Assess
A detailed history and a thorough examination of movement, strength and the affected area. You leave knowing what is wrong, why it happened and exactly what we are going to do about it.
Concern
Neck Pain and Headache Treatment in London
Most neck pain is mechanical, settles well with physiotherapy, and does not need a scan. Where it is driving headaches, or where desk hours keep provoking it, treatment that addresses both the symptoms and the load pattern behind them is what stops it becoming a monthly event.
Overview
Understanding neck pain
Neck pain is one of the most common problems we see across our City and Canary Wharf clinics, which is unsurprising given how much of the local working day is spent at a desk or on a laptop.
Most cases are mechanical: pain arising from the joints, muscles and soft tissues of the cervical spine rather than from a specific structural injury. It commonly refers into the shoulder blade, the upper arm, or the back of the head. Where pain from the upper cervical joints refers into the head, it is described as a cervicogenic headache, and it often responds well to treatment directed at the neck itself.
Assessment establishes what is driving your symptoms and rules out the small number of presentations that need onward referral. Treatment then combines manual therapy to settle the painful, guarded phase with progressive exercise to build the strength and endurance the neck needs to tolerate a working day. Acupuncture can be added where pain is persistent.
Excellent
From 4 five-star Google reviews
Source: Google
I saw Amanda for a problem I've been having with a painful shoulder. She explained to me what the problem was, did a thorough treatment session and gave me some exercises to do to improve it. Very professional and friendly, I highly recommend her.
I first visited Amanda following a maisonneuve fracture. That day I walked 107 steps in a camboot with two crutches. I have visited weekly. Yesterday I walked 13,315 steps (no crutches, no boot). The transformation is truly amazing.
I booked with Michelle for my first appointment. When I stood up I said to her it feels like heaven as my continuous back pain had totally gone. I was totally pain free for 7 hours so bless you Michelle.
Excellent treatment of my lower back and related sciatica injuries from CrossFit. Definitely my go-to therapist when in dire need of pain relief.
Physiotherapy for neck pain can help you to:
Settle the current episode
Manual therapy eases the painful, guarded phase of mechanical neck pain so you can move your head freely and get through a working day. Most acute episodes improve substantially within two to six weeks.
Get to the bottom of neck-related headaches
Cervicogenic headache is pain referred from the upper cervical joints, usually felt at the back of the head. Treating the neck rather than the headache is often what finally shifts it.
Avoid unnecessary scans
Imaging rarely changes management for mechanical neck pain, and it frequently shows age-related changes present in people with no symptoms at all. We reserve it for genuine red flags or a failure to improve.
Build a neck that tolerates a desk day
Strength and endurance in the deep neck and upper back muscles is what determines whether eight hours at a laptop provokes symptoms. This is the part that stops the problem returning every few months.
Fix the setup that keeps provoking it
We look at how your desk, your screen height, your commute and your training load the neck across a week, then make the practical changes that reduce the provocation rather than simply treating its effects.
Why it happens
What causes neck pain?
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Sustained postural loading: long hours at a desk, on a laptop, or looking down at a phone
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Reduced strength and endurance in the deep neck and upper back muscles
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A sudden movement or awkward sleeping position provoking an acute painful episode
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Whiplash or another impact injury affecting the cervical spine
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Referred pain from the upper cervical joints, producing cervicogenic headache
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Stress and poor sleep, both well evidenced as amplifiers of pain perception
What happens at your first appointment?
Your first visit is a full 60-minute assessment: a detailed history, then testing of how you move, how strong you are and what the painful area is actually doing. We explain the working diagnosis in plain English and agree a plan with you before any treatment starts.
You leave with a written summary and a home programme, emailed the same day and loaded into the Move Health app so the technique stays right between visits.
The starting point for better health. Our clinics work together to take you from injury, through recovery and performance, to the kind of health that holds up for decades. One team, one plan, one record of where you started.
- Two London clinics: inside UNTIL at 280 Bishopsgate by Liverpool Street, and in Canary Wharf.
- Led by Amanda Yardley, an HCPC-registered, CSP-chartered physiotherapist with 15 years in the profession.
- Objective VALD strength and asymmetry testing, so progress is measured rather than guessed at.
Fees and booking
You can refer yourself, with no GP letter needed, and book online in a couple of minutes at whichever clinic is easier to reach.
- Initial consultation: £120 for 60 minutes, including assessment and treatment plan
- Follow-up: £95 for 60 minutes, or £75 for 30 minutes
- Sports massage: £85 for 60 minutes, or £55 for 30 minutes
- Self-referral: book directly, no GP referral required
- Open Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm, at both London clinics
- A written plan and a home programme emailed the same day, every time
From injury to longevity
the Origin Health journey
Most people arrive with something that hurts. What happens after that is the part most clinics leave to chance. We treat the problem, rebuild the capacity you lost, then keep you strong enough that it stays fixed.
Treat
Hands-on manual therapy chosen for your presentation, with Western medical acupuncture or soft-tissue work added where they help. Treatment is not the goal in itself: it opens the window to move and load properly.
Rebuild
Progressive, coached exercise rehabilitation restores the strength and load tolerance you lost, with full gym facilities at both clinics. This is the stage that decides whether the fix lasts.
Stay well
Each follow-up measures you against your own baseline. We discharge you when you have the strength and the tools to manage alone, with clinical Pilates, sports massage and golf screening on hand to keep you there.
What we treat
- Musculoskeletal physiotherapy for back, neck, shoulder and joint pain
- Progressive exercise rehabilitation, with full gym facilities at both clinics
- Sports and deep tissue massage for recovery and ongoing maintenance
- Western medical acupuncture within the AACP framework
- Post-operative and sports-injury rehabilitation
- Post-natal and paediatric musculoskeletal physiotherapy
- VALD strength and asymmetry testing for objective, tracked progress
- TPI golf physiotherapy movement screening with Amanda
Treatment approach
How do we treat neck pain?
Physiotherapy
£120Assessment, manual therapy and graded exercise is the first-line approach for mechanical neck pain and cervicogenic headache, and it identifies the small number of cases needing onward referral.
See treatment detail →Exercise Rehabilitation
From £75Building strength and endurance in the deep neck flexors and upper back is what allows the neck to tolerate a full working day without flaring.
See treatment detail →Sports Massage
From £55Targeted soft-tissue work through the neck, upper back and shoulders eases the muscular tightness that builds up across a desk-bound week.
See treatment detail →FAQ
Frequently asked
questions
Do I need a scan for my neck pain?
Usually not. Most neck pain is mechanical and imaging rarely changes what we do, while often showing age-related changes that are common in people with no pain at all. We reserve imaging for genuine red flags or symptoms that fail to improve as expected.
Can neck problems cause headaches?
Yes. Pain referred from the upper cervical joints is known as cervicogenic headache, typically felt at the back of the head and often one-sided. It commonly responds well to manual therapy and exercise directed at the neck rather than to headache medication alone.
When should I worry about neck pain?
Seek urgent medical assessment for neck pain following significant trauma, or with progressive weakness or numbness in the arms or legs, unsteadiness when walking, problems with bladder or bowel control, fever, or unexplained weight loss. These are uncommon but need review before physiotherapy.
How long does neck pain take to settle?
Most acute episodes improve substantially within two to six weeks with the right treatment and activity. Longer-standing or recurrent neck pain linked to desk work usually needs six to twelve sessions alongside changes to how you load the neck across a week.
Related Concerns
Get Started
Book a physiotherapy appointment
in the City or Canary Wharf.
Origin Health • 280 Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street, London EC2M 4RB
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