BACK AND NECK SOFT TISSUE STRAIN

Acute back or neck sprain are mostly caused by excessive tension in the soft tissues such as the ligaments or muscles around the spine. Acute low back sprain is more common in physical labour and athletes. Another common symptom of neck sprain is acute wry neck. The so-called “overused spine”  is not the real back and neck strain mentioned here. Those are degeneration of the spine and the stiffness of the joints.

Most acute neck and back pains are caused by muscle strain or tendon injuries, which are caused by acute external impacts (such as car accidents) or sprained neck (such as muscle strain caused by incorrect sleeping posture or lifting heavy objects. Afterwards, severe pain occurs immediately, followed by spine stiffness and low mobility. However, there are also many patients who only feel sore and weak when they are injured, they find severe pain when they wake up on the next day.

• Chronic overloading and overuse of cervical and lumbar spine
• Incorrect posture

• Stiff neck or back
• Neck or back pain appears, and soreness radiates to arms, hands, legs, or toes
• Feeling uncomfortable when sleeping even after changing several pillows
• When turning in beds, sitting up or standing, one needs to move carefully with your support of hands against thighs or furniture.

Physiotherapy treatments such as ice or hotpad, ultrasound, electrophysical therapy and acupuncture can alleviate neck and back pain. Patients should avoid high-impact sports such as vigorous running and jumping, and avoid maintaining the same posture for a long time, such as driving long distances and watching TV. Appropriate neck and back stretching exercises can improve the flexibility of the neck and trunk. Generally, the pain will be greatly relieved after about one week of physiotherapy. In the later stage, improving the muscle strength of the neck and trunk and learning the correct posture and movement can help reduce the chance of recurrence.

• To correct bad postures of neck and back
• To prevent sprains when bending by avoiding vigorous low back movement
• To do more spinal exercises for strengthening the core muscles. This can increase the spinal stability, reduce the internal load and protect the disc.
• Do not maintain the same posture for too long while working

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