When you’re experiencing pain in your neck and/or shoulder pain, it can definitely be…a pain in the neck! We’ve all gone through this excruciating pain and it’s quite frequent. Sometimes it lasts for about hours and sometimes it can drag on for days and weeks. It’s usually caused from being constantly hunched over our laptops, slumping and can even be caused by stress. So how do we overcome this nagging pain? Understanding neck and shoulder pain, what causes it, what are the exercises and physiotherapy for neck and shoulder pain can be the first step in overcoming it before finding relief. As leaders in Physiotherapy Abu Dhabi, we have got you covered in this detailed blog.

So let’s dig in, try to discuss this menace in detail and find out which physiotherapy for neck and shoulder pain helps in finding relief.

Understanding Neck and Shoulder Pain

Our neck and shoulder area is congested, and comprises many muscles, tendons, bones and nerves. To understand how complex this region is, we must understand the fact that the weight of our head is supported by seven small vertebrae in our neck, and in scientific terms we can call it ‘the cervical spine’. It is responsible for allowing our neck a wide range of different motions. Now, these bones are surrounded by several muscles and bones which are responsible for controlling the movement of our neck, providing it stability. Now, let’s turn our attention to the shoulders. Our shoulders are made up of shoulder blades (scapulae) and upper arm bones (humeri). And these shoulder blades are supported by a bunch of muscles, which also includes the rotator cuff. This region is also littered with a lot of tendons, and they link our muscles to bones and ligaments, which connect bones, providing much-needed joint stability. These structures are responsible for allowing our shoulders and neck to perform a range of motions and functions by working together. Due to their complex nature and constant use (light and heavy), this region is vulnerable to injuries and strains.

What Causes Neck and Shoulder Pain?

Bad Posture

This is a little known fact but one that you yourself might’ve experienced for yourself – some people claimed they experienced a surge in their neck and shoulder pain while working from home during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Bad posture and bad ergonomics can really put a massive burden on your musculoskeletal system. Now, while we’re so engrossed and busy working, hunched over our laptops for hours and hours, we often forget to sit up straight. Now this is an unnatural alignment and it adds unnecessary weight and stress on your neck and shoulder muscles. And let’s not blame the new hybrid and work from home culture for this, neck and shoulder pain can even occur while working from the office. Poor ergonomics, like chairs at incorrect heights or screens positioned too low, they can be at home or office, are key factors in contributing massively to the neck and shoulder pain. If we can ensure proper alignment and ergonomically-designed workspaces, at home or office, it can greatly help in alleviating and even preventing neck and shoulder pain.

Muscle Injury

Engaging in activities that your body or overexertion of your muscles aren’t used to can easily lead to muscle strains. Not warming up usually leads to this. So, when you’re about to hit the gym or about to play any sport, intense or not, make sure you properly condition yourself by warming up your muscles first. It’s possible to injure your neck or shoulders accidentally as well by tripping leading to falls, and they can definitely cause immediate and severe neck and shoulder pain. Now, these injuries or strains can cause muscle spasms and/or discomfort that may require physio or other treatments to heal properly.

Arthritis

Arthritis, especially osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, affects your joints located in the neck and shoulders, causing stiffness and pain. Other medical conditions have also been known to affect your musculoskeletal system – for example, fibromyalgia, causing muscle pain throughout the neck and shoulders region. Many diseases are also capable of causing inflammation and even the degeneration of your spine. This can cause chronic neck and shoulder pain.

Pinched Nerves & Herniated Discs

The vertebrae in our necks are vulnerable to herniated discs. What that means is the soft tissue inside a spinal disc protrudes and puts added pressure on your surrounding nerves. This causes a sharp or burning pain also known as a pinched nerve. This leads to pain across other parts of the body as well, well beyond just the neck and shoulders region. This can cause you to feel pain in your hands and even arms or even other areas as well, all depending on where the nerve compression has occurred.

Stress

Stress affects our health massively, be it mental health or physical. It can also cause muscle tension, especially in the neck and shoulder area. And when we’re stressed out, our body has a natural response which causes it to tighten up as a defensive mechanism or a protective measure.

Physiotherapy For Neck and Shoulder Pain

First off, make sure you reach out to a certified physio for physiotherapy for shoulder and neck pain because a physio can help you in a number of ways and is qualified to tweak the therapy and his/her techniques to your specific requirements.

Diagnosis

To start things off, your physio will perform a detailed assessment during your first consultation session. This will include a medical history recap as well as a physical examination to assess the root cause of your pain. The physio might ask you to perform some sort of minimal exercise to check your range of motion, the strength of your muscles, if your nerve is functioning ok as well as identifying any movement patterns that are causing the pain.

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is considered one of the most common forms of physiotherapy for neck and shoulder pain. It may include hands-on techniques such as massage, manipulation as well as mobilization. The physio will work on muscles, joints and soft tissues to enhance their movement, which may lead to a significant reduction in stiffness, alleviating the pain.

Therapeutic Exercise

Your physio might design a personalized exercise program for you to work on as part of your recovery from the neck and shoulder pain. This is designed to stretch and strengthen the muscles around your neck and shoulders, enhancing the flexibility of that region as well as increasing your range of motion. If performed correctly and with regularity, it will also aid in rectifying your posture which can also help avoid pain in the future. These therapeutic exercises you can also do at home, without your physio.

Pain Management Techniques

Pain management varies from person to person, depending on your body, muscle-skeleton system. And in this scenario, your physio is the best person to turn to if you’re not sure about how you should go ahead with your pain treatment. Many physiotherapists recommend heat and cold therapy as well as stretches or mobility strategies to manage the pain in the neck and shoulder region.

Neck and Shoulder Pain Exercises

Neck Tilts

One of the best forms of physiotherapy for shoulder and neck pain is tilting your head to one side, then bringing your ear toward your shoulder until you feel a stretch. Then hold your head in the same position for 15 to 30 seconds. Now, repeat the same on the other side.

Shoulder Rolls

Many certified physiotherapists consider the ‘shoulder rolls’ as one of the best physiotherapy exercises for neck and shoulder pain. It’s pretty simple. All you have to do is roll your shoulders in a circular motion, slowly. Do it first forward, then backward. Keep doing this for 15 to 30 seconds in both directions.

Shoulder Blade Squeeze

Another good form of physiotherapy for shoulder and neck pain known to have had a significant impact is the shoulder blade squeeze. You start off by sitting or standing with both your arms by your sides. Now, squeeze your shoulder blades together, as if you’re trying to hold a pen between them. Hold your shoulder blades in the same position for 5 to 10 seconds, and release. Repeat this exercise many times.

Arm Circles

Moving your arms in circular motions is considered one of the best physiotherapy exercises for neck and shoulder pain. All you have to do is extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height. After that, make small circles with your arms, slowly, and steadily increasing the size of the circles. Now keep doing this for 30 seconds, then reverse the direction.  

We’ve discussed at great length what is neck and shoulder pain, how can we achieve relief, what causes it and the necessary exercises that can manage and heal it. The neck and shoulder pain can be frustrating to deal with and can definitely interfere with your everyday activities. But if you’re doing the right exercises, relief is achievable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can physio help neck and shoulder pain?

Yes. Make sure you reach out to a certified physio for the physiotherapy for shoulder and neck pain as a physio can help you in a number of ways and is qualified to tweak the therapy and his/her techniques to your specific requirements.

 

Which therapy is best for neck and shoulder pain?

There are a number of therapies which are considered to heal and manage the neck and shoulder pain. Manual therapy is considered one of the most common forms of physiotherapy for neck and shoulder pain. It may include hands-on techniques such as massage, manipulation as well as mobilization. Then, your physio might design a personalized exercise program, also known as therapeutic exercises, for you to work on as part of your recovery from the neck and shoulder pain. Many physiotherapists recommend heat and cold therapy as well as stretches or mobility strategies to manage the pain in the neck and shoulder region.

 

What is the best exercise for neck and shoulder pain?

Many certified physiotherapists consider the ‘shoulder rolls’ as one of the best physiotherapy exercises for neck and shoulder pain.

 

Which physiotherapy is best for neck pain?

Moving your arms in circular motions is considered one of the best physiotherapy exercises for neck and shoulder pain.

 

How many physio sessions for neck pain?

It depends upon a lot of factors. For example, how your body reacts to the physiotherapy, your muscle-skeleton structure, the severity of your pain and what your physio recommends.

 

How to sleep with neck and shoulder pain?

Physios recommend the two sleeping positions which are easiest for your neck and shoulder are either on your back or on your side.

 

How to massage neck pain?

Get the affected person to face up on the bed or a firm comfortable surface. Then, gently hold the sides of the head with your hands. Pull the head away from the shoulder gently. Hold for 15 seconds before releasing. Repeat for 2-3 times.
We have some of the top medical experts in our Abu Dhabi medical center available to provide you effective physiotherapy for neck and shoulder pain relief.