Neck Pain & Upper Back Pain
Osteopath in Darwin assessing neck and upper back pain holistically for long term solutions.
Neck pain can often be persistent and debilitating. It may be a sharp feeling every time you turn your head, a pinching in between the shoulder blades or a feeling of constant tension that no amount of stretching seems to relieve. Often the answer to sustained relief comes from looking further down the body, the upper back in particular, but even down to the pelvis and feet. Extremely common in desk workers and those who have sustained whiplash.
Example case study
· 40-year-old female with left sided neck and upper back pain, the pain is sharp in nature with turning of the head and has also led to a constant stiff feeling in the neck. The pain has been intermittent over a 6-month period however has become constant and unrelenting in the last few weeks.
· Upon examination it was found that her pelvis was unlevelled on the left side which caused her left shoulder to be sitting lower than her right. This was placing an increased tension in the muscles on the left shoulder and neck, she was chest breathing and recruiting muscles in the front of the neck to help breath, further adding tension. The joints in her upper back were very rigid in movement which was causing the joints in her neck to become overworked in compensation for the upper back. The combination of tight muscles in the neck, and the joints of the neck compensating for a rigid upper back led the neck joints to become symptomatic upon movement, causing local neck pain, radiating down to the upper back.
· Treatment was primarily focused on bringing back movement to the upper back with articulation and gentle manipulation, while also doing some work through the muscles and joints of the neck aiming for some symptomatic relief. Some treatment was also focussed on addressing the pelvis position to bring the shoulders back to a neutral position.
For management, some mobility exercises were given to the upper back to improve its function, and some deep breathing exercises were given to allow the muscles in the front of the neck to relax.