Oh My Aching Neck!
Much like back pain an episode of neck pain is a very common experience in a person’s life time. Amazingly, 90 percent of the neck pain problems get resolved on their own due to the self healing capacity of the human body. People above the age of 50 are more likely to have neck pain. However, young adults and kids are not immune from neck pain.
Consider the dedicated law student studying for his final exams. He really wants to pass, so he really spends time with the books. In doing this he is tense because of anxiety, and holds his head in a constant position too long, with too little motion and no breaks for hours at a time.
His neck muscles are used to tonic contraction (holding with little motion) but not as long as he is using them that way. The reward for this is muscle spasms and neck pain.
Spasms of the Neck Muscles
Seemingly innocuous tasks can trigger neck pain. Simple tasks as watching TV, working on a computer, reading a book, staying too long in the thinking pose, or simply dosing on a chair with the head propped on to one side after a hard day of work could cause neck pain. It all depends on how we keep the head while we perform a certain task. Sleeping in a wrong way in the night can make a person wake up with a stiff neck. But as mentioned earlier, fortunately these posture induced neck pain is of minor nature and they go away on their own with proper rest and discontinuation of the pain causing activity. The problem is when it doesn’t go away with rest and persists for days. That’s when something is wrong with the neck.
Exercise, Sports, and Neck Pain
Those that love the gym should be careful while doing work outs. They should be cautious and must avoid putting unaccustomed strain on the neck. It can lead to neck pain instantly. Sports that involve rough body contact or that involve tumbles and falls invariably cause neck pain. Rugby, high jump, pole vault, and boxing are some sports where neck pain is too common. Interestingly, there are certain movement exercises that can reduce neck pain and allow better movement of the neck muscles.
Stress is Another Cause
Some times stress can bring on neck pain. When we get neck pain for no apparent reason stress could be the culprit. Putting ourselves under too much stress will have its effect on the body and the mind. The mind and body connection is real. Body pains may have their roots in the mind.
Accidents, Injuries, and Falls
The whiplash effect in a car accident or caused by braking suddenly may cause severe neck pain. Injuries sustained on the neck while involved in accidents or while participating in sports and games could be serious, and would require detailed examination of the neck to determine the extent and type of the damage done to the neck.
When the head is thrown violently forward and back the ligaments and muscles in the neck suffer tears. The muscles can and usually do heal. The ligaments may heal, but less reliably. There are frequently small fractures, especially in the facet joints, that may not show on x-ray at all. Just because the physician can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Young women are more susceptible to these injuries than men, because they have less muscle strength.
Determining the Cause from the Symptoms
It’s essential to have a detailed medical examination as advised by the doctor to determine the cause of neck pain. Usually a doctor would be able to zero on the causes of neck pain going by the symptoms. Sprain and strains of the neck muscle will be characterized by pain and stiffness that spreads to the upper arm, shoulder, or upper back. When a nerve root is pinched or compressed pain will shoot down to the arm and fingers. If shooting pain is felt in both the arms then the neck injury is of a more serious nature and immediate medical advice should be sought.
When neck pain is accompanied by headache, dizziness, or a very uneasy stomach the cause could be a herniated disc. However, a doctor should be consulted to determine the exact cause of neck pain and the line of treatment should be followed basing on the doctor’s advice. These are just information to give a basic idea about neck pain and by no means can replace the advice and diagnosis of a doctor.
Just because pain spreads from the neck to the arm and even the hand does NOT mean a nerve is pinched. The pain may arise from injured and overstretched ligaments.
Neck Pain Due to Medical Conditions
Neck pain often appears not as a main problem but as one of the symptoms of a more severe illness. Certain medical conditions cause neck pain. When such a thing is suspected we need to consult the doctor without the slightest delay. The aim here is not to treat the neck pain alone but to wipe out any disease that the body may be harboring of which the neck pain is just a symptom.
Arthritis: Usually induced by old age, arthritis can create feelings of numbness, tingling sensation, or weakness in the arm and the hand. Arthritis leads to a pinched nerve and is pain is felt on one side of the neck.
Impending Heart Attack: Neck pain accompanied by chest pain could be the sign of an impending heart attack. Timely intervention could avert a major health disaster and possibly save life.
Torticollis: This is a medical condition where the muscles on one side of the neck are severely contracted. This can be congenital or can happen due to spasmodic reasons caused by injury or disease. The chin is tilted to one side and movement to the other side becomes painful.
As mentioned earlier, these are just basic information to help understand the sufferer of neck pain about the possible cause of their condition. They should not replace diagnostic procedure. Only a physician can determine the precise cause of neck pain through physical examination of the patient and carrying out required tests. In that direction, these information would be helpful and encourage a neck pain sufferer not to take all neck pains lightly. Especially, the ones that appear accompanied by other symptoms should not be ignored and expected to go away on their own. Timely medical intervention can help neck pain, and any other serious underlying illness.
