Along with lower back pain, neck pain (or neck pain) is a frequent reason for medical consultation. And for good reason:many of us spend our days sitting in front of a screen, often in a bad position - all the more so since the increase in telecommuting. In addition to poor posture, osteoarthritis or trauma can also cause neck pain. In addition to the pain felt at the slightest movement of the head, other symptoms may appear:headache, dizziness, fatigue. However, treatments can quickly relieve the pain.
Our neck performs the (heavy) task of supporting our head all day; but if one adopts a bad posture, the task is all the more difficult and leads to contractures in the cervical spine. This is made up of seven vertebrae (C1 to C7), separated by fibrocartilaginous discs which bind the vertebrae together, ensure the mobility of the joint and absorb shocks – just like in the rest of the spine. Note in passing that most mammals have seven cervical vertebrae, even the giraffe!
Neck pain may be due to damage to bones, muscles, discs or ligaments; muscle contractures (torticollis), osteoarthritis or a herniated disc are the most common causes. The pain can also be due to damage to the nerves or spinal cord. When the pain radiates into the shoulder and/or the arm, it is called cervico-brachial neuralgia; this results from the irritation of a nerve root by a bony growth. In addition, if you are one of the people whose neck cracks at the slightest movement (or almost), you suffer from too mobile cervical - a disorder that causes a lack of joint stability.
Poor postures are common, especially due to the intensive use of smartphones. A study published in PLOS One in 2018 revealed that prolonged cell phone use — and especially messaging apps, which require you to be glued to the screen — can cause neck pain and impact surrounding soft tissue spine. This very common disorder has been named "text-neck syndrome". Very often, the head is tilted too far forward, in order to direct the gaze towards the screen of the phone, which leads to excessive elongation of the muscles and ligaments at the back of the neck. A (bad) movement that is unfortunately repeated up to several hundred times a day...
A more recent study, published in November 2021 in Journal of Musculoskeletal Surgery and Research , conducted on more than 400 medical students, revealed a 68% prevalence of text-neck syndrome among them. The researchers clarified that the most frequent musculoskeletal complaints of mobile device users are related to the neck and that several studies have already shown a significant relationship between neck pain and smartphone addiction.
Same posture problem in front of a computer screen:the head is usually flexed in front of the body, which causes tension in the neck; the muscles contract and cause pain. Namely that stress or the cold (especially in this winter period) encourage us in spite of ourselves to raise our shoulders. Result:The lateral parts of the trapezius muscle contract and the pain is felt in the back of the neck.
Apart from postural neck pain, another disorder is frequently a source of pain, especially in older people:cervical osteoarthritis (or cervicarthrosis). This disease, whose prevalence increases with age, causes the wear of the cartilage of the intervertebral discs, which therefore no longer fulfill their role as shock absorbers. The nerves that emerge through the vertebrae can literally be pinched. The mobility of the neck is then reduced and becomes painful.
In most cases, the pain can be relieved by taking painkillers. But on a daily basis, it is possible to prevent possible musculoskeletal disorders, through a few simple habits. To begin with, know that there are many equipment and accessories specially designed to preserve the cervical spine. The use of a cervical hammock, for example, makes it possible to gently stretch each disc of the spine, until they return to their natural position. It is also possible to opt for a shape memory pillow, which, by perfectly matching your morphology, ensures perfect head support during sleep.
When most of the time is spent sitting in front of a computer, care should be taken to adopt the optimal position:the screen should be positioned at eye level, the forearms should rest on the desk, and the back should be straight and leaned against the back of the chair. In addition, if you are addicted to your smartphone, it is essential to think about correcting your posture by holding your phone higher than usual to consult it. And of course, it goes without saying that jamming your phone between your head and shoulder during a call is a behavior to be banned!
In addition, it is possible to limit neck pain by regularly practicing flexion-extension of the neck (chin on chest, then head back) slowly and smoothly. You can also make slow movements of the head, in semicircles (from bottom to right and from right to left). Finally, you can easily perform a neck self-massage:press firmly on the trapezius muscle at the bottom of the neck, then slowly pull it forward over the shoulder (do it on one side, then the other). Repeated several times a week, this gesture effectively relieves tension.
