Physio For Neck Pain in Melbourne: Reduce Pain and Prevent Headaches

Find relief from neck pain and cervicogenic headaches with expert physiotherapy care.

Need physio for neck pain in Melbourne CBD? We’re here to help. Whether a result of injury, illness or lifestyle, our highly skilled physiotherapists will work to restore your motion, resolve your pain and reduce the likelihood of neck issues recurring.

Restricting your movement, impacting your productivity and contributing to headaches, neck pain really is, well, a pain in the neck. But it needn’t bring you to a standstill.

Discover our comprehensive approach to neck pain relief, from manual therapy to education, postural correction and Neck Muscle Retraining.

What Causes Neck Pain?

There are many reasons for experiencing neck pain (pain in the cervical spine). Ranging from acute to chronic, it’s one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders we see, affecting approximately one in three people once a year, with women more commonly impacted.

Common causes of neck pain include:

Poor Posture and Repetitive Strain: Based in Melbourne CBD, we see countless office workers suffering from neck pain caused by sustained poor posture sitting in front of screens. Similarly, the repetitive strain from the neck posture we assume while using our mobile phones and tablets is also to blame.

Looking downwards with rounded shoulders places excess weight on the neck and can fatigue the neck muscles. Our device addiction has undeniably caused an increase in the clients we see with technology-related neck and shoulder pain – or ‘tech neck’.

Ageing and Degenerative Conditions: Degenerative changes over time and conditions such as osteoarthritis also contribute to neck stiffness and pain. Placing significant wear and tear on the spine, cervical spondylosis, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc conditions are a key cause of chronic neck pain in the ageing population.

Traumatic Injury: Sports injuries and trauma from falls and car accidents are another cause of neck pain. Whiplash (where the head is rapidly flung forwards and backwards, or vice versa) is a common cause of acute neck pain.

Muscle Tension and Stress: Stress and anxiety can also manifest as tension in the neck, back and shoulders, causing pain and restricted movement.

Cervical Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerve): Herniated discs, fractures and bone spurs can cause inflammation or damage to the nerve root in the neck. This nerve compression can cause tingling, pain or numbness that radiates into the shoulder, arm and hand.

Common Types of Neck Pain

There are two main types of neck pain: axial and radicular.

Axial neck pain is constrained to the neck and immediate surrounding structures. Radicular neck pain, on the other hand, involves nerve compression, with pain often radiating down the arm into the hand.

Neck pain can be acute, chronic or subacute. Acute pain typically arises after injury, such as a sports injury, or as a result of muscle strain, for instance from sleeping in an awkward position. It generally lasts up to 4 weeks.

Chronic neck pain presents more gradually, and its underlying cause, such as prolonged poor posture, may not be immediately apparent. Chronic neck pain is pain that has been present for 3-plus months. Subacute pain falls in between.

We treat acute and chronic neck pain and associated symptoms, including:

Acute facet joint strains – if facet joints (the pair of small joints between each level of vertebrae at the rear of the spine) are damaged, pain, stiffness and spasming may occur and refer to the head, upper back or arm.
Wry neck – painful twist and tilt of the neck with a restricted range of motion, frequently caused by an awkward sleeping position.
Cervicogenic headaches – headaches originating in the neck.
Intervertebral disc injury – pain from injury to one or more intervertebral discs.
Spinal nerve-related neck and arm pain – common symptoms of a pinched nerve are sharp, stabbing pain, numbness or tingling.
Loss of power or sensation in the arm – when a spinal nerve is significantly injured, you can lose sensation in the area it supplies and power in the muscles it innervates.

Our Neck Pain Physio Services

As a leading destination for physiotherapy in Melbourne, we don’t just reduce pain. We pinpoint the underlying cause of your neck pain, create a tailored exercise and strengthening program to aid your recovery and prevent pain recurrence, and provide ongoing support.

Initial Assessment

Your neck pain physiotherapy treatment starts with a comprehensive assessment. Your physio will ask about your pain, medical history and lifestyle. We’ll then assess your range of motion, posture and muscle strength and locate tender areas with a physical examination.

We may also refer you for diagnostic tests such as X-rays, MRI or CT scans.

Need physio for back pain? We can help with that too.

Treatment Techniques to
Relieve Neck Pain

Our physios devise tailored treatment plans for each client. We relieve neck pain with manual therapy, stretching, self-management tools and exercise.

Soft Tissue Massage: Massage helps reduce pain by relaxing muscles, boosting blood circulation, and decreasing inflammation.
Joint Mobilisation: Gently manipulating the joints can increase their range of motion and reduce stiffness.
Manual Traction: Gently neck traction (pulling) helps take pressure off inflamed joints and nerves.
Dry needling: Your physio may also use dry needling to release trigger points and alleviate pain.
Stretching: Stretching your neck muscles can improve flexibility and help reduce stiffness.
Strengthening Exercises: Targeting weak muscles, physio-prescribed exercises for neck pain can increase stability and reduce injury risk.

In your first appointment, we will design an at-home exercise program accessed via the PhysiApp app.
Heat: Heat relaxes spasming muscles and increases blood flow to accelerate healing.
NSAIDs: For symptomatic relief, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help reduce inflammation and ease pain.

Ongoing Support

Whether it’s helping you recover from a sporting injury or improving your posture or home-office ergonomics, your physio will provide ongoing support.

Alongside treating your symptoms, we’ll give you self-management tools and a tailored exercise program. If your neck pain persists, we willadapt this as needed to ensure you achieve your goals.

Why Choose The Alignment Studio for Your Neck Pain?

At The Alignment Studio, we treat neck pain with a multidisciplinary approach. In addition to hands-on pain management, we offer:

Postural Analysis: With photographic feedback, our postural analysis screening identifies how your posture can be improved to reduce neck pain.
Ergonomic Assessments: We also offer workstation ergonomic assessments to ensure your neck isn’t under unnecessary strain.
Neck Muscle Retraining Program: TAS physioAna uses MotionGuidance® software in a neck muscle retraining program that strengthens weak muscles and improves proprioception (sense of your body in space) with real-time feedback.
Clinical Pilates: Your treatment plan may include physio-run Clinical Pilates to improve posture, strength and mobility and relieve neck pain.

Physiotherapy for Neck Pain: Success Stories

I would highly recommend physio Peter Hunt. I had neck and shoulder injuries with pain and could not find a good physio as I am new to Melbourne. After treatment, pain and stiffness are gone like magic!!

A.Kim

6 months ago

Neck Muscle Retraining Program

Conor, 27, a carpenter who plays first-division suburban football recently suffered a hyperextension injury while playing. He was in a hard neck collar for 2 weeks and couldn’t move his neck when TAS physio Pete Hunt saw him 3 months after his injury.

Following 6 weeks of manual therapy and 3 weeks of Ana’s strengthening program, he’s been able to return to football and full-time work.

Book Your Neck Pain Physio Consultation at The Alignment Studio

Looking to alleviate neck pain, ditch the headaches and enjoy a pain-free life? Book your physio for neck pain consultation today!