Neck Pain

Persistent neck pain is rarely just a neck problem.

Neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints worldwide, and one of the most undertreated. People manage it with heat packs, painkillers and the occasional massage — and it improves temporarily, then comes back. That pattern usually means the underlying cause hasn't been found.

The neck is one of the most mechanically complex regions of the body. Seven vertebrae, dozens of small joints, a dense network of muscles connecting the skull to the shoulders and upper back, and major nerve roots exiting at every level. It also sits directly beneath the base of the skull — which means neck tension and headaches are frequently the same problem showing up in two places.

Why it keeps coming back

Most neck pain is driven by how the whole upper body is loading — not just what's happening at the cervical spine. Forward head posture, restricted thoracic mobility, shoulder and jaw tension, poor breathing mechanics — any of these can place chronic load on the neck and keep it irritated regardless of what treatment you apply locally.

Stress and nervous system activation also play a direct role. The muscles at the base of the skull and along the upper trapezius are among the first to tighten under psychological load. For people carrying chronic stress, neck tension isn't a separate issue — it's part of the same picture.

How Dr Chase approaches it

Assessment looks at the neck in context — how the thoracic spine, ribcage, shoulders and jaw are all contributing to how load is being managed. Breathing patterns are assessed, because restricted diaphragm function consistently drives compensatory tension through the neck and upper back.

Treatment typically combines joint mobilisation of the cervical and thoracic spine, myofascial work through the suboccipital muscles and upper trapezius, and where relevant, cranio-sacral techniques addressing the base of the skull. If jaw tension or TMJ dysfunction is part of the picture, that's assessed and treated as well.

For people whose neck pain is closely tied to stress and nervous system activation, sessions also draw from somatic therapy and nervous system regulation — because releasing the tissue without addressing what's driving the tension tends to produce short-lived results.

The goal is to understand why your neck is under load, address it at that level, and give your body what it needs to stop defaulting back to the same pattern.