What is neck & shoulder pain?
Neck & shoulder pain is a common condition — so
common, in fact, that the expression "a pain in the neck" is an
oft-used figure of speech in English. It can be mild enough so that it is a
mere annoyance, or severe enough that it can adversely affect the quality of
one's life. Because of its position and range of motion, and because it plays a
vital role in the support of the head, the neck is more subject to injury than
any other portion of the spine. While it is much less frequent than back pain,
neck & shoulder pain can occasionally be severe enough
to warrant attention from a licensed health professional.
Neck & shoulder pain can have a variety of causes.
Keeping your head in an awkward position can cause your neck muscles to fatigue
and the joints in your neck to "lock" in place, causing discomfort,
stiffness and limited range of motion. Neck &
shoulder pain can also be caused
by a sudden force (such as an automobile accident), or a medical condition
(swelling, disease, tumors, bleeding, inflammation, etc.). Some neck &
shoulder pain can also cause headaches.
Who suffers
from neck & shoulder pain?
Almost
everyone will experience some sort of neck &
shoulder pain or stiffness during
their lifetime; however, certain occupations appear to be predisposed to neck & shoulder symptoms. Manual laborers, for
instance, have more symptoms than office workers, and the type of work seems to
affect the risk. A person's age and a history of twisting and bending during
work can also contribute. Workers who have been required to do repetitive tasks
with their upper extremities, or who undergo periods of prolonged sitting with
their head in a flexed position (such as typing on a keyboard at a desk) are at
risk of developing mechanical neck &
shoulder pain.
What can
acupuncture do for neck &
shoulder pain?
Studies have
shown acupuncture to be effective in relieving certain types of neck & shoulder pain, particularly those caused by
whiplash. Some studies suggest acupuncture can treat degenerative neck & shoulder disorders such as ankylosing
spondylosis and cervical spondylosis; in many cases, acupuncture has worked for
patients whose conditions could not be solved using conventional approaches.
The authors of the study were
rather forthright in their praise of acupuncture. "Our results show that
acupuncture is a safe form of treatment for people with chronic neck & shoulder pain, and offers clear clinical
advantages over conventional treatments in the reduction of pain and
improvement of mobility," they wrote. In particular, it was suggested that
acupuncture could be beneficial in treating patients with myofascial pain
syndrome, which is estimated to be present in up to 90% of people with chronic
neck & shoulder pain and can be easily recognized
through a patient's case history or a detailed physical exam.
Ice
or Heat for Neck Pain?
Almost
all of this applies to necks, too. But probably not quite as strongly.
Like
back pain, most neck pain is not actually injurious and inflammatory in
character.
Like
backs, necks are frequently irritated by cold. For instance, one of the most
common minor pain problems in the world, the common neck crick, is
routinely precipitated by a cold draft on the skin at night.
And,
like backs, necks tend to prefer heat.
Unlike
backs, however, necks are actually injured fairly frequently. “Acceleration injuries”
— whiplash — are more common and more serious than low back muscle strains, and
involve large amounts of more superficial tissue damage and inflammation, the
pain of which can be relieved by ice in the early stages.
Unlike
backs, necks are thinner and therefore easier to ice effectively … when ice is
called for. To the degree that inflammation may occur in the neck, it is easier
to reach with ice — thinner tissues are easier to chill. So again,
when they’ve been hurt badly, icing necks may be more effective than icing
backs.
However,
without a clear and recent injury (almost always a car or skiing accident),
icing neck pain should be avoided for the same reasons that you should avoid
icing back pain.
by
Paul Ingraham, Vancouver
