Getting to the Core of Back & Neck Pain

Can Core Strength Help Back & Neck Pain?

Back and neck pain are two of the most common issues that American adults experience, putting a huge physical and economic burden on working Americans by being both two of the leading needs for medical intervention and two of the most common causes people have to miss work. While these may feel like two separate issues, it is somewhat common that neck pain and back pain are actually related. Core strength can have a huge impact on your overall health and wellness, and when your core is weak, it could add up to weakness in your neck and back.

Neck Pain 101

There are a lot of reasons why neck pain may develop, including everything from sudden incidents like a car accident or a slip-and-fall injury, to more chronic issues, such as regularly hunching over a desk at work or even practicing poor posture. One of the biggest problems with neck pain is that it often triggers headaches, as the pain is so closely connected to the spine and nervous system. What is more, addressing neck pain is sometimes difficult as there is so much potential to cause more damage to the neck. This is why working with a physical therapist to address neck pain is wise. A physical therapist can help treat neck pain by improving range of motion, using targeted massage techniques, and by improving strength as needed. For example, in many situations, neck pain can be treated by improving core strength.

Back Pain 101

Severe back pain impacts more than half of the population, and many of those with pain in the back as a result of injury end up dealing with that pain long term. One of the biggest problems with back pain is that once it develops, it is difficult to work around it, and many people begin modifying their movements as a result, causing their back to compensate for the injury by putting pressure on other muscles that eventually just leads to more back pain. For this reason, back pain can frequently become a Catch-22 — avoiding the things that hurt your back could actually lead you to develop more pain in the future. Working with a physical therapist is the best way to cut your back pain issues in half.

Improve Core Strength with Physical Therapy

Physical therapy can address back pain by helping to improve your range of motion, strengthen the muscles in your back and surrounding areas, and by using targeted massage to reduce tension. In many situations, working with a physical therapist to improve core strength can significantly reduce the severity of your back pain.