Health:Women and neck pain

Pain in the neck is a fairly common problem in middle aged and elderly women. Almost all elderly women universally suffer from pain in neck and or upper back sometime or other. In some women this pain becomes chronic. Along with pain in the neck, it may radiate to one or both arms. It may be associated with abnormal sensations in the arms or hands.Women tend to bend the neck for multiple activities, right from a young age. Cooking, cleaning, washing, e.t.c., all domestic chores involve bending or turning of the neck in more or less degree. Hand work like crochet and knitting, e.t.c., also involve bending of the neck. Apart from this, common activities with men like reading and writing also makes the neck bend to some degree. Recurrent bending and turning of the neck tends to put the neck under strain after some time. This results in pain of the neck.Due to this stress, the portion of backbone in the neck tends to become stiff over time. Degeneration of this portion of backbone sets in due to which tiny new bones called osteophytes start growing in the joint spaces, a state called spondylosis. As such neck is smaller and lighter than rest of the back bone; hence spondylosis sets in early as compared to rest of the spine. In women it is much smaller and lighter as compared to men, hence making them more vulnerable to neck pain. Calcium deficiency is another factor contributing to pain in joints as well as neck. During adolescence, pregnancy and lactation and during menopause the requirement of calcium is increased in the body. If this demand is not met with, all bones of the body tend to become soft. Slightest movement puts these bones to stress resulting in pain. As neck is one of the most used portions of the body, neck pain occurs commonly due to this osteoporosis. Women in general tend to be negligent towards their diet. Result is deficiency of all necessary macro and micro nutrients in the body. Women of fairly affluent families also tend to be malnourished. The craze to remain slim leads to malnutrition among preteen and teenage girls. All these various causes of malnutrition affect the whole body producing weakness, diminished resistance and vague pains and also back pain and neck pain.Apart from this any trauma or arthritis can involve the neck as well as other parts. Depending on the cause, pain in the neck can be acute or chronic in onset and of variable intensity. Tingling and numbness occurs if there is compression of the nerve roots.Cause of neck pain is identified by X-rays and scans. Treatment consists of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. In case of chronic pain, one is advised to wear a neck collar to minimize the movements thus providing rest to the neck. Women should be cautious about neck pain. They have to be educated about correct working postures right from a young age. Unnecessary bending and side wards turning of neck should be avoided. It is important to do any work at such a level that bending of neck is prevented. While sleeping or resting, high pillows should be avoided. Thus strain on the neck is avoided as it remains in level with rest of the body. This prevents neck pain.If a lady starts suffering from neck pain, she should start doing regular exercises of the neck to keep the neck supple and prevent pain. But exercises should be done only after the pain is reduced by means of drugs. Regular balanced diet prevents osteoporosis and its related problems including neck pain. Supplements of calcium are also useful for this purpose. Hence it is useful if women take them around puberty and menopause to prevent calcium deficiency. Dr. Rachna PandeSpecialist internal medicine-Ruhengeri HospitalE-mail- rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk