Neck Newsletter

Why does my neck hurt all the time?

Non-Specific Neck Pain is becoming more common in our modern day with the continued use of
technology, causing a large majority of adults to spend hours a day looking down at their phone and
laptop.


We are also beginning to see more people affected with non-specific neck pain in manual jobs where
we are spending a long time looking up
Why does my neck hurt all the
time?


“Text/Tech Neck”
You have probably heard of this phrase. This is a common diagnosis in
our day and age with the evolving use of technology, however we
have always looked down daily to read the newspaper or a magazine.
But the issue now is that despite us looking down for long periods of
the day, we are combining this with activity and mental activity.
Increased activity of using our technology means we are less likely to
have adequate sleep and our stress increases. This drives a pattern of
pain which gradually becomes more common daily, and on some
days, becomes even more painful and annoying.


Work – Related Neck Dysfunction
A trend of neck and shoulder related pain/injuries are being recorded in
jobs where we are required to work overhead, such as technicians and
electricians. A recent study found the highest rate of musculoskeletal
disorders in technicians was neck pain, followed by shoulder pain, which
tend to be worsened with smoking, long working hours and specific job
craft.
Cases like these can impact people’s ability to work for long periods
throughout the day, sleep adequately and be capable of reducing pain
when not in work
Long periods of looking up and looking down means we alter the neutral position of the head inline
with the spine. This requires frequent overuse of muscles and added pressure on the spine. A
combination of these responses increase the stiffness of joints through the mid and upper back as
well as tight and fatigued muscles which produce pain.