Chronic Neck Pain: Causes, Symptoms & Exercises

Chronic neck pain and neck-related disorders are common in the population more than we can imagine. With an annual prevalence rate of 30% in adults, the reasons behind chronic neck pain vary from person to person. Especially in office workers who are computer users with high intensity, there is a huge chance that neck pain will be a part of the routine. While slight neck and upper back pain are common in our daily routines, either due to poor sleeping habits or an improper posture for a day, prolonged neck pain develops into chronic neck pain and requires some treatment. Before treating chronic neck pain, it is important to identify chronic neck pain symptoms and causes so the problem can be solved at the core level.

What is Chronic Neck Pain?

Before normalizing all kinds of chronic neck pain, it is important to know the difference between a wrong sleep position or a neck pain that worsens over time. One clear indicator that your neck pain is chronic and requires some consideration is that it doesn't go away on its own and will persist over a wheel.

Cervicalgia, often known as neck pain, is discomfort in or near your spine beneath your head. Since the neck is also referred to as the cervical spine, the name. Neck discomfort is a frequent sign of various illnesses and accidents.

You may experience radicular neck pain or axial neck pain, which are both predominantly felt in the neck (pain that shoots into other areas, such as your shoulders or arms). The condition may be short lived which lasts for a few days only and gets better on its own or with a little treatment. In other cases, such as chronic pain, the pain extends to as long as three months.

If you don't take neck discomfort seriously for a prolonged time, it might affect your everyday life and lower your quality of life. Fortunately, most neck pain causes aren't significant and get better with simple remedies like painkillers, exercise, and stress reduction.

Symptoms of Chronic Neck Pain

Often we confuse neck pain as a pain located in only one region of the body, i.e., the neck, but the truth is otherwise. Neck pain comes with multiple other symptoms, and when it comes to chronic neck pain, the symptoms are even more diverse. Here are some common things you will experience as you develop chronic neck pain.

• Headache
• Stiffness in neck
• Stiff shoulders
• Shoulder and upper backache
• Unable to tilt to rotate your neck freely
• Numbness in neck and shoulders

Causes of Neck Pain

The group affected by neck pain consists of adults, with only a lower portion of children subjected to it. But as the sitting lifestyle is growing and children are more into video games, neck pain is also common in children. Here are some causes of neck pain in varying age groups.

Physical strain

Neck stiffness and soreness can result from overusing your neck muscles during repetitive or demanding activities. This is especially true if you feel your neck to be uncomfortable yet continue to work or remain in the same position. Thus, poor posture, weaker core muscles, and high body weight can impact your spine's alignment, leading to neck pain.

Mental strain

Tightening your neck muscles due to stress can create stiffness and pain in the neck. Many people don't know they tighten these muscles when they're nervous or agitated until their neck begins to hurt.

Injury

Trauma and other wounds can harm your muscles, ligaments, vertebral joints, and spinal cord nerve roots, which can cause neck pain. Most injury-related neck pains are treated with the help of physiotherapy or other medical treatments when started on time.

Prevention of Chronic Neck and Solutions

Office employees and gamers experience neck pain more frequently than workers in any other industry. Another concern is the socioeconomic burden of neck pain, which affects the employer and the employee's performance, health, and productivity, as well as their medical expenses and compensation claims.

According to one research, 90% of workers spend more than 4 hours daily in front of a computer. The necessity for workplace interventions to lessen and avoid neck pain in office workers, as well as to cut expenses and increase productivity, is highlighted by this. Hence if we judge the chronic neck pain causes, then an improper office chair, lack of neck support for chair, improper types of posture, and unhealthy work habits are some common leading causes. Below are some ways to address chronic neck pain in office workers with solutions that can be applied elsewhere.

Comfort

To eliminate neck pain, you must address the cause at a core level. Especially in adults, office workers, and gamers, neck pain can be minimized by opting for a comfortable neck support chair. The best office chair with headrest supports the upper neck, spinal cord, and entire vertebrae. This supports and prevents any neck strain that grows into chronic neck pain in the future. If you already have an office chair with no neck support, you can easily check out the Autonomous office chair accessories and office chairs parts to purchase a detachable neck rest.

Chronic Neck Pain Exercises

Chronic neck pain exercises are the most efficient technique to reduce and eliminate neck pain if you have it. You can learn which exercises are risk-free for you and which you should avoid from a healthcare professional.

The greatest benefit of neck pain exercises is that you may perform them at your workplace while watching TV or engaging in any other activity. Each exercise can be performed in both seated or standing position otherwise instructions are given. Always keep your shoulders back, your head neutral, and your core tight to maintain proper posture.

Oral Medications

Sometimes neck pain results from persistently uncomfortable posture or any other practice that has now taken a serious turn. Oral medications also become a necessity in such cases, along with neck exercises and other cures. These oral medications facilitate the neck pain healing process from an internal level. The most common types of neck pain medications include non-steroid, anti-inflammatory drugs.