We have all experienced someone or something that was incredibly annoying and called it “a pain in the neck”. With good reason—neck pain is not fun and it can be severely debilitating. It is also unfortunately common; it is estimated that around three quarters of the population has suffered neck pains at some point in their lives. There are many different causes of pains in the neck but they fall within three main categories:
- Overuse
- Injury
- Disease
Overuse
Overuse of neck muscles can happen whilst you are carrying out everyday activities. By having poor posture and sitting incorrectly at your computer or in your car, you are putting extra strain on your neck muscles.
Jobs that require a lot of movement, particularly stretching or spending a large amount of time with your arms above chest level can contribute to your neck pain.
If your body is not aligned correctly, your muscles have to work harder and become fatigued and strained causing neck pain. An ergonomic workspace can prevent the type of pain caused by repetitive computer use. Your chair should be at the proper height, with your keyboard set with the correct spacing and your monitor at the right height and angle to keep your back, shoulders, head and neck in proper alignment.
To eliminate or reduce neck pain, you should periodically take a break from your computer, stretch, exercise, get enough sleep and reduce stress. If the pain is severe, or you can’t get relief from other methods, a visit to a physiotherapist can be very beneficial. Studies have shown that physiotherapy along with an exercise regime gives the most relief to people experiencing neck pain.
Injuries
Injuries also cause neck pain. A neck injury can happen quite suddenly, in the case of a car accident, or over time due to overuse. It is also a fact that as you age, your joints get weaker and unable to handle actions that were possible when you were younger. The best thing to do when suffering from a neck injury is to see a doctor or physiotherapist. Even if you’re not in great pain now, getting help early on will ensure that the injury does not deteriorate.
Neck pain can also be caused by disease; osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can cause neck pain. If you have neck pains that cannot be explained by overuse or injury, the best thing to do is to see a doctor or a physiotherapist
If the pain is caused by overuse and ergonomic changes have not brought the relief you need, a proper physiotherapy assessment and programme can help.
Our professional physiotherapists at Physio Med can design a tailor made exercise programme to reduce your pain as well as ensuring that the risk of you hurting yourself again is reduced by providing exercises which strengthen and stretch your neck muscles.
We will be happy to talk to you and answer any questions you may have about whether physiotherapy is right for you.
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