Neck pain is a common problem for about 70% of the adult population [1]. Neck pain may stem from a number of issues; car accidents, prolonged sitting, excessive computer and phone use, poor reading or sleeping posture, excessive stress to identify just a few causes. There is an abundance of information about how to "fix" neck pain, but what really works?

POSTURE-- did you sit straight up in your chair? Then you are on the right track to helping that sore neck! Research shows that correcting your posture in sitting helps to reduce over activation (spasm) of specific muscles in the neck, shoulder and jaw. The same research shows that correcting your posture in standing has a a greater effect to reducing muscle spasm (hint=standing desk) [2]
MASSAGE--doesn't a nice massage sound great right now? Massage is probably the number one request I get for neck pain, and rightly so. Therapeutic Massage or what I call "soft tissue work" has been found to reduce neck pain. A study compared two groups of people with neck pain; one group was treated with massage only and the second group was treated with a self-care regimen only (they were given a book to read and follow). The study found that the massage group experienced a greater reduction of disability related to neck pain (57%) compared to the self regimen group (31%). [1]
EXERCISE--but which exercises should I do?!? Exercise is key to reduction of neck pain. Exercise helps to stretch areas that are tight and restrictive and strengthen areas that are weak and unable to support the joints. It is no surprise that a research article review found that "that programs should be multimodal to include active exercise and education". [3] There are many exercises that are floating around on the internet so it is hard to know which exercises to do. My recommendation is gentle stretching to the neck and chest and gentle strengthening to the neck and upper back. This is where the advice of Physical Therapist is highly recommended; there are no two bodies that are the same so having specific exercises prescribed for you is always beneficial.

There is no one "cure all", but you may find relief from adjusting your posture, getting a massage or increasing your exercise routine. Give it a try! My approach to neck dysfunction includes a combination of all of these treatment approaches. If you are still having limitations or pain that impact your daily life, give me a call and allow me to offer you some personalized care to address your issues.

[1] Randomized Trial of Therapeutic Massage for Chronic Neck Pain https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2664516/

[2] The effect of postural correction on muscle activation amplitudes recorded from the cervicobrachial region https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16150608

[3] Chronic Neck Pain and Exercise Interventions: Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type Principle https://www.archives-pmr.org/article/S0003-9993(13)01222-7/pdf

Do you have a pain in the neck?