Physical Therapy For Neck Pain Glendale AZ

Anatomy

Your neck (cervical spine) is made up of 7 vertebra, each vertebrae is connected to the segment above and below via 2 small flat bones, these bones interact with each other and are covered by a joint capsule, this joint is called a facet joint, there are 2, one on the left and one on the right of every vertebrae. They are key to movement across the segments, they slide back and forth when we bend our head forward, backwards, side to side or rotate our neck. If these joints are not moving and sliding correctly we will have pain, inflammation and muscle tightness in the neck. 

Who is at risk

We see facet joint dysfunction in a wide array of people, industries and sports. We also see a compounded pathology with patients after a whiplash disorder such as a car accident. Patients who sit for long periods working on computers, reading books, and working on their phones are particularly at high risk. 

How Pt can help

During the initial assessment we can access each individual vertebral segment in the neck and the back. We will then  pinpoint which segments are limited in motion and determine why they are limited. This allows us to then treat these dysfunctions with manual intervention, including manipulation and retraining of the delegate muscular systems in the neck to control these joints appropriately.