Symptom behaviour interview
Maps 24-hour pattern, aggravators, easers and prior episodes to frame load management.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Pain frequency82
Recovery length45
Exercise load55
Clinician need48
Self-care fit72
Recurrence risk68
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Is neck pain always a structural injury?
Not always. Sensitivity can rise with load spikes, sleep loss and stress even when imaging is unremarkable. Clinicians separate serious pathology from common nociplastic or mechanical patterns.
How long do typical programmes last?
Many soft-tissue presentations settle over weeks to a few months with graded loading; post-operative and neuro pathways often run longer and are criteria-based.
Should imaging come first?
Guidelines generally reserve early imaging for red flags or when results would change management — not for every first presentation of mechanical pain.
Can exercise make symptoms worse?
Transient soreness after new loading is common; sharp, escalating, night-waking or neurological change is a reason to stop and reassess with a clinician.
Do braces or tape replace rehab?
They can be adjuncts for confidence or tissue protection in defined windows, but durable capacity usually comes from progressive loading and skill practice.
When is specialist referral typical?
Red flags, progressive neurological deficit, failed adequate conservative care, or surgical candidacy discussions — timing varies by condition and health system.
Assessment mixes history, red-flag screening, movement observation and selected special tests.
No single test is perfect; clusters and functional tasks usually outweigh any isolated manoeuvre.
Assessment tests
Active range screen
Compares available motion and symptom reproduction through preferred planes.
Resisted isometric battery
Identifies painful or weak directions that guide early exercise selection.
Functional task test
Squat, reach, gait or sport-specific drill matched to the person’s goals.
Special orthopaedic tests
Selected manoeuvres for ligament, tendon or joint suspicion — interpreted in context.
Warning signs
These warrant prompt clinical review rather than unsupervised exercise progression.
Progressive neurological deficit
Worsening weakness, saddle anaesthesia or bowel/bladder change needs urgent review.
Unexplained fever or night pain
Systemic features with musculoskeletal pain raise infection or malignancy concerns.
Trauma with inability to bear load
Ottawa-style rules and fracture pathways apply after significant injury.
Vascular or visceral signs
Chest pain, sudden severe headache, or abdominal symptoms are not “rehab problems” first.
Red flags are rare but decisive — when present they outrank routine exercise progression.
Keep exploring
Neighbouring regions
Neighbouring topics share region literacy — not a severity ranking.
Lower Back
The lumbar spine bears more compressive load than any other spinal region, making low back pain the single most common musculoskeletal complaint worldwide.
Pain frequency 80 Same body regionCore
The core is the coordinated group of trunk muscles that stabilizes the spine and pelvis, transferring force between the upper and lower body during nearly every movement.
Pain frequency 35 Same body region