Which is worse – neck pain or back pain?
I hear this question often in my chiropractic office. Of course the answer is easy – if you have back pain, back pain is definitely worse than neck pain. If you have neck pain, neck pain is definitely worse than back pain. Another common question that I hear regarding low back pain is why sitting makes it hurt more than standing. This is a good question, which can be answered through physics. I remember seeing a diagram in one of my office ergonomic books that exposed the different stress levels on the spinal disks with various body positions. The diagram had drawings of a person standing, lying down, sitting and then sitting while hunched forward with very poor posture. The disk pressure differences with these different postures was given as follows: 1) Standing upright 100% 2) Lying down 24% 3) Sitting upright 140% 4) Sitting hunched 190% The explanation of the much higher disk pressures while sitting is explained by examining the structural changes that occur when we change from a s
