One of the more common reasons people seek a referral to see a physio West Perth is because of spine and neck pain. When you first visit, they will ask about your medical history and then look at when the pain first started. They can work out what caused the pain about 50% of the time but if not, they can also look at where it is, and how you are affected by it and perform other tests, diagnostic and range of movement and more. When they understand the kind of pain you are experiencing and how it affects other body parts, they can then come up with a more effective treatment plan.
They will ask a lot of questions
It is normal for a physio North Perth or where you visit to ask a lot of questions. Sometimes neck pain is an indicator of something else, and professionals need to look at things like appetite, weight loss, general health, bowel and bladder control, sleep issues and what medications you are on. As well as asking questions there will be a physical examination and they may order tests to take a closer look at the spine, shoulders and neck. For example, it might be that you have a posture abnormality which is shown in a humped spine and rounded shoulders and can lead to neck pain.
Testing range of movement
The range of movement you have in the neck needs to be tested to get more information on what is happening. How you respond to different tests can help the physio West Perth better understand the problem and come up with effective treatment approaches. Assessing retraction, rotation, side flexion, extension, and flexion helps to pinpoint the issue and then sensation, muscle strength and reflexes are also tested.
Physiotherapists and other manual therapists learn special techniques they use to assess mobilisation and also perform manual palpation on the joints of the spine. With the heel of their hand and their thumb, they can press down on the side joints or spinal processes and draw certain conclusions from what happens, where the pain is and what symptoms there are. A physio West Perth can use such techniques and identify abnormal joint mechanics.
Typical treatment
Treatment might include forceful manipulation, taking the joints beyond their normal range to then restore movement, or it might use small more gentle movements to achieve pain relief and normal movement. Typically, a physio North Perth will prescribe exercise programs for both visiting and at home. They might include a pacing technique, strengthening the cervical spines’ deep flexor muscles, nerve mobilizing, correcting bad posture, and trunk segmental mobilisation. Cervical traction as a treatment, for example, can help with relieving pressure and lowering the pain so that a person can start the process of recovery.
Summary
When you have neck pain talk to your medical professional about getting a referral to a professional physio so you can get to the root cause and start treatment that helps return the range of movement and reduces or relieves pain.
