Bouncing Back from Neck Pain: A Fun and Active Approach

Neck pain can be a debilitating condition that affects a person's ability to lead an active lifestyle. For young adults, athletes, and active individuals, neck pain can be a frustrating and disheartening experience.

"Neck pain is an important personal and societal burden, affecting 30% to 50% of adults in the general population in any given year."

At One Accord Physical Therapy, we believe in empowering individuals to embrace an evidence-based movement culture that provides knowledge, expert care, and resources that help people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s to get active, get off medication, and stay out of the surgeon's office. In this blog post, we will discuss some fun and active approaches to help you bounce back from neck pain and enjoy a pain-free and active lifestyle.

1. Exercise

One of the most effective ways to bounce back from neck pain is to incorporate exercise into your routine. However, it is important to note that not all exercises are created equal, and some can actually make your neck pain worse. At One Accord Physical Therapy, we recommend low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, and cycling to help reduce the strain on your neck muscles. Our physical therapists are experts in creating exercise programs that are designed to help you reduce neck pain, strengthen your core muscles and improve posture.

2. Stretching

Stretching is a simple and effective way to relieve tension in the neck muscles and alleviate neck pain. Incorporating stretches like chin tucks, neck rotation, and shoulder blade squeezes into your daily routine can help to improve flexibility and range of motion, reducing the chances of experiencing chronic neck pain. Our physical therapists can help you create an individualized stretching program that will improve your neck pain symptoms.

3. Posture

Maintaining good posture throughout the day can help to alleviate pressure on your spine and reduce neck pain. This is especially important if you work at a desk job or spend large amounts of time in front of a computer. Our physical therapists can help you evaluate your posture and identify simple changes and movements that can be incorporated into your daily routine to help you maintain good posture and reduce the risk of chronic neck pain.

4. Manual Therapy

One Accord Physical Therapy uses a patient-centered manual therapy approach to address neck pain. We combine hands-on techniques, such as massage and joint mobilization, with therapeutic exercises to help alleviate your neck pain symptoms. Our approach is based on the latest research and is designed to provide you with the best possible outcomes.

5. Lifestyle Changes

Making simple lifestyle changes, such as reducing stress, getting enough sleep, and maintaining a healthy diet, can also help to alleviate neck pain symptoms. Our physical therapists can provide you with guidance on how to make these changes and incorporate them into your daily routine to help you get the most out of your physical therapy treatment.

Conclusion

At One Accord Physical Therapy, our goal is to empower you to embrace an evidence-based movement culture that provides you with knowledge, expert care, and resources to help you live with less pain, move freely, and age gracefully while avoiding drugs and surgery. We believe that by incorporating exercise, stretching, posture, manual therapy, and lifestyle changes, you can bounce back from neck pain and enjoy a pain-free and active lifestyle. Get active, stay active, and live pain-free!

Author

Dr. Sean Flannagan, PT, DPT, Cert. SMT, Cert. DN, Cert. VRS Dr. Sean Flannagan is the founder of One Accord Physical Therapy and has a great passion to see both his patients and employees live fulfilled healthy lives. He built One Accord with a patient-centered philosophy and One Accord is now one of Arizona's only teaching and learning clinics in the state. Come experience the One Accord difference. As we like to say: "You have drugs, surgery, or . . . US." We look forward to being a part of your recovery experience.