A stiff neck in the morning, pain when you turn your head to check a blind spot, discomfort that builds across a day at the desk, or headaches that seem to start in the neck. Neck pain can have many contributing factors, including joint irritation, muscle tension, posture, work demands and training loads. Every assessment begins by identifying the factors contributing to your symptoms, allowing us to develop an individualised management plan tailored to your needs.
Neck pain can also involve nerve-related symptoms such as tingling or pain into the arm. An assessment helps work out what is contributing to your symptoms and whether further investigation or referral is appropriate.
Your care starts with understanding you, your symptoms and the factors that may be contributing to them. From there, we develop an individualised management plan based on your assessment, needs and goals.
Our services include osteopathy, myotherapy and remedial massage, which may assist in addressing muscular tension and joint restriction. Where clinically appropriate, dry needling may also be used as part of your care plan. Many people we see with neck pain spend long hours at a desk or workstation, so plans often include movement, strength and practical strategies to help you manage work and everyday activities.
How your neck, upper back and shoulders move, the factors contributing to your symptoms, and your work, sleep and training habits.
Hands-on treatment and advice that may assist your symptoms, with dry needling where clinically appropriate.
Movement and strength exercises for the neck, upper back and shoulders, tailored to your assessment findings and goals.
Practical strategies for work, driving, sleep and exercise, so you can keep doing the things that matter to you.
We do not jump straight to treatment. Care begins by understanding you and the factors contributing to your symptoms, so the management plan we build together is individual to you.
We start with a conversation about your neck symptoms, when it started, what makes it better or worse, and what you want to get back to doing.
A movement and physical assessment to understand which structures are involved and the factors that may be contributing to your symptoms.
We explain what we found and build an individualised plan. Where appropriate, hands-on treatment may begin in the first appointment.
Clear guidance on rehabilitation, activity and follow-up, and referral for imaging or to another practitioner where that is the right call.
Neck pain is one of the most common reasons people see us. These are some of the presentations we assess and manage.
Irritation of a joint or the surrounding muscles that leaves the neck tight, stiff and hard to move. Often associated with a sudden movement, an awkward sleeping position or a period of unusual load.
Long hours at a desk or on devices can contribute to neck and upper shoulder discomfort. Rather than one perfect posture, we focus on movement variety, strength and practical changes to your working day.
The neck can be one factor associated with some types of headache. When relevant, we assess your neck alongside your symptoms and consider how they may be related.
Neck pain that keeps recurring or has been present for three months or more. Management usually considers movement, strength, work demands and the habits that shape your day.
Tingling, numbness or pain travelling into the shoulder or arm can be associated with structures in the neck. An assessment helps determine what may be contributing and whether referral is appropriate.
Neck symptoms following a fall, collision or sporting contact. We assess carefully and refer for further investigation where that is the right call.
Looking for a neck pain osteopath in Wheelers Hill? Our osteopaths, myotherapists and remedial massage therapists commonly manage neck pain and headaches, and people come to us for neck pain treatment from across Melbourne’s south east. Dr Tully Loomes (Osteopath) has a particular interest in neck pain and headaches.
Much of the neck pain we see comes with desk work. There is not one perfect posture that everyone needs to maintain. For many people, regularly changing position, staying active and building strength and capacity can be more useful than trying to sit perfectly throughout the day.
Our approach considers your work environment, movement, strength and daily habits, then identifies practical strategies that fit into your working day. Our posture support page explains this in more detail.
The neck is a coordinated network of joints, discs, muscles, nerves and ligaments that supports and moves the head. Open a section below to read more about some of the structures that can be involved in neck pain.
The seven vertebrae of the neck are linked by small facet joints that guide movement, and surrounded by layers of muscle that support the head and move it. When a joint becomes irritated, the surrounding muscles often tighten and movement becomes restricted.
Between each vertebra sits a disc that absorbs load and allows movement. Discs naturally change with age, losing some height and flexibility. These changes are common in people without pain, so treatment decisions follow the clinical picture rather than a scan report alone.
Occasionally the outer layer of a disc is injured and can irritate a nearby nerve root, which may cause pain, tingling or numbness travelling into the arm. Symptoms like these are worth assessing so that appropriate management or referral can be arranged.
Age-related changes in the facet joints, sometimes called cervical spondylosis, can be associated with stiffness and discomfort. Movement, strength and activity are commonly part of management.
Book an appointment at our Wheelers Hill clinic, near Glen Waverley. We’ll take the time to understand your concerns, assess what may be contributing to your symptoms and tailor your care to your individual needs and goals.
