From Our Blog

Upper Body – Neck

How To Stay Active While Working From Home

Whether you work from home or your office, the question of how to stay active can be a challenging one. It becomes increasingly important as many jobs require sitting behind a desk for what feels like infinite hours during the work week. Actually, it has been determined that desk workers sit for more than 1,000 […]

Best Mattress For Back and Neck Pain

People who suffer from back and neck pain, particularly when it’s chronic, look to many sources to relieve their discomfort. One question that is frequently asked is whether the purchase of a special mattress will help to manage back and neck pain. Since we spend a large amount of time sleeping, a poor mattress can […]

Whiplash: A Pain in the Neck

Whiplash happens in an instant: you twist your neck while playing sports, falling or from being rear-ended in a car accident. This acceleration causes a flexion-extension injury— commonly known as “whiplash,” and can really be a pain in the neck! In other words, whiplash occurs when an abnormal force causes your neck to move beyond […]

Backpack Safety 101

With summer coming to an end and the need for school supplies and backpacks returning, here are a few tips to keep in mind when shopping with your child. Continue below for backpack safety tips to make sure your kids don’t have any unnecessary back pain this year. Size Should Not Extend Above Shoulders Rest […]

How to Create an Ergonomic School Space at Home

Make an Ergonomically Friendly School Space The good news is that kids have the same needs as adults, just in smaller sizes. To make an ergonomic school space for your child, you will want to make sure their: Feet are flat on the floor or resting a footrest Wrists and hands don’t rest on sharp […]

Physical Therapy for Cervical Headache

Did you know that Cervical Headaches are caused by a dysfunction in the movement and positions of joints in the upper cervical spine? Here’s how Physical Therapy for a Cervical Headache typically works: There are multiple types of headaches.  Often a simple exam and a few questions can rule in or out cervical headaches as […]

Arm Pain Being a Pain in the Neck?

Do you experience arm pain that decreases when the arm is raised above your head? Many times, the initial discomfort results from nerves in the neck being pinched because the shoulder blade is not positioned correctly. Raising your arm above your head takes the stretch off the nerve and provides relief, but carrying something like […]

When Backing Up the Car Becomes a Pain in the Neck

That pain you feel when turning your head while backing up your car is probably due to tightness in the muscles of your neck and upper back, often the result of years of poor posture. To improve your posture, keep your neck in a “neutral” position, with your chin more tucked in than pushed forward. […]

Why Does My Neck Hurt When I Wake Up in the Morning?

If you experience an achy neck upon awakening in the morning, your pillow habits could be to blame. You may be using pillows to “overstuff” the space between your neck and the mattress or be sleeping on an older, flattened pillow. Fluffy feather pillows are usually better than foam for providing proper support; replace them […]

Whiplash: Cruising Down the Road to Recovery

You have probably seen those commercials: a somber-looking accident attorney asks if you have been in a car accident, then starts droning on and on about the many physical problems that can result. Even the most minor fender bender, he tells you, can result in years of pain and suffering―usually due to a condition called […]

One Less Headache to Worry About

Jaw and head pain can be a real pain in the neck—literally. Did you know that many people suffering from both temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) and headaches have postural issues with their cervical spine or neck? This is why we can be an important ally in combating persistent headaches and TMD-related facial pain. According to […]

Managing Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a condition in which the nerves or blood vessels that travel to the arm and hand are compressed between soft tissues near the side of the neck. Most people are able to manage their thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms through physical therapy. Specialized exercises can improve muscle balance and posture to lessen […]

Minor Accident, Major Pain

Fender benders with your car typically cause more annoyance than trauma. After exchanging insurance information, assessing the damage to your car and silently cursing the other driver for texting instead of watching the road, you will probably just go on with your day. But several hours later, you feel a deep ache in your neck, […]

A “Multifaceted” Approach to Back Pain

Do you feel as though you need to turn your entire body to look to one side? Do you wake up with pain in the base of your head and upper back, pain that only gets worse after long car rides or working at a desk all day? Is there an unexplained ringing in your […]

Going in Reverse: When Your Back Impedes Driving

When backing up your car, do you find it difficult to turn around to see what’s behind? Loss of rotational ability in the back is one of the problems we develop as we age. The good news is that exercises to increase range of motion and strength can go a long way to restoring some […]

Loosen Up a Stiff Neck

Neck pain is a very common complaint. But the good news is that it is usually caused by joint and muscle problems, not serious disease. A variety of physical therapy treatments can lessen neck pain. Mobilization is a rehabilitation technique in which our hands slowly and repeatedly move the neck joints and muscles to calm […]

Knitting Up Your Broken Collarbone

Better known as a broken collarbone, a clavicle fracture is a common injury among people of all ages. Despite its location, the collarbone is not part of the neck, but rather a bone that connects the rib cage and the shoulder blade. A break in the collarbone often occurs in the middle of the bone. […]

Benefits of Spinal Surgery Can Be Short-Term

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- Physical Therapy offers same outcomes for patients with sciatica 6 months after surgery. Middleburg, Virginia, June 23, 2008 – A recent study published in the British Medical Journal1 reports that spinal surgery for patients with sciatica offers a short term benefit, but by 6 months that benefit disappears and no difference is […]

Physical Therapists Offer Low-Cost Solution to Increasing Health Costs

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- Spinal Manipulation, Exercise and Advice Offer Patients an Effective Alternative for Back Pain Middleburg, Virginia, Feb. 14, 2008 – Health care expenditures for patients with spinal conditions are rising without an associated increase in health status, according to a February, 2008 research report appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association. […]

Relieving Dowager’s Hump Through Exercise

Older individuals with osteoporosis often develop spinal kyphosis, resulting in the formation of a pronounced hunchback, sometimes called a “dowager’s hump” (kyphos means “hump” in Greek). Kyphosis occurs because a spinal vertebra, usually at the level of the rib cage, becomes weak and porous. Eventually, something as innocent as a sneeze or cough causes the […]

Persepctives for Patients – Neck Pain

Neck pain is very common and fortunately resolves quickly in most individuals. However, in certain cases neck pain can last longer and result in chronic pain, limited neck motion, and disability. In fact, chronic neck pain is the second leading cause of workers’ compensation claims in the United States. Treatments that can quickly reduce pain, […]