Neck Physical TherapyIn Culver City and Westside Area
Neck pain can result from a variety of causes, ranging from overuse injuries and whiplash to diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and meningitis. For example:
Injuries: Rear-end collisions often result in whiplash injuries which occur when the head is jerked forward and then backward, stretching the soft tissues of the neck beyond their limits.
Muscle strains: Overuse often triggers muscle strains. Neck muscles, particularly those in the back of your neck, become fatigued and eventually strained. When you overuse your neck muscles repeatedly, chronic pain can develop. Even such minor things as reading in bed or gritting your teeth can strain neck muscles.
Worn joints: Just like all the other joints in your body, your neck joints tend to experience wear and tear with age, which can cause osteoarthritis in your neck.
Diseases: Neck pain can sometimes be caused by diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis, and cancer.
Nerve compression: A variety of problems in your neck’s vertebrae can reduce the amount of space available for nerves to branch out from the spinal cord, including:
Stiffened disks: As you age, the cushioning disks between your vertebrae become dry and stiff, narrowing the spaces in your spinal column where the nerves exit.
Herniated disks: This occurs when the inner gel-like material of a disk protrudes through the disk’s tougher outer covering. The protrusion can press on the spinal cord itself or on nerves exiting the spinal column, causing arm pain or weakness…
Bone spurs: Arthritic joints in your neck can develop bony growths that may press on nerves.
Studies show that treatment by a physical therapist can provide both short- and long-term relief for people with neck pain. We can design a program tailored to your specific needs to relieve your neck pain and improve mobility without expensive surgery or side effects of pain medication.
Information courtesy of the Mayo Clinic and American Physical Therapy Association.
If we are asking you to do something that is hurting too much, let us know! Physical therapy should not be severely painful. It is not common to be so sore that patients are in pain or it affects their daily life. If this ever happens during or after an appointment, let us know and we will adapt your program.
We recommend budgeting 40-60 minutes for a typical therapy session. The only exception to this will be your first visit, which can take about 20 minutes longer due to the physical therapy evaluation your therapist will provide. We also recommend showing up about 10-15 minutes early to your first visit. This way, you can complete the paperwork before your visit time and streamline the process.
A physical therapy visit lasts about 40-60 minutes. The actual contents of the visit vary based on your diagnosis/need, but typically what happens is:
You check in with the receptionist, make any appointments necessary, and we discuss your health insurance benefits with you.
You go into the gym. You can change clothes if you need to, then begin therapy.
You perform 6-8 various exercises and stretches. These can include therapeutic band exercises, light body weight exercises, or minimal weights. The stretches will promote strength, stability, improved range of motion, and pain relief.
We can initiate other techniques to include manual work, taping, cupping, and dry needling as needed.
The therapist makes recommendations based on your progress. These can include altering the frequency of visits, making additions/alterations to your home exercise plan, or things to do before your next visit.
You should wear loose clothes that make it easy to move. We also recommend sneakers. Workout clothes will work, but any comfortable clothing will work fine. Plan on giving your therapist access to your area of concern. The less your clothes restrict your movement and the more comfortable you are, the better. Shorts, yoga pants, or athletic/loose fitting pants and a tee shirt are all good options.
I am a patient at Orthosport Physical Therapy suffering with chronic lower back pain on and off for the past 4 years. I have received the best results from my physical therapist through my sessions at Orthosport. The treatment, mobilizations, and exercises are far healthier and last longer than the temporary relief experienced from the oral medications I had been taking for years.
Angela Bonner
Back in November my knee pain prevented me from enjoying playing soccer as I am used to. It got to the point that I could not play a whole game. The Orthopedic doctor recommended that I go for Physical Therapy. I was lucky enough to go to Orthosport. My physical therapist worked with me to get back to playing with no pain. They designed a program that is specific to my pain level and progress. As the pain got better and my leg strength grew I was constantly challenged more. It’s been about three months now and I am back to playing soccer once a week. I am looking forward to continuing my therapy and enjoying playing soccer more often. I just wanted to say thank you for the professional care that I received from the staff at Orthosport.
Karim Malek
I started physical therapy with Orthosport in December 2008 after having shoulder surgery and have been very pleased with the professionalism and care with which I have been treated. The physical therapist and the technician explained each step of the treatment and let me know how I was progressing as I reached each benchmark toward recovery of shoulder functioning. The home exercises were carefully explained and a printout was provided. My orthopedist has expressed his pleasure at my progress and I am sure he will continue to recommend Orthosport. During sessions, the therapist was friendly and I noticed that other patients were being treated with the same consideration and encouragement. The rooms and equipment were always clean and equipment that was not being used was properly stored. The receptionist was always pleasant and remembered names of patients. I would recommend Orthosport to anyone who wants high quality physical therapy.
Thalia Johnson
Approximately 2 years ago, I was involved in a serious car accident. As a result of the accident, I sustained spinal, knee, and head trauma, which required multiple surgeries. After my surgeries, I was recommended be my physician to have my rehabilitation treatment at Orthosport Physical Therapy. Being a retired professional athlete, I have been fortunate to be treated by some of the best doctors and therapists in the country. I have to say that the same care, compassion, and professionalism has been brought forth by the Orthosport staff. I am greatly indebted to them for their support and willingness to assist me in my recovery. I would highly recommend Orthosport Physical Therapy to anyone in need of rehabilitation.
Maxwell Jones, Retired professional football player
I have been a patient a few times in the past for various injuries and have always received great treatment on my road to recovery. In mid July I had a two-procedure surgery on my right shoulder. My first thought was to wait until October for the surgery as I had a very important golf tournament in early September. As I had experienced so much success with past procedures, I felt I could mend before the tournament date. I therefore went ahead with the procedures. It was such a pleasure to work with the staff at OrthoSport. Everyone did a fantastic job of rehabilitating my shoulder. Christina and Michael worked with me for the last few weeks to help me redevelop my golf swing. the rehabilitation was great success as my partners and I came in 2nd place in the tournament. One week later we came in 3rd place in a second tournament.
Herb Voss
June 2020 – The telehealth interface is very intuitive and having an interactive session with my therapist ensured proper form and function. I appreciate the one-on-one focus. My therapist always starts sessions with a quick check-in with regard to any after-effects of the previous session, and then we dive right in, gradually adding more and more challenging exercises. A follow-up email with additional exercises and other resources helped me feel in control of my recovery. My therapist has come up with creative ways to use ordinary household items (a ball, a towel, a pillow) as rehab tools – it’s been a very satisfying experience overall. I would not be walking on two feet without this service – I’m so grateful to have a safe way to get the help that I desperately need. Thank you, Orthosport and Telehealth!
