Increasing number of problems in the neck and shoulder area

Aches and pains are one of the most common physical complaints and therefore play an important role in medical treatment. A relatively highly proportion of this pain is classified as chronic, meaning that it lasts for a long period of time or constantly reoccurs. Back pain, headaches, facial pain, muscle and joint pain, and neck and shoulder pain are some of the most common types of chronic pain.
A representative study of the German population compared the frequency of pain in 1975 and in 1994 (Schumacher/Brähler, 1999). The results showed that all of the pain symptoms recorded occurred more often in 1994 than in 1975. There was a clear increase in neck pain, pain in the limbs and headaches in particular.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, 56 per cent of men and 62 per cent of women suffer from back pain at least once a year. 36 per cent of those suffer from problems in the neck and shoulder girdle area.
Sources: Schumacher J, Brähler E: Prävalenz von Schmerzen in der deutschen Bevölkerung. (Prevalence of pain in the German population.) Der Schmerz, 1999; 6: pp. 375–384.
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