NECK PAIN

What is Neck pain?

Neck pain can happen when neck/ shoulder muscles become tight & weak and also occurs because of a lack of mobility in the neck and shoulder. Commonly people will get neck pain after sitting at a computer for a long time or sleeping in an uncomfortable position. Some people will have radicular pain which feels like their neck pain is radiating to arms & hands.

Anatomy of Neck

The beauty of the neck lies in the deep or cervical fascia. The sternocleidomastoid is an important between the anterior and posterior triangles. The posterior triangle contains the spinal root of the accessory nerve deep to its fascial roof and the roots and trunks of the brachial plexus deep to the fascial floor. Muscles of the neck are given below.

Prevalence of Neck Pain:

Neck pain is a common presenting symptom in primary care, with an incidence of 10.4% to 21.3% per year. It is the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide.

  • The prevalence of neck pain is higher in older adults because of degenerative changes in facet joints and the collapse of intervertebral disks.
  • It is estimated that only one in five people with neck pain seeks medical care.
  • The differential diagnosis is broad and includes common conditions such as muscular strains and arthritis, as well as more dire conditions such as fractures, spinal cord and nerve injuries, neoplastic disorders, infections, and inflammatory conditions reported by Am Fam Physician, 2020.

Risk factor of Neck Pain:

1. Lifestyle factors:

  • Sedentary lifestyle – lack of physical activities leads to muscle weakness which is unable to support the neck pain.
  • Inadequate sleep – leads to increased sensitivity to pain (thalamus and somatosensory cortex become overactive), reduced endorphins (natural pain killer), and increased inflammatory markers (cytokines).
  • Dehydration – A person’s hydration status may be an important factor in their perception of acute pain
  • Ergonomics-related reasons: more working hours sitting jobs, heavy lifting jobs, etc.

2. Behavior factors:

  • Stress and anxiety
  • Depression – depression-associated chronic pain
  • Somatic symptom disorder. 

Causes:

Spinal Causes:

Spinal causes are converted into two types structural causes and non-structural causes.

Radicular Causes:

Radicular pain is a radiating pain felt from the cervical to the arm, forearm, and hand. Sometimes radiating pain felt like numbness, a tingling sensation.

Non-specific Causes:

  1. Restricted mobility: limited mobility to perform activities limited ROM of the shoulder and neck and thoracic spine leads to a functional limitation on bending and twisting.
  2. Muscle imbalance: Imbalance between the agonist and antagonist / right and left side musculature.
  3. Overload principle: person performance beyond their tolerance, which leads to sprain in the muscle \ muscle catch.
  4. Mental stress: chronic stress can induce neck pain.

How to prevent Neck pain?

Here are some tips to prevent neck back pain:

 

  1. Lifestyle modification – physical activity (moving your body) improves the overall body health and
  2. Try to maintain a healthy diet.
  3. Adequate sleep enhances the overall body’s rest.
  4. Hydrated yourself – In summary, maintaining adequate hydration is essential for managing pain levels, as dehydration can exacerbate various types of pain, including acute pain, joint discomfort, and headaches.
  5. Stress-free life – do yoga and meditation.

Treatment for Neck pain:

Medical Treatment:

Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Advil or Aleve can help with mild to moderate pain. But it should be under the guidance of a physician. It’s not the permanent solution you find the reason to eliminate it permanently.

Physiotherapy Treatment:

Heat or cold therapy: applying heat or ice to the affected area can help reduce inflammation and relieve pain. You can try using a heating pad on low or medium for 15 to 20 minutes every 2 -3 hours. But It will provide only temporary relief.

 

Complementary and alternative treatments: these can include manipulation of spine nearby tissues or transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) and interferential therapy (IFT), dry needling, cupping, and myofascial release. But this will also provide temporary relief.

Physiotherapy exercise for Neck pain:

Stretching and strengthening of over and under-active muscles leads to improved tolerance of the neck. 

MOTOR CONTROL NECK EXERCISES:

  1. Neck flexion and extension.
  2. Neck lateral flexion
  3. Neck rotation

STRETCHING EXERCISE:

  1. Trapezius stretch
  2. Levator scapulae stretch
  3. Strenocleido mastoid stretch
  4. Rhomboid Stretch

STRENGTHENING EXERCISE:

  1. Chin tuck
  2. Side-lying lateral neck flexion
  3. Prone neck extension
  4. Supine neck flexion

Click To learn more about Neck pain exercises.

Our best treatment approach for Neck pain:

Best treatment approaches start with a proper assessment of the patient (not just in the assessment of the condition). Our assessment includes,

  • History collection (collecting information about the possible reasons for the symptoms)
  • Understanding of pain: in, we collect all the parameters of pain (pain intensity, aggravating factor, relieving factor, irritability, sensitivity, duration of pain).
  • Physical examination
  • Assessment for the fear of movement.
  • Psychosocial-social factor assessment
  • Identify the root cause /risk factors for having mid-back pain.

Conclusion:

Neck pain is not always a serious problem. With proper treatment and care, most of the individual recover fully. However, it is important to identify the root cause and treat it accordingly. So, it is essential to consult a qualified physiotherapist before beginning any new exercise routine.

At Exercise Prescriptor Clinic, we provide a professional assessment that will help to determine the root cause of your pain and ensure that the given exercises are appropriate and tailored to your specific needs, reducing the risk of further injury or complications.

Schedule a consultation today to take the first step toward a healthy and pain-free life.