Physiotherapy Treatment for Cervical Pain

What Is Cervical Pain?

Content is medically reviewed by:

Shruti Bangera, Masters In Neurological Physiotherapy, Senior Physiotherapist & SME, Portea

Cervical pain is the pain caused due to cervical spondylolysis or osteoarthritis. This condition involves changes in the bones, disc or joints that are connected to the neck. The major cervical pain reasons are due to the wear and tear of the cartilages and bones, and thus are often found in ageing people. However, it can be caused due to other factors as well and thus occur in younger adults as well.

There are different levels of severity of cervical pain experienced, from mild to severe and each has its own way of treatments. Cervical pain exercises, home remedies for cervical pain and medications are certain options that are commonly considered.

This article talks in detail about all things related to cervical pain. Read on to learn more.

Top Cervical Pain Reasons:

Here are some of the top causes for cervical pain.

• Overuse of the neck – some people’s everyday work involves tedious movements that put pressure on the spine, resulting in easy wear and tear. This does not have to involve just physical work like heavy lifting, but also desk jobs where posture can be a problem.
• Injury – an injury in your neck or spine region is an instant aggregator for cervical pain.
• Herniated discs – this kind of cervical pain occurs when spinal discs develop cracks in them. These cracks give way to leakage of the internal cushioning material which can in result, pressurize the spinal nerves and cords. Cervical pain symptoms caused due to this can bring numbness and pain in the arms.
• Dehydrated spinal discs – the discs between your spine can dry out at times and thus the rubbing of them can cause chronic cervical pain.
• Bone spurs – this cervical pain is caused due to the overgrowth of a bone that can press against other the spinal nerves and spinal cord and get painful.

In addition to these causes, there may be other regular bad body postures. This may be due to bad seating arrangements, improper mattress structures and more.

Symptoms of Cervical Pain

Some of the general cervical pain symptoms include:

Cervical pain symptoms are generally pain in and around the shoulder and neck region. Other symptoms may include:

• Numbness or weakness and tingling in the arms, hands, legs and feet as these parts are directly connected to the cervical nerves.
• Difficulty in walking and other casual activities due to the lack of coordination
• Abnormal reflexes by the hands and legs
• Muscles spasms
• Stiffness in the neck
• Headaches at the back of the head

Different symptoms may have different types of treatment that can be used to heal the pain. One must always consult an expert before proceeding with any treatment and be aware of what is cervical pain. This is important because the spine is a major connector to other body parts and any mishaps in treatments can cause further injuries and problems.

Cervical Pain Treatment

It is important to get to the root of what causes cervical pain before opting for a cervical pain treatment. While you can consult a doctor for cervical therapy exercises, you can also look after cervical pain treatment at home. Some of the common cervical pain treatments are:

• Cervical therapy exercises – cervical pain treatment may include cervical pain exercises that involve stretching of shoulder and neck muscles.
• Medications – if general pain killers do not work for your cervical pain, doctors may prescribe more intense doses of medications that help with muscle relaxations, pain relief, reducing inflammation and more.
• Surgery – If none of the mentioned cervical pain treatment works and home remedies for cervical pain work, doctors will recommend surgery. The purpose of the surgery would be to create space around the spinal cord and nerves by clearing out a bone spur or herniated discs. Although doctors will recommend cervical pain treatment at home first, surgeries may be the last option to deal with chronic cervical pain.

Cervical pain treatment at home

Before going ahead with treatment, you need to arrive at the root of what causes cervical pain. While severe chronic pain requires immediate attention by a doctor or therapist, mild cervical conditions can be treated at home using the following home remedies for cervical pain:

• Applying a heating pad or an ice pack can provide relief to the pain in the neck
• Cervical pain exercises when practiced regularly can be effective. It is important to get these cervical therapy exercises from a professional therapist
• Wearing a soft neck collar or brace can help in minimum movement of the neck region, providing ample amount of rest and further damage to the cartilages and discs

These are the top cervical pain treatment at home that can be practices to relief pain and prevent further damage. Ample amount of rest needs to be given to your neck and joints to recover quickly. However, for severe cases of Cervical spondylosis, it is important to approach a doctor to get diagnosed. Doctors are likely to conduct certain tests on you right from your body movements, reflexes and may require certain MRI scans, CT or x-rays.

How Can We Help?

We offer top class cervical pain treatment at home for you. We assess and analyse the root cause of your cervical pain and our therapists will train you with cervical pain exercises. With proper assessment and treatment, we ensure you go through a smooth phase with your cervical pain.

We take it a step forward to make it easy for you by providing home remedies for cervical pain, saving you the hassle of visiting a clinic or therapist for each and every session. All our information is easily made available to you on our website, all you are left to do is contact us! With our cervical pain exercises and home remedies for cervical pain, you will surely get a relief from the chronic pain you experienced until now.

Meet Our Physiotherapists for Cervical pain

Dr. Ramya Deepika.C.C -MPT -7 years experience.

Dr.Praveen kumar reddy v – BPT- 7 year experiences

Dr.Rahul singh – MPT – 3 year experiences

Dr.Ganta Aravind – BPT – 7 years experiences