Work-related stress and anxiety can be a pain in the neck… literally. Your neck already has the utmost important job of supporting your head, which on average weighs about 10-11 pounds. Add stress and anxiety to the mix and chronic neck pain is a true reality. Not only does everyday stress cause neck pain but it also initiates back pain. Luckily, physical therapy near Bethpage at Farmingdale PT East can help put together a plan to clear up your physical discomforts and promote a less stressful day-to-day experience. This cause-and-effect relationship is a recipe for disaster physically, which is why physical therapy is a viable option to increase your quality of life and happiness.
How Does Stress and Anxiety Cause Physical Pain?
Historically, people respond to the stressors of everyday life by clenching and twitching their muscles, causing soreness in the neck and down the back. About 78% of office workers experience some degree of neck pain throughout their career. That is over ¾ of all people in this category. One core reason for this is the tightness stress carries in the neck and back. When stress or anxiety has passed after work, typically the tightness in your muscles do not. It is very common for your muscles to stay tight/strained because your body is protecting from future clenches and twitches.
Case Study
A case study has been done to look into the relationship between neck pain and work-related stress. The purpose of this study was to see how physical therapy helps a woman who experiences elevated neck pain caused by the stress that derives from her office work life. The woman reported that for the past 8 years her work has produced noticeable stress in her life and that she has also been experiencing chronic neck pain for an extended period. The outcomes of this study were groundbreaking. Neck pain was cut in half, trait anxiety (self-reported anxiety levels) decreased more than 20%, and the trapezius muscle (large muscle at the top of the spine) was at rest more than 55% after the 8-week study. The subject reported a sustained improvement in pain 6 months after the study and was completely pain-free 2 years later. Question is, how can physical therapy near Bethpage at Farmingdale PT benefit your stress-related complications?
How Farmingdale PT East Can Help
With the help of massage therapy and rehabilitation exercises, we are certain we can ease your tensions.
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Massage Therapy – Our physical therapists will target restricted muscles with soft tissue therapy. Targeting of the tender areas in the painful region will be worked on as well. Painful joint pain and gait disorders can benefit through this method as well.
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Rehabilitation Exercises – These exercises will be used to improve discomfort, promote ideal posture, and implement better daily physical standards. A stretching program will be implemented to loosen up tightened areas and promote a stress-free office life.
Our mission, with the help of state-of-the-art equipment and rehabilitation services, is to improve the quality of life in our patients. Our careful ability to track progress and implement rehabilitation alterations has been essential in our success. Request an appointment today or give us a call at (516) 293-0565, so your journey to a stress-free, pain-free life can begin!