We all know neck pain is a pain in the neck, literally. This type of pain affects all of us at some point in our lives, but what causes neck pain? How can we prevent it or lessen the occurrences of neck pain during our day-to-day activities?

Most times, you cannot remember a specific incident that triggered your neck pain because the pain might not appear at that particular moment. For instance, if you are performing repetitive tasks at work, you may not notice neck pain until the following day. If you engage in sports activities or a vigorous workout after a long period of inactivity, you may not notice neck pain immediately, but it can creep up on you.

Here are three common causes that trigger minor to moderate neck pain:

1. Sleeping without proper neck support. Upon waking, if you experience neck pain, chances are your neck was not supported properly or you
"slept the wrong way," as many people say. This is an easy fix. Find a pillow that supports your neck properly. If you sleep on your side, your pillow should allow your neck to be in a "neutral" position. If you sleep on your back, your pillow should offer cushion behind your head and not push your head forward.

2. Sitting in a position in which the chair tilts back too far or causes you to hold your neck in one position for extended periods of time can result in neck pain. This often happens when sitting at a computer. If your desk and chair are not ergonomically correct, you can experience neck pains.
To correct this problem, your chair should allow you to sit straight and not slouched over. You should be able to view your monitor at eye level without bending your neck down or upward. This causes strain on the neck as well as the back and tailbone.

3. Cradling the telephone between your shoulder and your ear causes tilting of your head while pushing your shoulder in an upward position, and this causes stress on your shoulder and neck. If you spend extended periods on the phone, you have several options. You can hold the phone with your hand, invest in a headset, or use an earpiece. If you don't own a wireless headset, most home telephones have a jack where you can insert a wired earpiece. You can set the phone down while talking to prevent stress on your neck.

For minor neck pain, at-home remedies are usually the first step. Over the counter acetaminophen or ibuprofen will normally bring relief of neck pain. But, what do you do when the pain does not subside or gets worse?

It may be time to seek medical attention. Your medical doctor will assess your neck pain and perhaps recommend rest, medication, home exercises, referral to physical therapy and/or a chiropractor.

For severe neck pain as a result of an accident or injury, doctors may recommend bed rest, a neck brace or collar, cold treatment for neck pain relief and/or heat and physical therapy.

Physical therapy is normally prescribed for relief of pain and preventative care. Physical therapy may consist of massage, electrical stimulation, stretching, exercise, or other modalities.

Since we are all separate individuals, each case of neck pain should be treated as such and the therapies provided should be customized for your specific problem. With proper treatment, your neck pain should resolve over a period of time. The length, of course, will depend on the severity of the problem.