What to do about your pain in the neck

Neck pain is one of those wellbeing issues that can really interfere with your life. But whether you’re hurt or you just woke up with a stiff neck, here’s what you can do…

Psychological stress, poor sleep habits, bad posture, physical trauma, sports strain and age-related ailments can all cause various forms of issues that result in neck pain. What’s more the pain in the neck usually affects the shoulders, arms and hands by causing tightening, weakness, shooting pain and limited range of motion.

Gaining an understanding of the mechanisms of neck pain is just as important for moving toward relief as is the correct treatment method itself. It is difficult to maintain a quality of life when you have a pain in the neck.

Neck pain basics

Although 10 percent of Americans suffer from neck pain annually, there really is no way to prevent it. In fact, there are many causes of neck pain, some more serious than others. But the good news is that most neck pain is not the result of some serious illness. In fact, like back pain, neck pain comes and goes with the normal ebb and tide of life. For many people. it lasts only a week or two in most cases. In more serious cases is can last for eight weeks.

The structure of neck pain

The skeletal system is the scaffolding of the human body. It creates a structure and support for your body to be in its normal state. However, when the bones of the neck (cervical vertebrae) becomes diseased, out of alignment, or compressed, pain can be the result. This happens by negatively affecting the discs between the bones, the muscles around them, and thus the functioning of the nerve that run through them.

The muscular system is the mode of movement of the body. Contracting, flexing and extending muscles allow the body to move here and there, turn and twist and grasp. When the muscles around the neck and shoulders become tight in spasm, they make it difficult to turn or bend the neck. This limited range of motion can cause discomfort, pain and a compression of the vertebrae and potentially the nerves.

Intervertebral discs are the gel-like material that rests between the neck bones, cushioning them and creating a nice space for the nerves to move through and out of the cervical vertebrae. However, when the discs become herniated or protrude, then restrict the space through which the nerves exist causing compression and pain.

The nerves themselves are the cables that carry the signals from the brain to the rest of the body. They tell the organs and nervous system how to operate. The let us know when we feel pain and when irritated or compressed they can cause great pain that radiates from the neck to the shoulders, arms and down to the fingers.

Neck pain that is not related to serious issues, like infection or tumor, is usually related to a combination of the conditions mentioned above. Before getting into some of the treatment options, let’s take a look at some of the most common causes and symptoms of neck pain.

Causes and symptoms of neck pain

Cervical subluxation, or misalignment of the neck bones, can cause narrowing of the space where nerves reside. This creates irritation and pain that is localized and radiates. Subluxation can also cause the neck muscle to tighten in their way of protecting the body, which also causes spasm pain.

Osteoarthritis is caused by a narrowing of the cartilage between the neck bones causing bone spurs leading to pain in the neck and referred pain to the arms.

Muscle strain is caused by repetitive motion through a prolonged activity, like typing on the computer, creative work with the hands like painting, sculpting or plumbing. Muscle strain also comes from poor posture while sleeping or sitting, wherein the head is held for extended periods in a compromised position.

Whiplash and stingers are basically the same issue, wherein the neck pain is caused from trauma to the soft tissue of the neck. Rear-end car accidents cause a whipping of the neck forward and backward, and athletes in sports like wrestling and football also experience a similar event through their physical contact with another person.

Forward head posture is the result of the head being held forward of the shoulders, This causes the muscles of the shoulders and neck to have to tighten more than normal to in effect keep the head from falling more forward and bring you off balance.

Disc herniation is a more serious issue that can cause numbness or tingling in the hands, loss of strength and acute pain. When the discs rupture or bulge they put pressure on the nerves that travel down the arm and in severe cases can also affect the function of the bladder.

Spinal stenosis is when there is a narrowing of the spinal canal. Although this is more common with age, it causes a compression of the spinal cord through a thickening of the spinal ligaments and bone spurs, leading to neck pain and referred hand pain, weakness and numbness.

Treatment options

While there are quite a few reasons for you to experience pain and discomfort in your neck, the actual results are quite similar. These include, as outlined above, bone misalignment, muscle spasm, disc disease and narrowing of the spinal canal. In cases of traumatic neck pain, you should consult a physician for tests to see if there is serious injury. If no serious issue is at work, then each of these can be treated in the same way. Here are some examples.

Rest and relaxation is your best friend. By this I don’t mean sleeping your day away, but finding ways to reduce more physical strain and psychological stress. Learning to take it easy is important, and in addition to sleep, you can use self-hypnosis techniques, mediation and a cervical pillow to allow the muscles to feel no additional threat and thus relax. Massage is also quite useful for relaxing the mind, body and structures of the neck and shoulders.

Topical analgesics are a good way to reduce pain and inflammation by increasing blood flow to the affected area. They are generally safer and less toxic to the body than ingesting NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), but they do tend to have a strong odor.

Chiropractic adjustments are a good way to help return range of motion to the cervical vertebrae. If the chiropractor is skilled at palpating (feeling the neck with his hands), he can do an adjustment at the level of the subluxation.

Physical therapy is another good method for relief as it utilizes methods of strengthening the weaker neck structures while stretching the tighter ones to better bring balance back to the neck.

Other treatment options include acupuncture, traction devices, TENS units, muscle energy technique and the list goes on and on.

Getting a handle on the issue

If you can see when or why it happens then you can make changes to ensure neck pain becomes less frequent in your life. So if you wake up with a stiff neck, change your sleeping posture or pillows. If you neck hurts after sports, adjust what you are doing or its frequency. If your neck hurts by 3 p.m., then stress is the cause. You must find ways to reduce it.

Whether your neck pain is a sudden with a direct onset of pain or comes as a gradual worsening over time, your quality of life depends on getting a handle on it.

Dr. Mark Wiley

By Dr. Mark Wiley

Dr. Mark Wiley is an internationally renowned mind-body health practitioner, author, motivational speaker and teacher. He holds doctorates in both Oriental and alternative medicine, has done research in eight countries and has developed a model of health and wellness grounded in a self-directed, self-cure approach. Dr. Wiley has written 14 books and more than 500 articles. He serves on the Health Advisory Boards of several wellness centers and associations while focusing his attention on helping people achieve healthy and balanced lives through his work with Easy Health Options® and his company, Tambuli Media.

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