Neck Pain

Neck pain is a condition where a person experiences pain anywhere from the bottom of the head to the top of the shoulders. The pain could be localized or spread or even "shoot" into the upper back, shoulders and arms. The pain can be minimal from aches, pains, stiffness or even debilitating causing severe loss of movement in the head and neck.

Like most musculoskeletal conditions, there may be many causes of pain. Often, neck pain is caused from overuse or repetitive positional stress on the muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints of the neck. Sleeping face down with your neck twisted to one side all night or even long hours at the computer with your head stretched forward can cause neck pain. Less frequently, neck pain is caused by accidents (motor vehicle accidents, work injuries, slips and falls). More serious conditions also exist which can cause neck pain such as infections, tumors, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal), herniated discs, spinal degeneration, bone spurs and other conditions. Symptoms of neck pain include dull aches and pains, stiffness, soreness, severe pain limiting mobility ("crick or pinch feeling"), burning into the arm(s) and hands, numbness and tingling, muscle weakness. Arm pain, muscle weakness and numbness and tingling are generally, but not always a good indication of spinal nerve root pressure or a "pinched nerve." Some indications of serious illness that require EMERGENT attention may include but not limited to chest pain with or without arm pain, loss of balance and coordination, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, loss of vision, severe unrelenting headache, paralysis and sudden onset of severe muscle weakness.