Did you know that your neck pain and headaches are likely linked together? Fortunately, physical therapy can be an effective treatment option for people who are living with neck pain and headaches. 

Both of these issues affect a large percentage of Americans. Medical research reveals that up to 50% of people have neck pain annually. Another study found that 40% of people worldwide have a tension headache at any given time. Choosing physical therapy can be helpful for your neck pain and headaches; in fact, there are many benefits that such a choice can allow you to obtain. 

Three benefits that physical therapy can offer for people with neck pain and headaches

Physical therapists are trained to treat a variety of musculoskeletal disorders, including those that trigger neck pain and headaches. They also have many physical therapy techniques they can use for these conditions. This combination of knowledge and treatment options can lead to benefits like: 

1. Reduced neck pain — Reducing neck pain is a common goal of physical therapy plans. Your therapy plan could use a number of therapy methods to decrease your pain, and dry needling is a technique that’s likely to be a part of your therapy program. A study on this technique reveals that it helped reduce neck pain by 33% immediately after it was used. 

2. Decreased headache frequency — Patients may also want to have fewer headaches; physical therapy methods can also help achieve this goal. Therapeutic exercises are a common way physical therapists seek to decrease headache frequency. 

Typically, these exercises focus on stretching and strengthening the neck muscles. A medical study reports that therapeutic exercises helped reduce headache frequency by 69% after 12 months. 

3. Improved neck function — Often, people with neck pain find it harder to move their neck normally. Manual therapy is a type of physical therapy that can help improve neck function. This category of therapy includes techniques where therapists use their hands to manipulate and mobilize the neck. One chronic neck pain study reveals that manual therapy helped improve neck disability scores by nearly eight points on an 11-point scale. 

Discover effective physical therapy for neck pain and headaches at Continuum Wellness

Searching for physical therapy for your neck pain and headaches? Our Continuum Wellness team is poised to help you treat these two common issues. We offer free screenings that can pinpoint the root cause(s) of your neck pain and headaches. Additionally, our specialists are adept at creating customized therapy plans designed to offer all the benefits discussed above. 

Not able to come to our clinic for help? No problem! Our team offers virtual therapy and at-home therapy services designed to treat you in your own home. 

Contact our team today for more information about how we can help with your neck pain and headaches or to schedule your initial appointment.