Cervical spine injuries, together with lumbar spine injuries, have one of the highest incidences in today’s society. Why is that? There are several causes, for example:
- Excessive use of smartphones and computers
- Spending too many hours sitting
- Not moving enough or being too sedentary
- Not doing sport
- Excessive stress
- Mental health problems
- Physically demanding jobs
Sometimes, a single cause can provoke the problem; on other occasions, several factors come together that in the medium/long term cause an injury and with the passage of time and the daily routine it becomes a serious problem that can affect the development of daily activities: sleeping, playing with children/grandchildren, playing sport, working, etc.
The cervical spine is the region belonging to the cervical vertebrae, 7 in total. It is a vital area as it contains 80% of the peripheral nervous system, important blood vessels and numerous muscles, tendons and ligaments. Some of the most common injuries pertaining to the cervical spine are:
- Cervical disc herniation
- Neck (cervicalgia) and shoulder pain
- Dizziness, vertigo and tinnitus
- Restriction of movement or joint blockages
- Nerve entrapment affecting elbows and hands
It is therefore extremely important to take preventive measures to avoid future cervical spine injuries. Physiotherapy can help to resolve a large part of the symptoms caused by the aforementioned injuries with some of the following techniques: manual therapy, massage therapy, neurodynamic therapy, muscle-energy techniques, dry needling, neuromodulation, neuromuscular bandaging, shock waves, etc.