Basics of Neck Pain and Injuries
Most of the time, our daily movements won’t cause any issues. However, it is possible that neck pain and injuries can develop from:
- Overuse
- Bad posture
- Trauma
Neck pain and injuries don’t discriminate. We have seen many people experience pain as a result of:
- Sports activities
- Recreational activities
- Work related activities
- Home projects
- Bad posture
- Car accidents
Neck pain and injuries from any of these causes can greatly impact your life. The pain can spread to your shoulders, back, or arms. It could also cause a severe headache. Limited neck movement can make everyday tasks more difficult. Driving can become dangerous if you aren’t able to freely rotate your head. Neck pain includes the entire area from the base of your skull, down into your shoulders.
- Cervical spine
- Discs
- Ligaments
- Muscles
Most often, when people suffer from neck pain and injuries they experience pain in more than one of these areas.
What Causes Neck Pain?
Sprains and strains are the most common types of neck pain, according to what doctor’s see in their offices each year, but those sprains and strains can be caused by a very wide range of things. Some things that cause neck pain are able to be protected against, such as making sure you sleep in a comfortable position, but most of the issues that contribute to neck pain are difficult to prevent. Getting past your pain and on with your life is important, and the best way to do that is to figure out the cause of your pain so it can be properly treated.
Activities that may lead to Neck Pain and Injuries
Minor injuries to the neck typically consist of strain, spasms, or inflammation. There are a large number of activities that can cause these symptoms. Some of them may be things you haven’t thought of before. For example, when you hold your head forward while watching television, reading, working, or looking at your mobile device you are actually putting more strain on your neck. Other activities that can cause these symptoms include:
- Sleeping on your stomach
- Using a pillow that does not provide proper support
- Resting your forehead or chin on your fist or arm
- Carrying stress in your neck and shoulders
- Exercising without proper form
Your pain and injuries could also be caused by sudden trauma. Pain that results from an injury is typically more sudden and severe than pain from the other causes listed above. You can experience neck trauma from
- Falling
- Sudden twisting motions
- Whiplash
- Getting hit in the head
These events can lead to injuries in the ligaments and muscles of the neck. This is considered to be a sprain or strain. A neck sprain or strain results in an achy neck and stiffness. This often radiates down one or both shoulders and can also affect your arm movement. It’s also possible to sustain a fracture or spinal dislocation. These are very dangerous situations as they can result in permanent paralysis. This is why it’s important to always immobilize an injured person. Herniated discs can also result in neck pain injuries and other injuries.
Other Conditions that Cause Pain in the Neck
Neck pain is not always due to the cause of an injury. There are conditions that can develop slowly over time which will lead to issues & pain. Arthritis sufferers often experience neck pain and pinched nerves. Those with severe arthritis sometimes develop symptoms such as numbness, weakness, or tingling in their arms or hands.
Other conditions can come on suddenly due to illness. For example, meningitis is a very serious illness. It causes inflammation around your brain and spinal cord. Symptoms for meningitis include a stiff neck, severe headache, and fever. Occasionally meningitis will also cause vomiting. Illness caused neck pain isn’t always quite so severe. Something as mild as the flu can also cause neck pain.
Stress is another leading cause of discomfort and pain in the neck. The tension in the neck and shoulder muscles caused by stress can be painful. The tension also increases the likelihood you could experience additional neck pain and injuries. If your muscles aren’t given the opportunity to relax then they won’t get the rest that they require.
Treatment Options for Neck Pain and Injuries
Treatment options for neck pain and injuries vary depending on the severity of the underlying cause. Many cases of neck pain can be treated with chiropractic care. Physical therapy is also another option. In some cases, medications and surgery may be required. The best thing that you can do to treat your neck pain and injuries is to reach out to an experienced and trained chiropractor. They’ll be able to accurately evaluate the health of your cervical spine and create an action plan to eliminate your pain without the side effects of medications or other treatments.
If you have any questions about neck pain and injuries, please contact A Family Chiropractic Clinic at (940) 566-0000.
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When Worry about Neck Pain and When Not to Worry
Waking up to a little neck pain is not something most people consider a worrisome problem. They are stiff, sore, and figure as they move around, their neck pain will dissipate. However, if you chronically wake up in pain, or you wake up from sudden and severe neck pain, you could be experiencing signs of an early problem that should be checked out by your chiropractor or doctor.
Common Symptoms That Go Along with Neck Pain
When you wake up to neck pain, you obviously have the pain to contend with. However, there are other signs and symptoms that you may be experiencing that go with your neck pain. You could have numbness or tingling in your neck or down your extremities or spine. These types of pains are often associated with a nerve that is irritated or emerging from your spine itself. Most of the time, this type of neck pain is relatively easy to fix and nothing that should raise a red flag. However, if you notice that the tingling or numbness accompanies limited movement or progressively gets worse, then you need to stop what you are doing and seek medical attention.
The Red Flags to Worry About with Neck Pain
If you notice any of these issues along with your neck pain, then you need to go in and see your chiropractor or your doctor as soon as they can see you. Not all types of neck pain are nothing to fear, but thankfully, most of them are something that can be fixed in a relatively short amount of time.
For neck pain that accompanies a fever, you need to go in and see a doctor. This could signify many things, meningitis being one of the ones doctors worry about the most. Typically, the neck pain only gets to being stiff with meningitis, but the other symptoms can come up quickly and leave you very sick with little notice.
Weight loss and neck pain are not often associated with each other, so if you have both, you need to go in and get checked. It could be nothing, or it could be something like cancer in one of the tissues of your neck, or a thyroid issue that is just starting to exhibit symptoms. It could also be coincidental that you have two separate issues, so make sure you go in with an open mind.
Neck pain that progressively gets worse is something to make sure you get seen for as well. Instead of slowly getting better, or even staying at the same level of neck pain, if you notice your pain going up, someone needs to see what is going on.
If you notice that your neck pain stems from the bony parts of your neck, called the vertebrae, you should definitely get checked out. Most neck pain resonates from the muscles that surround the neck. However, the bones of the neck are very delicate, so if you have pain directly coming from the bones, a specialist should look and make sure there is nothing to worry about.
When neck pain follows an accident, a medical diagnosis like cancer or arthritis, or another medical problem you have dealt with in the past, you should also go in and get checked out. Your pain could be related to one of those things, or could be benign and have no relationship, but the only way to know is to get seen.
Treatment Options in Denton, Texas When You Have Neck Pain
Dealing with neck pain can be difficult, but you do not have to lose out on quality of life if you have neck pain. You can still be active and have fun. You just need to go in and get your doctor’s advice on how to get past the pain. Most doctors will refer to you go in and see a chiropractor because they are specialists in the spinal column, which includes the neck. They understand how the pain travels up and down the spine, and what could be causing most types of pain that could come from the neck. They will want to take a good look at your entire spine, especially your neck, before determining what options you should go with next. Most of the time, they will have you come in for a series of treatments to reduce and eventually eliminate your neck pain.
Experts Can Help with Your Neck Pain
When you have a lot pain in or around your neck, you want to go and see someone that specializes in that part of the body. Otherwise, you may get someone who is simply guessing at the problem, and in turn, the solution. Find out what is going on with your neck by going in and seeing a professional, qualified, and experienced chiropractor today.
