Neck Pain and Exercises (448)

Healthy Life: Neck Pain and Exercises

蘇鎮邦 (Christopher So)：
舒整物理治療師 (Manipulative Physiotherapist) 人類工程師 (Ergonomist)

“Pain in the neck” is a common Australian expression that implies an unbearable situation or person. Neck pain is a very common recurring problem. The main cause of the problem is incorrect posture – sitting, standing or sleeping. It is very difficult to correct such bad habits. The Chinese saying: “Learning to be bad takes only three days but learning to be good takes three years”! Most of the tasty foods are unhealthy with high cholesterol. Healthy foods tend to be bland. Bad postures tend to require less muscular effort and are thus more comfortable. Good postures tend to be harder to maintain and more tiring plus energy consuming.

The following picture depicts the complexity of neck muscles at the back of the head. They have an intimate relationship. Pain in one area can be referred to another area. If the nerves in the neck are compressed, they can cause headache, dizziness, and pain in the shoulder area. There are patients whose neck pain can cause chest pain and breathing difficulty. In severe cases, it can cause arm pain and muscles weakness in the hands. Do not wait until the neck pain affects your sleep before you see a physiotherapist.

At the back of the neck, there are eight small muscles (number 2,10,13,14); number 1 is the greater and lesser occipital nerves which extend to the areas of the eye; number 7 is the Vertebral Artery which can cause dizziness if compromised.

I always joke with my patients. The more you do your exercises, the less you need to come and see me. The less you do, the more you need to come. The choice is yours. If you can adopt a good and correct posture, it can reduce your neck pain. You are half way to recovery. However, I can only show you how to adopt a correct posture but I cannot help you to keep it that way. You have to do it yourself.

The following diagram shows you how to set up for neck exercises. First, roll two towels up to the correct height : when you lie down your head should be parallel to the floor. Your head should not be tilt up or down too much. Roll your neck from side to side towards the shoulders. Do not just spin in the middle. Rolling involves rotation and side-bending towards the shoulder. Do it four times a day and two minutes each time when neck pain flares up. Do it twice a day as maintenance. If the exercise helps you, then do it but if it causes any increase of pain you should consult your own physiotherapist.