Is your neck and or back stiff? Have you ever wondered why? In this blog, I’ll tell you more about what can cause stiffness and how to solve it.

One very common reason for a stiff neck and back is a sedentary lifestyle, mainly prolong sitting and using a computer and phone for a long period. Consider this, hundreds and thousands of years ago, our ancestors use their muscles and joints to run and hunt, rather than sitting on a rock, looking at computers and mobile phones like we do nowadays. The human body is designed to do all sorts of motions instead of staying in one position for a long time. As the human body adapts to the sedentary lifestyle, the spinal stabilising muscles, specifically the multifidus muscles, will be deconditioned, which leads to decreased joint proprioception (ability to understand its position in time and space) and loss of joint stability.

There is evidence which shows that spinal joint dysfunction is the result of joint instability. Once the brain senses that there is a deficit in the feedback from the mechanoreceptors of the spine, it sends a signal to the surrounding large muscle to stiffen up to provide spinal support. Hence, you would feel that your neck and back are tight, stiff, sore or even painful.

How can chiropractic help? A Chiropractor can diagnose the cause of stiffness and provide the best appropriate treatment. Chiropractic uses subtle adjustments to help with movement and relieve stiffness through joints and muscles. It provides proprioception stimulation and an analgesic effect on the joint that is adjusted. What’s more, evidence shows that combined chiropractic treatment with proper rehabilitation exercise is the most effective way to tackle neck and back stiffness.

Whilst utilising Chiropractic care begin to change your habits by starting to walk more. Studies showed a 6-week walk training program was as effective as 6 weeks of strengthening exercises for the lower back. Also, there was no difference between walking, an evidence-based exercise class and usual manual therapy in clinical outcomes for people with chronic lower back pain. Walking speed is also important, as higher speed is necessary to activate the multifidus muscles. Over-ground is also better than treadmill walking. (1,2) 30-minute continuous walking every day is recommended because it reactivates the spinal stabilising muscles, which increases spinal stability and joint proprioception. Therefore, the surrounding large muscles will be deactivated and relaxed.

To conclude, combining chiropractic treatment with a 30-minute daily purposeful walk with a moderate pace is a good start to improve your long-standing neck and back stiffness.

  1. Hurley, D. A., Tully, M. A., Lonsdale, C., Boreham, C. A. G., van Mechelen, W., Daly, L., et al. (2015). Supervised walking in comparison with fitness training for chronic back pain in physiotherapy. Pain, 156(1), 131–147.
  2. Shnayderman, I., & Katz-Leurer, M. (2013). An aerobic walking programme versus muscle strengthening programme for chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation, 27(3), 207–214.