Neck pain is a common problem that can be caused by injury, poor posture, or repetitive motions. It affects people of all ages and often causes headaches, muscle spasms, stiffness, and numbness in the upper limbs.
Many treatments for neck pain focus on the soft tissues in your neck like muscles or ligaments but don’t address problems with bone alignment or misalignment of the vertebrae (bones in your spine). This can cause permanent difficulties if not addressed properly.
Foundation Health offers osteopathy as an alternative to traditional medical treatment for neck pain relief. Osteopaths are trained to look at every part of your body—muscles, bones, and joints—to determine what’s causing your symptoms so they can correct it effectively using manual manipulation techniques. Using these gentle techniques, we can treat chronic neck pain without surgery or medications that may have long-term negative effects.
Before you book your appointment with us, let’s address a few common questions or concerns you may have.
Will an osteopath help my neck?
An osteopath can assess the causes of neck pain and recommend the appropriate treatment. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment is available for patients with acute or chronic neck pain who want a hands-on approach to their treatment.
What does an osteopath do for neck pain?
Osteopathic treatment for neck pain aims to release any tight muscles in the neck, correct any postural deficiencies that may be contributing to your neck pain and help you restore normal movement patterns. In some cases, prescribed exercises may also be recommended.
What is neck Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment?
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for neck pain is a gentle and hands-on system of manual therapy, where an experienced osteopath will apply precisely graded forces to your cervical spine and other joints throughout the body in a specific direction with a view to restoring normal movement and reducing mechanical stress.
What happens when an osteopath cracks your neck?
The sound you can hear when an osteopath cracks your neck is caused by the gas that is naturally present in the fluid surrounding the joint (synovial fluid). During manual neck manipulation, these bubbles may pop, releasing gas (carbon dioxide) back into the synovial fluid, which causes the cracking sound.
This osteopathic treatment can lead to increased joint movement and reduced joint stiffness.
This is a safe process, you should not feel any pain as it is completely different from fracturing or dislocating a joint.
How do I know if my neck is out of alignment?
An osteopath can help you identify your specific problem and prescribe appropriate treatment to resolve your pain. There are a number of ways in which an osteopath can determine whether your neck or associated areas such as the upper back, shoulders, or jaw could be causing your pain. These include a thorough case history, clinical examination, and postural assessments.
Can an osteopath help with a pinched nerve in the neck?
An osteopath can treat a pinched nerve in the neck using manual therapy to release any tight muscles and restore normal movement patterns to the neck. In the event that an X-ray or MRI is needed to diagnose your pain, your osteopath will refer you for further testing.
How many visits are required for neck Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment?
The number of consultations your osteopath requires will depend on the severity of your problem and how quickly you respond to treatment. Some patients may need just two or three treatments before their pain is relieved, while others may require more extensive therapy over a longer period of time.
What is the fastest way to relieve neck pain?
An osteopath can provide relief from neck pain by using manual therapy, which may involve gentle yet precise forces being applied to the affected joints and muscles in a specific direction.
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment is suitable for all ages and may be covered under your private health insurance policy so you are able to choose treatment without restriction.
What to expect at your first appointment
During your first appointment, an osteopath will be looking at the cause of your pain and determining whether it is related to any underlying medical conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, or cancer. An osteopath would also want to get an idea of your daily activities and how you use your body, which will help them decide on the most appropriate treatment for you.
Final thoughts
Osteopathic medicine can help reduce the symptoms of chronic neck pain by focusing on the health of your muscles, bones, and joints. With osteopathy, you will have an individualised treatment plan tailored just for you to relieve any discomfort caused by muscle spasms, pinched nerves, or joint misalignments that may be contributing to your condition.
Book your appointment with Foundation Health today, you’ll feel improvement after your very first session!
