Causes of neck pain

Neck Pain - Overview

Everyone has experienced neck pains at one point or another. Sometimes, it is harmless, maybe more annoying than anything else. Most causes of neck pain aren't that serious. However, at times, it may be caused by much more serious problems which need to be discovered and dealt with. It is more common with the elderly and with those people who, due to their occupation, have to hold their neck in one position.

Prevention

Being that most types of neck pain are the consequence of age or bad posture, with some simple corrections one may lessen the chances of neck pain reappearing.

One should avoid sleeping on the stomach, because it puts additional stress to the neck muscles.

If sitting for a long time, every now and then, one should stretch. Massages are very effective when it comes to relieving and avoiding neck pain.

Symptoms

The exact place and harshness of one’s neck pain provides significant clues in establishing what might be causing it. One should inform the doctor about any head or neck movements that may make one’s neck pain better or worse.

Usually, the sensation when one gets, when experiencing neck pain may be: neck-stiffness, soreness, maybe a headache, or sometimes, pain between the shoulder blades.

Neck pain does not always require medical attention. However, if one of the following signs appears, one should seek care immediately.

These include: change in bladder or bowel habits, shooting pain down one’s arm (which can also be a sign of a heart attack), numbness, loss of strength in one’s arms, etc.

Causes of neck pain

There are several causes of neck pain, from the simple ones like ageing, to the more severe ones.

1) Worn joints. As people perform their daily routine, they are not aware of the damage that they may be causing to the joints in their neck. This may lead to osteoarthritis, which affects the cartilage, making ones bones rub together and cause even more pain.

2 ) Injuries. Rear-end collisions frequently result in whiplash injuries, which occur when the head is tugged forward and then backward, stretching the soft tissues of the neck beyond any limits. Serious cases of whiplash may involve injury to the intervertebral discs, ligaments, muscles, etc.

3) Muscle strains. If one is forced hold the neck in a certain, possibly unnatural position over a long course of time, it may cause the muscles in the neck to become strained. Even the smallest things done repeatedly may cause muscle strains.

4) Sometimes, neck pain is a symptom of another condition, the most serious being cancer of the spine, rheumatoid arthritis and meningitis.