We all know that one person in our life who is a pain in the neck, but sometimes the pain in our neck is actually physical. And this comes as no surprise because neck pain is the second most common type of pain.
Let’s explore what neck pain is and how we can go about fixing it.
What is neck pain?
Neck pain is any discomfort or limitation that you experience in the neck itself or in any of the surrounding areas.
People will often point to the area between their neck and shoulder when talking about neck pain. This area does fall under the scope of neck pain.
What are the symptoms of neck pain?
Neck pain can present in several forms. Some folks describe neck pain as a consistent ache while others will say it’s a sharp, grabbing pain that occurs when they move their head a certain way.
Another symptom of neck pain can be headaches. If you experience a headache after hours in front of the computer, it’s likely that the headache could be driven from your neck.
People also commonly experience nerve pain described as tingling or numbness into their arms when they have pain in their neck.
What causes neck pain?
Neck pain is most often the result of an issue at a joint in your neck or a muscular strain.
You can also develop arthritis in your neck, which will cause pain and change the way you move your neck.
If you have a tendency to hang out in a bad posture all day secondary to your work or staring at your phone, you may also develop a nagging neck pain.
Another common cause of neck pain is car accidents. If you experience whiplash during a car accident, it will cause you to sprain ligaments in your neck and you will have pain in your neck as a result.
Potential Diagnoses
The neck is an area in the body where many structures could be contributing to your pain, which makes it challenging to diagnose at times.
Here is a list of the most common diagnoses associated with neck pain:
- Stenosis (arthritis-related neck pain)
- Whiplash
- Muscular strain
- Radiculopathy (nerve-related neck pain)
- Discogenic neck pain
- Postural dysfunction
Did you know?
Did you know that there is a new diagnostic term called “text neck”?
“Text neck” is the posture where you lean forward with your head to view your cellphone for hours on end.
“Text neck” is becoming a common problem in our society with cellphone popularity growing exponentially. So when it comes to spending time on your phone, be mindful of your posture if you want to avoid neck pain.
