Neck Pain
During our lives, many of us will have neck pain, and most of us won’t know exactly what caused it. In fact, neck pain can start from a whole range of causes. Maybe you “slept funny” and woke with a crick in your neck or you might have been rear-ended in your car and now you have a whiplash. Perhaps you just twisted your neck wrong one day.
Even though most of us will experience neck pain, we won’t all feel it in the same way. Sometimes, the discomfort is just on one side of your neck; sometimes, pain shoots down your arms. A problem in your neck may even cause terrible headaches or dizziness. Symptom may be gone in a few days, or you may have long-term pain that limits what you can do every day.
Recurring aches, pains and stiffness of the neck, or discomfort that lasts more than 24 hours, should have a professional evaluation. Repeated episodes of neck stiffness may indicate early stages of joint or disc degeneration.
Anatomy of Neck Pain
Incredibly your neck, also called the cervical spine, supports the full weight of your head, which is on average about 12 pounds. While the cervical spine can more your head in nearly every direction, this flexibility makes the neck very susceptible to pain and injury.
There are 7 cervical vertebrae in the neck (C1-C7). In between each vertebra are tough fibrous shock-absorbing pads called the intervertebral discs. Each disc is made up of a tire-like outer band (annulus fibrosus) and a gel-like inner substance (nucleous pulposus).
Besides the bones and the discs, your neck has joints, muscles, and ligaments. They are what make your neck so moveable. They also stabilize your neck.
Your neck houses the upper part of your spinal cord, nerve roots, and an elaborate system of arteries and veins. The nerves in your neck help the brain communicate with your shoulders, arms, and chest. The arteries and veins circulate blood between the brain and the heart. Considering the freedom of movement and the intricacies of the neck, it is no wonder that your neck is at risk for pain and injury.
All in all, your neck is amazing and intricate. However, because it has such freedom of movement, it is at a high risk for pain or injury.
Typical Causes of Neck Pain
Injury and Accidents: A sudden forced movement of the head or neck in any direction and the resulting rebound in the opposite direction is known as whiplash. The sudden “whipping” motion injures the surrounding and supporting tissues of the neck and head. Muscles react by tightening and contracting, creating muscle fatigue, which can result in pain and stiffness. Severe whiplash can also be associated with injury to the intevertebral joints, discs, ligaments, muscles, and nerve roots. Car accidents are the most common cause of whiplash, but amusement park rides, contact sports, or any trauma where the head is whipped back and forth can cause whiplash. Oftentimes the injured party does not experience whiplash pain for 12 to 24 hours or longer after the injury. Although the pain from a whiplash will often disappear, the injured muscles and ligaments may form scar tissue leaving the disc with no blood supply which can result in degenerative changes to the neck region over time.
Aging: Degenerative disorders such as osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease directly affect the spine.
- Osteoarthritis is a common joint disorder causing progressive deterioration of the cartilage. The body reacts by forming bone spurs that affect joint motion.
- Spinal stenosis causes the small nerve passageways in the vertebrae to narrow, compressing and trapping nerve roots. Stenosis may cause neck, shoulder, and arm pain, as well as numbness, when these nerves are unable to function normally.
- Degenerative disc disease can cause reduction in the elasticity and height of intervertebral discs. Over time, a disc may bulge or herniate, causing tingling, numbness, and pain that runs into the arm.
Daily Life: Poor posture, obesity, and weak abdominal muscles often disrupt spinal balance, causing the neck to bend forward to compensate. Stress and emotional tension can cause muscles to tighten and contract, resulting in pain and stiffness. Postural stress can contribute to chronic neck pain with symptoms extending into the upper back and the arms.
The type of discomfort or pattern of pain sometimes serves as a clue to what is wrong. For example:
- A neck that is relatively pain-free in the morning and worsens as the day goes on frequently indicates strain, fatigue or muscular weakness.
- A neck that is stiff and painful in the morning and feels better as the day goes on may indicate some underlying condition such as arthritis.
- Neck pain that is aggravated by coughing or sneezing may indicate a disc herniation.
- Dizziness, light-headedness, or pain that develops when the head is turned or elevated, is evidence of a possible vascular problem. However, symptoms of light-headedness, vertigo, unsteadiness, weakness, difficulty with balance also can be caused by an imbalance in the cervical (neck) spine. These symptoms when properly evaluated will determine the need for additional testing, referral, or the appropriateness of chiropractic conservative intervention.
Neck Adjustments
A neck adjustment is a precise procedure applied to the joints of the neck, usually by hand. A neck adjustment works to improve the mobility of the spine and to restore range of motion; it can also increase movement of the adjoining muscles. Patients typically notice an improved ability to turn and tilt the head, and a reduction of pain, soreness, and stiffness.