Many patients who experience neck pain come to the clinic and inform us that they have applied either ice or heat to their neck due to pain. More often than not, they have made the wrong choice. This article will address when it is appropriate to use either ice or heat treatment for neck pain. Read More

Whiplash is a term used to describe injury caused by a sudden quick movement of the head forwards, backwards or sideways. This usually affects the neck and upper back and the acceleration/deceleration of the neck causes stretching and compressive forces on the joints, muscles, ligaments and nerves primarily at the front and back of the Read More

Many patients who are suffering with neck pain will also experience headache. Female patients are four times as likely to experience headache in conjunction with neck pain. Headache may result from referred pain from the bony structures and soft tissues of the neck. According to the International Headache Classification, headaches due to neck disorders are Read More

In a previous article in the Broadgate Journal, we reviewed how pain is measured and quantified. This article will take a look at how clinicians are able to measure the ability of patients to manage daily activities and work. These measuring instruments have been developed by the research community in order to compare the clinical Read More

Degeneration of the neck is called cervical spondylosis and, as expected, it increases with age. In most individuals, this process begins around the age of 40 and continues thereafter. Men and women are affected equally and spondylosis affects the vertebrae, the discs and the joints of the neck. Spondylosis should not be confused with inflammatory Read More

The most common complaint that patients have when consulting a clinician at the Broadgate Spine & Joint Clinic is PAIN. Neck pain is the most common complaint of City workers, whereas in rural areas, lower back pain is more common. In order to organise appropriate treatment, the question that the clinician must ask is, just Read More

Neck pain – often spreading to the upper shoulder area – is the most common presenting complaint that we see at the Broadgate Spine & Joint Clinic. Most of us are of the opinion that this is due to City workers having to work long hours in constrained postures in rather stressful environments. In order Read More

Neck pain is the most prevalent musculoskeletal complaint in office workers (Blangsted et al, 2008), and research shows that people with neck pain are more likely to experience other musculoskeletal pain in association with neck pain (Hagen et al, 2006; Juul-Kristensen et al, 2006) likely due to increased pain sensitivity  (Arendt-Nielsen and Graven-Nielsen, 2008). A Read More

Performing these desk stretches can help to minimize the neck pain and back pain caused by office work. Stretch 1 Open up your chest and shoulders, awakening the muscles that are become tight whilst you are sitting hunched forwards at your desk. Simply open out and reach back as far as you can. How to: Read More

We see many people whose problems stem or are aggravated by poor posture whilst working at their computer. Of course, prevention is better than treatment, so even if you don’t have any problems, it’s good to make sure your desk is set up correctly. If you already get any discomfort when you sit at your Read More