Cervical dysfunction, or the inability to move your head throughout its full range of motion without pain, can have numerous causes that can range from a simple sore muscle to the more serious herniated disc. It can also be the result of a trauma like a car accident or a fall. If you're suffering from a pain in your neck, check with your doctor immediately to determine the cause and the proper course of treatment.
Treatment
Treatments such as using a heat and ice packs can help ease your pain and swelling while helping you to be able to work through your pain. Treatment may also include electrical stimulation units, which can block your pain by sending an electrical current through the affected muscles, as well as massage, ultrasound and other mechanisms. The treatment prescribed by your doctor will depend on your specific injury and its cause.
Stretching Exercises
If the cause of your pain is muscular, you will likely be prescribed stretching exercises to help stimulate the contraction and lengthening of your muscles. If your pain is on your left side, these exercises can include moving your head to the right to stretch any affected muscles on your left side. Your therapy will likely be tailored specifically for your condition, however, so you should only perform the exercises given to you by your physical therapist.
Strengthening Exercises
A muscular weakness on one side of your body can cause pain due to an imbalance in the amount of tension the muscles place on a joint. If your doctor or therapist determines that it's necessary, he will prescribe and teach you a number of strengthening exercises designed to restore muscular balance and help any loss of strength experienced as a result of your neck pain. He might include exercises like flexion and extension of your neck to help your muscles regain any loss of strength. Perform these exercises exactly as directed by your doctor or therapist.
Stabilization Exercises
Since your pain and dysfunction are located primarily on your left side, your doctor or therapist will likely prescribe exercises to help stabilize your neck joint. Stabilization exercises are designed to strengthen the muscles that hold your neck in its proper alignment. Coupled with strengthening exercises, these exercises can result in a proper muscular balance and a strengthening of the muscles that hold your neck in place. They might include movements that force the left and right side of your neck to work together and restore the proper alignment of your cervical vertebrae. This can result in a more stable neck that is held in proper alignment.
References
- Orthopaedic Specialists of North Carolina: Cervical Stabilization Exercises
- Cleveland Clinic: Herniated Disc
- Princeton Brain and Spine: Cervical Disc Herniation Symptoms and Treatment
- Back and Body Care: Neck Pain
- Orthopaedic Specialists of North Carolina: Cervical Fusion Post-Surgical Rehabilitation Protocol
