You back out of the driveway by turning your whole upper body. You’ve given up on sleeping on your left side. If your neck has hurt for months, physical therapy can help, and we get asked the same handful of questions about it all the time in Apache Junction.

So Why Is It Still Hurting?

Usually there’s more than one reason. A couple of joints in the neck have stiffened up. The little muscles in the front, the ones that keep your head from drifting forward, have gotten lazy, so the big ones on top of your shoulders carry the load instead. And if you crochet, read on a tablet, or work on a laptop at the kitchen table, your head is tipped down for hours. That adds up.

There’s a nerve side to it, too. Months of soreness make the whole area more sensitive. A head turn that never bothered you in your life can start to hurt.

Is My Pillow the Problem?

It probably isn’t the only cause. People buy three or four pillows chasing this, and we understand why. What you want is one that keeps your nose pointing straight up when you lie on your back, without your chin tucked or tipped. Try it for a week before you give up on it. We’ll also ask about your recliner, your car seat, and where your screen sits.

What Do You Do at the First Visit?

We ask a lot of questions first. When did this start? What makes it worse, and does anything make it better? Then you’ll turn your head each way while we measure, and look up at the ceiling and down at your shoes. Next comes arm strength and the little reflex hammer, and we’ll touch your fingertips to check the feeling. If you get headaches at the back of the head, mention those, since they often travel with neck trouble.

The Treatment Part

The plan changes week to week. Early on, though, you can expect this:

• You lie face up on the table and we work the stiff spots loose by hand.
• You’ll practice a tiny nod, chin toward throat, which looks silly and works well.
• Rows with a band strengthen your upper back so your neck isn’t doing all of the work.
• We’ll suggest moving the monitor, propping the tablet up, and maybe changing how you hold your phone.

The home routine runs about ten minutes. Do it most days, even the boring days. A sticky note on the bathroom mirror is how a lot of our patients remember.

Timeline

Four to six weeks gets most people turning their head more easily with less pain. If your neck has bothered you for years, plan on a bit more time than that. Numbness down an arm, real weakness in your grip, or pain after a car accident should be seen by a doctor first.

If you’re done checking blind spots with your whole body, call Modern Medicine of Mesa, AZ and book an evaluation.