’s work together to create a plan that fits you perfectly.
Contact us today to schedule your appointment with our amazing physical therapists and start your journey to a more comfortable, pain-free life!
Get Started with PT Now!
Return to Nestor Physical Therapy and Let’s Continue Your Journey to Wellness Together. Schedule Your Appointment Now!
Foot Study Sign Up
Nestor Physical Therapy is participating in nationwide clinical research! We are testing a device to correct hallux valgus deformity…otherwise known as Bunions!!
Do you suffer from foot or toe pain?
Do you have trouble finding comfortable shoes or finding shoes that fit?
Do you have difficulty walking?
Do you have to have to limit or stop your regular activities due to toe or foot pain?
Do you have to stay in bed because your feet hurt?
If you answered YES to any of the questions above, you might be the perfect candidate for our research.
If you can sit in a chair for 20-30 minutes twice a week you can participate in the project.
Ask us how we can relieve your pain!
Grilled Guacamole
During the summer I love to create salsa with ingredients from my garden. I often grill or caveman some of the components to add a little smoke flavor. I was getting ready to make salsa recently and my wife asked if I was making guacamole since some of the ingredients are the same. Guacamole is one of her favorites, so I pivoted and decided to make a grilled guacamole.
My plan was to quickly grill avocado, jalapeno, red onion, garlic, and limes to add smoke and some char to the guacamole but keep the veggies raw on the inside.
Here is how it all came together. While the grill heated up, I halved four avocados and sliced three large rings from a red onion and skewered them with a toothpick. I drizzled olive oil over the red onion slices and seasoned them with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. I had one jalapeno and two Roma tomatoes ready for the grill. I removed the paper from two cloves of garlic and skewered them with a toothpick. I reserved the zest of the limes.
Next, I added everything to the hot grill. The avocados were the first to come off the grill and they had a nice smoky aroma. The onions seared quickly and evenly. The jalapeno and tomatoes went a little longer to obtain a nice char. My goal was to add smoke and grill flavor but maintain the freshness of the veggies.
Once everything cooled, I removed the avocado from the skin and chopped it into quarter inch pieces. I diced the red onion. Then I removed the seeds from the jalapeno and finely diced it. The tomatoes were quartered, seeded, and diced. The garlic was finely diced.
To bring it all together I combined all the grilled ingredients in a bowl with lime zest, the juice of the grilled limes, fresh cilantro, and then seasoned the mixture with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
The guacamole was served with grilled pita chips and made a tasty summer appetizer. The guacamole was fresh, creamy, and slightly smoky. It paired well with the crisp pita chips. The smoky guacamole would also be a delicious accompaniment to a piece of grilled fish, taco or a burger. My wife used the leftover guacamole to make her version of avocado toast topped with a hardboiled egg. It was delicious. Enjoy!
Are you reading this article on your phone? If so, you’re likely looking down as you read these words–which puts your neck at a pretty uncomfortable angle. If you lift your phone by just a few inches, your neck should settle into a more neutral position.
Mobile devices have given rise to a new term: “text neck.” Text neck is an overuse injury resulting from the position most of us fall into when looking at our phones. It can cause several different symptoms, including neck pain and headaches.
The Symptoms of Text Neck
Text neck isn’t really a new condition, but rather a catchy name for a repetitive use injury of the neck.
People with this type of repetitive use injury do show several common symptoms, including the following:
- Pain: This pain can be located in the neck, upper back, or shoulders and varies in intensity and sensation. Some people report a sharp, stabbing pain in one area, while others complain of a general soreness across the neck and shoulders.
- Stiff Neck: Along with pain, some people report stiffness and immobility in their necks.
- Rounded Posture: A particular posture is associated with text neck–a forward head position and rounded shoulders. This posture results from weakened, imbalanced muscles.
- Headaches: Some people experience tension-type headaches due to tight neck and upper back muscles.
Tips for Preventing and Treating Text Neck
The best way to address text neck is to prevent it from developing in the first place! As with any overuse-type injury, your best prevention tool is movement. Don’t spend too long on your cell phone without taking frequent breaks, and avoid holding your neck and head in any one position–especially the classic “hunched over” position.
It’s also important to hold your device so that you can place your head and neck in a more neutral position. This is actually true not just for cell phones but for books, e-readers, or computers. If it’s a handheld device, hold it up so that it’s level with your gaze. Set laptops or computer monitors up as ergonomically as possible so you aren’t bending down to see your screen.
However, if you’re already struggling with symptoms from text neck, the physical therapists at Nestor Physical Therapy can still help! A few weeks of rehabilitation can address your symptoms, helping to reduce pain and stiffness. Our team will help you find a solution that works for you, pulling from the following techniques:
- Manual Therapy: We’ll begin with hands-on manual therapy techniques such as soft tissue and joint mobilization, which can help address pain and stiffness.
- Stretches and Strengthening Exercises: We’ll start with simple stretches to improve the range of motion in your neck, then move on to exercises that help strengthen your neck, shoulder, and upper back muscles. By strengthening these areas, you’ll see improvements in your overall posture.
- Postural Corrections: We’ll also address any postural issues we notice and provide you with strategies for being aware of good posture habits when using your cell phone.
- Pain Management: We can help address pain acutely with hot or cold therapy, tissue mobilization, and targeted exercises.
Thank You’s:
High Fives all around to all Nestor Physical Therapy patients and
friends who participated in our “Refer a Friend” program last month!
David Marchand, Richard Lacouture, Cora Desautel, and Stephanie D’Allesandro
Patient Success Spotlights
“THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU’VE DONE FOR ME! Nestor Physical Therapy is the BEST at what they do!”
“I have undergone two total knee replacements over the past two years. I had such a good experience with Nestor Physical Therapy the first time that I gladly returned to them after my second surgery.
Due to their unique method of manual hands-on therapy and exercise, I believe I had a much quicker and smoother recovery and return to normal activities than I would have had otherwise. Thanks to Dr. Nestor, Dave, and Alissa’s efforts my range of motion is excellent (115 degrees), I am able to easily ascend and descend the stairs, resume walking/hiking and for the first time in many years I am free of chronic knee pain.
I highly recommend Dr. Nestor and his entire staff – Dave, Alissa, and Lori. They all have been extremely helpful, caring, competent, and capable. Should I ever need physical therapy again, I will DEFINITELY return to Nestor Physical Therapy. They are truly the BEST!”
-Jan K.
“Thanks to all, I will miss my weekly visits”
“I suffered from rotator cuff tendonitis. I delayed PT despite it being recommended by my Ortho, since I had never done PT before. I finally decided to make an appointment at Nestor PT and was so glad I did! The team is amazing and slowly but surely they brought my shoulder back to feeling good and restored my range of motion. Thanks to all, I will miss my weekly visits.”
-Debbie H.
Backpack Safety
Backpack Strategies for Parents and Students
Aching backs and shoulders? Tingling arms? Weakened muscles? Stooped posture? Does your child have these symptoms after wearing a heavy school backpack? Carrying too much weight in a pack or wearing it the wrong way can lead to pain and strain. Parents can take steps to help children load and wear backpacks the correct way to avoid health problems.
Loading the backpack:
• A child’s backpack should weigh no more than about 10% of his or her body weight. This means a student weighing 100 pounds shouldn’t wear a loaded school backpack heavier than about 10 pounds.
• Load heaviest items closest to the child’s back (the back of the pack).
• Arrange books and materials so they won’t slide around in the backpack.
• Check what your child carries to school and brings home. Make sure the items are necessary for the day’s activities.
• If the backpack is too heavy or tightly packed, your child can hand carry a book or other item outside the pack.
• If the backpack is too heavy on a regular basis, consider using a book bag on wheels if your child’s school allows it.
Wearing the backpack:
• Distribute weight evenly by using both straps. Wearing a pack slung over one shoulder can cause a child to lean to one side, curving the spine and causing pain or discomfort.
• Select a pack with well-padded shoulder straps. Shoulders and necks have many blood vessels and nerves that can cause pain and tingling in the neck, arms, and hands when too much pressure is applied.
• Adjust the shoulder straps so that the pack fits snugly on the child’s back. A pack that hangs loosely from the back can pull the child backwards and strain muscles.
• Wear the waist belt if the backpack has one. This helps distribute the pack’s weight more evenly.
• The bottom of the pack should rest in the curve of the lower back. It should never rest more than four inches below the child’s waistline.
• School backpacks come in different sizes for different ages. Choose the right size pack for your child as well as one with enough room for necessary school items.
• Only put items in your backpack that you need for the day.
