Symptoms:

• Stiffness in the neck described as loss of movement in some or all directions
• Pain which seems to spread in different directions - between the shoulder blades, down the arms and often leading to headaches.

But what causes neck pain in the first place?

Pain in the neck can come from a variety of different sources. There are many joints in the neck which can become stiff and irritated, and these can give rise to local pain and loss of movement as the joints become inflamed and tender. Between the bony vertebrae are intervertebral discs, and just like the low back, these can bulge and irritate neighbouring nerves which send and receive messages to and from the arms. If you experience pain which travels down your arm/s, you should book an appointment to have this checked out.

Then of course there are dozens of muscles which move the head, neck and shoulders, and these can become tight and shortened, giving rise to deep aching pain in and around the neck. This is often the result of poor posture, sitting at our desks for hours on end concentrating on our computers and not giving two thoughts to the fact that we’re slumped over our work station like the hunchback of Notre Dame!

To avoid neck pain which is due to poor posture, try the following simple advice:

1)    Ensure that your work station is correctly set up for your personal requirements. Your PC should be directly in front of you, adjust the height of your monitor to eye level and bring your phone, keyboard and mouse closer to you instead of leaning over your desk to reach things.

2)    Sit with your shoulder blades and bum at the back of the chair and relax in this position so that you are upright but not over-extending your low back.

3)    Take a break every 20-30 minutes. This doesn’t have to be lengthy, even a simple posture check can help – try sitting up, and squeezing your shoulder blades together for 10 seconds as if holding a pencil between them. Then carry on!

Other than these tips, ensure you sleep well, try exercising regularly to keep your supporting muscles strong and stay well hydrated by drinking water often.

Research has shown that chiropractic care is effective at treating different types of acute and chronic neck pain. Your chiropractor will take a case history and perform a full neuro-orthopaedic examination of your neck to diagnose the problem, as well as taking an x-ray if this is deemed necessary before applying safe and gentle, highly effective treatment using a variety of techniques.

Remember that the longer you leave something, the harder it is to fix!

Owain Evans is a Chiropractor at The Waldegrave Clinic