Plainville Back and Neck Pain due to Things like Sitting or Doing Computer Work

December 21, 2022

Working on a computer for a long time. Sitting for a long time. Bending over a project for a long time. All sorts of positional issues may start back pain or neck pain. Spine researchers talk about flexion relaxation ratios (FRR) and flexion relaxation phenomena (FRP) that occur with such irritations of the neck and low back.  Layden Chiropractic is ready to help reduce Plainville neck pain and back pain with our chiropractic services as well as help troubleshoot ways to reduce the risk of pain when doing things you must do all the time or things you want to do on occasion but know they’re going to hurt your back or neck.

LUMBAR SPINE and LOW BACK PAIN: Sitting

The curiosity of spinal pain researchers produces some research-provoking questions like does sitting for an hour bring about pain in patients who have had back pain before (but don’t have back pain currently) versus those without. They didn’t see a difference in the flexion relaxation ratio (FRR) they measured but think that may be because an hour wasn’t long enough to bring on pain in the history-of-back-pain patients. (1) Hum? A decrease of the paraspinal muscle activity at maximum flexion reveals the related flexion relaxation phenomenon (FRP). An analysis of 48 published studies on this topic found that nonspecific low back pain patients’ FRP was modified. Compared to asymptomatic patients, this variation was significant. (2) Layden Chiropractic examines these types of issues in our Plainville back pain patients and neck pain patients.

CERVICAL SPINE and NECK PAIN

FRP and FRR can be measured in neck pain patients as well. In comparison to the lumbar spine’s FRP and FFR, cervical spine muscle reaction differences were noted in patients with pain versus volunteers who don’t have pain. The cervical flexion relaxation phenomenon was noted in neck extensor muscles when in flexion. Persistent muscle contraction due to diminished flexion relaxation places vertebral structures at risk due to excessive loading. 84% of healthy subjects showed FRP while only 36% of in-pain patients did. FRR was less in neck pain patients, too. (3) Further, when contrasting computer workers with neck pain to those without neck pain to those who don’t do computer work, researchers concluded that computer use could increase the use of the semispinalis capitis during neck extension, making it a potential predictor of symptomatic neck musculoskeletal disorders as its activation was seen in both types of computer users’ necks. (4) Such a finding is helpful to healthcare providers like your chiropractor to test this muscle set on extension and counsel our patients on how to improve the cervical extensor muscles.

RELIEF FOR NECK AND BACK PAIN

Cox® Technic is gentle, relieving Plainville chiropractic treatment for back and neck pain. Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Sean Delahunt on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains the effective, gentle treatment with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his patient with neck pain.   

CONTACT Layden Chiropractic

Schedule your next Plainville chiropractic appointment with Layden Chiropractic. For relief of spine pain due to positional activities, our treatment plan eases the pain and offers tips on how to lessen the risk of pain while doing what you must and what you want to do. 

 
a person Plainville bending over a computer holding her back due to pain