First and foremost, it is important to understand the root of the problem and how the injury presents in each individual patient. Neck pain can be due to motor vehicle accidents, poor prolonged posture, sleeping positioning, and/or stress, to name a few. Neck pain can be debilitating, as it often leads to headaches and/or numbness and tingling in either or both arms which impacts overall quality of life.

First, assessing the patient’s joint mobility throughout his/her neck and upper back is important to determine where he/she might be restricted. Once the joint assessment is complete, it is important to treat the affected joints followed by determining muscle length and muscular integrity on those joints.

A key aspect of neck pain care is determining posture and workplace ergonomics and helping patients to become more self-aware of when they are in compromising positions that will potentially influence their pain/symptoms. Helping the patient become not only more aware of their body mechanics, but also developing a home program to help maintain strides made in the clinic, is key to patients' long-term success.