New runner (43 yrs old) neck pain????

ChasDomenici

So I’ve decided to start running. The first time ever, and it’s going really slow. I don’t have problems in my knees or hips, but my neck is starting to hurt. Is that common?

estherdragonbat

Not for running but... I'm 4 years older than you and have been having periodic neck pain for the last couple of years. I saw my doctor about it yesterday and he thinks it might be early stages of either degenerative disc disease or osteoarthritis. I'm waiting to hear back about the x-ray now.

He said both conditions often hit in the 40s.

So the running might be incidental.

I'd get it checked out to know for sure.

Duck_Puddle

Are you perhaps leaning forward (hunched over or just with your head) and/or running with a lot of tension (are your hands in a fist/shoulders hunched up/etc.)? Those can cause neck discomfort.

apullum

Duck_Puddle wrote: »

Are you perhaps leaning forward (hunched over or just with your head) and/or running with a lot of tension (are your hands in a fist/shoulders hunched up/etc.)? Those can cause neck discomfort.

This was my problem when I started running. I was tensing up my neck and shoulders. I started paying attention to my posture and trying to drop my shoulders back down, and that helped a lot.

lorrpb

estherdragonbat wrote: »

Not for running but... I'm 4 years older than you and have been having periodic neck pain for the last couple of years. I saw my doctor about it yesterday and he thinks it might be early stages of either degenerative disc disease or osteoarthritis. I'm waiting to hear back about the x-ray now.

He said both conditions often hit in the 40s.

So the running might be incidental.

I'd get it checked out to know for sure.

The running can aggravate existing neck arthritis. The impact doesn't stop at your knees or hips, it travels all the way up your spine. I stopped running for this reason. My neck pain, which I've had since my early 40s to varying degrees, had gotten worse. When I tried to think about what had changed the past few months, I realized I had started running again. So I stopped running and the pain improved. I decided running wasn't worth it, since I wasn't an avid runner to begin with.

TavistockToad

ChasDomenici wrote: »

So I’ve decided to start running. The first time ever, and it’s going really slow. I don’t have problems in my knees or hips, but my neck is starting to hurt. Is that common?

You might want to try a program like c25k.

It could be that you're tensing your upper body as you run?

rebelsue2

Yep, tensing up my neck, it hurts! Also if you're a woman i found i can't wear the crossover racer type of bra while running it pulls my shoulders too far in and it hurts! A normal over the shoulder style works better!

I also have to consciously think to relax my shoulders at various points during a run!

lorrpb

rebelsue2 wrote: »

Yep, tensing up my neck, it hurts! Also if you're a woman i found i can't wear the crossover racer type of bra while running it pulls my shoulders too far in and it hurts! A normal over the shoulder style works better!

I also have to consciously think to relax my shoulders at various points during a run!

If you lightly hold your thumb to your middle finger while running, it helps prevent tense shoulders. Sounds weird, but I've found it works.

mbaker566

very common with newer runners and tired runners.
think about relaxing and rolling your shoulders back, relax your neck, relax your jaw.