Many often wonder why neck pain keeps coming back. Well, like back pain, neck pain has a high rate of reoccurrence. It is reported that between 50-85% of people with neck pain will have another episode within 5 years.1 This is a rather high number which returns to the question of WHY?
To get to the bottom of why it is necessary to understand why it happened in the first place. Additionally, what was done to address why it happened to begin with? 
Some WHYs cannot be answered well. In many instances people do not know what happened to trigger their neck pain. They will report waking in pain one day and are unable to be more specific about what happened. However, the answer is often found in daily routines, habits, and activities. The stress and strain of daily life eventually results in pain in some people. For others a specific event be it a fall, car accident, or sporting event is the cause.
Beyond the WHY, it becomes important to look at neck function. Function? Yes, how the neck moves with daily movements and activities. From this an assessment of motion, strength, and coordination can be learned. These factors here are often WHY neck pain keeps coming back. As in, these elements do not get examined and then treated properly. Too frequently people just tough it out waiting for their pain to go away. And then when it does they just move on…not realizing the underlying issues that may become an issue later.
And finally, we get to the WHY. It is necessary for people to address their neck pain…so that it does not come back. It is important to address all components from motion to strength, to coordination. And all this is done with respect to daily activities. Learning what a person may be doing unknowingly to put unnecessary stress or strain on the neck.
So…are you looking to prevent your neck pain from coming back? If so, then it is important to take the necessary steps. Learn how to safely increase range, strength, or coordination based on an assessment of your neck. For more information- Click HERE
- Kenneth Olson. The Cervical Spine. Chapter 6 In: Olson, K. Manual Physical Therapy of the Spine. Elsevier, 2015