Sore Back? Consider a Chiro?

Is your neck aching from endless browsing, swiping and texting? Do you wake up with a stiff neck from poor sleep? Maybe you’ve been practising some bad habits lately? This Spinal Health Week (23-29 May) we are asking our patients and community to Consider a Chiro for neck pain.

Research shows that neck pain is a leading cause of disability in adults (reported up to 20% of adults), with many presenting for assessment.¹ In the Global Burden of Disease study in 2010, neck pain ranked fourth highest in terms of disability and twenty-first in overall burden.² Not surprisingly, neck pain (cervicalgia) constituted in the top five back problem hospitalisations in 2017-18.³

With the average Australian spending more than 5.5 hours on their phone each day⁴ and a third of us checking our phone within five minutes of waking up each morning⁵ – means we are glued to our phones from the moment we wake up, to the moment we go to sleep!

Neck aches and pains are now a common occurrence placing a huge burden on mental health, relationships, ability to work and quality of life, and it doesn’t stop at neck pain. Neck problems are a common trigger for headaches. They can also cause jaw problems, shoulder pain, or weakness and tingling into the arms and hands.

However, living with neck pain doesn’t have to be part of everyday life. Implementing positive spinal health habits in the first place, including good posture, sleep hygiene and partaking in regular stretching and exercise regimes are important factors in preventing neck pain.

There are many things that can be incorporated into a day-to-day routine that can improve your neck health.

For example, these are three easy steps you can add into your daily life to help safeguard and improve your neck health:

Take a 20 second 'posture break' every 20 minutes.
Regularly move your neck by performing slow and gentle shoulder rolls, neck rotations and neck side bends.
Correct your neck posture - lightly draw your shoulders back to open your chest. Imagine gravity works in the reverse, gently lengthening your neck and allowing your chin to tuck in slightly.

We at Chiropractic First are well equipped to care for neck pain whether it be a new episode of pain or a pre-existing condition.

If you want to keep your spinal health in check, we can provide you with care, including exercise programs, lifestyle advice, and assistance to help you maintain your spinal health and overall wellbeing.

This Spinal Health Week is a great time to Consider a Chiro and make an appointment with us to take control of your neck pain!

Contact Lynda or Maggie on 9734 4800 to book an appointment with us today.

References

Bertram, K, Williams, D, Vijiaratnam, N 2018, Neck pain: What if it is not musculoskeletal?, Australian Journal of General Practice, Volume 47, Issue 5, https://www1.racgp.org.au/ ajgp/2018/may/neck-pain
Hoy, D, March, l, Woolf, A, Blyth, B, Brooks, P, Smith, E, Vos, T, Barendregt, J, Blore, J, Murray, C, Burstein, R, Buchbinder, R 2014, The Global Burden of Neck Pain: Estimates From The Global Burden of Disease 2010 study, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, BMJ Journals, Volume 73, issue 7, https://ard. bmj.com/content/73/7/1309.short
ACCD (Australian Consortium for Classification Development) 2016, The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) – Tenth Edition - Tabular list of diseases and Alphabetic index of diseases. Adelaide: Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Lane Publishing.
Dixon, G 2021, Aussies Spend Almost 17 Years in a Lifetime Staring At Their Phones, Reviews.org, accessed 07 March 2022, https://www.reviews.org/au/mobile/aussie-screentime-in-a-lifetime/
Deloitte, 2017, Mobile Consumer Survey 2017: The Australian Cut, accessed 07 March 2022, https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/technology-media-telecommunications/deloitte-au-tmt-mobile-consumer-survey-2017-211117.pdf