The Body’s Chain of Motion Follows the Path of Least Resistance    The 3rd Posture Principle

“A chain in no stronger than its weakest link”

From the moment you lift your head off the pillow to the instant you lie down at night, if your head isn't level and aligned, stress, stiffness and pain build up from balancing a bowling ball sized weight atop a kinked, distorted chain. The neck is a chain of 7 bones connected by ligaments and wrapped in muscles which supports a fifteen-pound weight- your head.  Postural neck pain is a common and often painful problem from constantly working to balance your head on your torso.  Headaches and shoulder/arm/hand pain is frequently seen when there is also nerve involvment.

Usually related to weak or poor posture, neck pain often begins after an injury or auto accident, but can also be caused by long-term habits.  Over time, neck posture distortions causes pain and breakdown ( i.e. Arthritis /Degenerative Joint Disease) in the spine and other joints from the stress of daily wear & tear.

Neck pain is usually positional-- it gets better, worse or different as body position changes. You move, your neck hurts, and you then try to move a different way that doesn't hurt. This doesn’t mean you’re cured or even pain-free; it means you’ve limited your choice of movements—your body’s chain of motion—to a smaller range of options.

In time, compensation to avoid pain means you keep adapting until there’s only one way you can move without causing pain. And then even that goes away and it hurts regardless of what you do. Episodes of neck pain may come on after over-activity or without apparent cause, and is triggered as body adapts to mechanical stress, weak posture and inefficient motion. e.g.

• Hunching over a computer for hours at a time
• Chronic posture stress such as carrying a heavy backpack, pocketbook, or child

See Posture Science for more info on body compensation, adaptation and how posture distortions tighten overused MUSCLES, weaken underused muscles, stretch and distort ligaments, and pinch and traction nerves teaching the body to move in uneven, stressed motion patterns.

Related Conditions: Postural neck muscle strain; Pinched nerve in neck; Cervico-brachial syndrome; Cervico-cranial syndrome;

Self-Help Solutions: Neck Pain Relief

>Do Posture Exercises every day to strengthen posture. Focused and controlled motion strengthens weak areas to relieve pain and rehab neck problems.   The StrongPosture^TM exercises in STAND TALLER~LIVE LONGER are designed to retrain whole body motion in a logical sequence.

>Be conscious of your posture

• Head tall and strong
• Shoulders back and chest open
• Pelvis Tucked and centered

>Change body position and posture frequently

• Adjust your chair, car seat or anyplace you spend time often during the day
• Alternate which arm you use to carry loads such as a pocketbook or child

>KEEP MOVING- The Body Is Made To Move

• Take frequent body-stretch breaks
• Stretch your body opposite to the way you have been using your body.

>Best Sleeping Position for Neck Pain

• On your side, with a pillow under your upper arm, and a contoured cervical pillow under your neck to keep head aligned with your spine.
• Consider memory foam or supportive  fiberfill, waterfloat, and wheat husks pillows.
• Change your sleeping position if you are  a stomach sleeper!

>Avoid regular use of aspirin, NSAIDs (Advil, Ibuprofen, etc) and over the counter pain medication to avoid stomach, liver and kidney damage associated with frequent use of these drugs. 
58% of people using NSAIDs more than 3 months have ulcers. NSAIDs cause 103,000 hospitalizations and 16,500 deaths/year (Wall Street Journal, 10/2006)
Try Topicals for equal or superior pain relief and use alternating hot and cold compresses (15-20 minutes) to relax tight muscles and relieve pain.

Consult a professional if pain is severe or persists over two weeks

Doctors of Chiropractic relieve neck pain by freeing locked joints to restore full-range mobility and alignment.  Chiropractors reduce mechanical stress to balance motion and nerve function.
Massage Therapists apply gentle pressure to relax muscle spasm and break up soft tissue & fascia adhesions to remove restrictions to full, balanced joint motion.
Osteopaths, Physical Therapists, Trainers, Coaches and other Posture Professionals also help sufferers of mid-back pain
FIND A PROFESSIONAL

SITE DISCLAIMER & Health Note : If there is no trauma and pain initially begins in the chest, if the pain is not affected by motion, or if there is fever, nausea, vomiting, uneven pulse, anxiety, a sick feeling, burning urination, loss of bowel or bladder control, or severe pain, call your Physician.