Neck Pain Specialist In Scottsdale, AZ

“How To Get Neck Pain Relief & Reclaim Your Peace of Mind”

Have you found yourself constantly feeling stressed, or achey, unable to focus on what’s going on around you? Neck pain is not only distracting, but frustrating when it feels like you’ve already tried everything and nobody can tell you what’s wrong, and why.

The trick with neck pain is that the symptoms you’re having are not always the root cause. For example, one cause of neck pain for many individuals is weakness or stiffness in the shoulders. Faulty movement patterns caused by your shoulders cause your neck pain to worsen over time, leaving you continuously chasing the latest symptom.

Aside from the neck pain itself, this may or may not produce dizziness, headaches, shoulder pain, and sometimes numbness and tingling in your arms or hands. What drives most people crazy, is the things they used to do, like massage and chiropractic seem to be helping less and less, leaving them to wonder – “what’s changed?”

Neck pain ranks as the third leading cause of chronic pain in the United States. Studies indicate that over a quarter of Americans experience neck pain at some point in their lives. Additionally, it is worth noting that neck pain often serves as a prominent factor in the development of headaches. One of the most revealing statistics regarding how poorly neck pain is understood, is that if someone is involved in a whiplash injury and seeks conventional care, they have a 50% chance of having neck pain for the rest of their lives.

At The Doctors of Physical Therapy, we’re breaking that mold. With our comprehensive treatment approach taking into account how the entire body works together, we see a 90% success rate.

The Doctors of Physical Therapy team is committed to providing the best possible treatment for neck pain. One of the most concerning statistics we see is that only 50% of people involved in a whiplash incident ever recover fully while the rest continue to have neck pain their entire lives. We understand that not everyone has whiplash, however for those that do, 90% of our whiplash cases reach full recovery. We take the lessons learned from this difficult condition and apply it to our treatment of all neck pain.

Our clinic boasts a state-of-the-art facility equipped with cutting-edge tools and advanced technology like EPAT Shockwave and EMTT Magnetolith. We have a team of highly skilled clinicians who possess unmatched expertise in effectively reducing and eliminating various types of musculoskeletal and neurologic pain associated with the neck. This is because when someone has neck pain, we realize that it’s rarely isolated to just the neck. The entire body works together, and we analyze this relationship and develop a full treatment plan to deliver lasting results.

At The Doctors of Physical Therapy, we prioritize patient partnership and engagement. Our clinicians take the time to thoroughly discuss the underlying causes of neck pain, various treatment options available, and the expected outcomes and timelines of each approach. We believe in empowering our patients with knowledge and involving them in the decision-making process regarding their treatment.

Furthermore, we understand the importance of collaboration in delivering comprehensive care. Our clinicians maintain close communication and collaboration amongst our own and outside teams, ensuring a seamless healthcare experience for our patients. We are dedicated to providing a holistic approach to neck pain treatment, focusing not only on immediate relief but also on long-term solutions to enhance our patients’ overall well-being and make sure there’s little chance of the neck pain returning.

There are several contributing factors of neck pain that can occur due to various factors. Rather than it being one thing however, what’s most important to understand is it’s likely a combination of things.

One of the primary reasons for experiencing neck pain is poor posture. Maintaining an uncomfortable posture while sitting, standing, or sleeping can put strain on the neck muscles and lead to discomfort. That being said, there is no perfect posture to obsess over, as posture is often linked to weaknesses and muscular imbalances.

Muscular imbalances cause the body to start to compensate, and this usually leads to the feeling of stiffness. The way you may have tried to help the stiffness is through massage, and stretching. These will typically relieve it for a bit, but because it’s a compensation for the imbalance, the stiffness will return. It’s the imbalance that must be corrected for lasting results.

Another common cause of neck pain is poor ergonomics, especially when it comes to prolonged periods of working at a computer without changing position. Uncomfortable seating, improper positioning of the monitor or keyboard, and lack of necessary support can contribute to neck pain over time.

Engaging in activities that involve sudden or forceful movements of the head can also result in neck pain. Jerking the neck during exercise or sudden movements while playing sports can strain the neck muscles and surrounding tissues.

Whiplash is another frequent cause of neck pain, typically resulting from rear-end auto collisions, but also common in falls. The rapid backward and forward movement of the head during such accidents can cause injury to the muscles, ligaments, and vertebrae in the neck, leading to significant discomfort.

In summary, poor posture, poor ergonomics during extended computer use, jerking the neck during exercise, and experiencing whiplash from automobile collisions are some of the most common contributing factors to neck pain. Each of these things contributes to muscular imbalance, and it’s these imbalances that cause the issue to persist. That is why so many people struggle to fix their neck pain long term. They focus on better posture, and better ergonomics, while stretching and massaging their stiff muscles, but the lasting answer lies in fixing the movement patterns.

Acute neck pain refers to sudden onset pain that typically lasts for a relatively short period, usually less than six weeks. It can occur as a result of an injury, such as a muscle strain or sprain, or due to excessive strain on the neck muscles or joints. While acute neck pain can be intense and cause discomfort, it generally resolves within a short period with the right care. Without the right care, this is where compensations start to develop, and even though the pain will heal in the short term, it starts coming back more frequently.

Chronic neck pain is characterized by pain and discomfort that persists for an extended period, often lasting for months or even years. After years of pain it starts to cause irritation to other tissues, such as the disc, joints, or nerves. It’s important to understand that the damage done to these tissues is NOT the cause, it’s the symptom. Most clinicians will tell you otherwise, but if we’re looking for a “cause” then we’re looking for the reason that damage occurred in the first place, are we not? This goes back to movement patterns. It’s this short-sightedness over what a “cause” is that has resulted in so many failed interventions and surgeries, they are targeting the symptoms.

Individuals experiencing chronic neck pain may find it challenging to perform everyday activities, such as working, eating, engaging in physical activities, or enjoying life to the fullest. The persistent nature of chronic neck pain can lead to limitations in mobility, reduced quality of sleep, decreased productivity, and emotional distress.

Both acute and chronic neck pain respond well to the right conservative measures such as targeting faulty movement patterns and muscle imbalances in physical therapy, and NSAIDS. Chronic neck pain, depending on the extent of the damage that has already occurred may involve a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach. Treatment options may include a combination of pain medications, physical therapy, chiropractic care, alternative therapies such as EPAT shockwave, stress management techniques, ergonomic modifications, and, in some severe cases, surgical intervention.

Ultimately, finding a provider who understands the complexities of your pain allows individuals and healthcare professionals to devise effective strategies for resolution of pain, promote healing, and improve overall quality of life.

• You’ve tried a million different pillows thinking they’d be the answer, and that you must just be “sleeping wrong.”
• You tried waiting for it to go away on its own. That didn’t work…
• You’re currently getting care, and the provider is insisting that you keep being patient and that it will eventually work. You’re staying with them a little longer because they’re “nice.” 
• You tried looking up exercises to do on your own. This is a fair strategy, but there are many “causes” of neck pain, and it’s difficult to figure out which exercises are right for you. This is why some exercises can seem to make it better, but some make it much worse.
• You tried a few relaxing massages and it felt good for a few days but then it came back. 
• You tried chiropractic care and it eased a bit, but the nagging sensation is still there. 
• You went to the doctor’s office, and they gave you pain meds or nerve medication to numb the pain. They told you to come back in 6 weeks if it didn’t work.
• You went to a physical therapist who put you on the same exercises everyone else with neck issues gets…then they left you with an assistant who only half watched your technique.