Understanding What Your Health Clinic Offers

Posted on: 18 March 2020

Backyard football can be a fun way for ex-athletes to relive their glory days with friends and others. However, these games can be tough for some to manage because they may end up causing severe damage. For example, a massive tackle could cause a neck sprain that may require manual therapy services to treat appropriately.

Neck Sprains Can Be Very Painful

Getting hit during a backyard football game can be rough, mainly because no pads or protective gear may be involved. Unfortunately, a person getting hit hard enough may end up suffering from a neck sprain that can be quite painful and hard to tolerate. As defined by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, neck sprains can cause many types of problems, including:

• Limited mobility due to pain in the neck
• Spasms throughout the shoulder
• Headaches that come and go
• Mood troubles related to pain
• Numbness in arms and hands
• Stiffness throughout some areas of the body
• Troubles sleeping without medication

The problem with many of these symptoms is that they may wax and wane as a person lives their life. As a result, they may end up getting out in the backyard to play football again and worsen the damage with another substantial hit. Therefore, it is essential to get manual therapy services to decrease this level of pain and help a person avoid further injury.

How Manual Therapy May Help

Manual therapy services for neck pain focuses on identifying where the sprain occurred in the muscles. Once this location is discovered, professionals will carefully manipulate the muscles to promote better healing. Just as importantly, they will provide exercises for the person to try at home and in the office, each of which can ensure better recovery time for the individual.

Just as importantly, they can identify any underlying issues that may contribute to an increased risk of neck sprains. For example, an individual may have weaker muscles in certain parts of their neck after a sprain. These weaker muscles may make another sprain — or other injuries, like whiplash — easier to occur.

Manual therapy professionals will identify these weaknesses and provide care that strengthens them, such as various types of medications and exercise routines. In this way, they can ensure that a person enjoys football games throughout their entire life. Importantly, these treatments typically take a few separate sessions before they provide a complete level of care.