Neck Pain Support Blog

Study shows that Chronic Neck Pain Can Cause Respiratory Problems

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) A new study tested the hypothesis that chronic neck pain sufferers are more predisposed to respiratory dysfunction. The study came out in the July 2009 issue of Cephalalgia. Researcher Dr.Eleni Kapreli of the Technological Educational Institution of Lamia, Greece, and colleagues indicates that there are many aspects to chronic neck pain symptoms that we are still understanding.

Chronic Neck Pain affects many people everyday. Chronic neck pain may be due to an injury, a fall, a herniated disc, foraminal stenosis or even neck degeneration. Chronic neck pain is defined as neck pain that last several weeks or years. For some patients the pain get progressively worse. They may be afflicted with unrelenting pain and stiffness, muscle spasms, and decrease in range of motion and even difficulty breathing and respiratory dysfunction as this study shows.

Dr. Kapreli and her team have been researching the connection between chronic neck pain and respiratory dysfunction. In a 2007 paper, Dr.Kapreli and other researches showed that chronic neck pain sufferers have certain factors that show predisposition of leading to a respiratory dysfunction:

1. decreased strength of deep neck flexors and extensors
2. hyperactivity and increased fatigability of superficial neck flexors
3. reduced range of motion (mobility),
4. decrease in proprioception and changes in neuromuscular control
5. presence of pain
6. psychosocial influence of dysfunction

This new study tests this hypothesis that chronic neck pain patients are more predisposed to respiratory dysfunction. This study involved 12 patients who suffered with chronic neck pain and 12 matched controls. The participants in the study were an average of 29.42 years. Patients had a history of neck pain of 1 to 12 years.

The following measurements were used for assessment :

• Spirometric values (the amount of air that can be inhaled and exhaled by a patient)
• maximal static pressures
• forward head posture
• functional tests

The study showed that patients who suffered with chronic neck pain, presented with a statistically significant decreased maximal voluntary ventilation (P = 0.042) and respiratory muscle strength (Pimax and Pemax), (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively).

According to Dr.Kapreli, "Abdominal and chest breathing was assessed by observation only, and results showed that 83% of patients with neck pain, in a population of different chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes, experienced a changed breathing pattern indicating a relationship between neck pain and respiration."

Also, the current study demonstrated a strong association between an increased forward head posture and decreased respiratory muscle strength in neck pain patients.

This study shows a connection of neck pain and respiratory function. This is an important consideration in relation to how to assess a patients condition, how to come up with a rehabilitation plan and how to treat the patient.

"The current study provides support to the belief that the clinician should have a 'holistic view' of the patient," Dr. Kapreli said. "Even in the case of a common musculoskeletal disorder, other systems could have also been influenced," the author explained. "Therefore, providing therapeutic solutions only for the main symptom is rather frustrating for the patient."

Source:

• Respiratory Dysfunction in Chronic Neck Pain Patients:Cephalalgia, Volume 29 Issue 7, Pages 701 – 710
  
• Neck pain causes respiratory dysfunction

Additional Resources:

• Cervical Kyposis or Military Neck Can the Cause of Neck Pain
• Cervical Radiculopathy? How your Dr will determine the nature of neck pain
• Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain Through Exercises
• Can Forward head posture cause Neck pain and Stiff Neck?
• Head Retraction Exercises: A must for forward head posture
• Why Posture is the Window to Your Health
• Strengthening Exercises for the Neck for Better Health

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Cervical Kyphosis or Military Neck can be the Cause of Neck Pain

If you have suffered with neck pain chronically you may have seen multiple doctors. Along the way, someone may have prescribed you to get a neck x-ray. Also known as a cervical x-ray- this often involves looking at the alignment of your neck. This usually involves a lateral x-ray (side view) and an AP (front view) of the cervical spine.

A normal neck x-ray from the side (lateral) should a “C” Curve in it. The significance of this cannot be overstated. With a normal C curve in the neck, your neck posture evenly distributes the weight of your head (the average human head weighs 5 kg or approximately 12 lbs) against gravity pushing downward.

When you have a loss of this curve, it is known as a military neck, loss of cervical lordosis or having a cervical kyphosis. A Cervical kyphosis can progress even to the curve reversing ( backwards C) .

A study by Dr. Deed Harrison, chiropractor showed that a proper c curve has a 31-40 degree curve, as published in the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics. The researcher showed that patients who exhibited a curve of 20 degrees or less had neck pain and other associated symptoms. In fact, patients with straight and kyphotic cervical curves were 18 times more likely to present with cervicogenic symptoms.

Is it possible to get the c curve back into your cervical spine? I get asked this question a lot. The answer is yes, but it can take a long time for this to happen. Think about it, your neck does not lose its curvature overnight. To get the curve back in your cervical spine is going to take some dedicated time on your part, sometimes years. Along with regular chiropractic adjustments, doing neck traction consistently is also important. Using a traction protocol using a device such as the posture pump 1000 or the pronex pneumatic traction device is easy and simple to do at home. You can also use a special neck traction pillow at night to ensure that your head and neck are properly aligned while sleeping.

At home you can also do neck exercises to help increase mobility in your cervical spine. This involves doing flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation exercises. Do them only to the point of feeling a stretch, not to the point of pain. To see if neck traction will help you- create a towel roll at home for neck pain. Watch the YouTube video to learn how to do this at home.
It is a good idea to stretch your neck as I have indicated above before starting this. It is a good idea to check with your Doctor before starting traction at home as there are certain contraindications for this.

For some patients the degeneration and arthritis that builds up in the cervical spine is at a stage where there is no chance of getting the cervical curve back. This often occurs with older patients. Getting chiropractic adjustments, Doing neck exercises, neck traction regularly will help these patients’ symptoms.

Source: Determining the Relationship between Cervical Lordosis and Neck Complaints- J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2005 (Mar); 28 (3):

Additional Resources:

• Exercise for Neck Pain Works, Study Shows
• The Normal Cervical Curve in the Neck
• Optimal Neck Posture for Pain Relief
• Loss of Curvature In the Neck- Military Neck
• Dr. Bellinger’s Neck Pain Relief kit
• Why Posture is the Window to Your Health

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Searching The Neck Pain Support Blog using Lijit!

At the Neck pain support Blog I write about a lot of different topics related to neck pain- specifically neck pain relief. My goal is provide knowledge to my readers about neck pain conditions that people suffer from everyday. In addition to information, I also give you neck pain solutions, research and what the latest studies are finding.

Often times, my bloggers will come to the site- but they don’t know what they are looking for. They may be suffering with neck pain or someone they love dearly is having pain but may not know of the exact term on how to describe it. Enter Lijit. Simply type in a word and it searchs all the blog entries for you. Information, treatment,research, causes. Type into Lijit “Stiff Neck”- What comes up? What is a A stiff neck, how to treat a stiff neck, what products work best for a stiff neck, how to avoid getting a stiff neck. Lijit makes it simple and gives you the information with a simple click of a button. Just click on the title, and the link takes your there.

There are many ways to search the neck pain support blog. You can use the almighty Google; But with Google you get everything from Snake Oils to Radical surgeries that you don’t need. If you want to search the neck pain support blog solely, use our search engine Lijit.

For example, a common subject on the Neck Pain Support Blog is Cervical Radiculopathy and Sleep. I have posted numerous times on this subject. If you type this into the Lijit search engine, it searches my blog pages and it comes up with 32 different blog posts:

• How Your Doctor will determine the nature of your neck and arm pain
• Neck Pain Resulting from C5, C5, C6, C7 or C8 Radiculopathy
• The Causes of Severe Neck Pain Resulting from a Cervical Radiculopathy

...related to Sleep...

• Study Shows Why Our Sleep is So Important
• 6 Ways to Get A Better Night's Sleep
• Choosing the Best Neck Pillow for the Best Sleep Possible
• How much sleep is enought for me

…just to name a few.

So next time you are on the Neck Pain Support Blog, looking for a specific topic- just use Lijit - our very own search engine!

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The Best Neck Exercise to Correct Forward Head Posture!

Today's Neck Pain Support Post comes from Dr. Bellinger's DownLoadable E-Book called the Neck Pain Relief Kit.

Head Retraction Exercises-
Head retractions are very significant because most of us start to develop forward head carriage over time. This is the exercise to combat the dreaded forward head posture and get rid of the neck pain you may have from a misaligned neck. To perform these exercises, imagine if your head is on a track. You simply want to slide your head back. Essentially the head is forward and we went to move it backwards. Gently shift your head and neck back, hold for approximately 10 seconds, then relax and repeat again. Do this exercise for 10-20 repetitions.

The 1st day you do them, I would suggest doing no more then 5 or 10 repetitions. Gradually work up to 10-20 repetitions. The reason I suggest gradually increasing the number of reps is so you are not too sore.

 Additional Resources

• I have extreme Neck Pain. Please Help Me
• Why Posture is The Window to Your Health
• Why is the C Curve So Important in Your Neck?
• True Neck Traction with the Pronex Pneumatic Traction System
• The Neck Pain Relief Kit
• Can Forward Head Posture Cause Pain?

Download the Neck Pain Relief Kit for more information about Neck Pain Relief.

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Treatment for Neck Pain? FDA issues warning about pain killers: Tylenol, Vicoden and Percocet…

At the Neck Pain Support Blog many of our readers are dealing with some kind of pain everyday. Acute pain can lead to chronic pain overtime. One treatment prescribed by Doctors for this pain is often medications- more specifically pain killers like Tylenol, Vicodin and Percocet. This month the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to patients about these drugs potentially causing liver damage.

Drugs like Tylenol, Vicodin, Percocet and other over the counter pain medications have an ingredient called Acetaminophen (the generic name). Acetaminophen is prescribed frequently by Doctors for relieving pain and fever. This drug is generally considered safe when used according to the directions on its labeling. But taking more than the recommended amount can cause liver damage, ranging from abnormalities in liver function blood tests, to acute liver failure, and even death. Early signs of liver damage include: loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Liver damage can develop into liver failure or death over several days.

According to Dr. Michael Fallon, director of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston “The problem with Vicodin and Percocet is that consumers aren't aware how much acetaminophen they are ingesting when they take the painkillers”.

Patients often consume higher dosages as time goes on because they may not be getting relief. This increased ingestion of acetaminophen can be addicting. Acetaminophen is an effective pain reliever, but its dosage should be limited, Fallon said. He recommends that his patients take acetaminophen in doses of only about 2 grams a day.

“If they do that, they would be below what's been reported in any situation to cause liver injury. It's a reasonable safety limit,” he said

The FDA's experts voted Tuesday June 30th to lower the current maximum daily dose of non-prescription acetaminophen, which is four grams, or eight pills of a medication like Extra Strength Tylenol.

At the Neck Pain Support Blog, our goal is to seek natural alternative treatments for pain relief. Taking over the counter medications such as Tylenol are an easy way to treat acute pain. If you take the prescribed amount of medication, most likely your body and liver will handle it. Most people are only at risk for liver toxicity if they take more than the normal recommended amount of acetaminophen. When pain relief does not come, it is easy to increase your dose- turning an acute situation into a chronic one. Take steps to find a solution for pain relief without hurting your body. When you are prescribed a medication by your Doctor learn what the side effects are and how long you will need to take these drugs.

Fact: Acetaminophen also can appear as “APAP” on your medication bottle

Fact: For my United Kingdom readers, Acetaminophen is also known as “paracetamol”

Source: Acetominophen and Liver Injury: Q & A for Consumers

Additional Reading Resources:

• Michael Jackson: Another celebrity taken by Prescription Medication
• The Top 10 Reasons for Neck Pain And How to Correct them
• What to Do for A Pinched Nerve in the Neck?
• End Neck Pain By Improving Posture

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Sore Neck Keeps Michael Phelps from swimming in 100 m Race

Neck Pain affects us all in different ways. It can keep us from completing a project at work, getting on the floor to play with our 2 year old, and even keep an Olympic gold medalist out of a race. On July 10, 2009, Michael Phelps decided not to compete in the 100 meter race (his speciality race) because he had a sore neck.

It was decided by Phelps and his coach to withdraw from the 100-meter freestyle heats in the morning on the advice of a doctor. Apparently he awoke with a kink on the left side of his neck. He swam through the pain to set a world record in the 100 butterfly on Thursday, but said he felt worse Friday despite receiving numerous treatments.

"It wasn't fun swimming the 100 fly with that," he said. "I could barely move my neck to breathe. I definitely didn't feel 100 percent."

His coach Bob Bowman decided to err on the side of caution and advised Michael to not continue with the race.

A stiff or sore neck can cause pain, muscle spasms and decreased range of motion. With a top athlete like Michael Phelps- breathing during his event is very importnant. Neck Pain affect your ability to breathe properly because breathing depends on key cervical muscles and nerves. Had Phelps decided to go ahead with the race his breathing technique would have aggravated his neck pain further.

A sore neck can be caused by a physical trauma, repetitive motions of the neck, and even something as simple as sleeping in the wrong position at night. That is doing neck exercises such as strengthening and stretching are so important. Such exercises can prevent injury in the future. Sleeping on a good cervical support neck pillow also helps to make sure that the head and neck are properly aligned while sleeping.

Article Source: : Phelps has Sore Neck, Drops out of 100 Free

Additional Reading Resources

• Treatment for Neck Pain: FDA issues warning about pain killers
• New Job, New Neck Pain At the End of the Day
• The Relationship between neck pain and Stress
• Reasons for Neck Pain and How to Correct them
• Decreasing tension and Neck Pain
• How to Treat Tight Muscles
• Exercises for Neck Pain and Soreness

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical supports and cervical traction products for relief of stiff neck, and neck pain Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

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Sleeping on your Side when Using a Cervical Support Neck Pillow

I just received my Cervical Linear Traction Neck Pillow and I had a question regarding side sleeping. I know that if I am sleeping on my back my neck will be in the V part of the pillow. I am a little confused about how to use the pillow when I want to sleep on my side. Do I want to keep the pillow in the same position as I would as if I were sleeping on my back (V under my neck)? I assume I would then just lay to the left or right of the V to sleep on my side. Or to I rotate the pillow 180 degrees so the V is upside down like this ^ and I just like on my side that way. I just want to make sure when I sleeping on my side that I am using the correct posture. Thank you, Maxine

Dear Maxine,
The Cervical Traction Neck Pillow is made for side or back sleepers. When you sleep on your side, you sleep on the wings of the pillow. You do not have to rotate the pillow 180 degrees to sleep on your side. You can sleep on the V side to the right or left of the V. Keep in mind, that you will get maximum traction when you sleep on your back. To help facilitate this, you can put two pillows under your knees to make it more comfortable or use a knee elevator. You will not get as much traction on your side, but you will get some.

Also, the other side of the pillow is more for support, as opposed to traction. You can use this at any time to sleep on (on your back or side).

Finally, you might experience some soreness in the beginning in the neck and upper back area. If you find yourself waking up after a few hours with soreness in the neck, go back to using your regular neck pillow. This does happen for some patients and is normal because your body is getting used to a new position of sleeping. Every patient is different. Some can use the pillow straight through the night from the beginning. If you do have soreness, ice your neck and do some neck exercises next morning.

Sleeping on a cervical support neck pillow is a good idea because your head and neck will be in proper alignment. A good support neck pillow will allow you to sleep on your back or on your side with no problems. The Cervical Linear Traction Neck Pillow does a great job of that. -NJ

Additional Reading Resources

• Which Sleeping Position is Best For You?
• How to Use the Traction Side of the Cervical Linear Traction Neck Pillow
• Downloadable E-Book: The Neck Pain Relief Kit
• 6 Ways to Get A Better Night’s Sleep
• Sleeping Comfortably When you have Neck or Back Pain

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Michael Jackson: Another Celebrity Taken by Prescription Medications?

No one can deny that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop was one of the greatest artists of our times. There won’t be another artist like him. Like many celebrities, he suffered from anxiety, pain and chronic insomnia. This chronic inability to sleep can rob ones’s ability to have a life. Sleep deprivation plays with mind, our physical well being and our emotional state.

I have posted a few blog posts about how to get the best night’s sleep. Whether it means choosing the right neck pillow for sleeping, or getting into a sleep routine every night- it is definitely possible, with some discipline. Of course there are artificial ways to battling insomnia as well such as sleeping pills.

In the last few years or so, we have heard of numerous celebrities who died under suspicious causes- linked to prescription drugs. Over the last few years deaths due to prescription medication have arisen. People don’t realize how powerful these drugs can be when taken for a long time, in large doses and frequency and in combination with other drugs.

The Journal of the American Medical Association puts death from all drugs, illegal and prescription, as the #2 cause of death. The #1 cause was motor vehicle accidents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that from 1999 to 2004, unintentional poisoning death from prescription drugs sleeping pills, antidepressants and tranquilizers grew 84 percent to 20,950 deaths, overtaking cocaine and heroin combined as the leading cause of lethal overdose.

Lest we forget the deaths of Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith. Both were found dead suddenly, and unexpectedly with a mixture of medications in their blood. In Jan 2008, Heath Ledger died from a cocktail of six prescription drugs including Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Diazepam, Temazepam, Alprazolam, and Doxylamine. Ledger had been complaining of anxiety, an inability to sleep, and had pneumonia. In February 2007, Anna Nicole smith was found with a deadly combination of sleeping meds and prescription meds in her system. This even happened to past celebrities like Elvis Presley, who in 1977 was found with a powerful medley of prescription medications.

With the passing of Michael Jackson, I again wonder to myself- is it that easy to get hooked on prescription medications? According to Gary Boggs, executive assistant of the Drug Enforcement Agency's Office of Diversion Control, the arm of the DEA that investigates unlawful trafficking of prescription medications, “The abuse of these drugs is only second to the abuse of marijuana," He also says that it is reported that out of the 7 million Americans who abuse prescription drugs, 5.2 million of them are involved in some kind of improper use of pain relief medications, such as Vicodin or OxyContin. “

To all my readers of the Neck Pain Support Blog- please take your prescription medications seriously and responsibly. Think about it, we only “hear” about celebrities who abuse drugs- in fact we love to read about it and gather all the “details”. Did you know that in 2005, At least 8,500 deaths were attributed to the overuse of painkillers, according to the DEA. That's a 114 percent increase in the number of fatalities associated with such abuse since 2001. Between 2004 and 2006, there was a 39 percent spike in the number of emergency-room visits that were connected to pain-reliever abuse. It can be said and hopefully understood that Prescription Medications when abused, can kill you. Its just not worth it.

**Post Note** As of today, the DEA recently joined the Los Angeles Police to determine the true cause of Michael Jackson's Death. According to experts, the DEA is often called in to assist in cases that might involve drug abuse

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Additional Reading Resources

• Choose the Right Neck Pillow for Better Sleep Naturally
• Which Sleeping Position is Best For Me
• Simple Tips to Sleep
• 6 Ways to Get A Better Night’s Sleep
• Better Sleep equals better control of blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
• Sleeping Comfortably when you Have Neck or Back Pain

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My Trapezius really hurts..How Do I find Relief?

Having a tight and sore upper back is very common. Most people do not realize that this is the trapezius muscle, also known as the "traps" muscle. If you do a lot of typing, taking on the phone or spending time at your desk, you may have first hand experience as to what I am talking about.

The Trapezius muscle is huge. It encompasses your neck, shoulder and upper back area- and it has 3 regions: upper fibers, middle fibers and lower fibers. Shaped like a trapezoid, this upper back and neck muscle is one of the largest in the body.

The trapezius muscle not only helps you to breathe, but it affects the motion of the scapula: elevation, adduction, abduction and depression (basically all your ranges of motion for the shoulder). So the next time you are reaching out for something, shrugging your shoulders, or turning to look at something- remember that the trapezius is involved. The trapezius muscle is activated when you laterally bend and rotate your head and neck- making the relationship with the neck very important. Everyday in our activities of daily living we are using the trapezius muscle. Sitting at a keyboard, driving, and sports such as tennis, baseball, and swimming all have active trapezius involvement.

You can stretch the trapezius muscle at home quite easily: Steps to stretch the right side of the trapezius

1. laterally bending your head to the left (left ear to left shoulder)
2. taking your left hand to the right side of your head/ear and pushing to the left.
3. Turn your head slightly right 3) Hold this stretch for 10 seconds, and repeat.

**make sure you are not slouching when you are doing this trap stretch; also, take deep breaths while you are stretching.

The trapezius muscle is commonly found to be stiff, tight and can be very painful. Besides doing regular stretches, you can get a portable tens unit for pain relief to work muscle spasms. Using this in conjuction with the heat/cold therapy is a good idea. For acute conditions use ice, and for chronic conditions (a condition lasting for greater than 3 months), use heat. For the trapezius muscle use a hot cold pack that is 6x20 (cervical pack)or 9x16 (tri sectional pack) in dimensions for good coverage. Finally, you can use topical pain relief creams for instant pain relief. One topical pain relief cream that you can use is called  Sombra (see Below), which works similar to an icy hot.



 

A sore and painful upper trapezius muscle is more common than you may think. Working at a desk job, or driving for long hours are activites that use the trapezius muscle can cause the muscle fibers to shorten, increasing the tightness- often described as sore, achy, tight, even burning. This strain to the trapezius muscle can be very annoying and painful. Other things that can cause muscle spasms in the trapezius include : lack of exercise, stress, poor diet, tension, and faulty ergonomics. Simply making changes to improve our posture while sitting can help to keep the trapezius musle in a relaxed, pain free state.

The trapezius muscle is one of the largest muscles in the body. It is responsible for so many actions that we use at every moment of our life. Taking the time to stretch, maybe even change the way to work, and most importantly to relax can make a big difference.

Additional Reading Resouces

• The Dreaded Hunchback. How to correct that area of your Upper back that pops out and looks funny
• Why is Slouching so Bad
• Stretching and Strengthening Exercises for the Neck
• How to Treat Tight Muscles with Biofreeze Natural Pain Relief Gel
• A pillow for neck and shoulder pain that works for side and back sleepers
• How to treat muscle spasm with Sombra Gel and a Hot and Cold Pack
• Decreasing Tension and Stress in the Upper Back area

Visit Arc 4 life for your online selection of cervical supports and cervical traction products for neck pain relief, neck stiffness and discomfort

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