We offer free phone consults and posture checks
We’ve all experienced a bit of neck pain before, sometimes it can be a case of waking up with a “cricked” neck and other times it’s more of a lingering dull ache and tension that won’t seem to go away. Either way it can really impact your quality of life and makes normal tasks such as driving and turning over in bed a real mission and it’s also likely to impact your sleep quality and probably your mood too!
Aside from that it’s important to know that neck pain is extremely common, and while that might not sound great it does mean that in most cases it is nothing serious and there is lots you can do to help yourself. So I thought you might like to know a little bit about the importance of the neck, why this can happen and what you can do if you find yourself in a situation where your neck is misbehaving…
Obvious point no.1 – the neck needs to hold the weight of the head
Obvious point no. 2 – the head contains the control centre of everything we do – our brain
“OK captain obvious, whats your point?” Well the point I’m trying to make here is that if you consider that our heads are roughly the weight and size of a bowling ball, but the bones in the neck are more like a golf ball it might make my point clearer. For every inch forward your head shifts from it’s neutral position, it weighs approximately an extra 10lbs in relative weight. Mass needs to be supported by something, and in the case of the neck this has to be supported by the joints and muscles in your neck and upper back. Overtime this can create issues and the pain and tension that is commonly felt here is essentially a cry for help. Either the load needs to be carried more efficiently or it needs help from someone/something else.
Now I’m not for one minute saying that you shouldn’t move your head forward, but it’s no surprise that with a lack of varied movement and our daily work/lifestyle habits of sitting all day staring at a screen and looking down at our phones, that over time, will cause a change in the function of the joints and muscles; resulting in pain and discomfort.
Also, have you ever noticed if you have neck pain that everything else seems to be working on limited capacity and you feel a bit sluggish? Maybe you’re feeling more tired than normal, walking feels like it takes more effort and there is just a general feeling of “meh”? Well, this actually makes sense because from a neurological perspective the neck (particularly the uppermost neck) is the most highly innervated area of the spine and when the nervous system isn’t firing as it should and especially if it’s creating pain signals it uses a lot of our energy. Fun fact, our brain weighs approximately 2% of our entire body mass but uses approximately 20% of our energy. So essentially if their is a problem in the neck it can impact other areas of the body.
Forget perfect posture and focus on movement instead – I mean if your daily posture resembles that of a prawn, then of course you need to change this. But realistically who is going to sit perfectly all day everyday, and who says what perfect posture is anyway!? It’s much easier to focus on regular micro breaks throughout the working day – every 30 minutes or so spend 1 minute moving your neck, rolling your shoulders, having a little stretch. It doesn’t really matter just move!
Exercise – Most forms of exercise will be great. If you’re currently not suffering with much pain then we need to build strength and mobility in the muscles and joints which will help to increase your tolerance to load/stress. This comes in many forms and you’ll need to find what works for you (our REHAB team can most certainly help with this). If you’re currently in pain then exercise is better suited at a more lower intensity. For example, Yoga or Pilates (available at SYNERGY) may be a good option here or generally focusing on a stretching/mobility work at home.
Manage Stress – this is a big one. You’ve probably heard people say they “hold their stress” in their neck and shoulders. This is likely due to an increase in their sympathetic nervous system activation and this causes an increase in muscle tone due to the “fight or flight” response. In the short term, this is no problem and a normal body response. In the long term and in a chronic state this is a bad situation. If this sounds like you then a daily practice of meditation/mindfulness combined with breath work can work wonders. You want to focus on a technique where your out breath is longer than your in breath, this will help to reduce the activation of the stress state.
Try the 3-4-5 breathing technique:
1. Breath in for 3 seconds
2. Hold for 4 seconds
3. Breath out for 5 seconds
Give these steps a go and if you’re still struggling with neck pain then we’re always happy to help you at SYNERGY. We see patients literally everyday that are looking for help with their neck pain so you’ll be in good hands!
