Waking cervical pain and stiffness, headache, scapular or arm pain: Gender and age effects

Abstract

A random population-based study using a structured telephone questionnaire was undertaken to determine the frequency, duration and prevalence of waking cervical spine pain and stiffness, headache, and aching between the scapulae or in the arm and their relationship to age and gender. Seventy-six per cent of households contacted completed the questionnaire, yielding a total of 812 questionnaires. Subjects most commonly reported waking with scapular or arm pain (27%) followed by headache (19%), cervical pain (18%) and cervical stiffness (17%). The majority of subjects reported that symptoms lasted for more than an hour on one or two occasions during the week. Subjects who reported the presence of one type of waking symptom were significantly more likely to report other waking symptoms. Females were significantly more likely to wake with a headache than males (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.6 to 4.0), while all subjects aged over 60 years were significantly less likely to wake with a headache than subjects in other age groups (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.0). Females exhibited a decline in waking cervical pain, stiffness and headache with increasing age. In contrast, males exhibited a peak prevalence of waking cervical pain, stiffness and headache in the 40 to 59 year age group. The prevalence of waking with aching between the scapulae or in the arm behaved differently from the other symptom groups in both genders.

How Well Does Your Own Pillow Perform?

“…The data collection process and a summary of the survey questions is reported elsewhere (7,8,24). Study 2 collected data prospectively for a week on each trial pillow [five experimental pillows and "own" pillow].…”

“…This study examined only side sleepers with no recent history of injury or accident to the cervico-thoracic spine (8). No information was collected in either study on the type of mattress on which subjects slept, or the effect of sleeping with a partner, thus the "fit" of pillow to body shape on the mattress was not investigated.…”

“…There is a moderate body of evidence which reports preferred sleep position and the consistency of such positions (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). However there is very little information regarding the biomechanics of sleep posture on mattresses and pillows (9-12).…”

“…It is hypothesized that individuals choose to sleep on a particular pillow in order to optimize sleep quality and comfort and to minimize waking symptoms. Subjects who repeatedly suffer waking symptoms without any other known reasons, report changing their pillow repeatedly in order to reduce symptom production (8). The role of a pillow is to fill the gap between the sleeping surface and the cervical spine lordosis [curve] in supine or side-lying, on the belief that a spine held in, or close to, neutral position will not be biomechanically stressed (22)(23).…”

Rotator Cuff Tears and Shoulder Impingement: A Tale of Two Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews

“…International figures indicate that at any point in time approximately 10-15% of the population will be suffering an episode of neck pain, and 40% will suffer neck pain during a 12-month period (Ariens et al 1999). Figures for the Australian population are lacking, although one survey reported that 18% of individuals woke with cervical pain and 4% suffered from it all day (Gordon et al 2002).…”