Online physical therapy · Neck Pain & Headaches
Work one-on-one with a physical therapist by video and follow a plan built for your neck, at home, without the drive to a clinic.
Some neck pain and headaches need a medical exam the same day. Go to urgent care or the emergency room if your neck pain or headache comes with:
If anything like this comes up during your plan, your physical therapist will tell you to get it checked.
A short follow-along exercise from Dr. Alex, the kind our neck plans start with. We’ll email it to you right away.
For most neck pain, and for headaches that start in the neck, treatment is exercise and changes to daily habits, and both can be taught by video. Your plan usually moves through four stages.
Gentle neck movement that doesn't stir up your symptoms, positions that ease the pain, and changes to your pillow, screen and desk for now.
Turning, tilting and looking up and down again, a little at a time, so checking your blind spot stops being a chore.
The deep neck muscles and the muscles around your shoulder blades, so holding your head up through a long day takes less effort.
Then a routine you can keep on your own, so you're not starting over at the next flare.
At your first visit (the Body Assessment), your physical therapist asks how the pain started, where your headaches sit and what sets them off, then watches you move by video: turning and tilting your head, looking up and down, lifting your arms, and sitting the way you do at your desk. We also check how repeated movements change your symptoms. A physical therapist doesn’t diagnose disease; what we find is which movements your neck tolerates now, which it doesn’t yet, and how to build from one to the other.
A pillow that's too high or too flat, or a night on your stomach, can leave your neck stiff and sore by morning.
Looking down at a laptop or phone loads your neck and the muscles across your shoulders. Where's your butt in that chair?
Tight neck and shoulder muscles, often worse in a stressful week, tend to come with tension headaches.
Cervicogenic headaches come from the joints and muscles of the upper neck and can be mistaken for migraines.
A bulging disc or arthritis in the neck can stiffen it and sometimes send pain, tingling or numbness into the arm.
When the muscles around your shoulder blades tire early, your neck picks up the slack. Strengthen the muscles that protect your shoulder
Neck pain from sleeping wrong often eases within a few days to a week, especially when you keep your neck gently moving. Many other episodes of neck pain improve within a few weeks. Pain that has lasted for months, keeps coming back, travels into the arm or comes with regular headaches usually takes longer, and that’s where a structured plan helps most.
Your 8-week plan starts from where you are and changes at every check-in. Every neck is different, so we won’t promise a timeline, but we will tell you honestly what we see.
Wondering how much the daily exercises matter? Read Do home exercises really matter?
$489 for 8 weeks, about $61 a week
No referral needed. HSA and FSA accepted. Less than the cost of two traditional clinic visits.
Step 1
Talk about what hurts and what you want to get back to.
Step 2
30 minutes by video, from home, in clothes you can move in.
Step 3
Daily exercises in the app, starting the next day.
Step 4
Short video visits whenever something changes.
Dr. Alex is the physical therapist behind motivPT. He works with you by video, watches how you move, and adjusts your plan as you go. Meet Dr. Alex
For most neck pain, and for headaches that start in the neck, the treatment is exercise and education, and both can be delivered by video. Your therapist watches you move on camera, adjusts each exercise and changes the plan as you improve.
No referral is needed. Start with a free 15-minute consult.
Yes. motivPT accepts HSA and FSA cards.
Most neck programs start with a chair, a wall and a towel. Your plan includes a FitKit with the equipment it needs.
Keep your neck gently moving in a range that feels comfortable rather than holding it still, and check that your pillow keeps your head level with your body. If it hasn't eased after a week or two, or it keeps happening, a physical therapist can find which movements your neck tolerates and build from there.
Most people do well on their back or side, with a pillow that keeps the head level, not propped up or tipped down. Sleeping on your stomach keeps your neck turned to one side for hours, so it's a common trigger.
When headaches start in the neck or come with tight neck and shoulder muscles, physical therapy works on the movement, strength and habits involved. If you have migraines, keep working with your doctor; your therapist will also tell you if a headache needs a doctor first.
Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Who we help: adults 60 and older · families helping a parent · recovery after surgery
Book a free 15-minute consult. We’ll ask what’s going on and tell you honestly whether online PT is a good fit.
Seeing patients in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
