What You Need to Know About Neck and Back Pain

The most common cause of neck and back pain is stress. Doing too much, or too much too soon. We push ourselves too hard, trying to do everything, and then we get stiff necks, backaches, and headaches.

Stress is cumulative. If you sit at your desk 8 hours a day, then the next day, even if you don’t do any more work, you will feel like you did. And you need to be careful not to overdo it.

But back pain and neck pain are only one kind of stress. Stress can come from doing the wrong things at the wrong time.
For example, if you spend all day hunched over a keyboard, or driving, or playing tennis, or doing anything that requires you to twist and bend your spine, then the next day your back will be sore.

The most common causes of neck and back pain are age, poor posture, and muscle imbalances.

• Age. It’s a fact of life. The spine and discs become stiffer, the muscles weaker. The discs may dry out, the vertebrae degenerate, the ligaments lose their elasticity. The back muscles stretch, and this leads to muscle imbalances. The muscles may suddenly contract, and this pulls the spine out of alignment.
• Poor posture. Bad posture (slouching, leaning, bending forward) puts a lot of stress on the spine. Young or middle-aged people who sit all day are especially at risk. The spine twists or bends out of alignment, and the discs and ligaments get stretched.
• Overstretched muscles. A tight muscle pulls the spine out of alignment. The muscle pulls as hard as it possibly can, and the spine strains. The muscles pull on the spine, but the spine pulls back. The muscles are pulling against resistance, and this causes them to fatigue more quickly.