Neck pain is one of the most common reasons people come and see a chiropractor. This doesn’t seem surprising when you consider that the annual prevalence of neck pain is up to 50%, and that then 50-85% of those with neck pain will have recurrent or persistent pain for as long as 5 years (1).
 
In this new study the authors found that In recent years, the lifestyle of the younger demographic has become increasingly sedentary with students and office workers spending long hours on their devices or sitting in front of their computers, resulting in a higher incidence of cervical (neck) curvature abnormalities.
 
This study found the degree of disc herniation is higher in patients who had lost their cervical lordosis (neck curve). A decreased degree of disc herniation was observed with increased cervical lordosis. In round numbers, a kyphotic cervical spine doubles the degree of disc herniation.
With the improvement of cervical lordotic curvature, the degree of disc herniation decreased and height of disc space increased.
 
The study confirms a strong correlation between cervical lordosis and disc herniation, and these results strongly indicate that restoring the cervical curvature is vital for improving cervical disc herniation.
 
The increase in texting, smart phone use, tablet and computer work has added significant weight-bearing stresses to the alignment, movement, and function of the spine. In round numbers, a cervical spine with no curve had double the risk of disc herniations.
 
So, if you are reading this, and you have neck pain or bad posture, or know someone who does, stop putting it off and get it checked out at Sprouting Health Chiropractic and Kinesiology.
 
 
References
 

1. Bryans, R., Decina, P., Descarreaux, M., Duranleau, M., Marcoux, H., Potter, B., Ruegg, R.P., Shaw, L., Watkin, R. and White, E., 2014. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with neck pain. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 37(1), pp.42-63.
2. Gao, K., Zhang, J., Lai, J., Liu, W., Lyu, H., Wu, Y., Lin, Z. and Cao, Y., 2019. Correlation between cervical lordosis and cervical disc herniation in young patients with neck pain. Medicine, 98(31).

​Neck pain is a leading cause of disability in adults, and in adults it is reported in up to as high as 20%. (1,2,3). Most cases of acute neck pain, will resolve within 3 months, although a substantial proportion of people will continue to experience low grade symptoms or frequent recurrences. (4) Do you or a loved one experience neck pain? This is an important article that could make the world of difference to you.
 
“A review in 2016 estimated that the annual cost of low back and neck pain was $87.6 billion in the US, ranking third behind diabetes and heart disease” (5)
 
There are several risk factors that predispose us to the development of neck pain, which include mental/emotional stress, sleep problems, sedentary lifestyle, history of neck pain, trauma, back pain, and poor general health.  (6) Sports and work injuries have also been associated with neck pain. It has been found that office and computer workers, manual labourers, healthcare workers and occupational drivers are more likely than others to experience neck pain. (7,8) With acute neck pain, about half don’t resolve and patients continue to have low grade symptoms or recurrences, which means that it then becomes a chronic issue. (4) So it’s important to get on top of it and work out the cause.
 
In a recent research study they were looking at female veterans with neck pain who had chiropractic care. It was observed that female veterans with neck pain experienced a statistically and clinically significant improvement on their assessment scores over a short course of chiropractic management (9). So chiropractic may be a viable option for neck pain management.
 
If you want to find out if chiropractic may help manage neck pain for you or your loved ones, have a chat with one of our chiropractors to see how they can assist.
 
“With so many of our modern activities putting stress upon the neck, it is important to make sure that your neck is functioning well”
 
 
 
1.Cohen SP. Epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of neck pain. Mayo Clin Proc 2015;90(2):284–99. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.09.008.
2.Moradi-Lakeh M, Forouzanfar MH, Vollset SE, et al. Burden of musculoskeletal disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2013: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76(8):1365–73. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-210146. 
3.Woodhouse A, Pape K, Romundstad PR, Vasseljen O. Health care contact following a new incident neck or low back pain episode in the general population; the HUNT study. BMC Health Serv Res 2016;16:81. doi: 10.1186/s12913-016-1326-5.
4.Cohen, S.P. and Hooten, W.M., 2017. Advances in the diagnosis and management of neck pain. Bmj, 358, p.j3221.
5.Dieleman JL, Baral R, Birger M, et al. US spending on personal health care and public health, 1996-2013. JAMA 2016;316:2627-46doi:10.1001/ jama.2016.16885.
6.Croft PR, Lewis M, Papageorgiou AC, et al. Risk factors for neck pain: a longitudinal study in the general population. Pain 2001;93:317- 25doi:10.1016/S0304-3959(01)00334-7.
7. Hogg-Johnson S, van der Velde G, Carroll LJ, et al. Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. The burden and determinants of neck pain in the general population: results of the bone and joint decade 2000-2010 task force on neck pain and its associated disorders. Spine 2008;33(suppl):S39-51doi:10.1097/ BRS.0b013e31816454c8.
8. Côté P, van der Velde G, Cassidy JD, et al. The burden and determinants of neck pain in workers: results of the bone and joint decade 2000-2010 task force on neck pain and its associated disorders. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2009;32(Suppl):S70-86doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2008.11.012.
9. Corcoran, K.L., Dunn, A.S., Green, B.N., Formolo, L.R. and Beehler, G.P., 2018. Changes in female veterans' neck pain following chiropractic care at a hospital for veterans. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 30, pp.91-95.

Do you or have you ever suffered with any type of symptoms?
Early SYMPTOM recognition, APPROPRIATE interpretation and relevant ACTION is the key to great health. – Jeremy Thomas (DC)
Read the three Important Points Below about Symptoms.

1. Symptoms accumulate and in turn cause other symptoms often that seem unrelated….

Interestingly in a study Neck pain of Grade 3-4 was strongly associated with low back pain, headaches, cardiovascular disorders and digestive disorders (4). As an example look at  Low Back Pain research - As well as significantly affecting activity participation, LBP is frequently associated with co-morbidities such as depression, with rates 2.5 times those in people without LBP (1).

1. Symptoms experienced if mismatched with expectations can lead to huge consequence….

Looking at heart attack symptoms: The most common symptoms expected by patients with myocardial infarction were central chest pain (76%), radiating arm or shoulder pain (34%), and collapse (26%). The most common symptoms experienced were sweats or feeling feverish (78%), chest pain (64%), and arm, shoulder, or radiating pain (66%). A mismatch between symptoms experienced and those expected occurred in 58% of patients, and was associated with delay in reaching hospital (2). It is VERY important in this case to know appropriate symptoms and act accordingly!

1. Covering up a Problem Flat Out Does Not Work As A Long Term Solution!

While not as obviously urgent, other symptoms in the body are an indicator that something is going on. The analogy of the smoke alarm comes to mind when discussing symptoms.
If a smoke alarm were beeping, would you simply cut its power source or take the batteries out? A better solution is to find the source of the smoke and deal with it!
As we have discussed before in other blogs The latest Guidelines recommend nonpharmacological (non drug) care  as the first treatment option and reserves pharmacological care for patients for whom nonpharmacological care has not worked in Low back pain (3). Basically DO not use Surgery or Drugs as a first line effort for low back pain is the latest advice.
If you have early health symptoms – get checked out.
 

1. NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation. Management of people with acute low back pain: model of care. Chatswood; NSW Health; 2016. 39 p
2. Horne R, James D, Petrie K, et al Patients' interpretation of symptoms as a cause of delay in reaching hospital during acute myocardial infarction Heart 2000;83:388-393.
3. Foster NE, Anema JR, Cherkin D. Et Al. Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions. Lancet. 2018 Jun 9;391(10137):2368-2383
4. Côté P, Cassidy JD, Carroll L. The factors associated with neck pain and its related disability in the Saskatchewan population. Spine. 2000 May;25(9):1109-17.