Neck Pain, Headaches and Dizziness
Neck pain, headaches, dizziness, vertigo and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can all be caused by neck and shoulder tightness. We see lots of it in the clinic.
Having a desk job doesn’t mean you have to live with it and even if a massage helps to relieve the pain, if the tightness and discomfort comes back, the root cause of the problem needs to be treated.
Good physiotherapy to identify and treat the cause of your tightness can relieve your neck and head pain in a matter of days to weeks.
Common Neck & Head Pain We Treat
Acute wry neck (waking up and not being able to turn your head)
Facet joint sprains
Cervicogenic headaches
Tight shoulders
Dizziness and vertigo
Tinnitus (ringing ears)
Pins and needles/ referred pain into the arms
Trapped nerves
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Post-Concussion Syndrome
Dysequilibrium (poor balance)
post-Concussion Syndrome
Concussions and head injuries can result in memory loss, headaches, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, neck pain, mood changes and concentration problems. Depending on the severity of the initial trauma, these symptoms may reasonably last for up to 8 weeks.
Post-Concussion syndrome is when these symptoms persist for longer than this expected timeframe. PCS has not been well understood in the past however recent research has shown one of the biggest contributors to PCS is neck dysfunction, as it is nearly impossible to sustain a traumatic head injury without also sustaining a whiplash injury to the neck. When the entire head and neck complex is treated following a head injury, symptoms of PCS can be quickly alleviated.
Neck & Head injury Treatment at move mountains physio
Local assessment of your neck alignment and function to identify the local cause of your pain.
Whole body assessment to determine the root cause of your neck rightness and dysfunction e.g. are your neck muscles tight because they’re compensating for tight chest muscles?
Educate you on the cause of your neck and head injury and important postural and movement changes you need to make to heal your neck or head pain.
Complete an ergonomic assessment of your workstation or work from home set-up and help you make necessary adjustments.
Quickly take away your neck and head pain through hands-on treatment such as massage or dry-needling or by teaching you self-release techniques and mobility exercises to do at home.
Teach you exercises to activate and strengthen the muscles of the neck and shoulders that are causing your problems.
Improve your sleep by removing your neck and head pain and educating you on good sleeping positions and pillow options for your situation.
Guide you through a personalised neck rehabilitation program to get you back to full function and what you want to do.
Neck & Head Pain Treatment At Home
If you wake up and can’t turn your head, don’t push through it. Most neck pain is due to muscle spasm so use a heat pack on your neck muscles.
Take a look at our blog "How To Recover From An Injury Faster".
Posture is important but “tucking the chin” is unlikely to fix the problem alone. Neck pain is often a result of poor posture at our foundation - the pelvis and ribcage. Take a look at our YouTube video series to check and correct your posture.
If you have neck tightness or a headache, massaging the tops of your shoulders might feel good initially but will rarely fix it. These muscles are usually tight as they are compensating for other muscles. take a look at our favourite stretches and release techniques to address the real culprits and treat neck pain at home.
Avoid working on a laptop (especially on the couch). Take a look at our blog on good work station set-up or our YouTube videos about good ergonomics.
In sitting, sit with a lumbar roll or rolled towel to support your lower back arch - this will stack your spine under your neck so your neck muscles can relax. Take a look at our sitting posture video to understand why and how.
Make a physiotherapy appointment so that we can identify the root cause of your neck pain or headache and get you back on the road to recovery.
For quick relief of your neck pain or headaches, book in for an appointment with one of our Neck Injury Specialists either online or in our Jindabyne physiotherapy clinic.
Or, if you’re still not sure, book in for a free 15-minute online consult so we can discuss your neck injury and how our unique treatment approach can quickly alleviate your neck pain or headaches.