Mechanical Neck Pain: Difference between revisions

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== Management of Mechanical Neck Pain ==
== Management of Mechanical Neck Pain ==
There are many different management strategies for NP. Despite the prevalence, less-than-optimal prognosis, the associated risk of disability, and economic consequences of individuals suffering from mechanical NP, there remains a significant gap in the literature, which fails to provide sufficient, high-quality evidence to effectively guide the conservative treatment of this patient population. <ref name=":0" /> Heintz et al. <ref name=":0" /> suggest that this lack of quality evidence largely stems from the poorly understood clinical course of NP in conjunction with the inconclusive results related to the efficacy of commonly used interventions.
There are many different management strategies for NP. Significant gaps in the literature result in lack of sufficient, high-quality evidence to effectively guide the conservative treatment of this patient population. <ref name=":0" /> Heintz et al. <ref name=":0" /> once suggested that this lack of quality evidence largely stems from the poorly understood clinical course of NP and the inconclusive results for the efficacy of the most commonly used interventions. Nevertheless, there have been several attempts to provide evidence-based clinical information, see [https://www.physio-pedia.com/Neck_Pain:_Clinical_Practice_Guidelines#cite_note-:5-1 Neck Pain: Clinical Practice Guidelines].


=== Physiotherapy management ===
=== Physiotherapy management ===

Revision as of 13:24, 1 February 2023

Original Editor - Rachael Lowe

Top Contributors - Nupur Smit Shah, Angeliki Chorti, Rachael Lowe, Kim Jackson and Wanda van Niekerk  

Introduction[edit | edit source]

3d-medical-image-with-female-holding-neck-pain.jpg

Neck pain (NP) is most commonly defined as pain between the superior nuchal line, an imaginary transverse line through the tip of the first thoracic spinous process, and laterally by sagittal planes peripheral to the lateral borders of the neck.[1] Pain in the neck may be local and/or referred into one or both upper limbs. [2]Apart from its anatomical definition, NP can also be defined based on its duration (acute, subacute, chronic) or reason for onset.

Individuals with NP may lack an identifiable pathoanatomic source for their symptoms; this patient group is classified as having mechanical or non-specific NP because a direct pathoanatomic cause is rarely identifiable. [3] Although the cause of NP may be associated with degenerative processes or pathology identified during diagnostic imaging, the tissue that is causing a patient’s NP is usually unknown. [3]

Epidemiology[edit | edit source]

NP is a common musculoskeletal problem worldwide. [4] Just like low back pain (LBP), NP is episodic, with high rates of recurrence and chronicity, and variable recovery between episodes over a lifetime. [2] Mechanical NP commonly arises insidiously and is generally multifactorial in origin. Some of the modifiable factors that have been identified for mechanical NP onset are smoking, [5] poor posture, anxiety, depression, neck strain, and sporting or occupational activities.[6] NP is considered an important societal burden. The prevalence in the overall population may range from 16.7% to 75.1%.[7] Prevalence is high among women in high-income countries and in urban reports. [8] A high incidence is found in the office workers and especially computer users.[9]

You can find more information in Epidemiology of Neck Pain.

Classification for Mechanical Neck Pain[edit | edit source]

Classification for mechanical or non-specific NP aims to break down the large entity of NP presentations into homogeneous groups that can be linked with specific management recommendations. The most recent clinical practice guideline on the assessment and treatment of patients with non-specific NP [10] proposes to start with screening for serious pathology and clinical patterns as follows:

Level 1: There are no evident physical examination findings that suggest any structural pathology and minimal or no involvement of activities of daily living. Neck pain is present.

Level 2: The patient is not able to do activities of daily living properly and there are no signs and symptoms of any structural involvement.

Level 3:Patient represents neurologic signs (sensory deficits/ reduced DTR/weakness). No signs/symptoms of any major structural pathology.

Level 4: Signs/symptoms of a major structural pathology like fracture/dislocation/spinal cord injury/metastasis/neoplasm or any systemic disease.

Red-flag-waving.jpg

Ruling out serious pathology[edit | edit source]

NP is not always mechanical in origin. In some cases, NP may mask a serious pathology. Clinicians must be aware of serious pathological neck conditions and screen for key signs and symptoms - red flags - that may be associated with serious neck pathology (Level 4). Detailed information can be found in Serious Cervical Spine Conditions and Red Flags in Spinal Conditions.

Red flag Diagnosis
Dizziness on neck movements, headache, facial numbness especially on prolonged postures or even drop attacks.[11] [12] Congenital Basilar Impression/Basilar Invagination (craniovertebral abnormality where the odontoid process projects above the foramen magnum) [11] [12] If asymptomatic, it may not be recognized till adulthood.
Pain on activity, which doesn't alleviate after positional or postural changes. Pain ceases once the activity is stopped.[13] Angina
Prolonged use of corticosteroids, osteoporosis, history of trauma, old age. Sudden onset of symptoms [14] Fracture
Early symptoms may resemble those of NP. Unresolved sensory issues in arms and legs, loss of muscle strength in limbs, or bladder-bowel dysfunction should be treated with suspicion.[15] Spinal Cord Injury /Cervical Myelopathy Most common myelopathy detected after 55 years of age.[15]
History of tumor/neoplasm with night neck pain, unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, dysphagia, headache, failure to improve with treatment.[16] Malignancy
Persistent fever / night sweats [10] Infection

Differential Diagnosis[edit | edit source]

Cervical Spondylosis[edit | edit source]

Cervical spondylosis includes all progressive degenerative conditions of the cervical spine. [17] It may affect the IV disc, facet joints, ligamentum flavum, and joints of Luschka. [17] It is often linked to the natural aging process that happens after the fifth decade of life. [17] Symptoms may include neck pain and stiffness, and radicular symptoms. [18]

Cervical Nerve Root Lesion (Radiculopathy)[edit | edit source]

Common causes for cervical nerve root lesion are disc herniation, stenosis, osteophytes /swelling with trauma. The affected nerve root may have depressed DTR. Numbness, pins, needles in affected dermatomes (paresthesia). Cervical traction may reduce the symptoms. [19]More information is available in Cervical Radiculopathy.

Brachial Plexus Injury[edit | edit source]

Branchial Plexus Injury can occur due to stretching of the cervical spine, compression of the cervical spine, or depression of the shoulder. Contributing factor can be thoracic outlet syndrome. The clinical presentation is variable; there may be pain over the trapezius along with a sharp burning sensation or more severe paralysis symptoms.[20]

Management of Mechanical Neck Pain[edit | edit source]

There are many different management strategies for NP. Significant gaps in the literature result in lack of sufficient, high-quality evidence to effectively guide the conservative treatment of this patient population. [6] Heintz et al. [6] once suggested that this lack of quality evidence largely stems from the poorly understood clinical course of NP and the inconclusive results for the efficacy of the most commonly used interventions. Nevertheless, there have been several attempts to provide evidence-based clinical information, see Neck Pain: Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Physiotherapy management[edit | edit source]

Physiotherapy management of mechanical neck pain may involve various modalities, such as advice and education, massage, thermotherapy, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, acupuncture, laser, exercise, manual therapy, traction. [21] [22]

You can find information on Evidence-Based Interventions for Neck Pain and Treatment‐based classification approach to neck pain. Physiotherapy protocols are customised and decided after a detailed assessment of the patient, to suit the individual needs/goals of the patient.

  • Pain management:
  1. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), IFT (interferential therapy) depend on the radicular symptoms.
  2. Ultrasound therapy: Therapeutic ultrasound is found to be effective in neck pain patients.[23] It can be applied to trigger points over the trapezius muscle. Many of the clients have associated trapezius(upper trapezius) with mechanical neck pain where ultrasound can be applied. It is associated with myofascial pain syndrome where ultrasound is used to inactivate the trigger points and reduce the tension of the tissue. [24]The trapezius is commonly seen in the upper fibers of the trapezius and is also known as trapezius myalgia
  3. Neck mobilization/ Thoracic mobilization/High-velocity thrust: Central Maitland Mobilization or Sustained Natural Apophyseal Glide on the cervical spine. Single cervical high amplitude thrust is applied in the cases of intervertebral joint dysfunction.[25]
  4. MET: Muscle energy technique is a form of active stretching technique that s proved to be effective in mechanical neck pain.[26]
  5. Deep neck flexor endurance training: DNF endurance training combined with thoracic mobilization is found to be effective in chronic neck pain patients.[27]
  • Posture modification: The most common abnormal posture seen in the region of the neck is the forward head posture. There is shortening(tightness) of the postural muscles like the upper trapezius, levator scapulae, and pectoral muscles and weakness in deep neck flexors, rhomboids, and serratus anterior. This leads to restricted neck mobility. Such kind of muscle imbalance and abnormal posture is found in the population who work on laptops/computers for long hours. This creates stress and pain in the cervical region.[28]Poor posture is considered the greatest cause of mechanical neck pain when there is no trauma or major injury.[29]Measuring the Craniovertebral (CV) angle is one of the methods used to measure the forward head posture.[30]The cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine are interrelated biomechanically. There has to be proper motion (concomitant motion) occurring at the thoracic spine into full ROM at the cervical spine. The thoracic spine acts as the supporting base for the cervical spine and it has an influence on cervical joint kinematics via the cervicothoracic junction. Because of the close kinetic link, any mechanical dysfunction at the thoracic spine will create an associated effect on the cervical spine.[31]
  • Ergonomic advice: It might be given based on the job/work of the patient. Necessary modifications at the workplace may be prescribed for long-term pain relief. The therapist's role is to provide appropriate office ergonomics to reduce the chances of recurrence. For more information on this click on Office Ergonomics and Neck Pain.
  • Active Range of motion exercises: Neck ROM exercises may be prescribed. Serratus anterior is the coupling muscle of upper trapezius. If there is a muscle imbalance between the two, the serratus anterior muscle tends to be weak and the upper trapezius tends to be tight. Stretching of the upper trapezius and strengthening of the serratus anterior may be given specifically.
  • A home programme may be used to maximise effect.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Fernández-de-las-Peñas C., Cleland J.A., Dommerholt J. Manual therapy for musculoskeletal pain syndromes: an evidence-and clinical-informed approach. Elsevier e-Book, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Guzman J., Hurwitz E., Carroll L., Haldeman S., Côté P., Carragee E., et al. Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. A new conceptual model of neck pain: linking onset, course, and care: the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008 Feb 15;33(4 Suppl):S14-23.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Childs J., Cleland J., Elliott J., Teyhen D., Wainner R., Whitman J., Sopky B., Godges J., Flynn T., Delitto A., Dyriw G. Neck pain: clinical practice guidelines linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health from the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 2008; 38(9): A1-A34.
  4. ↑ Shin DW., Shin J., Koyanagi A., Jacob L., Smith L., Lee H., Chang Y., Song T-J. Global, regional, and national neck pain burden in the general population, 1990–2019: An analysis of the global burden of disease study 2019. Front. Neurol. 2022; September 1:13.
  5. ↑ Siivola S., Levoska S., Latvala K., Hoskio E., Vanharanta H., Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi S. Predictive factors for neck and shoulder pain: a longitudinal study in young adults. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2004 Aug 1;29(15):1662-9.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Heintz M., Hegedus E. Multimodal management of mechanical neck pain using a treatment based classification system. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy. 2008 Oct 1;16(4):217-24.
  7. ↑ Genebra C., Maciel N., Bento T., Simeão S., De Vitta A. Prevalence and factors associated with neck pain: a population-based study. Brazilian journal of physical therapy. 2017 Jul 1;21(4):274-80.
  8. ↑ Hoy D.G., Protani M., De R., Buchbinder R. The epidemiology of neck pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2010 Dec;24(6):783-92.
  9. ↑ Verma T., Verma R., Bameta D., Sharma V., Saroha S., Taneja A. Prevalence of Work from Home on Female-it Workers, on Neck Pain and its Psycho-Social Effects During Epidemic Period. Medico-legal Update, January-March 2021; 21(1): 1240-
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Bier J., Scholten-Peeters W., Staal J., Pool J., van Tulder M., Beekman E., Knoop J., Meerhoff G., Verhagen A. Clinical practice guideline for physical therapy assessment and treatment in patients with nonspecific neck pain. Physical therapy. 2018 Mar 1;98(3):162-71.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Donnally III C.J., Munakomi S., Varacallo M. Basilar Invagination. 2022 Nov 19. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Mourad F., Giovannico G., Maselli F., Bonetti F., de las Peñas C.F., Dunning J. Basilar impression presenting as intermittent mechanical neck pain: a rare case report. BMC musculoskeletal disorders. 2016 Dec;17(1):1-5.
  13. ↑ Mathers J. Differential diagnosis of a patient referred to physical therapy with neck pain: a case study of a patient with an atypical presentation of angina. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy. 2012 Nov 1;20(4):214-8.
  14. ↑ Cox J., DeGraauw C., Klein E. Pathological burst fracture in the cervical spine with negative red flags: a case report. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2016 Mar;60(1):81-7.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Smith B., Diver C., Taylor A. Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy presenting as mechanical neck pain: A case report. Manual therapy. 2014 Aug 1;19(4):360-4.
  16. ↑ Sowa G., Weiner D., Camacho-Soto A. Chapter 41 - Geriatric Pain. Essentials in Pain Medicine 4th ed. 2018; 357-370.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Kuo DT, Tadi P. Cervical Spondylosis. 2022 May 8. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–.
  18. ↑ Theodore N. Degenerative Cervical Spondylosis. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jul 9;383(2):159-168.
  19. ↑ Iyer S., Kim H.J. Cervical radiculopathy. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2016 Sep;9(3):272-80
  20. ↑ Magee DJ. Orthopedic physical assessment-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2019 Mar 25.
  21. ↑ Philadelphia Panel. Philadelphia Panel evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on selected rehabilitation interventions for neck pain. Phys Ther. 2001 Oct;81(10):1701-17.
  22. ↑ Hurwitz E., Carragee E., van der Velde G., Carroll L., Nordin M., Guzman J., et al. Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Treatment of neck pain: noninvasive interventions: results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008 Feb 15;33(4 Suppl):S123-52.
  23. ↑ Qing W, Shi X, Zhang Q, Peng L, He C, Wei Q. Effect of therapeutic ultrasound for neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2021 Mar 17.
  24. ↑ Yildirim MA, Kadriye ÖN, Gökşenoğlu G. Effectiveness of ultrasound therapy on myofascial pain syndrome of the upper trapezius: randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study. Archives of rheumatology. 2018 Dec;33(4):418.
  25. ↑ Martínez-Segura R, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, Ruiz-Sáez M, López-Jiménez C, Rodríguez-Blanco C. Immediate effects on neck pain and active range of motion after a single cervical high-velocity low-amplitude manipulation in subjects presenting with mechanical neck pain: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics. 2006 Sep 1;29(7):511-7.
  26. ↑ SACHDEVA S, YADAV J, GULATI M. Comparing the Efficacy of First Rib Maitland Mobilisation and Muscle Energy Technique on Pain, Disability and Head Position Sense in Patients with Chronic Mechanical Neck Pain. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research. 2019 Dec 1;13(12).
  27. ↑ Lee KS, Lee JH. Effect of Maitland mobilization in cervical and thoracic spine and therapeutic exercise on functional impairment in individuals with chronic neck pain. Journal of physical therapy science. 2017;29(3):531-5.
  28. ↑ Mahajan R, Kataria C, Bansal K. Comparative effectiveness of muscle energy technique and static stretching for treatment of subacute mechanical neck pain. Int J Health Rehabil Sci. 2012 Jul;1(1):16-21.
  29. ↑ Chaudhery JK, Dabholkar A. Efficacy of spinal mobilization with arm movements (SMWAMs) in mechanical neck pain patients: Case-controlled trial. International Journal of Therapies and Rehabilitation Research. 2017;6(1):18.
  30. ↑ Contractor ES, Shah SS, Shah SJ. To study correlation between neck pain and cranio-vertebral angle in young adults. Int Arch Integr Med. 2018;5(4):81-6.
  31. ↑ Joshi S, Balthillaya G, Neelapala YR. Thoracic posture and mobility in mechanical neck pain population: A review of the literature. Asian spine journal. 2019 Oct;13(5):849.
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