What to know about neck pain

Tajudeen continued to feel neck pain whenever he closed from work and didn’t feel any relief after taking over the counter medicines and massaging it with ointment. His doctor later told him the neck pain was not going away because of  his poor posture whenever he was working in the office and sleeping at home. […]

Tajudeen continued to feel neck pain whenever he closed from work and didn’t feel any relief after taking over the counter medicines and massaging it with ointment.

His doctor later told him the neck pain was not going away because of  his poor posture whenever he was working in the office and sleeping at home.

“ I was always bending my neck to work and didn’t make efforts to sit properly while working. Sometimes I found it difficult to turn my neck . It felt stiff and the pain also extended to my back,”he  said.

Many people experience neck pain. While it lasts only a few days for some, it lasts longer for others especially when it is being caused by an underlying disease.

According to Adesokan Oluwatobi, a physiotherapist, neck pain is an uncomfortable sensation in the neck. He said it could  radiate to the head, shoulder , hand and other parts of the body.

He said wearing heavy necklaces and accessories, and  carrying  heavy load on the head could cause neck pain.

Oluwatobi also said other causes are strain and arthritis in the neck, injury, poor posture for a long time, degeneration of cervical discs and spinal cord called  cervical spondylosis and spinal spondylosis, and neck injury due to sudden jerking of the head  commonly called whiplash and other conditions.

Asked if laptops and other technologies cause neck pain, the physiotherapist said, “Now that we are in the modern age, people spend much time on social media like whatsapp, Facebook. Spending time on social media can lead to neck pain; use of phones iPad and laptop with poor posture can lead to neck pain. Use of laptops now is common like in the office, a lot of people now spend much time with laptops for a long period of time and phones which causes neck pain.”

Experts with Healthline said neck pain or stiffness could happen for a variety of reasons.

According to them, it could occur from muscle tension and strain as a result of activities and behaviours such as poor posture, working at a desk for too long without changing position, sleeping with your neck in a bad position and jerking your neck during exercise.

They said injuries also cause neck pain. These include injuries from falls, car accidents sports, among others.

The  experts said  neck pain could also occur from a heart attack, and diseases like meningitis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, infection, cancer of the spine tumours   and congenital abnormalities among others.

Oluwatobi said neck pain could be prevented by using a good posture when using your laptop, phone and other accessories. “Even when on meeting like on zoom, Skype and others for a very long time, it can cause neck pain. Do not stay in one position on your neck for a very long time; you should try to stand up and exercise.”

On smoking and other kinds of behaviour as other causes of neck pain,  he said “if you are smoking quit it. Avoid carrying heavy load on your shoulder especially all this market women, do not let your child carry heavy load on their head and shoulder which can make the neck to get stalk at one side which you won’t be able to straight it again. The spine can bend and give them abnormal posture. When sleeping, do sleep with your back, that is if you can use a flat pillow for preventive major.”

The physiotherapist said neck pain could be treated by visiting a physiotherapist.

“Physiotherapists are the key medical practitioners; you can do some kind of strengthening exercises. Medical practitioners make use of  ultrasound, infrared  and many more to treat neck pain.  Before going for treatment, you should try to speak with a physiotherapist; let them see the cause of the neck pain whether it’s due to muscle strain, cervical spondylosis and poor posture. We have a lot of ways of treating neck pain like stretching, electrical therapist and a lot of other treatments,” he said.

Oluwatobi  advised the public, especially market women  and hawkers not to carry  heavy loads on their heads  and shoulders as they are major factors which  cause a strain in the muscles which cause neck pain. “Anyone with neck pain, trauma  from like a car hitting another car and causing an accident, should visit their physiotherapists for quick treatment .”

Healthline medical experts said treatment for neck pain depends on the diagnosis. Treatment for neck pain may include: exercise, stretching, and physical therapy, pain medication, antibiotics if you have an infection, neck collar and muscle relaxants, and hospital treatment if a condition such as meningitis or heart attack is the cause and rarely surgery if necessary.

Alternative therapies could also be used for treating neck pain such as massage, acupuncture, chiropractic treatment among others.