MSK Physiotherapy Resources - Neck

What causes neck pain?

• A sprain / strain e.g. sports-related, road traffic collision or work-related tasks
• A sudden increase or decrease in your normal exercise/activity levels
• Sleeping in an awkward position
• Sitting for long periods without regularly changing your position e.g. working at a computer
• A number of factors have been associated with neck pain, these include a period of increased stress, worry or low mood, poor sleep, fatigue or being run down.

What are the symptoms?

You may experience constant or intermittent (comes and goes) symptoms that are aggravated by certain activities and reduced by others.

Symptoms may include:

• Pain in your neck, which may travel into the upper part of your back and/or arm.
• Limited movement to turn your head, or look up / down
• Stiffness / reduced movement after a period of rest e.g. first thing in the morning
• Increased muscle tension, or tension type headaches

Self Help

Neck pain will normally resolve without any medical intervention within 6-8 weeks. Try some of the following self-help measures to aid your recovery:

• For the first few days after an onset of pain or an injury, changing or reducing your usual activities may help. However there is strong evidence that keeping active and gradually returning to all your usual activities and exercise is important to help recovery.
• It is normal to experience some pain during your recovery - remember, hurt does not always mean harm.
• Try to stay at work, or return as soon as you are able to. Your employer/GP/Health Practitioner should be able to support a graded return to your normal duties.
• You can try a form of exercise, e.g. walking, yoga, gardening, swimming and cycling, or you could try some of the exercises included in the resource section of this website.
• If sitting causes pain and your job involves long periods of sitting, adopting varied postures may be helpful, and regular movement e.g. doing some exercises at your desk for your neck and shoulders.
• Good sleep habits and managing stress can help you cope better with your pain.

Should I refer myself to Physiotherapy?

If you have tried the self-help measures on these pages and the symptoms have not settled, you can self-refer to MSK Physiotherapy if you live in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland.

For more information on how to self-refer to MSK Physiotherapy visit our Service Page.

When should I seek urgent medical advice?

Call 111 for advice or visit your local walk-in centre LLR ICB Urgent Health Care if you have any of the following symptoms immediately:

• Neck pain following a high speed road traffic collision or a fall from a height
• Neck pain following minor injury if you are at risk of osteoporosis (e.g. post-menopausal women)
• Neck pain and or arm pain with progressive pins and needles, numbness or loss of power
• Neck pain and or arm pain with symptoms of dizziness, double vision, disturbances to your speech, difficulty swallowing, nausea, vomiting or blackouts
• If your neck pain is accompanied by new or severe headaches, pins and needles, numbness or weakness in your face, changes in your vision or any drooping of your eyelid
• An unexplained change in: your arm / hand function e.g. clumsy hands, your walking pattern (due to unexplained weakness in one/both legs), bladder or bowel function or sexual function

Call your GP if:

• You feel unwell with your neck pain and have a fever or significant sweating that is keeping your awake at night
• You feel unwell with your neck pain and have a loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss
• An unexplained onset of neck pain accompanied by a history of TB, HIV, Cancer or Inflammatory Arthritis