Neck Pain – Accelerate Physiotherapy & Pilates Studio & Rehab Invercargill https://acceleratephysio.co.nz Wed, 07 Oct 2015 09:45:46 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.7.14 https://acceleratephysio.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Accelerate-Physio-logo-Primary-icon.png Neck Pain – Accelerate Physiotherapy & Pilates Studio & Rehab Invercargill https://acceleratephysio.co.nz 32 32 Headaches https://acceleratephysio.co.nz/2015/10/07/headaches/ Wed, 07 Oct 2015 09:45:46 +0000 http://acceleratephysio.co.nz/?p=793 Does physiotherapy help with headaches?

In some cases yes – if your headaches are due to a problem in the top 3 vertebrae of your neck or if there is a problem with the neck muscles or your posture.

How can you tell?

Generally if your headaches are related to your neck you will also be experiencing neck pain and/or stiffness or muscle tension in the neck.

Your posture may also be affected.

Why does the neck cause the headache?

The muscle and joints of the neck can refer pain into the head a bit like back pain can cause leg pain.

What can you do to help yourself?

Make sure you keep good posture when you are sitting, standing and working. Aim to change your position regularly.

Warm heat can help ease muscle tension as well as gentle neck stretches.

What can physiotherapists do to treat neck pain?

Physiotherapists first assess to see if the neck could be a contributor to the headache and then assess what structures are causing the pain. The physiotherapist can then discuss what treatment would work the best. Treatment could include

  • postural exercises
  • strengthening exercises
  • massage
  • mobilisation
  • manipulation
  • acupuncture.
]]> Breathing https://acceleratephysio.co.nz/2015/04/01/breathing/ Wed, 01 Apr 2015 01:08:56 +0000 http://acceleratephysio.co.nz/?p=747 At this time of year with all the stress that is surrounding us, we can easily get caught up in it. As the tension builds our shoulders start to migrate towards our ears, we develop tightness and pain in our shoulders as well as our neck, our breathing gets faster and we feel our shoulders heaving as we breathe. It is also important to take some time each day to stop and wind down.  Let your mind relax, let your shoulders relax and let that breath move down into the bottom of your lungs.

Occasionally you can get caught up in a cycle of stress and poor breathing and find it difficult to break this cycle.  You might find that you start to feel all sorts of worrying symptoms. Do any of these sound familiar?

  • Chest pain
  • physical tension
  • blurred vision
  • feeling confused
  • faster, deeper breathing
  • short of breath
  • tight feelings in your chest
  • bloated feeling in stomach
  • tingling fingers
  • unable to breathe deeply
  • stiff fingers or arms
  • tight feelings around the mouth
  • cold hands or feet
  • racing heart
  • feelings of anxiety

These symptoms can all be linked to a poor breathing pattern.  If you are having any of these symptoms it is especially important to take the time to relax and correct your breathing pattern.

If you are having trouble getting back on top of things and you would like some extra help, come in and see Lena, our certified BradCliff practitioner for breathing pattern disorders.

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