Neck & Shoulder Problems
Problems affecting the neck and shoulder region can vary considerably in how they begin, what's causing them, how much they affect everyday life and how recovery progresses.
Recent or longstanding?
You might be experiencing a neck or shoulder problem for the first time. Or it could be something you've been living with for months, perhaps even years.
Obvious cause or not?
Sometimes there's a clear incident or activity that seems to have triggered the problem. Other times, symptoms develop gradually or appear seemingly out of nowhere, with no obvious explanation.
Severe or mild?
You might be dealing with intense pain and stiffness that's making even simple daily activities difficult. Or perhaps your symptoms are relatively mild, but frustrating because they just don't seem to improve.
Episodic or persistent?
For some people, symptoms flare up for days or weeks before settling, only to return months or even years later. For others, there's an ongoing level of discomfort, sometimes with more painful episodes on top.
Recent or longstanding?
You might be experiencing a neck or shoulder problem for the first time. Or it could be something you've been living with for months, perhaps even years.
Obvious cause or not?
Sometimes there's a clear incident or activity that seems to have triggered the problem. Other times, symptoms develop gradually or appear seemingly out of nowhere, with no obvious explanation.
Severe or mild?
You might be dealing with intense pain and stiffness that's making even simple daily activities difficult. Or perhaps your symptoms are relatively mild, but frustrating because they just don't seem to improve.
Episodic or persistent?
For some people, symptoms flare up for days or weeks before settling, only to return months or even years later. For others, there's an ongoing level of discomfort, sometimes with more painful episodes on top.
Whether your neck or shoulder problem is recent or longstanding, severe or mild, effective treatment starts with a thorough assessment.
We take the time to understand the history of your problem, assess your symptoms and how your body is moving, and piece everything together to develop a treatment plan tailored to you.
Ready to get started?
Book an initial physiotherapy consultation and we'll help you work out what's going on and what to do next.
Still have questions?
Neck and shoulder problems can raise plenty of questions — particularly when it's not clear where the symptoms are coming from, what they mean, or what you should do about them.
That's where Baxter comes in.
Baxter is our friendly spine character, here to help you navigate some of the common questions and concerns we hear from people with neck and shoulder problems.
Let's see what he has to say.
Neck problems can be difficult to sort out. But I’m here to help. There are some common questions that most people want answers to. Read below to find out more.
Neck problems are hard. But we’re here to help.
There are some common questions that most people want answers to. Read below to find out more.
1. But... it’s not just my neck
“I feel it in my neck, but also across my shoulder and around my shoulder blade. Sometimes it even travels into my arm. Is that all coming from my neck?”
You’re not alone! Neck problems aren’t always felt just in the neck. Symptoms can spread across the upper back and shoulder, around the shoulder blade, and sometimes further down the arm.
The pain might feel like a fairly specific sore spot in your neck, a broader ache across your neck and shoulder, or a different kind of pain, tingling or discomfort travelling into your arm.
Where you feel it — and what makes it better or worse — gives us useful clues. We can help you make sense of the pattern.
2. I’m worried about what’s causing it
“I don’t think it’s anything too serious, but I'm not sure. Dr Google suggests it could be a disc or nerve root problem. What do you think?”
It’s completely reasonable to wonder if there’s a specific structural injury or problem driving your neck pain. And it’s good to get some reassurance from a trusted health professional about how likely that is. Googling symptoms can be tricky — it has a habit of showing you the worst-case scenarios, which, while possible, are extremely rare.
The best way forward is to bring together what you understand about the problem with what a thorough assessment of your symptoms and movements reveals.
Sometimes that supports what you already suspected. Sometimes it gives you a different way of looking at the problem. Either way, having an understanding that makes sense to you is an important starting point for deciding what to do about it.
3. It just hasn’t gone away
“I thought it would have sorted itself out by now, but it just hasn’t gone away.”
Most episodes of neck pain do improve with time, but sometimes things just seem to hang around longer than expected.
That doesn’t necessarily mean something is still injured or hasn’t healed properly. Pain and stiffness can stick around when the area remains sensitive and protective.
If your recovery seems to have stalled, it’s worth taking another look at what might be getting in the way. Sometimes a change in approach is all that’s needed to get things moving again.
4. I want treatment that actually helps
“I’ve had physio before and the hands-on treatment really helped. Do you do that, or is it mostly exercises?”
Absolutely. Hands-on treatment and exercise can both be useful. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.
Massage, joint mobilisation and manipulation can help settle pain and stiffness and make movement feel easier. Exercise and graded strengthening can then help build confidence and capacity as you return to normal activity.
The important part is matching the treatment to where you are in your recovery. There’s not much value in pushing heavy exercise when things are still very sore and irritable. Equally, it doesn’t make sense to stay with gentler treatment once your body is ready to do more.
5. I’m not sure what to do next
“Okay… so how do I put all of this together? How do I know what’s actually going on, where I’m at in my recovery, and what I should be doing about it?”
Knowing where you’re at is key.
If your symptoms are gradually settling and you’re becoming more comfortable moving and getting back to normal activity, you may not need to do much more than keep going.
But if you’ve given it some time and things aren’t progressing as you’d hoped, it’s worth taking a closer look. Your symptoms, your understanding of the problem, your stage of recovery and what your body can currently tolerate all help work out what makes sense from here.
From there, you can put together a plan that matches what you need now. That might mean settling things down, getting moving again, building strength and capacity, or progressing back towards the things you want to do.