Neck Pain Introduction
Neck pain comes in many guises. You might have chronic aches whilst sitting at your desk, you might wake up with a crick in your neck or you could have sharp shooting pains.
The great news is that most neck pain responds very well to chiropractic treatment, and it is the second most common condition treated at Worcester Chiropractic Clinic (after back pain).
Because neck pain can come in so many different forms, and because your neck is a complex part of your body, the single most important thing when treating neck pain is to perform a detailed examination.
Establishing an accurate diagnosis is essential for safe management of neck pain and also enables specific treatment, meaning you get out of pain more quickly.
Even though your neck is a delicate area of your body, most neck pain is not the result of any damage and treatment is usually very straightforward.
If neck pain is making work, driving or sleep a misery, our award-winning team of chiropractors in Worcester can usually see you within 1–2 days — and in almost all cases assessment and your first treatment happen at the same visit.
Book a Neck Pain Assessment Call 01905 428956
★ 5.0 from 163 Google reviews · Appointments usually within 1–2 days · No GP referral needed · GCC-registered chiropractors
“I have been suffering with neck and shoulder problems for most of my adult life and have tried many many other chiropractors, osteopaths, physios with little success… In just two sessions I feel like a different person thanks to David. Absolutely first class identification of the root problem and subsequent treatment. Honestly, don’t waste your time going anywhere else.”
— Ian S., Google review
Types of Neck Pain
There are a vast number of structures within your neck that can cause pain. You can even get referred pain in your neck, although this is uncommon.
It is important to say that the overwhelming majority of neck pain is mechanical. This means that it involves your nerves, muscles or skeleton and is likely linked to your posture, activities or some kind of trauma.
Doctors sometimes call this cervicalgia — simply the medical term for neck pain — or mechanical neck pain, and it is exactly the kind of problem chiropractors assess and treat every day.
If your neck pain shoots into your shoulder or arm, or comes with pins and needles or numbness, the cause may be a trapped nerve in your neck — see our dedicated guide. Neck problems are also a common cause of headaches: our page on headaches and migraines explains how.
Sinister causes of neck pain are very rare and are usually accompanied by other symptoms. They are also easily distinguished from mechanical problems on examination.
Traumatic Neck Pain
Traumatic neck pain, such as whiplash following a car crash, requires a specific approach to investigation before treatment.
First and foremost, significant injury must be excluded. This may require imaging, such as x-ray or MRI, particularly if you have a sudden inability to move or support your head.
In most instances, there is no visible damage to the neck. Fractures are rare and usually instantly recognisable, leading to hospitalisation at the scene of trauma.
Pain can occur immediately following trauma, or up to a month afterwards.
Dealing with traumatic neck pain quickly greatly improves long term outcomes. Seeking treatment as soon as you notice any discomfort following a recent trauma can prevent chronic pain setting in.
Manual therapy, such as that provided by chiropractors, and over the counter anti-inflammatories are the best methods for treating traumatic neck pain.
Manual therapy may include joint manipulation or mobilisation, soft-tissue release, dry-needling, muscle taping and more.
Rehabilitation is also an important component of care for traumatic neck pain.
Following a neck trauma, your brain will sometimes communicate differently with your muscles compared to before the trauma.
This altered muscle-brain communication is a significant contributor to pain and future degenerative changes.
Our chiropractors are trained to provide rehabilitation services as well as manual therapy and will usually combine these approaches for best effect.
Long-lasting Neck Pain
Long-lasting, or chronic, neck pain is the most common form of neck pain.
For neck pain to be considered chronic, it needs to bother you over a period of at least six weeks. This does not mean that pain needs to be continuous over this time-frame, and in most cases chronic neck pain comes and goes over a long period, rather than being constant.
Chronic neck pain can result from a number of different causes from day-to-day activities to posture, previous injury, anxiety and stress.
Taking the time to properly understand the physical, psychological and lifestyle factors involved in chronic pain is essential to achieving a good outcome.
We are very lucky at Worcester Chiropractic Clinic that, being an independent practice, we can completely control our appointment times and so ensure all relevant factors are taken into account.
Chronic neck pain generally responds very well to manual therapy, again using a combination of modalities, such as manipulation, mobilisation and soft-tissue techniques.
However, manual therapy is usually only part of the story as far as chronic neck pain is concerned.
For long-lasting relief, we will also help you tackle those underlying or associated factors.
We will achieve this by providing lifestyle advice, stress-management techniques, strengthening or mobilising exercises and so forth, as your situation requires.
Sudden Onset Neck Pain
Sudden onset neck pain can be a worrying symptom for many people.
The reality is that, unless you have suffered a major trauma immediately preceding your neck pain, there is almost certainly nothing to worry about.
Neck pain can come on suddenly for a number of reasons, but most causes involve your neck muscles or the joints in your spine.
For the majority of sudden onset neck pain patients, there will have been some preceding twinges or niggles.
But for some patients neck pain can occur totally out of the blue, with no warning signs.
In either instance, your chiropractor will be able to assess you to tell you what is happening in your neck to cause your pain.
Sudden onset neck pain, being muscular or skeletal in origin, responds very well to chiropractic treatment, with many patients getting relief from the first visit.
“Went there with a very frozen neck and shoulder with nerve pain and over a handful of sessions with his help, my neck has completely loosened up and most of the pain has gone away. Have already recommended to friends and family and would genuinely do so to anyone that needs a professional service that actually works.”
— Seb S., Google review
If you have any minor niggles in your neck, don’t ignore these as they could be a precursor to a more severe neck pain event that can be prevented.
Neck Pain Advice
The following advice should not replace seeing a chiropractor if you have neck pain. Examination followed by appropriate treatment and rehabilitation will always be helpful if you have neck pain, relieving current symptoms but also helping prevent recurrence.
Advice also needs to be specific for best effect, so please seek a chiropractic opinion at the same time as trying the following.
- Ice packs – When applied for 20 minutes, ice packs provide an anti-inflammatory effect. This is particularly useful when you have sudden onset or traumatic onset neck pain. Take an hour’s gap between applications and always keep a layer of cloth between your skin and the ice pack.
- Shoulder strengthening – Particularly useful for chronic neck pain or neck pain where posture is a significant factor. YTWs and deltoid raises (Google will show you what to do) are great starter exercises.
- Chest stretching – Stretching your chest (pectoral) muscles for 20-30 seconds a few times a day can be really helpful, especially if you are at a desk or driving for a large part of the day.
- Magnesium oil – Where your neck muscles just won’t relax, perhaps because of stress or tension, magnesium oil can bring a benefit. Magnesium is a muscle relaxant. You can buy it as a spray-on oil that you rub into the tense muscles.
- Abdominal breathing – When you inhale, your chest should stay still and your neck relaxed. This is because your diaphragm is doing the work. But for many people the reverse is true, leading to fatigue and soreness in the neck muscles. There are lots of techniques for coaching abdominal breathing, have a look online for the one that suits you best.
- Stress relief – Stress is a major factor in many cases of chronic neck pain. You can’t always get rid of stress, but you can change how it affects your body. General exercise, but particularly intense exercise, is the best stress-buster on the planet and essentially presses a physiological reset button, relieving tension in the neck muscles.
- Neck strengthening – Having more muscle protects your neck from injury, but you should only exercise your neck This means applying force, but not moving. Try lying on your back and pushing your head into the floor. Your neck isn’t moving, but you are engaging your neck muscles. 10 second repetitions is ideal.
- Massage – You don’t need to fork out on massages all the time, save them as a treat. But using your own hands, special contraptions or asking a friend/partner to massage your neck and shoulder muscles can provide temporary relief of neck pain.
- Topical gels – Hot and cold rubs act by competing with pain signals. Your brain can only receive a certain amount of information from one area of your body at any one time, so hot or cold gels can drown out pain.
Book Your Neck Pain Appointment Online
Choose a time that suits you below, or call us on 01905 428956 — appointments are usually available within 1–2 days, and in almost all cases treatment is included in your first visit.
Visiting Us for Neck Pain Treatment
You’ll find us at 102 Bromyard Road, St John’s, Worcester, WR2 5DJ — a few minutes from the city centre on the west side of the river. There is one parking space directly in front of the clinic and three more in the Methodist Church car park around 50 m away. Directions, opening hours and fees are on our appointments page.
As well as Worcester itself, we regularly treat neck pain patients from St John’s, Hallow, Martley and the villages towards Bromyard and Leominster, and from Malvern — we’re around 20 minutes’ drive from Great Malvern.
Neck Pain FAQs
Can a chiropractor help with neck pain?
Yes. The overwhelming majority of neck pain is mechanical — involving the joints, muscles and nerves of your neck — and this responds very well to chiropractic care. Neck pain is the second most common condition we treat at the clinic, using a combination of manipulation, mobilisation, soft-tissue techniques and rehabilitation exercises tailored to your examination findings.
Is having your neck treated safe?
Yes — serious complications from chiropractic neck treatment are extremely rare. Every patient has a full history and a neurological and orthopaedic examination first, so treatment is only recommended where it is appropriate for you. All our chiropractors are registered with the General Chiropractic Council, and if you prefer not to have your neck manipulated, gentler techniques such as mobilisation and soft-tissue work are very effective alternatives.
How much does neck pain treatment cost in Worcester?
Your initial consultation is £85, which includes a full history, a neurological and orthopaedic examination, a clear explanation of what is causing your neck pain and — in almost all cases — your first treatment. Follow-up treatments are £50.
How quickly can I get an appointment?
Usually within 1–2 days. You can book online at any time of day or call us on 01905 428956. Treatment normally starts at your first visit, so you don’t wait longer in pain than you need to.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on the cause and how long you have had it. Sudden onset neck pain often improves quickly, with many patients feeling relief from the first visit. Long-standing neck pain usually needs a short course of treatment combined with exercises and advice on posture, stress and other contributing factors, and your chiropractor will review your progress with you at every stage.
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