Neck/upper back muscles prone to pain, stress

SALT LAKE CITY — The story of some burdens is writ large in the bundled muscles of the neck, the shoulder and the upper back where many people unconsciously carry their stress.

Add in sitting in front of a computer all day, driving for long stretches or tending to others, and "it's an area where you may be weak and can really be in pain," says nurse practitioner Kaye Meidinger, one of the experts for today's Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Hotline.

The topic is neck and back pain. Meidinger and physical therapist Karin Westlen-Boyer, both of the new Back and Neck Center at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (TOSH), will take phoned-in questions from 10 a.m. to noon at 1-800-925-8177 or 801-236-6061 from along the Wasatch Front. They'll also answer questions posted during the hotline on Facebook at www.facebook.com/desnews.

Muscle pain, whether from injury or stress, can have a cascading effect, with spasms, muscle tightness and inflammation that can actually change body mechanics and create even more pain and potential for injury or strain.

And there are other neck pains, as well, including that from degenerative processes "that challenge us all sooner or later," says Meidinger.

Herniated disks can occur along the spine, from the neck to the back, creating numbness, pain, weakness or other symptoms. And there are a number of ways to treat them, say the two, who triage neck and back pain and then help those suffering from it figure out their next step and whom to see for treatment, including physical therapists, surgeons and others. Sometimes what's needed first is an MRI or an X-ray, and they can arrange that, as well.

What they don't do, says Meidinger, is deal with acute trauma, such as injuries from a car accident or a fall. That's best evaluated in an urgent-care setting, they say.

The upper and lower sections of the spine are much more prone to herniated disks than the middle, says Westlen-Boyer.

She says the neck pains they see are typically muscle strains, disk degeneration and arthritis.

The center also has an educational psychologist on staff to help with evaluations because some patients who come in with back problems are also suffering from anxiety and depression, which may increase the severity of the pain.