This can also be called “text neck” which is characterised by overuse or repetitive muscle stress caused by holding your head in a forward, downward position. This posture creates massive amounts of tension in the deep muscles of the neck and shoulders causing pain of varying degrees as well as chronic headaches.
Neck pain caused by muscle tension or strain usually goes away on its own within a few days. Neck pain that continues longer than several weeks often responds to exercise, stretching, physical therapy and massage. Sometimes, you may need steroid injections or even surgery to relieve neck pain.
Carrying a heavy object (especially using one arm). Holding too much tension in your neck because of stress. Sleeping in a position that prevents your head and body from being aligned. Using a pillow that doesn't provide your neck enough cushion or support.
It will be hard to move your head and neck if you're experiencing neck stiffness. Depending on what caused the stiffness, you might also feel: Neck pain. Numbness or tingling in your neck, shoulders or arms.
Rarely, neck pain can be a symptom of a more serious problem. Seek medical care for neck pain with numbness or loss of strength in the arms or hands or for pain that shoots into a shoulder or down an arm.
Stress-related neck and shoulder pain are typically the result of emotional or mental anxiety. This can directly affect the muscles and nerves that run through your shoulders, neck, and cervical spine. Aside from psychological and emotional stress, there are other issues that lead to feeling sore shoulders.
Neck tension can precede, accompany, or follow an episode of nervousness, anxiety, fear, and elevated stress, or occur "out of the blue" and for no apparent reason. This symptom can range in intensity from slight, to moderate, to severe. It can also come in waves, where it's strong one moment and eases off the next.
Anxiety symptoms can lead to emotional and physical changes that cause tension in your neck and shoulders. But it is possible to manage both anxiety and muscle tension.
In addition to stress, which we already mentioned, there are other areas of everyday life that can cause neck pain to linger around and make you suffer more and more, and longer and longer. Maybe you don't sleep well, or you work too much, are overweight or you're out of shape….or a combination of these.
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:
neck pain or stiffness does not go away after a few weeks. painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen have not worked. you're worried about the pain. you have other symptoms, like pins and needles or a cold arm – this could be something more serious.
Neck Discomfort and Panic Attacks
Those with panic disorder can have feelings of neck tension they believe to be pain, but may actually just be discomfort leading to worse feelings. For example, anxiety sufferers may perceive that they have trouble holding up their head, almost as if their neck is weak.
Benzodiazepines are a group of medications that can help reduce anxiety and make it easier to sleep. They are also used as a muscle relaxant, to induce sedation for surgery and other medical procedures, and in the treatment of seizures and alcohol withdrawal.
Yes, it's true. Emotional stress can cause physical neck pain. But that doesn't make the discomfort less real or professional medical treatment less necessary. Let us help you determine the cause of your neck pain and help you create a treatment plan to move forward.
When we experience long term stress, our bodies can hold tension in our neck and shoulder muscles, which can lead to pain. Neck pain is a common symptom caused by persistent stress. The more stressed we are, the more tense our muscles become, causing more pain and discomfort. You may also develop tension headaches.
Anxiety muscle tension, aches, and pains can come and go rarely, occur frequently, or persist indefinitely.
Tension headaches occur when neck and scalp muscles become tense or contract. The muscle contractions can be a response to stress, depression, head injury, or anxiety. They may occur at any age, but are most common in adults and older teens. It is slightly more common in women and tends to run in families.
What is the best sleeping position for neck pain? Two sleeping positions are easiest on the neck: on your side or on your back. If you sleep on your back, choose a rounded pillow to support the natural curve of your neck, with a flatter pillow cushioning your head.
Neck is a very vulnerable area and is connected to the spinal cord which makes it all the more dangerous. Massage in itself is harmless, however if one uses too much pressure it may lead to soreness and malaise after the session. Wrong pressure on an injured part may aggravate it even more.
Massage therapy for the neck is a relatively safe treatment. Some people may experience increased neck soreness and/or swelling shortly after a massage, but these side effects typically do not last long.
You can try the following techniques to regain mobility and healing quickly: Massage — Massaging your neck and its surrounding tissue can help reduce the tension in your muscles that may be making your neck stiff. It can also improve blood flow to your neck, which can also relieve tension.
Both in crude and adjusted regression analyses, depression and anxiety were highly significantly linked with increasing levels of neck pain.
This mental stress can cause our body to tense. Your body and mind are intricately linked. There are many things that can cause tension, from anxiety and depression to a negative, traumatic experience. If you find that your mind and body have gone into overdrive, it can make it difficult for you to relax.