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Low Back Affects the Neck

Do you have pain in your neck? Do you ever get stiffness or pain in your back? Have you ever thought the two might be “connected?” In many cases they are. Let me explain. Time and gravity have a tendency to pull us down in a forward flexed position. The fact that we do our work with our hands and arms in front of us also pulls us down and forward. It doesn’t matter if you work at a computer, drive a truck, or do crafts and sewing, the affect is the same. You eventually develop a forward lean that pulls the head down, the shoulders forward and flexes the low back and spine forward.

So what happens? As the spine flexes forward, the muscles begin to change. The muscles in the front of the body in the chest, stomach and front of the neck become shortened. The muscles in the back of the neck, between the shoulder blades and the low back get overstretched. You may feel tightness or pain as a result of this process.

What do we do? As our spine flexes forward and we get a little stooped, we compensate by tilting the head and neck up which places pressure on the back of the neck. There are other factors that contribute to this problem. These include: stress and tension can cause further muscle tension. Stress also causes the stress hormone cortisol to be released. This can cause muscles to tighten further which can stress the body even further. You may even begin to feel fatigued and tired. As you become stiff, your body loses range of motion. The muscles get tight and you can’t move efficiently and it requires more energy to do the everyday tasks and work that once were simple.

Poor work station design or poor body mechanics can worsen this forward flexing of the spine and can put pressure on the spinal discs. This can pinch the nerves emerging from the neck and back areas of the spine. This can lead to muscle spasms and increased tightness in the neck and back.

Avoiding treatment also can worsen symptoms. Many people with these problems are not diagnosed until damage goes too far. This makes recovery more difficult and lengthy.

Falls, sprains, old motor vehicle or sports injuries can also contribute to the problem.

We know how these problems come to exist, but how do we treat them?

At Tri-State Hand and Occupational Therapy, we use several techniques. We use moist heat and try to get muscles of the back and spine to relax. Then we use programs of stretching to help further loosen the muscles, particularly of the low back. Your back and hips are the center of gravity point in the body. To make progress at reducing pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders or hips, we begin in the low back area. The stretching of these muscles of the back allows the bones to go into a more natural position. This reduces pressure on the discs and nerves which allows the pressure to come off the nerves in the spine. The spasm goes out of the muscles and allows the spine to straighten up a bit. This also allows the neck pressure to reduce as the spine straightens up. This also reduces muscle tension in the chest and allows the shoulders to come back into a normal position. You then feel less tightness and pain – relief!

People often assume because people have arthritis or disc problems in the spine that surgery is automatically needed but this is not the case in the majority of patients.

We also use some yoga to accomplish release of these muscles to reduce pain and stiffness. Yoga classes are also available outside of therapy on Thursdays at 5:30 pm and on Saturdays at 10:30 am. I encourage you to try these classes to relax the muscle tissue and reduce stress as well.

I know it sounds crazy to reduce pain and stiffness in the neck by working on the back, but it really works. After all…the neck bone is connected to the back bone! Come and experience the results for yourself. Get relief from your pain and stiffness at Tri-State Hand and Occupational Therapy today. Call 301-759-4263 for a free consultation or to schedule an appointment. Take care of your problem today. Handling your problem is the reason we are here. Give us a call today.