NECK PAIN & BACK PAIN

What is it?

Pain in the muscles that support the shoulders and neck that is thought to occur following either overuse or trauma. This myofascial pain can cause cervicogenic headaches. The muscles most often implicated in myofascial pain are the trapezius, levator scapulae, rhomboids, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus. (1) Some signs/symptoms of Cervical Myofascial Pain are pain described as pulling or tightness; palpable taut band of muscle fibers; restricted range of motion, headaches and muscle weakness.

How can physiotherapy help?

Physiotherapists can help decrease pain and improve function in your day to day life by performing soft tissue work and mobilizations (1,4), education on posture and ergonomics (1), acupuncture and dry needling (2,5), providing stretching and strengthening exercises (3), educating on NSAIDs and muscle relaxants (4) and providing pain modulating modalities such as TENS (4).

What can I do to help before my appointment?

Although it may be painful, it is important to keep your neck moving with gentle range of motion exercises and stretches. When doing computer work try and keep good sitting posture and avoid soft collar neck braces at all costs as these have been shown to prolong recovery.

(1) Borg-Stein J. Cervical myofascial pain and headache. Current pain and headache reports. 2002 Aug 1;6(4):324-30.

(2) Wang R, Li X, Zhou S, Zhang X, Yang K, Li X. Manual acupuncture for myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acupuncture in Medicine. 2017 Jan 23:acupmed-2016.

(3) Wang R, Li X, Zhou S, Zhang X, Yang K, Li X. Manual acupuncture for myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acupuncture in Medicine. 2017 Jan 23:acupmed-2016.

(4) Desai MJ, Saini V, Saini S. Myofascial pain syndrome: a treatment review. Pain and therapy. 2013 Jun 1;2(1):21-36.

(5) Tough EA, White AR. Effectiveness of acupuncture/dry needling for myofascial trigger point pain. Physical Therapy Reviews. 2011 Apr 1;16(2):147-54.

(6) Simons DG: Myofascial pain syndrome due to trigger points. In Medical Rehabilitation. Edited by Basmajian JV and Kirby RL.Baltimore:Williams & Wilkins;1984

The best treatment for neck and back pain depends on the source of the pain, the underlying cause, an individuals physical health and lifestyle stressors. Seeking professional assistance and therapy will almost always attain results that significantly outweigh any at-home approach or generic exercise and stretch routines from YouTube videos. Professional soft tissue therapy, joint mobilizations, modalities and physical therapy can have a powerful impact on pain levels and generate long lasting change.

We help patients in our Oakville Physiotherapy clinic overcome neck and back pain on a daily basis. We would first conduct a thorough assessment to diagnose the exact cause of your pain as well as any underlying dysfunction that has prevented you from healing effectively on your own.

We love helping our patients navigate pain and injury, so if you would finally like to discover what has been causing your persistent neck and back pain, receive a diagnosis and find relief, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have, or to schedule an you initial appointment.