Neck And Upper Back Pain And Spasms

The head is joined to the rest of the body through the spine. The upper portion of the spine comprises of seven vertebrae. These bones attach the ribcage, the shoulder bones and arms to the torso. The structure is held in place by muscles and ligaments. Some muscles are also attached to the base of your neck and the arms to the spinal chord. Lack of activities like standing or sitting in the same posture for a very long time can lead to fatigue in these muscles. This results in occurrence of a strong sensation of pain. This pain can be also felt in your arms and hands because of the extension of these muscles into them.

Upper back pain and/or spasms is very common in athletes. It is because they are constantly exposed to excessive exercise and overuse of muscles. Upper back pain and spasms in them should be treated properly otherwise it may lead to serious problems.

Most of the time the upper back and neck pain result from lack of activities, poor posture or too much exercise. Sitting in the wrong posture for a very long time may put excessive stress on your muscles and may result in severe neck and back pain.

Spasm
Muscle spasms normally occur when the muscles are over worked or are injured. Over work or injury leads to involuntary contraction of muscles. Sometimes dehydration may also leads to spasms. Some spasms occur when the nerves connected to the muscles are disturbed. The person suffering from spasm feels a stiffness and tightening of muscles that results in severe pain.

When the neck muscles constantly repeat the same activity or witness no activity at all, a muscle spasm may occur. Activities like cycling may also lead to upper back pain and spasms. Some trigger points are formed in the muscles that send pain signals to the brain, leading to a feeling of strong pain.

Some activities that lead to upper back pain and spasms are:

* An incorrectly placed monitor can lead to upper back pain and spasms because your head and neck are consistently locked in a position. Monitor screen should be at eye level.
* Sitting in a position with your back and head bent forward may lead to severe neck and back pain or spasms.
* Wrongly placed keyboard and mouse, and excessive use of neck and shoulder muscles may result in stiffness of muscles or headache.
* Poor lighting and small font size can also multiply the problem. You would not be able to view the monitor properly due to it. This may lead to poor neck and head position while focusing on the screen.
* Holding the phone with the support of your neck.