Neck Pain
Neck pain and stiffness often come from desk posture, phone use, a rough night's sleep, arthritis or whiplash, and it can spread into the shoulders, upper back or down the arm. Our clinicians work out which part of the neck is involved and treat it with hands-on care and exercise. Heights Physical Therapy sees neck pain patients from Gunnison, Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley.
What commonly causes a stiff, painful neck
Posture and desk work
Hours at a screen or looking down at your phone strains the neck muscles. People call it tech neck or text neck.
Whiplash
A car crash, a ski fall or a mountain bike crash can whip the head and strain the soft tissues of the neck. See auto accident care.
Joint wear and arthritis
Neck joints can wear with age and stiffen. See arthritis.
A pinched nerve in the neck
A herniated disc or a narrowed space where nerves leave the spine can compress a nerve. This is called cervical radiculopathy.
A stiff neck after sleeping wrong
A stiff neck that shows up overnight is usually a strained muscle or a locked joint, and it often eases with gentle movement and hands-on care.
Muscle strain
Overuse, a heavy pack or an awkward sleeping position can leave you with a crick in your neck that makes turning your head hard.
When neck pain spreads into your arm, hand or shoulder
Neck pain radiating down the arm, with numbness, tingling or weakness, often means a nerve is irritated at the neck. Treating only the shoulder or wrist can miss the source, so we check the neck when you have neck and shoulder pain or hand tingling like carpal tunnel.
Some neck pain also brings headaches at the base of the skull. If that sounds like you, tell your clinician and read about headaches. Jaw pain is on the TMJ page, and a head injury is covered under concussion care.
What happens at your first neck visit
We explain each step so you know what to expect.
Evaluation
We check how far your neck moves, what limits it, and how your upper back, shoulders and posture contribute.
Plan
The findings shape a custom plan with education about what is going on and what to do about it.
Treatment
Manual therapy and cervical mobilization ease stiffness and restore motion. Deep neck flexor strengthening builds the small muscles that hold your head up.
Prevention
You leave with posture, sleep and workstation changes and a home exercise program.
Workstation setup and daily habits for a neck that stays comfortable
Small changes add up, and we look at your actual setup rather than giving generic advice.
- Raise your monitor so you are not looking down
- Take short walking breaks during long desk or driving days
- Change how you hold your phone and carry your bag or pack
- Postural and ergonomic training built around your desk, tools and typical day
See a doctor or go to the ER first if you have
- Neck pain after a fall or crash
- Dizziness or vision changes when you move your neck
- Arm weakness that is getting worse
Call us and we will tell you what applies to your insurance, and whether you need anything from your doctor, before your first visit.
More about neck symptoms
Why do my neck and shoulder hurt together?
The two areas share muscles and nerves, so neck and shoulder pain often travel together. We check both and link to shoulder pain care when the shoulder needs its own plan.
Can you help if I cannot come in often?
Yes. We can set up telehealth visits and a home program for people outside the valley.
Related care
A neck that turns without a wince
Call us if stiffness or arm symptoms are making desk days and drives hard, and we will set up a time to look at your neck. We see people from Gunnison, Crested Butte and across the Gunnison Valley.
We see patients in Gunnison, Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley, Colorado.