Unilateral Blindness/ Unilateral Deafness-relation to Neck Pain

Neck pain is a common complaint in the general population affecting 10-15% of the general population. females more than men. Known risk factors are: Trauma, Repetitive lifting of heavy objects at work, driving vibrating vehicles, frequents diving from boards and smoking. No study dealt with the possible role of unilateral loss of vision or hearing as a risk factor for the development of neck pain. Intuitively, one might suspect that unilateral blindness or deafness will lead to a tilted position of the head, in order to cover a better visual/audio field. This position, in time, might lead to the development of neck pain.

Our hypothesis is that patients with unilateral blindness/deafness will suffer from neck pain more frequently than the general population.