Treatment of Neck Pain and Physical Therapy
WHEN SITTING
Keep your chin slightly bent, your eyes facing forward, and your neck tilted back. . Good neck health is possible with good posture. Maintain the normal curvature of your neck. Use armrests that support the waist and back. Don't relax; Keep your entire spine upright or nearly upright against the chair back. If you use the chair arms as support for your arms, it will help prevent unnecessary strain on your neck due to bending forward. Do not look at anything very carefully by extending your chin forward.
A seat that supports the neck and waist is very important while working.
WHEN STANDING
Keep your chin slightly bent, your eyes facing forward, and your neck tilted back, as in a sitting position. Likewise, try to keep your waist and back straight. Do not lean forward without bending your knees. Do not stand still in the same place for a long time, as standing still and leaning forward will increase the pressure on the discs.
WHEN LYING
The way you lie down is important in neck pain. If the person feels pain in his neck when he wakes up in the morning, his sleeping style and pillow should be reviewed. Do not lie face down. It is better to sleep on your side. Maintain a normal posture with the help of a pillow for your head and neck, and keep your arms down. If the pillow is thin when the person lies down, his neck falls backwards and to the side, thus compressing the nerve in the canal. If the pillow is thicker than normal, the neck will remain suspended and the tissue surrounding the neck will be stretched, causing pain. If you want to sleep on your back, place your pillow under your head and neck. The pillow should support your head and neck in a neutral position. Avoid keeping your neck tense.
Sleeping where you sit is very harmful for the neck. Watching television and reading a book while lying down strains your neck muscles. It is harmful to put your arms under your head or keep your arms at head level while lying down.
WHEN DRIVING
Sit high in the car. Your seat should be (preferably hard)neither too low nor too far back so that you do not have to strain or bend over to look over the steering wheel. A polyurethane back pillow may be helpful for support; The pillow should be 1-2cm thick, as wide as your back and in line with your shoulders. Adjust the mirrors well. Those with neck pain should turn with their waist, not their neck, when going back. Do not open the windows unnecessarily, the wind you get may cause neck stiffness.
Using a neck brace is very useful on long journeys. On long journeys, take a break every 3-4 hours to stretch your neck, back and waist muscles.
WHEN LIFTING AN OBJECT
Proper lifting of an object is good for neck and waist health. It is very important for. Bend your knees and use your leg muscles for lifting. Avoid sudden movements. Keep the weight close to your torso and do not try to lift anything above head height. Do not lift weights while holding your breath because you will damage your spine. If you need to lie on a shelf higher than your head, stand on a chair. Avoid lying down or looking up for long periods of time.
WHEN WORKING
The moment when today's people spend the most time is at work. It has now been accepted that people who work sitting for more than 4 hours a day must comply with ergonomic rules. Leaving the neck improperly in the same position for a long time damages the tissues. Having the head in the midline on the body, which we call the neutral position, and preserving its natural curvature reduces the risks. It is important to take frequent breaks from the work and return the neck to its normal shape.
The position of the body is important during work. The monitor should be directly opposite the body. Torso rotation should be avoided.
The chair should support the waist and back, and the seat should be upright and inclined at approximately 10-15ยบ. The chair height and backrest height should be adjustable.
The upper limit of the monitor should be for an upright person. It should be at a person's eye level and the distance is an arm's length.
What is Osteoarthritis and How Does It Occur?
Osteoarthritis, also known as osteoarthritis, is a deterioration in the structure of the cartilage tissue in the joints. Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease that occurs due to the thinning and wearing down of the cartilage tissue. The bone thickens and bone protrusions called osteophytes form at the edges of the joints. The synovial membrane surrounding the joint thickens and the amount of synovial fluid increases. This is swelling of the joint. The joint capsule and the ligaments that support the joint contract to support the injured joint and protect it from harmful movements. After a while, this friction gets out of control and a vicious cycle begins. As a result, movement restriction and adhesions develop in the joint and shape changes develop in the later period.
What is the Normal Joint Structure?
The area where two bones meet in our body is called a joint. Joints are the basic structures that allow the movement of the skeletal system.
The tissue that surrounds the bone ends in the joint and allows the bones to slide on each other is cartilage. When the cartilage joint is loaded, it protects the bone from impact and prevents it from being damaged. The smooth and slippery cartilage surface allows the bone ends to move freely.
The joint is covered with a synovial membrane that secretes lubricating fluid. This fluid that lubricates the joint, protects the joint and nourishes the cartilage tissue is called synovial fluid. Thus, the cartilage surfaces are prevented from rubbing against each other in the moving joint. Ligaments and ligaments around the joint are strong structures that work outside the joint and support the joint and keep the bones inside the joint.
What are the Causes and Risk Factors?
Age, age in the development of OA. constitutes the most important risk factor. The rate of OA development increases with age, especially after the age of 45, as a result of the decrease in muscle strength supporting the joint, deterioration of joint biomechanics, and wear and tear in the cartilage structure.
Gender, especially in the older patient group with severe disease, knee and hand joints. Female gender is more affected by developing OA.
Familial Predisposition, OA is not a hereditary disease. Some types, for example; The form that affects many joints in the perimenopausal period has a familial tendency. Additionally, a familial tendency can be observed in the type that starts at an early age and wears out the joints.
Obesity; It is an important risk factor for OA. In people who are overweight than their ideal body weight, the joint wears out more quickly due to excessive load on the joint, causing it to fail in a short time. Reducedness and limitation of movement develop, and as a result, obesity increases with the decrease in daily movement. In obese people who have developed osteoarthritis, losing even a little weight reduces the complaints to a great extent. For example, losing 5 kg reduces the load on the knee by 15-20 kg. Because during normal walking, a load of 3.5 times your body weight is placed on your knee.
Hypermobility; The joint can move more than its normal movement. This extra movement ability damages the joint and surrounding tissue.
Weakness of the muscle tissue around the joint; It increases the load on the joint and premature deformation occurs with wear and tear.
Trauma; A serious injury to a joint or surgery on the joint disrupts the cartilage structure and surface of the joint in the following years. It may cause osteoarthritis in this area. In rheumatic diseases, joints are exposed to wear and tear beyond normal. Therefore, some joint abnormalities that are congenital or develop in childhood, such as Perthes disease in the hips, which are affected by rheumatic disease, may later cause osteoarthritis. Normal activity and exercise are not bad for the joints, they are extremely good and do not cause osteoarthritis. However, difficult and repetitive activities can cause joints to hurt. This explains why osteoarthritis is more common in people with physically demanding jobs, such as farmers (hip osteoarthritis)and professional football players (knee osteoarthritis).
How Often Is It Observed?
OA is the most common joint disease. Taken as a whole, OA, which usually begins over the age of 45, affects 10-20% of people over the age of 65. It is the main source of pain and disability. The most commonly affected joints are the knee, hip and hand joints.
Diagnosis and Clinical Course
During the physical examination, swelling in the joint is detected. Diagnosis is made by hearing a sound, detecting pain with movement, limitation in movements, and anamnesis taken from the patient. Further imaging of the joint is performed with radiography or, if necessary, MRI or CT. Thinning of joint cartilage on radiograph Narrowing of the joint space and the appearance of new bone formations called osteophytes at the edges of the joints are typical.
Clinical course;
It is a disease that can affect all body joints. The most weight-bearing joints, the knee, hip and foot joints, the hand joints that are frequently used in daily life, and the waist and neck joints of the spine, are affected.
Knee Joint Osteoarthritis;
Osteoarthritis seen in the knee joint is more common in women and is seen especially after the age of 50. Excess weight, past knee traumas, and previous operations are the factors that most increase the risk of osteoarthritis in the joint. Usually both knee joints are affected, the first symptom is pain and sometimes limitation of movement is also added. In advanced cases, daily living activities such as going up and down stairs, sitting, and squatting are significantly restricted due to deformities.
Hip joint osteoarthritis;
Hip joint osteoarthritis occurs equally in men and women. It is seen at high rates and mostly occurs after the age of 40. Unilateral involvement is more common. Osteoarthritis may develop in older ages in those with congenital hip dislocation or those who have previously had a disease involving the rheumatic joint.
Osteoarthritis of the hand joints;
Hand joints are the most used joints in daily life. The joints are small, but restricted joints due to osteoarthritis negatively affect daily life.
Osteoarthritis of the foot joints;
It is most commonly observed in the joint at the base of the big toe. Painful swelling occurs in this joint and the joint becomes stiff. and walking difficulties may occur in later periods. This is called hallux rigidus.
Osteoarthritis affecting the spine;
Osteoarthritis of the waist and neck region is especially common. Clinically, pain in these areas, limitation of movement, sometimes radiating to the arms and legs. Pain occurs. It is common after the age of 45.
In spinal arthrosis, wear and tear in the bone and disc structure is observed.
What should I expect if I have osteoarthritis?
