What makes the unhappy home life even worse? It's stiff neck...

During the epidemic, the thing people fear most is getting sick.

Studies show that as people gather less, diseases such as influenza and common cold have decreased significantly; however, there are some diseases that seem to be increasing, such as stiff neck.

Neck pain. Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Recently everyone has been working from home. When many people woke up, their necks felt as if they had been hit by a stick. They were painful and stiff, and they couldn't even do something as simple as turning their heads. What is going on?

01

Three reasons for stiff neck

"Stiff Neck" is a popular name. According to Chinese medicine classics, when you get up in the morning, your neck will ache and your movements will be limited, as if your body has woken up but your neck is still on the pillow, so it is called "Stiff Neck", also known as "Unstable Neck".

The flexibility of the neck is related to the cervical spine, nerves, joints, and surrounding muscles. Take the sternocleidomastoid muscle for example. It starts from the chest, wraps around the neck, and ends at the back of the head. It is responsible for lifting the head, tilting the head back, and turning the head to one side.

You can gently place your hands on your neck to simulate these two muscles and see how much force is needed to complete specific movements - you will find that they are only in a relaxed state when your head is upright.

When sleeping, if the air-conditioning temperature is too low, the sternocleidomastoid muscle may be stimulated by the cold; if the pillow is not suitable, the sternocleidomastoid muscle may support the head all night and may cause spasms; always lowering the head to play with the mobile phone may cause sternocleidomastoid muscle fatigue, which may cause mild pain and severe changes in body posture, such as hunchback and forward head.

The more you lower your head, the greater the pressure on your cervical spine. Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Acute muscle injury and chronic muscle injury are common causes of stiff neck. In addition, fascia injury and joint capsule injury may also cause stiff neck. Foreign studies have shown that people with poor sleep quality and high life pressure are more likely to experience neck pain.

So, how has quarantine changed us?

First, the time spent using electronic devices increases, and secondly, people may become negative because of the news. Because of the first two factors, sleep time increases, sleep quality deteriorates, and the amount of exercise is generally insufficient.

Therefore, if you don’t make some changes, it’s easy to get a stiff neck during quarantine.

02

Misconceptions about stiff neck

After discovering that they have a stiff neck, many people think that it is just due to a poor sleep, or that moving the neck more can relieve the symptoms. In fact, these are all misunderstandings.

Is the stiff neck just because I didn’t sleep well that night?

Sleeping posture is actually just a fuse. Before you get a good night's sleep, your neck will already have some problems due to incorrect postures such as long-term desk work, playing with mobile phones, etc.

If you have a stiff neck, try not to move your neck in the opposite direction

Many people think that their neck will recover if they move more. In fact, if you have a stiff neck, try not to force yourself to flex, extend, or rotate your neck, as this may aggravate the condition and may even lead to paralysis in severe cases.

Can stiff neck be cured by more massage?

The way to relieve stiff neck is to apply heat or take painkillers. If you find that you have stiff neck, you can first apply cold compress to reduce swelling. Then use a hot water bottle or hot towel for hot compress.

If it is just a mild stiff neck, there is no need to do anything. Just rest well and wait for it to recover.

In addition, after suffering from stiff neck, do not massage yourself at home. Massage and traction are effective means of orthopedic treatment, but they should not be abused.

03

What’s a good way to deal with stiff neck?

Finally, let’s talk about what everyone is most concerned about, the countermeasures to deal with stiff neck.

On the one hand, prevention should be done by eliminating the pathogenic factors as much as possible. Don't sleep too cold at night; the height of the pillow should be adjusted according to your own situation. When lying on your back, it is best to have a fist height, and when lying on your side, add two fingers; the table, chair, and computer screen should be adjusted as much as possible; most importantly, don't sit still for a long time, get up every hour to move the joints of the whole body.

On the other hand, if you do get a stiff neck, don't worry too much. Look around the neck and shoulders and you'll usually find a particularly painful spot. Apply a hot towel and it will usually get better soon.

On the other hand, if there is no relief after a week, or other symptoms appear, such as fever, headache, arm numbness, or even if the symptoms are getting worse, you must go to the hospital for a check-up.

Pay attention to seek professional medical treatment

Isolation and working from home are to reduce the infection of COVID-19. In such a time, we should pay more attention to our health.

Health during the epidemic, Image source: self-made by the author

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References:

[1] Yuan Gang, Song Bolin. Progress in clinical research on stiff neck in traditional Chinese and western medicine[J]. Journal of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2019, 35(01): 188–192. DOI:10.13463/j.cnki.cczyy.2019.01.055.

[2] Liu Xuekuan, Duan Deyi, Wang Yihua (eds.), Wang Chong, Zhao Changdi, Liu Guowei, Hao Xiuzhen, Liu Bin (co-eds.). 130 Questions on Prevention and Treatment of Cervical Spondylosis [M/OL]. Golden Shield Publishing House, 2012 [2022–05–02].

http://book.ucdrs.superlib.net/views/specific/2929/bookDetail.jsp?dxNumber=000008372750&d=845367DBFE93DCE95A028CCED6BAD4EF&fenlei=1609100105.

[3] Bai Shuling, Ding Wenlong. Systemic Anatomy (9th Edition) [M/OL]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2018 [2022–01–15]. https://book.douban.com/subject/30481982/.

[4] Liu Libin. Classification, diagnosis and treatment of stiff neck[J]. Practical Clinical Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, 2009, 9(06): 77–78.

[5] BYDON M. Back and neck health: mayo clinic guide to treating and preventing back and neck pain[M]. Rosetta Books, 2021.

[6] He Ling, Gao Yuan, Gao Xiao, et al. Sleep patterns and physical and mental health of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic: susceptibility factors and coping strategies[J]. Journal of Southwest University (Natural Science Edition), 2020, 42(05): 11–20. DOI:10.13718/j.cnki.xdzk.2020.05.002.

[7] Long Cenghua, ed. Prevention and treatment of cervical spondylosis [M/OL]. World Book Publishing Company, 2012 [2022–05–02]. https://book.douban.com/subject/19962853/.

[8] Wang Luye. Study on the correlation between pillow height, individual data and cervical spondylosis[J]. 2018.

END

Reviewer: Wang Linjue, deputy chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Heart and Paper