The human neck is the anatomical structure that connects the head to the rest of the body. Its hard structures include the bones of the neck which form a scaffold of attachment for those muscles arising from, attaching to, and passing through the neck, as well as offering protection for the spinal cord as it travels from the stem of the brain further down into the thorax before providing power to and receiving sensation from the rest of the body. The soft tissue structures of the neck include those aforementioned muscles which attach the skull to the neck, the neck to the torso, the neck to the shoulders, and the torso to the arms, as well as including those blood vessels and nerves that travel through the neck, as well as those passages for air and food.
The human neck connects the head to the rest of the body and so is responsible for the relative position of both of those structures. Every time a person has turned their head to look over their shoulder when parking, has looked down between their legs to tie their shoes, or looked up above their head like that Willem Dafoe gif, that movement has involved engagement of the neck. Typically, most peoples' gazes are oriented forward during the course of the day and so the neck maintains forward posture of the head to facilitate and support sustained gaze of the eyes on a target of consideration, being food, work, or entertainment. Because the skull rests on the neck, sustained or dynamic postures of the skull and neck can give rise to discomfort that can be felt in the face, jaw, neck, shoulders, back, and abdomen owing to the relationship of those areas to structures in the neck.
Neck strain can arise when postures are held for extended periods of time or when a person moves through postures rapidly, repetitively, or roughly. It is important to remember that discomfort may not only arise from movement of the neck, but from the arms as well, given that muscles such as the levator scapulae and the trapezius attach structures in the arms to structures in the neck, leading to situations where the one may pull on the other during movement, posturing, or focus. This is why pain in the shoulder can also be felt in the neck, or why there may be discomfort in the neck following periods of loading or engagement of the arms and the shoulders.
Additionally, discomfort can also be felt in the scalp, face, mouth, and teeth, owing to the movement of the nerves that provide power to and receive sensation from those structures through the neck and the back of the skull before their final points of engagement. Cervicogenic and trigeminocervicogenic headaches may be observed to have postural, muscular, and occupational antecedents where the experience of discomfort follows extended periods of time at work and in awkward postures. That's why it's important to remember that discomfort in the eyes and face may not arise from strain of the eyes from focus, but from strain of the neck from sustained posture.
Control of discomfort in the neck from sustained or strained postures may be mitigated in line with those measures suggested by the Hierarchy of Controls, where if a hazard may not be eliminated entirely, isolated, or subsituted with another process, administrative and personal controls may be used to mitigate the risk and consequence of an exposure. In the case of neck pain, it is impossible to separate people from their necks unless your name is Maximilien Robespierre, so consideration of the work environment and those postures it obliges the worker to maintain is necessary in proactively managing discomfort that arises from those arrangements of work. Allowing workers to take breaks, adjust their environments, and change features on screens such as text size, document focus, and introduce microbreaks are simple means by which neck strain may be mitigated.
Each workplace is different, with different demands, methods of business, and is staffed by people whose capacities, needs, and risk profiles are different. Managing ergonomic, environmental, and occupational health and safety challenges requires a business to examine and engage with the ecosystem of factors that give rise to risk, and how that risk may affect people. Each workplace is different and so sometimes the same problem will require different solutions. This applies to workers as well - every person is different and so may require different support, supervision, or resources to perform comfortably and sustainably. Under Work Health and Safety law, consultation with the workforce, the control of risk as far as is reasonably practicable, and the provision of information, training, instruction and support to the worker by the workplace, is essential to meet obligations to provide workers with a workplace that is as free of risk as far is reasonably practicable.
In our capacity as consultants, Atlas Physio will explore and scope the business and its needs, examining how exposures, risks, and processes contribute to the hazard ecosystem, best inform the design and arrangement of procedural, policy-based, and practical risk controls. Our solutions are tailored to the needs of those with whom we work, implemented in a simple, sustainable, and supportive fashion, designed to be robust and resilient, and to support the ongoing life of the business as well as the sustainable wellbeing of the workers who undertake the day to day activities of work.
At Atlas Physio, we provide reporting, structured control, and ongoing management of risk onsite, on the road, and wherever work is done. We are open seven days a week, and are happy to offer a brief complimentary discussion to explore the needs of your business and your workers if you are an employer, and your needs if you are a worker. Reach out today to arrange a discussion and take the first step toward managing risk and working safely, supported by expertise that is practical, reliable, and designed to deliver lasting results.