Your Child’s Neck Pain May Be A Serious Issue

Neck pain is very common. Not only adults, even children can may develop pain in the neck. So, if your child starts complaining of neck pain, please don’t ignore. It commonly may just be a minor strain, but in some cases, it can be something more serious. As per a 2014 article in Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, conditions like back and neck pain are one of the leading causes of disability in adolescents, and up to 25% of the cases affect participation in school or physical activities(1). 

Reason for your child’s neck pain can range from muscle strain or sprain during any sporting activity, poor sitting or sleeping posture, computer use for long hours or due to carrying a heavy backpack. As per an article in Chiropractic and Manual Therapies, back and neck pain are common in children, but the pain is usually mild and temporary. Some children may be more severely affected, and mild pain may gradually affect other areas of the spine and become more intense, often leading to musculoskeletal problems in adult life(2). Physical therapy can help your child to overcome the pain by heat, exercise and by educating them about good posture and its importance. If neck pain does not subside by this, then the child should be checked for serious issues like meningitis, tick bites, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. 

HOW CAN NECK PAIN BE PREVENTED?

If your child has had neck pain more than once in the past few months, a possible activity or habit might be overstressing the neck muscles or the bones. Such activities may include working with the neck turned or bent backwards, carrying heavy objects on the head or with one arm instead of both, doing head-stands, contact sports, or even friendly wrestling. Avoid these factors that trigger the pain.

Neck muscle tone should be improved with 2-3 minutes of neck stretching exercises every day. Stretching exercises like touching the chin to each shoulder, trying to touch the ear to the shoulder without raising the shoulder, and moving the head forward and backward are very helpful.

Observe the symptoms if your child complains of neck pain next time. Immediate medical help is advised if pain is severe.

 REFERENCES

1. Kamper SJ, Henschke N, Hestbaek L, Dunn KM, Williams CM. Musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents. Braz J Phys Ther
2. Kristina Boe Dissing, Jan Hartvigsen, Niels Wedderkopp and Lise Hestbæk. Conservative care with or without manipulative therapy in the management of back and neck pain in Danish children aged 9–15. Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

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Created on Sep 29th 2018 00:57. Viewed 471 times.

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