Types of Neck Pain and Their Clinical Significance
Not all neck pain is the same. Accurate diagnosis is essential — treating a facet joint problem as a muscle problem produces poor outcomes, and vice versa.
Postural Neck Pain
The most common type — caused by sustained forward head posture. Treatment: deep neck flexor strengthening, upper thoracic mobility, postural retraining, and ergonomic modification.
Cervical Radiculopathy
Nerve root compression causing arm tingling, weakness, or pain. Treatment: cervical traction, neural mobilization, specific directional exercises, and anti-inflammatory approaches.
Cervicogenic Headache
Headache originating from the upper cervical spine joints. Treatment: upper cervical joint mobilization, sub-occipital muscle release, deep neck flexor activation.
Manual Therapy for Neck Pain
Cervical manipulation and mobilization produce significantly better short-term outcomes than exercise alone for mechanical neck pain. Combined with exercise, the effects are most durable.