Taking a Look at Neck Pain

One of the most important parts of the body is the spinal column. It is made up of individual bones called vertebrae. Joints connect all of these individual bones together and ligaments connect to bones to support joints.

This is part of a group of group of injuries called “overuse injuries”, which are most prevalent in runners and athletes who practice strenuous exercise.

This can be due to several causes such as fatigue, overuse, or improper muscle use. Muscle strains usually occur in the back in the lower back, neck, or shoulder (Healthline, 2015). The mid back, or thoracic back, is both a unique and complex anatomical structure. The complexity that makes the back so unique also predisposes the back to injury. Twelve vertebral bones comprise the thoracic spinal column, the ribs, muscles, tendons, nerves, discs, and blood vessels according to Martini (Martini et al, 2014). These tissues function to give support to the upper body while aiding in the movement of the upper body and arms. Vertebrae T1-T10 articulate with each rib in two locations, and restricts mobility of this area of the spine (Martini et al,

When it affects your neck, it takes place in the top seven vertebrae in your spine, known as the cervical spine. Over time, or if you suffer an injury, your discs can break down. Oftentimes, the proteins contained within the disc space can cause a good amount of inflammation, which can result in pain, tingling, and numbness in your neck, shoulders, arms, and even hands.

There is usually narrowing of one, or more, of three areas of the spine. One area is the canal of the spinal cord, where the nerves roots also run. The second area would be the canals branching out from the spinal cord that the roots of the nerves expand from. The third area affected would be the opening between the vertebra, where the nerves leave the spine and go to the rest of the body (Questions and Answers About Spinal Stenosis, 2013).

•Torsion occurs when opposite ends of structure twist in opposite directions. It could also result from shearing.

Any type of collision can cause a neck injury; however, whiplash is commonly associated with car accidents. A whiplash injury occurs when the head is flung back and forth abruptly. This action can cause the muscles and ligaments supporting the head, and spine to stretch or tear. Furthermore, this forceful movement can cause the vertebrae in the individual’s neck to become misplaced, which can decrease its range of motion. In addition, the soft, jellylike disc located between the vertebrae may herniate or bulge. Should this happen, pressure may be placed on the nerves and tissues surrounding the effected vertebrae and disc, leading to pain.

Eight out of ten are suffering from head, back, and neck problems. And each of them has different reasons for being affected. The most common ones are sedentary lifestyle, long working hours on a chair, and bending and lifting weight suddenly and with a jerk. As an experienced chiropractor in Ivanhoe, we have researched thoroughly on all these reasons and come out with unique techniques to overcome pain and stop it from recurring.

Muscle strains are overuse injuries that result when the muscle is stretched without being properly warmed up. An injury to the hamstring is usually readily apparent. Mild strains may involve simple, uncomfortable tightening of the muscle. More severe injuries may result in a sharp pain in the back of the thigh, usually in full stride. A rupture or tear may leave you unable to stand or walk, muscles may be tender to the touch and painful to stretch your leg. Within a few days after a tear the area may appear very bruised.

Out of the 35 who developed CINP, 15 were recurrent neck pain, while only 20 were chronic persistent neck pain (CPNP). Shahidi et al mentioned that one of the limitations of their study is that they did not do a sample size analysis. When compared to those (secondary analysis of a subgroup of 90 out of the 132 participants who did not develop CINP out of the original 171

There are five phases that make up the pain pathway, first, it is transduction of pain at the receptors, the second phase is signal conduction at peripheral nerves, and modulation at the spinal cord level. These steps are further succeeded by descending inhibition and perception at the supra spinal sites.

Whiplash is a common term used to describe several different neck injuries, often characterized by stiffness and soreness in the neck and shoulders. Whiplash is damage to the soft tissues in the neck. Whiplash is common when the vehicle a person was riding in was hit from behind or rear-ended by another vehicle. As the other vehicle hits the car in front of it, the driver’s body in the front vehicle jerks forward fast while the neck stays in place. The flexion and dramatic extension caused by the sudden impact to the rear of the vehicle causes the injury.

Headaches are common conditions which are seen in 66% of the global population, therefore causing disturbance to both quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial state (Stovner, L., et al. 2007). Cervical Headache or more commonly known as Cervicogenic headache (CGH) is mainly characterized by unilateral headache symptoms which arise from the cervical spine radiating to the fronto-temporal and possibly to the supraorbital region (Pfaffenrath, V. and Kaube, H. 1990; Nilsson, N. 1995). There is controversial evidence on the strict definition of CGH, with some criteria’s including; unilateral headache, neck pain or neck trauma injury (whiplash), reduced cervical range of motion. Although prevalent

Whiplash is a term that is used when car accidents or similar events cause the neck to move in a whip-like manner. The neck is suddenly jolted in different directions due to the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle. Although it is normally seen after car accidents, whiplash can be caused by injuries during sports, workplace accidents or falling.

There are quite a few things that can cause neck pain. This is something that happens to everyone once in a while, and it is usually either accidental injury or improper posture while doing certain activities. Neck pain can ruin your whole day, especially if you can not move your head in any direction without feeling a lot of pain. When you have pain your your neck or even your upper back, most of the time it is a muscle problem and it will resolve within a few days with the right tools. One of those tools should be a pillow for neck pain.