Neck pain and headaches are common complaints experienced by many people. Neck pain can be caused by tension, stress, poor posture, whiplash injuries (149, 150, 151) and car accidents. And as a result of severe muscular tension and joint restriction in the neck area, painful headaches can be experienced. Occasionally dizziness, visual disturbance, nausea and jaw pain can also occur.
Neck pain and headaches can be the result of extensive sitting or standing, prolonged computer work, poor sleeping posture, heavy lifting, repetitive activities, sporting injuries, jaw dysfunction (41), infection, allergies (131) or food intolerances, eye strain and sinus congestion (131).
Our osteopaths are trained to be able to distinguish between uncomplicated neck pain and that which is caused by an underlying pathology.
When treating neck problems, our osteopaths may assist by identifying the source of the pain and apply manual techniques which may reduce the duration of the pain (38, 39, 57, 58), muscular tension (37, 59), inflammation (36), and nerve irritation. This may in turn improve joint mobility and blood supply. Our osteopaths will give instructions on posture, exercises and stretching to aid your recovery. They will also give advice on diet, hydration, lifting techniques, stress management and ways to improve your ergonomic environment (including the use of pillows and bedding).
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38. Cerritelli F., Lacorte E., Ruffini E. & Vanacore N. (2017). “Osteopathy for primary headache patients: a systematic review.” J.Pain Res. 10; 601-11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5359118/
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131. Méndez-Sánchez R., González-iglesiás J., Puente-González A.S., Sánchez-Sánchez J.L., Puentedura E.J. & Fernández-de-las-Peñas, C. (2012). “Effects of Manual Therapy on Craniofacial Pain in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Case Series.” Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Vol 35(1): 64-72. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22036532
149. Bordoni B., Marelli F. & Morabito B. (2016). “The tongue after whiplash: case report and osteopathic treatment.” Int Med Case Rep J., Jul 7; 9:179-82. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4939984/
150. Schwerla F., Kaiser A.K., Gietz R. & Kastner R. (2013). “Osteopathic treatment of patients with long-term sequelae of whiplash injury: effect on neck pain disability and quality of life.” J. Altern Complement Med. Jun; 19(6): 543-9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23273259
151. Sutton D.A., Cote` P., Wong, J.J., Varatharajan S., Randhawa K.A., Yu H., Southerst D., Shearer H.M., van der Velde G.M., Nordin M.C., Carroll L.J., Mior S.A., Taylor-Vaisey A.L. & Stupar M. (2016). “Is multimodal care effective for the management of patients with whiplash-associated disorders or neck pain and associated disorders? A systematic review by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration.” Spine Journal Vol 16(12): 1541-65. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25014556