Last week, it was reported that baseball player Carlos Zambros of the Chicago Cubs was suffering with neck pain. He apparently played throughout the game, but with neck pain. As a result, he was sent home and referred for cervical spine x-rays. Where was the neck pain coming from?
According to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago doctors found “that the discomfort was coming from a knot in his neck and is mostly muscular.”
Most people if you ask them seriously can tell you when they noticed they started experiencing Neck Pain. Same with this ball player. He attributed his neck pain to bad neck posture while watching tv. According to Zambrano, “I usually sleep with my head turned that way like when I’m watching TV. So I guess I’ll have to turn it the other way.”
Can Watching television, with your head turned a certain way, cause you so much pain, that you have to be sent to the hospital for neck x-rays. Well yes- especially if you are baseball player. Just like working on a computer for long periods of time, or working in a factory where you make widgets with your head down- watching tv with a bad neck posture can be the major source of pain. Imagine, you are sitting on your sofa, watching an hour long tv program- your head is turned one way, and your tv is on the other end. You may be using neck muscles that you are not used to using- causing discomfort, muscle spasm, tension and tightness. Now imagine you fall asleep like this– which happens with a lot of people. That can cause a major stiff neck in the morning.
Hopefully, Zambros will move his furniture around in his home so that watching television doesn’t attribute to his neck pain any more. We all know what poor sleep can do to people: tiredness, irritability, aching muscles, and neck pain. Any kind of pain can make you off of your game. I am sure this famous pitcher will figure it out.
Source:
- Carlos Zambrano on neck injury:I sleep with my head turned that way when I’m watching TV, May 27 2011
- WikiPedia: Carlos Zambrano
Additional Reading Resources
- Stiff Neck for Red Sox Pitcher Matsuzaka
- Neck Muscles Most Responsible For Your Stiff Neck And Trigger Points: The Levator Scapulae & Trapezius
- Kink in the Neck
- Remedy for A Stiff Neck
- Neck Posture
TV is just one reason. But for me, neck pain is often caused by too much use of computers and mobile phones. Normally when people use mobile phones, our head is tilted down which makes it uncomfortable. 🙂
I believe the best way to manage neck and back pain is to prevent ourselves from getting it in the first place. Most causes of neck and back pain are self-inflicted, such as bad postures during work, and at home or sport activities. Change the bad habits and we will be free from neck and back pain.
Yes, my wife even talk by gripping the phone between her head and shoulder, while using both hands doing some other things. A sure-fire way to neck and shoulder pain. She says this is multi-tasking.