Chronic neck pain? New study looks at risk factors: psychosocial, physical and neurophysiological

Risk factors for chronic neck pain have been identified by experts, and depressed mood is top of the list, highlights research in The Journal of Pain.
A total of 171 office workers were evaluated in their first three months of work. They completed monthly online surveys throughout the year, to identify the presence of chronic interfering neck pain. Age, gender and body mass index were taken into account.

Development of chronic interfering neck pain was predicted by depressed mood, neck muscle endurance and the pain regulatory system that relies on intricate workings of the spine.

“These findings provide the first evidence that individuals with pre-existing impairments in mood and descending pain modulation may be at greater risk for developing chronic neck pain when exposed to peripheral nociceptive stimuli such as that produced during muscle fatigue,” the research team explains. “These findings may assist with primary prevention by allowing clinicians to screen for individuals at risk of developing chronic neck pain.”

Click here to read the original research.

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Image credit: Carlos Martinez