What causes neck pain?
Most neck pain is a result of abnormalities in the soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves) of the neck. Issues with the bones and joints of the neck can also be a cause of neck pain. The most common causes of neck pain are due to injury or prolonged wear and tear to the above mentioned soft tissues. Sometimes neck pain can be the source of pain in the upper back, shoulders or arms. Rarely will infection or tumors cause neck pain.
Listed below are some common reasons for neck pain:
Degenerative and inflammatory diseases
Osteoarthritis (arthritis that is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints) usually occurs in older populations as a result of degeneration of the joints between the bones in the neck. Rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints) can cause destruction of the joints of the neck.
Cervical disc degeneration
The disc acts as a shock absorber between the bones in the neck. As the cervical disc degenerates the gel-like center of the disc thins and the space between the vertebrae narrows. The narrowing of the joints creates added stress, causing further degeneration. Degeneration of the disc can include bulging of the disc, which can put pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots exiting the spine. For more information on herniated discs, click here.
Injury
Due to its flexibility (compared to the rest of the spine) and the heavy load it supports (the head), the neck is often susceptible to injury. Not all injuries to the neck involve motor vehicles, sports, or falls, sometimes just the quick turning of the head can cause a muscle to spasm.
A "rear end" automobile collision may result in a whiplash injury to the neck. Whiplash can affect ligaments, tendons, muscles, and the bones and joints of the neck. For more information on whiplash click here.
When should you seek care?
Neck pain that is affecting your daily activities: you can't turn you head freely in each direction while driving, reading causes your neck to hurt, or you just woke up and can't move your head, these are all reasons to seek care.
Immediate care
Immediate care should be sought if you have pain after a car accident, diving accident, or fall. Pain, tingling, or numbness that radiates down the arms or legs or weakness in the limbs following an injury are also reasons to seek immediate care.
What can chiropractic and manual therapy do for my neck?
Chiropractic and manual therapy focus on the soft tissue, bones, and joints together in order to treat the musculoskeletal condition from all directions. Many patients seek chiropractic care for neck pain, because chiropractors are specifically trained in the workings of the musculoskeletal system, including the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of problems involving the muscles, bones, joints, ligaments and tendons. Chiropractic will focus on the bone and joint aspect of your condition and manual therapy will address the soft tissue component of the injury working to remove adhesions and allow the soft tissue to perform in a more efficient manner. Addressing the condition from all soft tissue components, bone and joint will provide faster response and quicker healing time than addressing the condition from only one aspect.
Diagnosing the neck pain
Determining the source of the pain must be done in order to provide the proper treatment and rehabilitation. A comprehensive exam consisting of a history, physical examination, and any additional imaging (if necessary) is required to determine the cause of neck pain. The history portion will ask about other illnesses, injuries, and previous treatment you may have had. The physical examination may include evaluation of neck motion, tenderness, and the function of the nerves and muscles in your arms and legs.
Depending on the injury and presentation of the patient including the history and examination the doctor may decide to take x-rays. X-ray studies are often helpful in allowing a closer look at the bones and joints to get a better structural understaning of your spine.
If further imaging is required, one or more of the following examinations may be performed:
Treatment
At the Center for Advanced Bodywork, we treat both the structural and functional origins of your condition or injury. This allows us to provide treatment to all the components of your condition or injury and often quicker healing time for the patient. Rest, manual and physical therapy, exercise, activity modifications, chiropractic or a combination of these methods will allow most patients to be successfully treated. When neck pain becomes chronic, a rehabilitation program that involving an exercise program and various types of physical therapy, along with treatment may be in order to help relieve your pain and prevent future flare ups.
Surgery
In most cases surgery is not required to relieve pain. Surgery may be necessary to reduce pressure on the spinal cord, nerve root, or following an injury that compromises the stability of the spine. If the symptoms of pain, tingling, and numbness down the arms continue to worsen, a surgical consultation is often the next step in determining the necessity of surgery.
If you have any questions feel free to email Dr. Friedline
