The answer to this question is there is a lot physical therapists can do to treat constant, or chronic, neck pain. They can even help you find effective ways to treat constant neck pain.
What is chronic neck pain?
There are many Americans who experience constant pain in their neck. Your pain can be considered chronic if all the following criteria are met:
- It lasts for three months or longer.
- It gets worse during certain neck movements.
- Your neck is always sore to the touch.
Three ways a physical therapist can treat your constant neck pain
Physical therapists are so good at treating chronic neck pain for several reasons. One of these is that they’re trained to treat musculoskeletal disorders that cause this type of pain. Such disorders include cervical osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. Another reason physical therapists are so effective at treating chronic neck pain is they have many techniques at their disposal.
A few of the therapy techniques your therapist can use to address your chronic pain are:
- Soft tissue mobilization — Myofascial trigger points (MTPs) can make neck muscles chronically tense and sore. Physical therapists can use soft tissue mobilization to break down MTPs. One study of chronic neck pain patients reveals that this technique helped improve numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) scores by:
Nearly 1.5 points when at rest.
More than two points during activity.
- Functional dry needling — Most people associate needles with increased pain, but functional dry needling can actually help reduce pain. This technique involves a physical therapist using a monofilament needle to break up MTPs in soft tissue. Often, these MTPs are in deeper tissues that can’t be reached by soft tissue mobilization. A study on dry needling found that it helped reduce neck pain by 33% immediately after it was used.
- Aquatic therapy — Fibromyalgia pain points are often found at the front of the neck. They can also appear at the base of the skull. These pain points can often be the source of chronic neck pain. Aquatic therapy is a therapy method that can help address fibromyalgia pain in the neck and other parts of the body. Medical researchers report that aquatic therapy helped fibromyalgia patients reduce their pain by 40% on average.
Border Therapy Services offers treatment for constant neck pain
You don’t have to continue living with constant neck pain. Instead, you can come to one of our Border Therapy Services clinics for effective chronic neck pain treatment. Our team offers free screenings that can pinpoint the source of your chronic neck pain. Also, we’re adept at building therapy plans that are unique to each patient’s needs. You’ll even be able to treat your pain from home by using our at-home care or virtual therapy services.
Contact our team today for more information about how we can help with chronic neck pain or to schedule your initial appointment.