What a Pain in the Neck!
Neck pain is a very common occurrence and something we see in our practice quite often. There are quite a few things that can cause neck pain and they all require a slightly different approach to care. Things like automobile crashes, sports injuries and slip and fall type injuries require a thorough up front examination to make sure there is no condition so severe as to need emergency medical care. However, more subtle things like poor posture, repetitive use injuries and muscle dysfunction need a deeper look to see what may be happening under the surface that can’t be seen by the casual observer. The most common question we get asked from patients is, “What caused this?” Here are a few things that can lead to neck pain:
Poor Posture: A condition we refer to as “tech neck” has run rampant lately. We are all staring at our devices more and more these days. Letting your head ride forward on your shoulders creates a myriad of problems that should be corrected ASAP. I put poor sleep positions in this category as well because the SAME EXACT thing is happening (poor posture) you’re just asleep instead of awake.
Impact Injuries. Rear-end auto collisions often result in whiplash injury, which occurs when the head is jerked backward and then forward, straining the soft tissues of the neck. Sports injuries and “slip and fall injuries” can also cause this same type of action that leads to neck pain.
Muscle strains. Overuse or repetitive use, such as WAY too many hours slunched over your computer, smartphone, tablet or even behind the wheel will trigger muscle strains and imbalances (see above). Even things like excessive stress, reading or watching TV in bed or clenching your jaw, can trigger imbalanced neck muscles to go haywire.
Worn out joints and discs. Much like the other joints in your body, your neck joints tend to wear down with age. This is something known degenerative joint disease. Degenerative change (often called arthritis…but I don’t care for this term. More on that later) causes the cartilage between your neck bones (vertebrae) to deteriorate. Your body then forms bone spurs that affect joint motion and cause pain.
Nerve compression (aka Pinched nerves). Herniated discs, bone spurs, even the degeneration mentioned above can chafe, choke and irritate the nerves branching out from the spinal cord or even the cord itself. This problem will often be accompanied by sharp, shooting, shock-like pain running down your shoulder(s) to your arm(s) or hand(s).
Diseases. Certain diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis, infections and cancer of the bones or soft tissues can cause neck pain. This is why seeking care from a health care professional qualified to rule out the bad stuff is a better than trying a DIY solution. While this all sounds pretty scary, research shows that less than 1% of cases fall into this category so chances are this isn’t what you have going on but its always best to check and rule it out.
The next question we get asked is, “what do I do now?”
Get a care from a Professional. The best thing to do is schedule care with a healthcare professional. I am a chiropractor. So, naturally I’m biased towards chiropractic care. I think we do a great job at figuring out what is going on and putting together a plan of action to reduce your symptoms and give you your life back. This will most likely entail a complete history, a palpation of the spine (some specific presses to see how the spine moves), and possibly Xrays to rule out serious problems and see what the structure of the spine looks like. Your PCP and urgent care are other options.
Rest. I’m not saying to be completely immobilized here. I’m saying take a break from whatever activity is probably making your symptoms worse and give your body a chance to heal.
Apply cold packs. Not heat. This is a hotly debated topic (see what I did there!?!) but ice is known for it’s anti inflammatory properties. That’s why Athletic trainers will use cold packs on athletes after a fresh/acute injury. If you sprained your ankle you wouldn’t put a hot pack on it, right? 20 minutes on, 40 minutes off repeat as often as possible.
If you’re suffering with neck pain, give our office a call today at (508) 747-2900 or click the big red button at the top of the page. We can perform a high quality evaluation to see what is going on and start getting you on your way to relief immediately!