Stiff Neck

What is a Stiff Neck?
A stiff neck is a condition that causes stiffness, immobility and pain to the neck that may originate from any of the structures in the neck. These include muscles and nerves as well as spinal vertebrae and the cushioning discs in between. Neck pain may also come from regions near the neck, like the shoulder, jaw, head, and upper arms.

What causes a Stiff Neck?
A common cause of a stiff neck is muscle strain or tension. Usually, everyday activities are to blame. Such activities include bending over a desk for hours, having poor posture while watching TV or reading, placing your computer monitor too high or too low, sleeping in an uncomfortable position, or twisting and turning the neck in a jarring manner while exercising. Traumatic accidents or falls can cause severe neck injuries like vertebral fractures, whiplash, blood vessel injury, and even paralysis.

What are the symptoms of a Stiff Neck?
When your neck is stiff, you may have difficulty moving it, especially to one side. If neck pain involves nerves (for example, significant muscle spasm pinching on a nerve or a slipped disc pressing on a nerve), you may feel numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arm, hand, or elsewhere.

Physiotherapy treatment Stiff Neck?
Cold therapy: Put a cold pack (typically an ice pack applied for 20 minutes) directly on the injury
Thermotherapy: Apply heat (typically in the form of heated pads, warms packs or lamps) to the areas of the body causing pain. NB. Often Cold therapy and Thermotherapy area alternated, with the cold application happening first
Exercise programmes and stretches
Gently massage the sore or painful areas
Trigger point therapy
Acupuncture
Postural and sleeping advice and adaptations.