WHY DO WE HAVE NECK PAIN?
WHY DO WE HAVE NECK PAIN?
Why do we have neck pain?
Neck pain is an affliction which almost everyone suffers from in one’s lifetime. Reasons could be many; it may be because of injury, wrong posture, stress, etc. The general perception is that neck pain is an inevitable part of one’s life, and it is all-right to ignore or neglect it. There are many situations during the day when a lot of strain is placed on the muscles supporting the neck. It is pertinent to point out here that a good or correct posture entails bones, muscle and ligament working in harmony. This also protects the body from various kinds of injuries. The most common cause of neck pain is anterior head positioning while reading, working on the computer, watching the television, etc. It occurs when the centre of the ear moves forward or ahead of the shoulder resulting in rounding of the shoulders exerting pressure on the neck and upper back muscles. A prolonged static posture is the root cause of neck pain. In fact, our body can tolerate being in a particular position for about 20 minutes. Then the tissue elasticity starts waning increasing stress and discomfort. Individuals having weak muscles are more vulnerable to neck pain. Another important cause is cervical disc herniation wherein pain is referred to the arm which at times is agonizing and may impact the quality of life. The disc is a flexible material between the vertebrae which holds the bones together during movement.
The symptoms
Pain at the back of the neck and upper back.
Restriction of neck movements.
Pain radiating to arm/hand.
Numbness/tingling sensation in one of the arms/hands.
Dizziness/vertigo.
Neck pain can result from a variety of causes, including:
• Muscle strains. Overuse, such as too many hours hunched over a steering wheel, often triggers muscle strains. Even such minor things as reading in bed or gritting your teeth can strain neck muscles.
• Worn joints. Just like all the other joints in your body, your neck joints tend to undergo wear and tear with age, which can cause osteoarthritis in your neck.
• Nerve compression. Herniated disks or bone spurs in the vertebrae of your neck can take up too much space and press on the nerves branching out from the spinal cord.
• Injuries. Rear-end auto collisions often result in whiplash injuries, which occur when the head is jerked backward and then forward, stretching the soft tissues of the neck beyond their limits.
• Diseases. Neck pain can sometimes be caused by diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis.
Treatment
The goal is to have a correct posture via appropriate exercises. Proper head positioning goes a long way in alleviating pain. While sleeping it is advisable to be lying on the back on a firm bed with adequate support of the neck curvature. Sleeping with the face downwards should be discouraged as it exerts undue strain on the neck muscles. Putting a pillow under the chest can minimise head rotation. When sleeping sideways, place a pillow between the head and the neck and not under the shoulder. Foam pillows are best avoided as they can cause strain on the muscles supporting the neck. The computer screen best serves its purpose when it is at the eye level. To confirm whether the position is really correct, close your eyes and then open them slowly. If the gaze is at the Centre of the computer screen, then the level is perfect, otherwise this needs to be raised or lowered accordingly. The keyboard should be kept close to the body. If a table is not available it is advisable to keep the keyboard on the knees so that the arms and the shoulders are not raised to put strain on the upper back muscles. Arm-rest of a chair helps take off the load from the shoulder/neck. This should permit the forearms to rest comfortably with elbow at 90 degrees. When sitting behind a table, the height of the chair should be such that forearms rest comfortably on the table without hunching the shoulders up or down.
The following Exercises can help in reducing a forward head posture and should be performed two or three times a day: Bringing the ears in line with the shoulder without keeping the nose up/down, open the mouth for a count of five and then relax. This can be done 1st time under the guidance of a Physical Therapist.
Shoulder roll — Starting in a standing/ sitting position with the arms by the side, moving up and down your shoulders 10 times.
Strengthening exercises By putting pressure on the hand at the front, the sides or the back of the head is ideal. In addition, the following exercises supporting the upper back muscles also prove beneficial:
Rowing — While sitting, loop a stretch tube/band around one foot, holding the ends by the hands. Pull the band towards the body. Repeat it 10-15 times.
Shrugging — While standing, looping the band under one foot, holding the ends. Pull the band upwards with the lifting of the shoulders. Repeat it 10 to 15 times. Hold the ends of the band with the arms overhead. Pull the band outwards and feel the pressure at the upper back. Repeat it 10 times. To prevent neck pain/disability, it is important to maintain a correct posture and strengthen our muscles supporting the neck.
Therapy
• Neck exercises and stretching. Your doctor may recommend that you work with a physical therapist to learn neck exercises and stretches. A physical therapist can guide you through these exercises and stretches so that you can do them on your own at home. Exercises may improve pain by restoring muscle function, optimizing posture to prevent overload of muscle, and increasing the strength and endurance of your neck muscles.
• Traction. Traction uses weights and pulleys to gently stretch your neck and keep it immobilized. This therapy, under supervision of a medical professional and physical therapist, may provide relatively fast relief of some neck pain, especially pain related to nerve root irritation. I had a problem. This Traction helped me a lot.
• Short-term immobilization. A soft collar that supports your neck may help relieve pain by taking pressure off the structures in your neck. If used for more than two weeks, however, a collar may do more harm than good. more
Why do we have neck pain?
Neck pain is an affliction which almost everyone suffers from in one’s lifetime. Reasons could be many; it may be because of injury, wrong posture, stress, etc. The general perception is that neck pain is an inevitable part of one’s life, and it is all-right to ignore or neglect it. There are many situations during the day when a lot of strain is placed on the muscles supporting the neck. It is pertinent to point out here that a good or correct posture entails bones, muscle and ligament working in harmony. This also protects the body from various kinds of injuries. The most common cause of neck pain is anterior head positioning while reading, working on the computer, watching the television, etc. It occurs when the centre of the ear moves forward or ahead of the shoulder resulting in rounding of the shoulders exerting pressure on the neck and upper back muscles. A prolonged static posture is the root cause of neck pain. In fact, our body can tolerate being in a particular position for about 20 minutes. Then the tissue elasticity starts waning increasing stress and discomfort. Individuals having weak muscles are more vulnerable to neck pain. Another important cause is cervical disc herniation wherein pain is referred to the arm which at times is agonizing and may impact the quality of life. The disc is a flexible material between the vertebrae which holds the bones together during movement.
The symptoms
Pain at the back of the neck and upper back.
Restriction of neck movements.
Pain radiating to arm/hand.
Numbness/tingling sensation in one of the arms/hands.
Dizziness/vertigo.
Neck pain can result from a variety of causes, including:
• Muscle strains. Overuse, such as too many hours hunched over a steering wheel, often triggers muscle strains. Even such minor things as reading in bed or gritting your teeth can strain neck muscles.
• Worn joints. Just like all the other joints in your body, your neck joints tend to undergo wear and tear with age, which can cause osteoarthritis in your neck.
• Nerve compression. Herniated disks or bone spurs in the vertebrae of your neck can take up too much space and press on the nerves branching out from the spinal cord.
• Injuries. Rear-end auto collisions often result in whiplash injuries, which occur when the head is jerked backward and then forward, stretching the soft tissues of the neck beyond their limits.
• Diseases. Neck pain can sometimes be caused by diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis.
Treatment
The goal is to have a correct posture via appropriate exercises. Proper head positioning goes a long way in alleviating pain. While sleeping it is advisable to be lying on the back on a firm bed with adequate support of the neck curvature. Sleeping with the face downwards should be discouraged as it exerts undue strain on the neck muscles. Putting a pillow under the chest can minimise head rotation. When sleeping sideways, place a pillow between the head and the neck and not under the shoulder. Foam pillows are best avoided as they can cause strain on the muscles supporting the neck. The computer screen best serves its purpose when it is at the eye level. To confirm whether the position is really correct, close your eyes and then open them slowly. If the gaze is at the Centre of the computer screen, then the level is perfect, otherwise this needs to be raised or lowered accordingly. The keyboard should be kept close to the body. If a table is not available it is advisable to keep the keyboard on the knees so that the arms and the shoulders are not raised to put strain on the upper back muscles. Arm-rest of a chair helps take off the load from the shoulder/neck. This should permit the forearms to rest comfortably with elbow at 90 degrees. When sitting behind a table, the height of the chair should be such that forearms rest comfortably on the table without hunching the shoulders up or down.
The following Exercises can help in reducing a forward head posture and should be performed two or three times a day: Bringing the ears in line with the shoulder without keeping the nose up/down, open the mouth for a count of five and then relax. This can be done 1st time under the guidance of a Physical Therapist.
Shoulder roll — Starting in a standing/ sitting position with the arms by the side, moving up and down your shoulders 10 times.
Strengthening exercises By putting pressure on the hand at the front, the sides or the back of the head is ideal. In addition, the following exercises supporting the upper back muscles also prove beneficial:
Rowing — While sitting, loop a stretch tube/band around one foot, holding the ends by the hands. Pull the band towards the body. Repeat it 10-15 times.
Shrugging — While standing, looping the band under one foot, holding the ends. Pull the band upwards with the lifting of the shoulders. Repeat it 10 to 15 times. Hold the ends of the band with the arms overhead. Pull the band outwards and feel the pressure at the upper back. Repeat it 10 times. To prevent neck pain/disability, it is important to maintain a correct posture and strengthen our muscles supporting the neck.
Therapy
• Neck exercises and stretching. Your doctor may recommend that you work with a physical therapist to learn neck exercises and stretches. A physical therapist can guide you through these exercises and stretches so that you can do them on your own at home. Exercises may improve pain by restoring muscle function, optimizing posture to prevent overload of muscle, and increasing the strength and endurance of your neck muscles.
• Traction. Traction uses weights and pulleys to gently stretch your neck and keep it immobilized. This therapy, under supervision of a medical professional and physical therapist, may provide relatively fast relief of some neck pain, especially pain related to nerve root irritation. I had a problem. This Traction helped me a lot.
• Short-term immobilization. A soft collar that supports your neck may help relieve pain by taking pressure off the structures in your neck. If used for more than two weeks, however, a collar may do more harm than good. more
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Harsh, I think your problem is RHEUMTOID ARTHRITIS. Becase the Folitrax 15mg Once a Week you are taking is normally given to a RHEUMTOID ARTHRITIS Patients. Please comment? Please see my Resource today on RHEUMTOID ARTHRITIS. Regards more
Jul 19
Harsh. My advice is to see a good Otheopaedic Doctor. The back should never be neglected. I have just now put it in the Trusted Medical Doctors. Dr. J. P. Manocha Senior Consultant - Orthopedics Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, Block B, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi, Is a very proficient Orthopedic Senior Consultant at Sita Ram Bhartia Multi Speciality Hospital. Dr. Manocha is Ex Professior of AIIMS. My Wife had Severe Osteoporosis and a Severe Back problem. We used to go to Dr. Manocha. He is a very conservative Orthopedics Senior Consultant. I can safely recommend to all our Members who have Back problems could go to Dr. Manocha. Sita Ram Bhartia Hospital No. for Appointments is 4211-1111. Regards more
Jul 19
i am sorry i am not aware of the cause. as such I am suffering from RH and am on folitrax 15 mg once a week. my most joints pain but with folitrax for more than a tear my pain is in control. my back hurts only when i walk few KMs or climb stairs etc.else it is managable. more
Jul 18
Agree with Richi. Get an MRI. Would have suggested a Doppler study too, but I lack the details more
Jul 18
Mr Harsh back pain can be due to various reasons. Have you taken MRI? If you are diagnosed with some disc bulge or listhesis or stenosis then you need to take care of it and you can not indulge in exercise which ever you like or told by someone without professional guidance. As difference lies with the type of pain and the causative factor for it. Reply if you know your cause and I will guide you for the same. more
Jul 18
