I’ve been dealing with neck pain for months — what do I do?

The answer to this question is complex, and it often depends on what the source of your neck pain is. However, you can rest assured that you aren’t alone in dealing with chronic neck pain. 

Neck pain that lasts for at least three months can be considered chronic, and it’s estimated that up to 85% of people who experience neck pain won’t have a complete resolution of their symptoms. There are steps you can take to treat chronic neck pain. The first of these steps is to learn what’s causing it, and a physical therapist can help you with this. 

What can cause neck pain that lasts for months (or years)? 

Physical therapists can help you learn the cause of neck pain that has lasted for months. They can do this by performing a comprehensive assessment for you. During your assessment, you’ll be asked questions about when the pain began. You could also be asked when your pain increases. Additionally, your therapist may ask you to move your neck in certain ways to determine what types of movement increase your pain. 

Your therapist should have a better idea of what’s causing your chronic neck pain by the end of your assessment. Some of the causes it might reveal include: 

• Neck osteoarthritis
• Herniated cervical discs
• Whiplash-related injuries
• Poor head and neck posture
• Spinal stenosis

What can you do about neck pain that lasts for months?

Your physical therapist can also reveal steps you can take to treat chronic neck pain. One of the most important of these steps will be to attend regular physical therapy sessions. In fact, physical therapy can be an effective way to reduce your pain. Researchers from one study reveal that a multipoint therapy plan helped 75% of patients reduce their neck pain. 

Had neck pain for months? Back in Motion can help you reduce it

Dealing with neck pain that’s lasted for months isn’t at all fun. Fortunately, our Back in Motion Physical Therapy team offers therapy services that can help reduce your neck pain. We offer free screenings designed to reveal the source of your chronic neck pain. Our team can also build you a treatment plan that’s personalized to your specific needs. 

Curious if you can get therapy for your chronic neck pain without leaving home? You can at Back in Motion. In fact, our team is currently offering at-home therapy and virtual care services, and these are intended to help you get the therapy you need without setting foot outside your home. Additionally, you can use these services, and indeed all our therapy services, without a doctor’s referral. 

Contact us today for more information about our neck pain treatment services or to schedule an initial appointment.