Skip to content
Call

Neck Pain

Neck pain is a common complaint and can be attributed to a number of conditions.

Neck pain can also cause loss of motion that holds you back from living your life. The good news is that it is usually caused by joint and muscle problems, not a serious disease. A variety of physical therapy treatments can decrease neck pain.

Overworked male student works all day on course paper, has pain in neck, has sedentary life, tired of sitting on one place, keyboards on laptop computer, drinks coffee. People, work, tiredness concept

We tailor our neck pain program to your specific needs. Treatment could include:

  • Development of home treatment program
  • Manual therapy to normalize your range of motion
  • Hands-on therapy and (soft tissue mobilization) to work on muscle tone
  • Exercises to help normalize movement and increase strength
  • Mobilization, a hands-on technique to move the neck joints and muscles to calm pain and spasms
  • Manipulation, a single, brief, quick, small movement to specific spots on your body

The Science Behind Neck Pain

A study conducted in 2013 strongly suggests that an integrated approach can help. Neck exercises combined with mobilization, and possibly manipulation, may be the best plan to reduce neck pain soon after it develops. We will suggest the proper exercises and show you exactly how to perform them-a crucial step to ensure that you do not make any injury worse. The ultimate goal, beyond making your neck feel better, is to increase strength and flexibility.

Exercise and mobilization can also help ensure that pain and stiffness do not recur in your neck. To that end, we will ask you questions about your posture and ergonomics – how you hold your neck and body while you walk, work, watch television, work on hobbies and even sleep. We can offer seemingly small recommendations that will make a huge difference in how you feel going forward.

Many other modalities can help your neck feel better, including heat, ice or electrical stimulation. In more difficult cases, we may turn to mechanical or manual traction.

One size does not fit all when it comes to neck stiffness and pain, so contact us for a customized, integrated exercise plan that can help you move more easily and feel more like yourself again.

The RET PT Difference

Top Rated in the Front Range

4.9 out of 5 stars across 960+ Google reviews.

Your first appointment within 24 hours

Schedule your appointment today to get started.

State-of-the-art Facilities

Visit one of our 31 locations to get expert, high quality care now.

Neck Pain Treatment Locations

Frequently Asked Questions

  • If we are asking you to do something that is hurting too much, let us know! Physical therapy should not be severely painful. It is not common to be so sore that patients are in pain or it affects their daily life. If this ever happens during or after an appointment, let us know and we will adapt your program.

  • We recommend budgeting 40-60 minutes for a typical therapy session. The only exception to this will be your first visit, which can take about 20 minutes longer due to the physical therapy evaluation your therapist will provide. We also recommend showing up about 10-15 minutes early to your first visit. This way, you can complete the paperwork before your visit time and streamline the process.

  • A typical order for physical therapy will ask for 2-3 visits per week for 4-6 weeks. Sometimes the order will specify something different. What generally happens is for the first 2-3 weeks, we recommend 3x per week. This is because it will be the most intensive portion of your treatment. After that, it is common to taper to 2x weekly, based on your level of function and progress.

  • Yes. Physical therapy works based on the science of how the body rebuilds and heals. The biggest killer of progress is inconsistency. We recommend adhering to your prescribed sessions agreed upon in your PT Eval to achieve desired results.

Have more questions? Contact Us

People in Seattle, Tacoma, and surrounding cities Trust RET PT

Hear from patients that reclaimed their lives.

Michelle has been amazing to work with. She quickly diagnosed the root cause of the issues that continued to plague me after recovering from hip replacement surgery that other PT's (different companies) could not. She listens, is creative, resourceful, and very knowledgeable. Everyone at the clinic is always very professional and interested in our progress.

5 stars

Conrac

RET Patient

Attentive, responsive, pleasant in communication, knowledgeable staff. I got good results in a short time. Thankful to Dr. Andrew for useful information and for a program of exercises.

5 stars

Elena

RET Patient

Doug Free, the manager at Mercer Island Physical Therapy, has a PhD in PT, and is an amazing diagnostic doctor who explains why a specific injury occurred. He also does fabulous work on your body. His entire staff is knowledgeable and excellent therapists. 

5 stars

Gary

RET Patient

I saw Anne at 7 weeks post ulnar nerve transposition. I’ve made more progress in 1 week with her than I did in those first 7.  She is extremely knowledgeable and up to date on current research.  I'd feel very good about sending my family and friends her way!

5 stars

Holli

RET Patient

Kelly is amazing! I felt very comfortable and she asked all of the right questions, was super friendly, and knows exactly how to help. I always leave feeling so much better, and confident that if I do my exercises, I will heal!

5 stars

Kelsey

RET Patient

I started PT after a car accident. The staff was extremely helpful not just with injuries from the accident, but also other issues that had been bothering me. They are very good at communicating problems and solutions and are friendly to boot. Can’t recommend enough.

5 stars

Kevin

RET Patient

I have been going to Summit Therapy for a shoulder problem. I've made steady progress and have gotten much pain relief. The staff is very friendly and great to work with. I recently had a sudden problem of vertigo. My therapist knew exactly what to do and performed a treatment that stopped the dizziness.

5 stars

Patricia

RET Patient
Schedule Now