Surprising Causes of Neck Pain 頸部疼痛的意外原因

海蒂·戈德曼/文　范君武/譯

Your daily activities may be triggering pain without you realizing it. 或許日?；顒诱谝鹛弁?，而你卻渾然不知。

A sore neck can dog you in every position—lying down， sitting， standing， or walking—and the discomfort can be debilitating. The pain might come from structural neck problems such as arthritis （worn cartilage at the ends of your neck bones） or degenerated discs （worn cushions between your neck bones）.

躺著、坐著、站著或走路，哪種姿勢都可能讓你遭受頸部酸痛困擾，并且與之而來的不適感可能讓你感到虛弱無力。疼痛可能來自頸部結構問題，諸如關節炎（頸部骨端軟骨磨損）或椎間盤退行性病變（頸部骨骼間緩沖墊的磨損）。

But often the cause is related to strains in the neck muscles， triggered by something subtle in your daily routine. Here are some surprising culprits behind neck pain and strain， plus quick fixes to feel better.

但是，一般而言，其原因與頸部的肌肉損傷有關。這種肌肉損傷由日?；顒拥奈⑿∈录l。下文討論頸部疼痛和損傷問題背后讓人意想不到的原因，以及緩解疼痛的快速補救方法。

Binge-watching a TV show

放縱看電視

Like to watch back-to-back episodes of your favorite program？ You might be holding your neck in an awkward position for hours at a time. “A lot of people lean way back while they watch TV， extending the neck backward. Or they lean to the side， forcing the neck too far sideways. Both positions can strain neck muscles，” says David Evangelista， a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

有愛看的電視節目，你喜歡下集接上集看個不停嗎？或許你一連數小時讓頸部處于不自然的姿勢。哈佛大學附屬斯波爾丁康復醫院理療師戴維·伊萬杰利斯塔說：“許多人看電視時身體后仰，脖頸后伸，或者身體側傾，迫使頸部側移太多。這兩種姿勢都會拉傷頸部肌肉?！?/p>

Quick fixes： “Use a horseshoe-shaped travel pillow that goes around your neck when you lean back to watch TV. If you lean to the side， use more pillows to fill the gap between your head and shoulders. And change your position every 15 or 20 minutes to give your neck a break， so it doesnt get stiff，” Evangelista says.

快速補救方法：“身體后仰看電視時，把一個U形旅行頸枕套在脖子上。假如頭伸向一側，用更多的枕頭來填充頭與肩膀之間的空隙?！币寥f杰利斯塔說，“每隔15或20分鐘，變換姿勢，以讓頸部休息一下，這樣頸部就不會感覺僵硬?！?/p>

Leaning forward

身體前傾

You might lean forward throughout the day， whether thats toward a computer monitor thats hard to see or toward another person during a conversation. If you extend your neck each time， that can strain the muscles and cause pain.

你或許整天身體前傾，無論是朝著不易看清的電腦屏幕，還是交談中向另一個人靠近。如果你每次都伸長脖子，就會損傷肌肉導致疼痛。

Quick fixes： If youre going to lean， keep your back straight and tilt forward at your hips. If you cant see your computer monitor well， pull it closer to you or increase the font size. If you have eyeglasses for reading or distance vision， see if they help. If they dont help enough， you can get glasses just for using a computer. If you dont use eyeglasses， get an eye exam： you may need a pair. Similarly， if you lean forward a lot to hear people in conversation， consider getting a hearing test.

快速補救方法：如果身體需要前傾，要挺直后背，腰部前傾。如果看不清電腦顯示器上的字，拉進距離或者放大字體。如果閱讀或看遠處需要眼鏡幫忙，檢查眼鏡是否還管用。如果眼鏡不管用，可以配副專門的電腦眼鏡。如果你不戴眼鏡，可以去檢查一下視力，可能需要配一副。同樣道理，如果身體前傾許多才能聽清談話，那么考慮一下進行聽力檢查。

Wearing a flimsy bra

穿戴輕薄的文胸

Wearing a bra with little support makes your muscles and ligaments do all the heavy lifting. For someone with heavy breasts， the extra weight can pull the neck forward and stress the neck and shoulder muscles， leading to neck and back pain.

穿戴的胸罩幾乎沒有支撐力，你身體的肌肉與韌帶會負擔所有重量。乳房大的人，額外的重量會將其頸部向前拉，從而壓迫頸部和肩部肌肉，導致頸部與后背疼痛。

Quick fixes： Get a better bra. Make sure both the underwire and middle section of the bra lie flat against your body， the cups arent too tight or too loose， and the band is level across your back and doesnt ride up. Or try a sports bra or posture bra that brings the weight of the breasts closer to your ribcage and distributes it across your torso.

快速補救方法：購買更好的胸罩。確保胸罩的鋼圈和中間部分平貼身體，罩杯不要太緊，也不要太松。束帶水平地橫跨背部，不要向上移動。或者嘗試運動胸罩或塑形胸罩，讓乳房的重量更靠近胸腔，并均衡分布于整個軀干。

Sleeping in risky positions

睡眠姿勢危險

Sleeping seems harmless， but some sleep positions pose big risks for the neck. When you sleep on your stomach， for example， you rotate your head to the side. Sleeping on your side without the right support pushes your neck toward your shoulder. Staying in these positions for hours can cause neck muscle strain and pain.

睡眠看似無害，但有些睡姿給頸部帶來很大危險。例如，俯臥姿勢睡覺時，頭要轉向一邊。如果沒有合適的支撐物，側睡會迫使頸靠近肩。數個小時保持這樣的體位，會引起頸部肌肉勞損和疼痛。

Quick fixes. Avoid sleeping on your stomach. And if youre a side sleeper， check the support under your neck. “Lie on your side with your head on your pillow. If you can easily slide your hand in the space between your head and shoulders， youre not getting enough support at night. Get a new pillow to fill the gap. Any material will do，” Evangelista says.

快速補救方法：避免俯臥睡眠。假如你喜歡側睡，查看脖頸下是否有支撐物?！皞扰P時，頭平放在枕頭上。如果手可以輕松地在頭和肩膀之間的空隙里自由移動的話，那么夜里睡眠中你的頭未得到足夠的支撐。再拿個枕頭來填補這個空隙，或其他可以起到支撐的物件都可以?！币寥f杰利斯塔說。

Sitting “comfortably”

“舒服地”坐著

For many people， sitting comfortably means slouching， which is bad for your neck and back. “Poor posture puts abnormal strain on the spine， including the neck and the ligaments holding it together， and that can cause pain，” Evangelista says.

對許多人來說，舒服地坐著意味著低頭垂肩，這會對脖頸和背部有害。伊萬杰利斯塔說：“不良的姿勢會對脊柱產生不正常的勞損，包括拉傷頸部和連接頸部的韌帶，這種壓力會導致疼痛?！?/p>

Quick fixes： Sit up straight， pull your chin back， lower your shoulders， and arch your back. If thats challenging at first， sit on the edge of your chair for a few minutes， which makes sitting up straight a little easier， and then sit farther back on the seat. If your budget allows， get an ergonomic desk chair with low-back support， adjustable height， and a thick seat cushion.

快速補救方法：坐直，收緊下巴，不要聳肩，并拱起背部。假如這樣做起初有點困難，那么就在椅子邊先坐幾分鐘，這樣讓你更容易坐直，然后再后移坐好。如果預算允許，買一把帶有下背靠，高度可調，且帶有厚坐墊的人體工程學辦公座椅。

Looking at electronic screens

看電子屏幕

We all spend a lot of time looking at electronic devices. For example， you might be looking up at a TV mounted on a wall， or down at a smartphone or laptop. The trouble is that your head is heavy; angling it up or down for a long time leads to muscle strain and pain.

我們都花許多時間看電子設備。例如，仰頭看壁掛式電視機，或低頭看智能手機，抑或筆記本電腦。問題在于頭部重量很大，長時間抬頭或低頭都會導致肌肉勞損與疼痛。

Quick fixes： Keep TVs， smartphones， and computer screens at eye level. Consider lowering the height of your TV， elevating your computer screen by putting it on a small stand， or raising your smartphone screen by putting it on a stand or a pillow on your lap. “Wearing a travel pillow around your neck can add neck support，” Evangelista says.

快速補救方法：保持電視機、智能手機、電腦屏幕與眼睛處于同一水平?？紤]降低電視機的高度，或通過把電腦顯示器放置在小托架上，從而抬高電腦顯示器，或通過手機支架或大腿上放置枕頭的方式，提升智能手機屏幕高度?！安弊由咸滓粋€旅行頸枕，可以增加對脖子的支撐?！币寥f杰利斯塔說。

Lifting heavy dumbbells

提拉重啞鈴

Evangelista says many people lift dumbbells that are too heavy. “That throws off your body mechanics. Your trapezius muscles in the back overcompensate. Theyre connected to the neck， and the overuse can cause neck pain，” he says.

伊萬杰利斯塔提到很多人用的啞鈴太重。“這就導致人體力學失衡，背部斜方肌過度補償。因為斜方肌與頸部相連，所以過度使用斜方肌會引起頸部疼痛?！?/p>

Quick fixes： If youre struggling to lift a dumbbell， use a lighter weight. Make sure youre using proper form; a physical therapist or certified personal trainer can guide you.

快速補救方法：如果提拉啞鈴吃力，可以選用重量輕的啞鈴。確保鍛煉時，身體姿勢合理；理療師或注冊私人健身教練可以給你提供指導。

Getting stressed

壓力大

“We carry a lot of stress in our necks. We raise our shoulders and tense our muscles. If you have any underlying neck problems， it irritates them，” Evangelista says.

“我們用頸部負擔巨大壓力。我們聳肩并繃緊肌肉，假如你的頸部有潛在問題，就會產生疼痛。”伊萬杰利斯塔說。

Quick fixes： Practice stress management. Try some deep breathing exercises， go for a quiet walk in nature， or learn how to meditate. “Ive seen people whose neck problems go away when they get stress under control，” Evangelista says. “Its an important part of any plan to reduce neck pain.”

快速補救方法：練習處理壓力。嘗試一些深呼吸鍛煉，去大自然中靜靜地散步，或學會冥想。伊萬杰利斯塔說：“我曾見過那些壓力一處理好，頸部問題就消失的人。任何減輕頸部疼痛問題的計劃中，壓力處理都很重要?！?/p>