Is your neck pain affecting you in more ways than you realise?

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Neck pain is a leading cause of disability in adults[1], reported in up to 20% of adults in Australia.[2],[3]  For the majority of these people, acute episodes of neck pain will usually resolve within 6-8 weeks under conservative management, but in 10-34%[3] of people pain can become chronic in nature. Chronic pain is characterised by pain that has been occurring longer than 3 months. 
 
Studies have found that individuals experiencing neck pain can have altered joint position sense in the upper extremities[6], changes in balance[4] and changes in the ability to complete mental cognitive tasks[5]. 
 
A particular study by Haavik and Murphy[6]  found that asymptomatic people with a history of neck pain had reduced elbow joint position sense accuracy compared to those with no history of any neck complaints. Furthermore they found that adjusting dysfunctional cervical segments in people with neck pain can improve their upper limb joint position sense accuracy. This is extremely relevant to our position sense which is very much related to our sense of balance, although more research needs to be carried out on this.
 
Chiropractic care combined with rehabilitation exercises and exercise alone are effective in reducing functional disability and pain in patients with chronic non-specific neck pain.[7]
 
At Sprouting Health we take a thorough history to gain a clear understanding of the onset, distribution, nature of pain and associated features  as well as an efficient and comprehensive physical assessment to decipher the best management plan on a case by case basis to help achieve your desired goals.   

REFERENCES

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. Uthaikhup, S., Jull, G., Sungkarat, S., & Treleaven, J. (2012). The influence of neck pain on sensorimotor function in the elderly. Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 55(3), 667-672.
   
5. Baarbé, J. K., Holmes, M. W., Murphy, H. E., Haavik, H., & Murphy, B. A. (2016). Influence of subclinical neck pain on the ability to perform a mental rotation task: A 4-week longitudinal study with a healthy control group comparison. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 39(1), 23-30.
   
6. Haavik, H., & Murphy, B. (2011). Subclinical neck pain and the effects of cervical manipulation on elbow joint position sense. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 34(2), 88-97.
   
7. Murphy, B., Taylor, H. H., & Marshall, P. (2010). The effect of spinal manipulation on the efficacy of a rehabilitation protocol for patients with chronic neck pain: a pilot study. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 33(3), 168-177.