Q1. Who gets postural neck pain?Ans. Persons who are involved in jobs needing prolonged sitting postures, especially looking into a laptop screen, bending over papers or driving, are most likely to suffer from poor posture related neck pains.

Q2. Are all neck pains 'muscular'?Ans. Muscle spasm is usually a manifestation of an underlying injury and not the problem itself.

Q3. What are the 'red flags' for neck pain?Ans. Any pain traveling down the arm, and tingling / pins and needles / numbness in the hand, and any neck pain not responding to routine treatment over a week should be shown to a specialist.

Q4. Can I free my neck with 'release maneuvers' when I have a neck spasm?Ans. No, the neck spasm is usually a protective reaction of the body to keep nerve compression at bay, and any release maneuvers usually worsen the problem.

Q5. What sort of a pillow should I use?Ans. If sleeping on the back- a thin / soft pillow and if on the sides – a tall pillow that fills up the space between the head and the bed should be used, so that the head does not tilt.

Q6. Acute neck spasm! Hot packs or ice?Ans. Unlike most areas, in acute neck spasm, hot packs help best.

Q7. My X-ray shows 'cervical spondylosis'. Should I be worried?Ans. Cervical spondylosis is wear and tear of the discs, joints and bones of the neck and need not always be symptomatic. X-rays of most patients after 45 would report 'cervical spondylosis' and is not a worrisome finding if not accompanied by neck pain / red flags.

Neck pain Twetinar: Q and A session at Hinduja hospital.

A question and answer session was held during the Tweetinar on Neck pain, conducted on 19th March 2013. It was a lively discussion by Dr. Abhay Nene, Consultant Orthopedic and Spine Surgeon at Hinduja Hospital.

Purpose: To preserve life, prevent further disease and promote recovery.

Topics discussed

Q8. Should I undergo physiotherapy or take traction in acute pain?Ans. Both exercises and traction or manipulation should be avoided at the height of pain. While traction has no scientific role in treatment, exercises remain the cornerstone of treatment once acute pain is over.

Q9. Should I wear a collar in acute pain?Ans. Yes, if comfortable. However, at times a collar can worsen pain because it is oversized, so wear only if comfortable in one.

Q10. Do I need to undergo an X-ray or MRI?Ans. X-ray is a cursory investigation that shows bone changes, which are usually unrelated to acute pain (unless in accidents). MRI shows the exact cause of acute pain, but is expensive and need not be done when pain is of a few days duration and there are no red flags.

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