Neck pain is, after low back pain, the most common reason people come to this clinic. If you live in Málaga or are here for a while and would rather explain it in English, this page tells you what we look at, what you can do day to day, and when what you need is a doctor.
What neck pain usually is
Most neck pain is mechanical: overloaded muscles, joints that have lost movement and a posture held for hours. The most common pattern is the head pushed forward towards a screen, with the neck holding a weight it is not designed to carry for that long.
It can also start after a car accident, after sleeping in an awkward position, or with ongoing stress, which keeps the trapezius tight without you noticing.
What people usually notice
What we hear most often: a loaded neck by mid-afternoon after hours at a laptop; a tight neck after a long stretch looking down at the phone; stiffness when turning your head to check your blind spot; and tension that climbs from the shoulders and ends as a headache at the back of the head or behind the eyes.
Many people live with this for months because «it comes with the job». It is common, yes. But you do not have to take it for granted.
What we do not do here
We do not diagnose neurological conditions, and we do not assess dizziness or headaches that have nothing to do with the neck. That belongs to your doctor and the neurologist.
We do not replace the tests your doctor has asked for, and we do not change your medication.
We will not give you a number of sessions before examining you.
What we do look at
- Neck pain and stiffness when turning or tilting the head.
- Trapezius tension and tightness in the small muscles just below the skull.
- Headaches that start in the neck and climb into the head. This is one of the most common reasons people come to see us.
- Pain that travels to the shoulder and the arm.
- Discomfort linked to a disc problem in the neck that has already been diagnosed, in line with what your doctor has advised.
- Working posture: screen height, chair, and long hours without moving.
Day to day
Screen: the top edge at eye level, about an arm’s length away. If you work on a laptop for hours, a stand and a separate keyboard make more difference than you would expect.
Phone: bring it up to your face instead of dropping your head towards it. Ten minutes with the neck bent loads it more than an hour sitting well.
Pillow: one that fills the gap between shoulder and head if you sleep on your side, and a lower one if you sleep on your back. Sleeping face down keeps the neck fully turned all night.
Breaks: getting up and moving your neck every hour does more than one long stretch at the end of the day.
None of this replaces what your own doctor has told you.
When to see a doctor, not us
See your doctor or go to A&E (Urgencias) if neck pain comes with weakness in an arm, clumsiness in the hands, severe dizziness, changes in your vision, balance or speech, fever, or if it started after a hard blow. The same applies to pain that wakes you every night and does not ease in any position.
How the first visit works
You will see José De San Juan Guerrero, D.C., Doctor of Chiropractic and a registered physiotherapist in Spain, with more than 25 years in practice in central Málaga. The whole visit can be in English.
We start by listening: what you do for a living, how many hours you spend at a screen, how you sleep, how long it has hurt and what you have been told before. Then comes the physical examination and the postural analysis, and an explanation of what we found before anyone touches you. Bring any reports or scans, even if they are in Spanish.
Why come, even if your neck «has always been like this»
Neck pain has a sneaky side: it settles in slowly and you get used to it. You stop turning your head all the way, you turn your whole body to look behind you, you learn to work with a heavy neck. And because it is not serious, nobody takes care of it.
That part is ours. What we work on is movement: getting the neck joints that have stiffened to move again, and letting the trapezius stop doing a job that is not its own. That does not cure any disease, and we will not sell it to you as if it did. But a neck that moves better shows in concrete things: finishing the day without a neck like stone, turning your head to park without thinking about it, sleeping without hunting for a position.
If at the first visit we see that you need something else, more tests or another specialist, we will tell you that same day. We would rather tell you than let you waste time and money. And that is exactly why you can trust what we do tell you.
Frequently asked questions
What is a neck adjustment like?
It is a short, precise movement on one specific joint of the neck, done with your head supported and relaxed. Sometimes you hear a click: that is gas being released in the joint, not a bone going back into place. We examine you first and explain what we are going to do and why, and if you would rather not have your neck adjusted, there are other ways to work on it. Nothing is done without your agreement.
Do I need a referral?
No. But do bring any reports or scans you have.
I often get headaches. Is it my neck?
Sometimes it is and sometimes it is not. That is exactly what the first visit is for. If it has nothing to do with your neck, we will tell you and point you to your doctor.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on what we find, and nobody can say before examining you. At the first visit we explain what we suggest and why.
Book your first visit · Chiropractor in central Málaga, in English · C/ Córdoba 6 · +34 629 245 594 · WhatsApp
Esta página también está disponible en español: Dolor cervical en Málaga.
This clinic works on musculoskeletal complaints of the spine and joints. We do not diagnose or treat systemic, respiratory, autoimmune, metabolic or neurological disease, and we do not replace prescribed medical treatment. If you have a diagnosis of that kind, your specialist is the one who manages it.
