Difficulty driving comfortably. Pain while playing outside with your kids. Not being able to look up or reach up for an object without your neck or shoulder aching. These are all negative effects that neck and shoulder pain can have on your daily life.
Neck pain and shoulder pain can be even more problematic when they become chronic. These types of pain can be considered chronic if they last for 12 weeks or longer. Long-term neck and shoulder discomfort often occur together due to the many muscles and nerves that run between these structures. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to reduce chronic neck and shoulder pain.
These three steps can help reduce chronic neck and shoulder pain
Dealing with chronic neck and shoulder pain can lead to a host of other issues. For instance, many people with these types of pain end up having frequent headaches. Luckily, there are steps you can take to decrease persistent shoulder and neck discomfort.
Three steps in particular that can help address these types of pain are:
- Improve your posture — Posture is the way you hold yourself while sitting, walking or lying down. Typically, postural problems occur along the spine, including in the neck. One example is that holding your head too far forward can lead to weakness and tension in neck muscles. Reducing the time you spend with your head bent forward can often help decrease neck pain. It can also help reduce shoulder rounding that can cause shoulder pain.
- Check your sleeping position — Is your pain the worst in the morning when you wake up? If it is, you may want to check how you’re sleeping at night. Too few or too many pillows can put your neck in a painful position for hours at a time. Additionally, sleeping on your side can put excess strain on your shoulders.
To counteract neck issues, you can adjust the number or firmness of the pillows you use. You can also try to sleep on your back to reduce the tension on your shoulders.
- Consider going to physical therapy — Physical therapists are experts at treating musculoskeletal disorders, which includes issues affecting the neck and shoulders. These specialists take a personalized approach to treating your conditions. They can do so because they have many therapy methods at their disposal, including options like:
- Therapeutic exercises designed to improve your posture
- Soft tissue mobilization to reduce neck and shoulder muscle tension
- Astym® therapy that can break down scar tissue that’s restricting your neck and shoulder range of motion
Excel Sports & Physical Therapy offers effective care for chronic neck and shoulder pain
Fed up with chronic neck and shoulder pain? Our team at Excel PT is ready and willing to help you find therapeutic care that can decrease your pain. We offer comprehensive screenings intended to pinpoint the issue(s) behind your pain. In addition, our physical therapists are adept at creating individualized therapy plans designed to decrease and prevent multiple forms of pain.
Don’t have time to come see us in person? That’s OK! You don’t have to visit us in person to get effective physical therapy thanks to the virtual therapy and at-home care services we offer.
Contact our team today for more information about all our physical therapy services or to schedule an initial appointment.
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