Working Your Way toward Neck Pain

The neck is one of the most vulnerable structures on the human anatomy because of its flexibility and its role in supporting the head. Neck pain can be caused by
a variety of physiological and environmental circumstances, including tumor, infection, injury, prolonged wear and tear, or motor vehicle accident (whiplash).

Workplace factors may also may cause neck pain, a possibility suggested by a recent study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Workers in Norway completed a mailed questionnaire in 1990, and 78% of those workers completed a second questionnaire in 1994.

Results showed that in workers with or without neck pain in 1990, "little influence on own work situation" predicted neck pain in 1994. The authors explain this association by speculating that control at work enables workers to change and reduce job demands that may contribute to injury or pain.

Your doctor of chiropractic can tell you more about the potential causes of neck pain and evaluate any current neck pain you might be experiencing.

Reference:

Eriksen W, Natvig B, Knardahl S, et al. Job characteristics as predictors of neck pain: a 4-year prospective study. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Oct. 1999: Vol. 41, No. 10, pp893-902.