Can Education and Exercise Really Help Neck Pain?
Over the last number of years, there has been an increase in persistent neck pain. More time spent using cell phones, on computers, changes in work environments and increasingly sedentary lifestyle all play a role.
But what exactly is persistent neck pain? What can be done about it? How does your environment and lifestyle impact your neck? How can physiotherapy help?
Keep reading for all these answers and more!
What is Persistent Neck Pain?
Neck pain is considered persistent when it has lasted longer than 3 months. Most persistent neck pain cases do not have structural damage and they lack a mechanism of injury - meaning there’s no specific event that brought on the pain.
Evidence has shown that persistent neck pain is associated with decreased neck strength, increased stiffness, and difficulty with the neck's understanding of its location in relation to the head, trunk, and shoulders.
Neck pain presents differently in everyone, but there are some common symptoms.
Common symptoms of persistent neck pain include:
- Pain that is local to the neck
- Neck pain radiating towards the head causing a headache
- Neck pain accompanied by shooting pain, numbness, and/or tingling down into the arms and towards the hands
- Stiffness into the neck and even into the shoulders and upper back
- Difficulty moving the neck
Potential Causes of Neck Pain:
- Poor Posture
- Joint Stiffness
- Previous Injuries such as whiplash or concussions
- Tight Muscles
- Inflamed or irritated nerves
- Degenerative Conditions such as osteoarthritis
Persistent neck pain is likely due to a combination of factors, some that fluctuate (such as stress and emotions) contributing to the ebb and flow of the pain.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the pain part of persistent neck pain.
When you sustain an injury, the receptors on your skin or in your muscles send a signal to your brain (via your nerves) about the sensation experienced. The brain analyzes the messages and determines if the stimulus is painful or not. This can be influenced by many factors such as: current emotions, stress, previous pain to the area, and the level of sensitivity of the nervous system at that time.
What does this mean?
Persistent neck pain often worsens with stress or negative emotions as they trigger the body’s stress response, increasing muscle tension, inflammation, and nervous system sensitivity.
Additionally, established neural pathways from past pain experiences make it easier for the brain to reprocess pain, intensifying discomfort.
Think of when you are walking in the snow and creating a path. The next time you go to walk in that same direction you know where to go because you can see your trail from last time.
Pain works in the same way. If the path has not yet been ‘snowed in’ it is easy for the pain to follow the same path. Exercise, manual therapy, and pain education (also called pain neuroscience education) help to ‘cover the path with snow’ to reduce the chance of pain coming back.
Normal tissue healing occurs within 3 months after the injury. So why can neck pain and other pains in the body last longer than this?
Pain is a complex process and is not always a reflection of current tissue injury, rathe it is an experience of mixed information. By understanding this complex process, and understanding what factors are involved in a pain experience, you gain better control over your pain and can aid in your recovery.
So what can you do if you’re experiencing Persistent Neck Pain?
Exercise
As mentioned earlier, common factors associated with persistent neck pain are decreased strength in the deep neck muscles of the neck, decreased awareness of where the head is in space, stiffness in the joints, and injuries from other parts of the body.
Exercise can help address all of these factors!
It helps to:
- Improve posture
- Increase flexibility
- Reduces muscle tension
- Improves blood circulation to area to promote healing and reduce inflammation
- Strengthens muscles
- Reduces stress
- Helps to prevent future pain
- Releases a feel good hormone called endorphins
Here are a couple of exercises you can try if you're experiencing neck pain:
Pain Neuroscience Education
In 2023, a review of a few studies demonstrated that pain neuroscience education was helpful at decreasing neck pain and reducing fear of movement. Participants of the studies were involved in treatment programs that included both exercise and pain neuroscience education for 2-8 weeks. All studies were able to reduce neck pain, especially in the adult population and with one on one sessions.
How does Pain Neuroscience Education Work along with Exercises and Physiotherapy?
Understanding what contributes to your pain, and what helps relieve your pain helps put you in the drivers seat.
When you feel the positive impact that exercise has on your pain, it’s easier to stay on track and consistent with your program. Consistent exercise helps strengthen the support system for your neck, reducing the likelihood of recurrence or lessening the intensity of pain if it does return.
If you know sitting in the same position for hours will make your neck pain worse, it's easier to convince yourself to get up and change positions.
Having a better understanding of your body and the different factors that influence pain can help you feel less helpless and less fearful of pain. There is comfort in knowing that feeling pain does not necessarily mean anything in your body is damaged.
Our physiotherapists approach persistent neck pain using a combination of education, exercise, and modalities such as manual therapy and acupuncture. This multi pronged approach will help you reduce pain, recognize the factors that influence your pain and understand what you can do to manage flare ups.
If you are experiencing neck pain, our team can help! Our physiotherapists are trained in treating neck pain and will develop a personalized treatment plan to help you feel your best.
Book your appointment here!