Having neck pain for just one day can be hard to deal with. It can make it impossible to get through your work. You might also feel less inclined to work out or play with your children when your neck hurts. However, there are some people who live with neck pain and the issues it causes for months on end.
Long-term, or chronic, neck pain occurs when you’ve been dealing with your pain for at least three months. This type of neck pain is all too common. One study done in North Carolina reports that 2.2% of the state’s population had chronic neck pain. Applying this number to the U.S. population means that more than 7.2 million Americans could be affected by chronic neck pain. Physical therapy is an option that can help you deal with neck pain you’ve had for months.
Three ways physical therapy can help people who’ve had neck pain for months
There are many treatment options out there for neck pain that’s lasted for months, but physical therapy could be one of the most effective options for you. A physical therapist can develop a treatment plan for you that can:
- Decrease your pain — The primary goal of therapy plans for chronic neck issues is to reduce the patient’s pain. Research shows that this goal is very attainable. One study reveals that the patients who used physical therapy experienced at least a 50% reduction in their pain.
- Increase neck function — Neck function refers to your ability to do neck-related tasks. Commonly, such tasks include things like moving your head, and they typically become harder to do when you have chronic neck pain. However, researchers from one study reveal that physical therapy can increase neck function. This study reports that four weeks of using one therapy plan improved patients’ functions scores by almost 8 points.
- Improve cervical range of motion (ROM) — Cervical ROM refers to how far in each direction you can move your neck. Most people living with chronic neck pain also have decreased neck ROM. Fortunately, working with a physical therapist can change that. One study’s data shows that eight weeks of physical therapy helped to improve:
- Neck flexion by 26%
- Neck extension by 18%
- Right rotation by 10%
- Left rotation by 9%
Get help treating neck pain that you’ve had for months at SOL Physical Therapy
Have you been living with neck pain for months now? Our team at SOL Physical Therapy is ready and willing to help you find ways to treat your chronic neck pain. We’ll start by performing an initial screening designed to reveal the neck issue that’s causing your pain. Our team will then build you an individualized therapy plan intended to reduce the symptoms your issue is causing.
Want to treat your chronic neck pain from home? No problem! SOL Physical Therapy is currently offering virtual therapy sessions, and these are intended to help you get effective therapy without setting foot outside your home. You won’t even have to go through the hassle of getting a doctor’s referral before using our services because we don’t require one.
Take the next step to start getting our help with your neck pain. Contact our team today for more information about our high-quality therapy services or to schedule your initial appointment.
