Chiropractor for Neck Pain in Perth

What is neck pain?

Neck pain is pain or stiffness anywhere from the base of your skull to the top of your shoulders. It's one of the most common reasons people see a chiropractor.

People describe their neck pain in lots of ways:

• Stiffness turning your head, especially to one side
• An ache at the base of the neck or across the top of the shoulders
• Pain between the shoulder blades
• Headaches that start at the base of the skull
• Pain, tingling or pins and needles into the arm or hand (get this checked)
• Waking up with a 'locked' or wry neck

Why it happens

Most neck pain is mechanical, coming from the joints, muscles and discs of the neck. Common contributors include:

• Long hours at a desk or laptop with the head forward
• Phone use and tech neck
• Stress and tension held in the shoulders and jaw
• Sleeping awkwardly, or a pillow that doesn't suit you
• Stiffness in the upper back
• Whiplash and other injuries, including old ones
• Wear-and-tear changes that come with age

The different names neck pain goes by

Neck pain has many labels. If you've been told one of these, here's what it means:

• Wry neck (acute torticollis): you wake up and can't turn your head, often stuck to one side.
• Facet joint pain: the small joints at the back of the neck get irritated or pinched. Often sharp and one-sided, and worse looking up or turning.
• Pinched nerve (cervical radiculopathy): an irritated nerve in the neck that sends pain, tingling or numbness into the shoulder, arm or hand.
• Disc bulge in the neck: the cushion between two vertebrae bulges and can press on a nerve.
• Whiplash: neck pain and stiffness after a car accident or sudden jolt.
• Arthritis (cervical spondylosis): wear-and-tear changes in the neck joints and discs, often stiff in the morning.
• Muscle strain and tension: tight, sore muscles from posture, stress or overuse.

The real cost: you

Neck pain changes how you live without you noticing. You stop checking your blind spot properly. You sleep badly. You sit through meetings rubbing your neck instead of thinking clearly.

A note from Geoff

A sore neck makes you want to work on the neck. Stretch it, rub it, crack it. But very often, when I put my hands on someone, the stiffest part isn't the neck at all. It's the upper back underneath it.

When the upper back stiffens and rounds forward, your head drifts forward with it, and your neck has to hold up a 5kg head that's off-centre all day. That's when the stiffness, the clicking and the afternoon ache set in.

So I start with the position of your whole spine, not just the sore spot. Your adjustment is matched to what I find, never a routine, and you go home with stretches chosen for your neck. That's the Vitality Method.

Try this right now

Sit tall and slowly turn your head to the left, as if you're checking your blind spot. Now to the right. Then gently tilt your ear towards each shoulder. Is one side tighter, or does it stop short?

Which way was worse? That one detail tells me a lot about where your neck is stuck.

How we assess neck pain

We start with your story: when it began, what makes it worse, and what it's stopping you doing. Then we check how each level of your neck and upper back moves, test your strength, reflexes and the nerves into your arms, and look at your posture at rest and at a desk.

We screen for warning signs that need medical care instead. If X-rays are clinically justified, we'll explain why before referring you. Then we explain what we've found in plain English.

What your plan will include

Here's exactly what happens when you come to Vitality with neck pain:

• A detailed consultation and clinical assessment
• Digital X-rays if clinically required, bulk billed with a valid Medicare card
• Specific adjustments to assess whether change is possible for you
• If change is possible, and it's what you want, a care plan built around you and your lifestyle
• Specific neck and upper back stretches and exercises
• Tools to support a healthy neck curve, and a pillow assessment
• Daily tips to improve your posture and help manage stress and tension

My promise to you

Research suggests a combination of hands-on care and exercise may help some people with neck pain, but everyone is different. I won't promise a set number of visits.

What I do promise is a thorough investigation, an honest explanation of whether we can help, and a plan we review together.