Understanding and Treating Neck Pain at Sussex Back Pain Clinic
Neck pain, an issue affecting a vast majority of the population, is an intricate condition that can significantly disrupt your quality of life. At Sussex Back Pain Clinic, our dedicated team offers a range of neck pain treatments specially tailored to address your specific needs and foster your well-being.
Our bodies are incredibly adaptable, but sometimes, continuous stress, strain, and minor injuries can disrupt the natural function of the neck. This can result in neck pain, which can extend into your shoulders, upper arms, or even skull. Common causes for this condition include past injuries, poor posture, psychological stress, and natural wear and tear in the joints.
Types of Neck Pain
Understanding the types of neck pain can help you find the most effective treatment. At Sussex Back Pain Clinic, we commonly encounter three types: uncomplicated mechanical neck pain, discal neck pain, and traumatic neck pain.
Uncomplicated Mechanical Neck Pain
Uncomplicated mechanical neck pain is a widespread issue affecting 10% to 20% of the population at any given time. It often develops subtly and might go unnoticed until it becomes chronic. An array of risk factors such as past injuries, poor posture, psychological stress, or wear and tear in the joints often work together, leading to this neck pain.
Discal Neck Pain
Discal neck pain occurs when the small discs in your neck are damaged and bulge, potentially disrupting the blood supply or compressing local nerves. This leads to severe pain radiating into the arm and numbness or pins and needles in the hand.
Traumatic Neck Pain
Traumatic neck pain, commonly associated with whiplash, can result from forced movement of the neck causing severe injury, inflammation, and stiffness. While these conditions can be serious and complex, they are typically manageable with proper treatment, assuming there’s no major structural damage.
Your Path to Recovery: Neck Pain Treatment at Sussex Back Pain Clinic
Our experienced osteopaths are trained to assess your neck and thoracic spine mechanics, identify areas of undue stress and strain, and check your posture. Through gentle manipulative techniques and guidance on posture, exercise, lifestyle, and stress management, we can restore function, ease movement, and alleviate your pain.
The recovery time varies depending on your specific condition and medical history, but most patients see significant improvement within four treatments. However, we recommend a few additional sessions to not only manage pain but also to fully recover and prevent future damage.
For cases of disc bulge, prolapse, or herniation causing nerve pain into the arm or hand, patients typically need around 6-8 treatments. If manual therapy isn’t enough or symptoms persist for more than six weeks, we can offer our state-of-the-art IDD Therapy.
IDD Therapy, or Intervertebral Differential Dynamics Therapy, is a non-surgical spinal decompression technology that allows us to mechanically open the disc space, improve fluid flow and nutrient supply, gently stretch and relax surrounding muscles, and create an optimal healing environment. This method has proven extremely effective, helping many patients quickly stop neck and nerve pain and return to their active lifestyle, often avoiding more invasive procedures like spinal injections and surgery.
At Sussex Back Pain Clinic, we’re committed to helping you reclaim your life from neck pain.
Book an appointment today and let’s start your journey towards a pain-free life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Uncomplicated mechanical neck pain is a common condition that affects up to 20% of the population at any given time. It is often due to a combination of factors such as past injuries, poor posture, psychological stress, or wear and tear in the joints. The pain typically develops subtly and can become chronic if left untreated.
Discal neck pain, which occurs when the small discs in the neck are damaged, is usually diagnosed through a careful clinical examination by our osteopaths. In some cases, an MRI may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment typically involves a combination of gentle manipulative techniques and advice on posture, exercise, lifestyle, and stress management. In more severe or long-term conditions, we may recommend IDD Therapy.
IDD Therapy, or Intervertebral Differential Dynamics Therapy, is a non-surgical spinal decompression technology. It allows us to mechanically open the disc space, improve the flow of fluids and nutrients, gently stretch and relax surrounding muscles, and create the best environment for the disc to heal naturally. This treatment has proven extremely effective in managing neck and nerve pain, helping many patients return to an active lifestyle and even avoid more invasive procedures.
