Pain behind the neck when I bow my head

Because of the high incidence of neck diseases nowadays, we must pay attention when abnormal neck pain occurs. If you feel pain in the back of your neck when you lower your head, and this pain occurs frequently, you should be careful about cervical spondylosis. Cervical spondylosis is closely related to occupational habits and bad sitting posture habits. Of course, if it happens occasionally, it may also be caused by fatigue. The key is to find out the cause, which will be helpful for subsequent treatment.

Why does my neck hurt when I lower my head?

Looking down for too long

The cervical spine is lordotic under normal circumstances, but when we lower our head, we straighten the curvature of the cervical spine, changing its original forward curvature and making the muscles at the back of the cervical spine tense. If we lower our head for a long time, it is easy to get neck pain.

Caused by cervical spondylosis

Working with your head down or playing with your phone for a long time can easily cause degeneration of the cervical spine. When the cervical spine degenerates to a certain extent, it will cause cervical bone hyperplasia and cervical disc herniation. Bone hyperplasia and herniated disc compressing the cervical nerves, muscles, ligaments, etc. can also easily cause neck pain.

What to do when your neck hurts when you bow your head

Relax and unwind

Sometimes the pain in your neck when you lower your head may be just because you maintain this posture for too long, causing soreness in the neck muscles, so at this time you can stretch more, tilt your head back slightly, stretch your hands upward and hold for 5 seconds; or you can stand against the wall and touch the wall with the back of your head. These two movements can help relieve body tension and relax the neck muscles.

Soybean pillow

People with cervical spondylosis will experience symptoms such as neck pain and shoulder pain, and sleeping with a soybean pillow can help improve the situation. This is because the soybean pillow has strong plasticity. Placing it on the neck can fill the gap between the neck and the bed, which has a good cushioning effect on the cervical vertebrae and can help relax the neck muscles.

Do cervical spine exercises

If you feel pain in your neck when you lower your head, you can try doing cervical exercises to relieve cervical discomfort:

1. Turn your head and neck. Stand or sit, put your hands on your hips, and rotate your head and neck to the left and right alternately. When you reach the maximum limit, turn it back slightly and then exceed the original range. The eyes should also look backward or upward as much as possible. Rotate 10 times on each side.

2. Neck and arm resistance. Stand or sit, cross your hands and press them tightly against the back of your head. Stretch your head and neck backward with force, use both hands to resist, continue to resist for a few seconds and then return to the original position. Do this 6-8 times in total.

3. Rotate left and right. Put your hands on your hips, first slowly turn your head to the left while inhaling into your chest, straighten the right side of your neck, stay for a moment, then slowly turn your head to the left while exhaling, straighten the left side of your neck, stay for a moment, and repeat this cycle 4 times.

Heat relief

When your neck becomes stiff and painful after lowering your head, you can use hot compresses to help relieve the discomfort. Hot compresses can promote blood circulation and help relax the neck muscles.

Seeking medical treatment

If the neck pain is simply caused by bending the head for too long, it can usually be relieved after some activity. However, if it is caused by cervical spondylosis, mild symptoms can be relieved by doing appropriate traction gymnastics, changing to a lower pillow, doing appropriate exercises, and changing bad posture. However, if symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, or even aphasia occur, seek medical treatment immediately.