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Pain in the back and the neck are both extremely common phenomena.

Anyone – regardless of lifestyle, gender, and age – can suffer from back and neck pain.

When left untreated, these health problems can become the reason why you will be less productive at work and become more irritable around other people.

Fortunately, back and neck pain are very easy to treat if you know what causes the problem.

Today we discuss the top ten reasons you may have back and neck pain.

There are countless reasons why you may suffer from pain in any of these areas.

The good news is that back and neck pain, though very inconveniencing, is rarely ever caused for something serious and debilitating.

To treat back and neck pain efficiently, it is important that you pin down exactly what is causing it.

Here are ten of the most reasons why you may be suffering from pain in the back and the neck from the experts of Healthopedia:

Bad Posture

Easily, one of the more prevalent reasons people suffer from chronic pains is their posture.

This applies especially to people who have desk jobs. (Business Insider)

Sitting in one position for extended periods can be very painful in the long run.

This is especially true if the posture you are sitting in is not optimal.

Make sure your office furniture is optimized to be easy on your back, neck, shoulders, and all other pressure points that can be very painful.

. Invest in an ergonomic chair if you are working at home in front of a computer all day.

This purchase can be expensive, but it will be worth it in the long run because it boosts your productivity without putting your back and neck’s health on the line.

If you work in a brick-and-mortar office, regularly take supplements that can protect your joints.

These supplements are essential, especially if your job involves a lot of typing.

Also, take breaks to walk around the office whenever you can, and try to include some mild stretching in your routine.

You can copy countless stretches online, so spend a minute or two doing these in your cubicle.

You will be surprised how these simple stretches improve your back and neck health!

Whiplash

Whiplash is a condition that is most commonly associated with car accidents.

It occurs when the head is violently jerked beyond its normal range of motion after the impact of a car accident.

It is not necessarily a severe condition, but it can be excruciating and inconvenient if the affected person does not receive the proper treatment.

The symptoms of whiplash can range from being very mild, like pain and stiffness in the neck, to being very serious, like pain in the shoulder, headache, dizziness, weakness in the arms, etc.

Mild cases of whiplash can often resolve on their own, but most cases do require medical attention.

Whiplash treatment is quite common, so you can easily find many competent medical professionals.

Improper lifting

You must be especially vigilant about your back when lifting heavy loads, whether at the gym or while doing chores.

Make sure that your lifting posture is optimal, suggests the Mayo Clinic.

If the load is heavier than what you can easily carry, try to ask for help.

Pain from unnecessary strain on your back can last for weeks and make it difficult to accomplish even the simplest of tasks.

Meningitis

Meningitis is an infectious disease that occurs because of a bacterial invasion.

The symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, pain, and stiffness in the neck.

Proper treatment of meningitis is very important by medical professionals because if left on its own, the disease can be fatal as well.

The doctor will likely provide the affected person with antibiotics, rest, and symptomatic treatment.

The risk of contracting meningitis increases in people with lowered immunity, like old people, infants, and pregnant women.

If you believe the cause of your neck pain is meningitis, seek medical help immediately.

Sports Injuries

Whiplash is mostly associated with car accidents, but it is also fairly common in sports injuries.

This is especially true for high-impact sports such as football and gymnastics.

Back pain due to sports injuries is also widespread.

If you believe your pain is because of strenuous sporty activity, you might want to consult a doctor and get ample rest.

Ignoring the pain and continuing your high-impact sports can make the injury much worse and have life-altering complications.

Straining the Muscle

Straining your muscles in the back of the neck can also cause a lot of pain eventually.

There are many reasons you can strain your muscles; for example, your muscles get strained when you exercise without proper form and posture.

Your muscles also undergo a lot of stress when you sleep in an improper position for multiple nights or if your mattress is building pressure points and needs to be replaced.

Strained muscles are fairly easy to treat, though.

First of all, you need to get to the root of the cause and then fix it, like exercising with proper form and getting a new mattress.

The pain will relieve eventually on its own, but you can also use painkillers and hot and cold packs to relieve the pain.

Obesity

Obese people put more strain on their bone structure, and muscles than people with a healthy BMI do.

This extra stress can make everyday activities painful and difficult for obese people.

If you are obese and suffer from back and neck pain fairly often, you might want to try losing weight and see if it makes a difference.

Stress

Stress is another big cause of pain in the back and neck.

This is because when we are under a lot of stress, our body automatically tenses up our muscles.

We unknowingly clench our jaws, tense our shoulders, and stiffen our necks.

Then we hold this position for a long time, eventually making our muscles start aching.

While painkillers and rest are the only solutions to this kind of pain, you can easily prevent it by taking breaks in your stressful routine to relax and do some breathing exercises.

Unknown Injuries

Having hidden injuries is more common than most of us believe.

Sometimes the muscle pain is because of a muscle tear or an injury we cannot exactly place.

In this situation, it will be helpful to go to the doctor and ask them to examine you.

They might obtain X-Rays and other tests to determine what is causing the pain and give appropriate treatment.

Other Conditions

Back and neck pain is rarely because of threatening conditions, but we can never entirely rule out the possibility of underlying dangerous causes.

If you believe the pain in your body is due to some serious condition, you might want to turn to your family doctor for more details.

Multiple sclerosis, for example, is a chronic disease that affects your brain and disables your spinal cord.

Leaving this health condition untreated can eventually cause severe back and neck pain.

If you suspect that you have MS, see the resources below to know more and assess if you currently experience any symptoms of this disease.

In Conclusion

Although common, you should never disregard any back and neck pain.

Sure, you might still be able to move and work even with the pain caused by these health problems, but it won’t be long before these will create a snowball effect on your overall health and wellness.