Neck pain is one of the most common complaints reported by our patients here at Broadgate Spine & Joint Clinic and we believe that so many patients present with a bad neck because City workers spend so many hours sitting at a desk in stressful environments.

Being confined to a constrained position in this way can cause neck pain to develop and the research we use to provide our evidence-based care shows that several other factors are at play too.

How Your Job Could Cause Neck Pain

Geertje et al carried out a review of all the published literature concerning psychosocial factors and the risk of developing neck pain. The review found evidence that suggested that individuals who developed neck pain had lots of job demands, such as repetitive tasks, and were less happy in their jobs because they suffered conflicts at work and had low co-worker support and low job satisfaction.

In a separate systematic review, the authors discovered evidence of a relationship between neck pain and the amount of time an individual spent sitting down and twisting or bending the trunk area of the body. Bending the neck forwards, arm posture and workplace design were also found to have a significant effect on the neck.

Other Factors in the Development of Neck Pain

Other factors outside of the workplace can lead to the development of neck pain too. One study observed 7,669 adults for one year in south Manchester and found that, while age played no role in the development of neck pain, females were more likely to develop neck problems. Subjects who had previously experienced neck pain were more likely to suffer from it again and a number of other factors were found to lead to the development of neck pain symptoms, including a past history of low back pain, poor psychological status, the number of children the subject had and poor self-assessed health.

It is clear that physical, medical and psychosocial factors, such as stress, can all play a part in the development of neck pain. If the symptoms do not go away, it is important to seek medical advice so other underlying problems can be ruled out and the pain can be effectively assessed and treated.

To read more about the factors that can increase your risk of developing neck pain, click here.