Can Exercise Cause Chronic Neck Pain?

Neck pain is so common that most people will experience it at some point during their lives. Sleeping in the wrong position or working at a bad desk setup could be enough to cause some discomfort. But if you’re experiencing neck pain after starting a new kind of exercise, you might be wondering if your sweat sessions are to blame.

Here at Integrated Pain Solutions in Stamford, Connecticut, Dr. Halina Snowball can help you figure out what’s behind your neck pain. With expertise specifically in neck pain, she’s experienced in treating discomfort that comes from a wide range of sources, including exercise-related strain. Dr. Snowball can help you figure out what’s going on while you’re working out and develop a plan to treat your pain. 

When exercise can be a pain in the neck

While workouts shouldn’t cause neck pain, they can — if your form isn’t good. Some people tense their neck and shoulders while weight lifting, straining the muscles and contributing to neck pain, for example. Jutting out your chin during your golf swing can similarly strain your neck, as can looking up in certain yoga postures when your spine should be aligned. 

In other words, exercise doesn’t cause neck pain, but poor form during exercise does. If you’ve noticed neck pain after certain activities, try to pay attention to what you do with your head, neck, and shoulders during your workouts. 

It might also be helpful to research good form for your exercise of choice. You might learn that you could ease the strain on your neck by making certain posture modifications or using different equipment (e.g., properly fitted golf clubs, the right amount of weight at the gym, or blocks during yoga). 

Avoiding and treating exercise-related neck pain

Ideally, whenever you’re exercising, you want to keep your cervical (upper) spine in line to provide as much support as possible. You don’t want to extend your head forward, creating more work for your neck muscles. You also don’t want to pull tension into that part of your body by letting your shoulders creep toward your ears. 

Dr. Snowball can help you identify the right form based on your activity of choice and your unique body. She might even recommend physical therapy to help you strengthen certain neck-supporting muscles while making a habit of good form. 

On top of that, she can provide treatment to ease the neck pain you’re already feeling. Here at Integrated Pain Solutions, Dr. Snowball offers a variety of treatments to ease your neck discomfort, including:

• Epidural injections
• Extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT®)
• Massage
• Nerve blocks
• Trigger point injections
• Yoga

For a two-pronged treatment that addresses the pain you have now while helping you avoid more workout-related neck pain in the future, call our office at 203-293-0549 or request an appointment online today.