Have you ever felt pain in your neck after using your laptop or mobile phones for a long time?
The electronic gadgets and smartphones etc have now become part and parcel of our lives and we use these for various important activities. The bitter truth is that prolonged continuous use of these electronic gadgets and smart phones etc would lead to neck pain problems. It is noteworthy that neck pain is musculoskeletal disorder and it affects one in three persons. Normally, it would begin in the neck and could be associated with radiating pain down in one or both the arms.
Neck pain could be due to various reasons like
Overuse of neck muscles:
This is the most common reason for getting neck pain. When we do intense workouts, weightlifting etc we could get neck pain in us. It must be noted that physical strain from the above can result in ligament or muscle sprains etc.
Poor posture:
It is possible to get neck pain when we sit in poor posture for a long period of time. So please be careful.
Whiplash injuries etc:
In the vehicular accidents, jerky sudden movements would take place and this could lead to whiplash injuries etc. This could also result in severe neck pain in us.
Arthritis:
Neck pain in us can be due to arthritis of the vertebral joints in the neck. Here, factors like ageing etc would play a huge role.
Other factors:
Anxiety, depression can also lead to pain in the neck and shoulders etc. By following certain relaxation methods like meditation, yoga or breathing exercises etc, we can get relief from this.
There are various types of neck pain in us such as
Occipital neuralgia:
Persons with occipital neuralgia would feel pain in the upper neck, back of the head, behind ears etc. It is learnt that occipital neuralgia could be caused by inflammation or injury to the occipital nerves.
Cervical radiculopathy:
It is also known as pinched nerve and disk herniation in the neck would lead to cervical radiculopathy. The persons with this would have very severe pain in theheir neck, shoulders, arms etc.
Facet arthropathy:
Ageing or conditions like rheumatoid arthritis could be associated with facet arthropathy. This is arthritis of small vertebral joints in the neck.
Myofascial pain syndrome;
Repetitive motions, stress related tension, injuries etc could lead to myofascial pain in us. It is a chronic pain condition affecting neck muscles and fascia.
Cervical spondylosis:
It must be noted that age related wear and tear of cervical spine would lead to discomfort and stiffness.
Neck pain management:
For our lives to be normal, it is necessary to manage the neck pain. Making some lifestyle changes would help us to manage neck pain and many neck pain cases resolve with time. Physical therapy includes stretching and strengthening of the neck muscles. Heat application can reduce the neck pain symptoms. There must be a collaborative association between the patients and healthcare providers for managing the neck pain.