Causes of Neck Pain

 

Neck pain  is a very common 21st century disease. It seems that just about everyone suffers from neck soreness at one time or another. It can be an occasional mild annoyance that can be easily ignored most of the time. But what can we do when neck pain becomes insufferable? First of all, consider why your neck might be sore in the first place.

1. Posture

With the advent of the digital age, people are spending way too much time crouched several hours in front of a computer, or craning their necks down to look at their smart phone.  Look around you sometime when you go out, and you will find at least a handful of people looking at the smart phone in your immediate vicinity.  Go figure. This can seriously exacerbate, strain and wear out neck muscles. Posture is especially important for maintaining a healthy neck when we consider that the average human head weighs about as much as a bowling ball. With proper posture, the head is balanced perfectly and the neck muscles can have a break. However, if we are slouching forward and sticking our chins out, there is a constant strain on the neck muscles to keep the head up, leaving the neck muscles aching. Consider these tips for proper computer posture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dShUJ0vGbh8

2. Lack of Movement

With all the time spent staring at a computer or a tv screen, the neck simply doesn’t get enough movement.  The human body is made for movement.  Movement helps to produce synovial fluid which lubricates and cushions our joints.  A lack of movement causes this lubrication to stop or dry up leaving our necks as mechanically sound as a car without engine oil.  Yikes!!!  Try these gentle neck stretches:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjwHL8-b-VM

3. Lack of Strength

Sitting in front of a computer all day can be even harder to do if we are out of shape.  Yes, you need to be fit to remain sitting comfortably.  Keeping our neck muscles constantly contracted in one position for 8 hours is very difficult for our bodies to do.  Strengthening these muscles and increasing their stamina will improve their ability to face that challenge.  Many neck muscles start in the shoulders and can be strengthened by doing shoulder exercises.  Consider adding the following strengthening exercises:  military shoulder press, shoulder shrugs, rowing motions and alternate dumbbell shoulder press to your exercise routine.  Also tai chi, swimming, elliptical machines and yoga can be beneficial too.

4. Lack of Maintenance

A good way to maintain the health of your neck is to utilize proper office ergonomics, daily neck stretches and regular shoulder exercises.  A good addition to any neck maintenance is a regular massage and/or acupuncture treatment.  An effective therapeutic massage and acupuncture treatment can help flush out the toxins that are building up in the muscles, break down adhesion or scar tissue that is starting to develop, normalize the nerve pathways to your muscles and take care of potential issues before they become a problem.  If you awake a neck so sore that you cannot move it, a good therapeutic massage and/or acupuncture treatment can restore most neck functioning almost immediately.