Range restored
Mobilisation of the specific cervical and thoracic segments that have stopped moving, so rotation and side-bend return without forcing.
Physiotherapy
Neck Pain Treatment
The joint that holds your head up all day, and rarely gets asked how it is doing.
- 40 minutes
- Session length
- 6 to 8 sessions
- Typical course
- 5 to 8 minutes daily
- Home work
Overview
Neck pain is usually less about the neck than about what the neck is compensating for. Hours at a screen, a phone held low, a shoulder that has quietly stopped contributing — the cervical spine absorbs all of it, and eventually the small stabilising muscles give out and the large ones take over. That is the stiffness and the headache behind the eyes.
We assess the whole chain before treating any of it: cervical range in all six directions, the thoracic spine underneath, shoulder blade control, and the postures your day actually demands. Treatment then targets the segment that is stuck rather than the segment that hurts, which are often not the same one.
Consider this if
- Stiffness that is worst on waking or after a long stretch at a desk
- Headaches that begin at the base of the skull and wrap forward
- Turning your head fully to one side but not the other
- Pins and needles, or a heavy ache, running into the shoulder or arm
What it does
Neck Pain Treatment
Load taken off
Releasing the upper trapezius and levator scapulae that have been holding what the deep stabilisers should be.
Headache relief
Cervicogenic headaches often ease once the upper cervical joints and suboccipital muscles are treated directly.
It stays gone
Deep neck flexor retraining and a desk setup that does not undo the session on the drive home.
Inside a session
Assess
Range of motion measured in all directions, segment-by-segment palpation, and neurological screening of the arm if symptoms travel.
Release
Soft-tissue work and trigger point release through the upper trapezius, levator scapulae and suboccipitals.
Mobilise
Graded manual mobilisation of the restricted cervical and thoracic segments, within the range you tolerate.
Retrain
Deep neck flexor activation and scapular control, plus the two or three positions in your day that need changing.
Common questions
Will my neck be manipulated?
Only graded mobilisation is used — slow, controlled movement within a range you tolerate. High-velocity manipulation is not part of the protocol here, and nothing is done without explaining it first.
Why are you treating my upper back?
The thoracic spine sits directly beneath the neck. When it stops rotating, the cervical segments take up the shortfall. Treating the neck alone in that situation gives relief that lasts days rather than months.
Can I keep working at my desk?
Yes. Rest is rarely the answer for mechanical neck pain. We adjust the setup and give you a movement to break up long sitting, rather than asking you to stop.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. What is right for you is decided at assessment. If your symptoms are severe, worsening quickly, or follow an injury, seek medical care first.
Also in this discipline
Not sure this is the right one?
That is what the first consultation is for. Ninety minutes of assessment before anything is recommended — including recommending nothing.