Everyday Activities That Can Lead to a Broken Neck

A broken neck is not a sweet experience, that’s for sure. This injury can cause great pain, render one disabled, and even lead to paralysis.

When people discuss the causes of a neck fracture, everyday activities are not the first thing they mention. Instead, they talk about sports injuries, car crashes, construction accidents, etc. Therefore, in this article, we will reveal everyday activities that can lead to a broken neck.

Slip and Falls

Slipping and falling happens as we go about our regular activities. It’s even possible for one to fall and not show any symptoms of a neck fracture until sometime later. This is why falls and slips can be very deceptive and aren’t considered dangerous.

Hitting your neck or head on a hard object or surface can lead to a cervical fracture. Falls and slips can be caused by certain factors, such as:

• Walking through uneven or cluttered pathways
• Icy or wet walking surfaces
• Walkways that are poorly maintained 
• Wearing footwear that is inappropriate for the terrain, such as slippery soles or high heels
• Inadequate lighting can cause you to lose your balance as you can’t see clearly what’s ahead of you.

Household Chores

Carrying out your regular household chores requires balance and exertion. Therefore, improper lifting or missteps might lead to neck fractures when we move suddenly or fall as mentioned above. The truth is, we often put ourselves in situations where we can get hurt through our actions. Below are some things we do while carrying out household chores that might put us at risk of a cervical fracture:

• Climbing unstable stools or ladders and overreaching to get to high places can lead to a fall if we are not well-balanced.
• Lifting heavy objects incorrectly and moving them to another location even though they are heavy.

Recreational Activities

Engaging in recreational activities is good for you in so many ways. Yet, these activities can be dangerous if we fail to implement the appropriate safety measures. For instance, diving into oceans, lakes, or even pools using a bad form can injure your neck, especially if you collide with objects inside the water. Rollerblading, skateboarding, and biking are some other recreational activities that can lead to neck fractures. Therefore, you must wear protective gear and helmets and limit the stunts and tricks you pull off.

Vehicle and Driving Accidents

While driving accidents are popular causes of neck injuries, driving is an everyday activity. Direct impacts and whiplash can destroy your cervical spine. To reduce the possibility of such a thing happening, you need to follow all safety measures, such as using a seatbelt and following all other traffic rules.

Sleep Postures 

Most of us are well aware that bad sleeping posture often leads to neck pain. While your neck will not just break after one night of maintaining a bad sleeping posture, the poor posture will have a significant effect on your neck over time. This can increase the susceptibility to a neck fracture the next time you make a sudden move or there is a minor impact on the neck.

To avoid this, you need to maintain a good sleeping posture. Don’t sleep on your stomach, as this can twist your neck. You can read this article to learn about how to sleep with neck pain.

Furthermore, you need to use pillows and mattresses that properly support your neck and body shape. You might have to change your mattress and pillows if necessary.

Lastly, don’t use pillows that are too low or too high, as either extreme can put a strain on your neck muscles. It is important to follow these steps to not just sleep well but also reduce the chances of a neck strain.