This is kind of a loaded question with many answers. It could be from an injury, from poor posture, from an underlying condition, or from your spouse or kids being a pain in the neck. Out of these many causes there is an interesting connection. Stress and/or structure.
First, let’s take a look at the anatomy of the neck and cervical spine. Your cervical spine is comprised of 7 vertebral segments which are separated and articulate with each other through joints, held together and stabilized with ligaments, and able to be moved by the action of muscles. I will refer you all to: http://teachmeanatomy.info/neck/bones/cervical-spine/ for in depth analysis of the anatomical structures associated with the neck.
Now that you’ve been able to review the anatomy, let’s look at the causes of neck pain. Injuries to the neck include sprain/strain or fracture due to trauma from external forces. Any traumatic injury to the neck must be treated with caution because of the sensitive structures which could be at risk. Most sprain/strain injuries occur following a whiplash event from a car accident, fall, or sport injury. The key is to differentiate between strain and sprain though. The strain injuries are referring to damage and injury to muscle tissue. This will cause pain while attempting to actively bring motion to the head, neck, or shoulders. Conversely, the sprain injuries are referring to the ligaments. This will cause pain with passive and active motion of the head, neck, or shoulders. Through proper evaluation and treatment protocols these injuries can be treated with conservative approaches through Chiropractic care, soft tissue modalities, physical therapy, and rehabilitative exercises to allow the body to heal and reduce pain. Fracture on the other hand more than likely will require bracing of some sort to stabilize and immobilize the region. In some cases, surgery is a necessary intervention. After this has healed, extensive rehabilitation will be necessary along with proper Chiropractic care to reduce further complications. Although injury is a common cause of neck pain, it is not the most common. That designation belongs to posture.
There is a name for this postural imbalance, Upper Crossed Syndrome. Another common term is “Text Neck.” This posture is caused by lifestyle stresses such as working a desk job, working on a computer with poor ergonomics, looking down at a phone or tablet constantly, reading with poor posture, student life sitting at a desk all day long, and more. All of these postures lead to an anterior shift of the weight and center of gravity to keep the head stable.
I recommend you check out http://www.muscleimbalancesyndromes.com/janda-syndromes/upper-crossed-syndrome/ for more information!
Neck pain from underlying conditions can be as a result of previous injuries, posture reeking biomechanic havoc, referred pain from somewhere else in the body, and stress. Following injury, the body will begin a natural healing process. Although this is a great thing, it can also lead to earlier onset of degenerative and arthritic changes to the spine. The human body is an amazing dynamic and ever-changing organism which can do perform outstanding tasks without us consciously tell it to do it. Sadly, this amazing auto-pilot feature we all possess can sometimes cause us future issues. To support a damaged structure our body will look to lay down a strong substance to take on the weight and force of our daily lives. Here is where arthritic changes occur. The strongest substance in our body is bone, so why not lay down new bone to protect these damaged regions? This is one instance where sometimes our bodies do not work in our best interest. I will outline in future posts about other instances where our bodies will fight our pursuit of health. Ultimately, these arthritic changes lead to loss of motion, joint restriction, and inability to perform daily tasks which used to seem so menial. Cervical disc or spinal cord problems due to degenerative changes or traumatic injury can also be a cause of neck pain leading to radiating pain into the upper extremity. These will sometimes present in a radicular or dermatologic pattern which can indicate the level of injury. Please refer to the diagram below.
Overall, the cause of neck pain is largely due to mechanic dysfunction. Whether it be due to injury, posture, or another underlying condition ultimately the neck will not be able to move, articulate, and express health through the nervous system due to inflammation, pain, and reduced signaling. This is why it is important to receive the right type of care for your neck pain, and Chiropractic care coupled with corrective exercise is the leader in reducing pain caused by mechanic dysfunction.
Refer to http://www.my-spine.com/neck-pain.html for more information on mechanic and radicular neck pain.
The body signals pain for a reason. It serves as a warning to a problem, just as a check engine light in a car warns a driver of problems. NEVER IGNORE THE WARNING SIGNS because just like your car, if you ignore the signals there will ultimately be complete failure which will require surgical intervention if left untreated.
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