Neck pain is incredibly common and horribly inconvenient. Up to 70% of people will experience neck pain that interferes with their daily lives. Neck pain can affect your sleep, make work difficult, and prevent you from enjoying the activities you love.
There are various reasons that neck pain can happen, and ensuring you get the proper treatment for your neck pain is vitally important!
There are three leading causes of neck pain:
- Cervical Joint Irritation
- Cervical Disc Derangement/Herniation
- Cervical Sprain/Strain
Cervical Joint Irritation
Joint irritation is the estimated cause of 36-67% of neck pain!
Facet joints are the small joints in our back that connect one vertebra to another. These joint surfaces can become irritated.
When you have joint irritation, you may experience a dull ache along the middle of your neck, as well as along the top of your shoulder, that will typically get worse with movement. Depending on which joints are irritated, the pain that radiates along your shoulder may be in different locations. If the upper joints of your neck become irritated, it can result in headaches.
When you first begin to experience neck pain due to joint irritation, you may experience 24-48 hours of INTENSE discomfort and muscle guarding, which will make your neck feel very stiff.
Cervical Disc Derangement or Herniation
Your cervical spine has seven segments to it. Each segment is called a vertebrae. In between each vertebra are intervertebral discs.
Intervertebral discs have two parts to them.
- Annulus fibrosis
The outer part is the annulus fibrosis, which is very fibrous and gives the disc the majority of its structure and shape.
- Nucleus Pulposis
The nucleus pulposis is the inner part of the disc and is very gelatinous.
An intervertebral disc DERANGEMENT is when there are small tears in the annular fibres, which can cause neck pain. This will typically result in neck pain, with some pain referral along the top of your shoulders or down the middle of your shoulder blade. This pain referral will depend on which disc is damaged.
If you have a cervical disc HERNIATION, the nucleus pulposis has begun to migrate through the damaged fibres of the annulus, resulting in a bulge of the intervertebral disc. A disc herniation can result in nerve compression, causing pain to radiate down the arm, with the potential of numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness in the affected arm.
Cervical Sprain/Strain
Our low necks are filled with muscles and ligaments that support our neck and head. Sprains and strains are the results of these tissues being stretched and damaged.
A sprain means that the tough, durable ligaments that hold your bones together have been damaged, while strain means that your muscles that move your head and neck have been disturbed.
These tissues are very strong and resilient! Sprain/strain injuries are uncommon in everyday life, most occurring after a traumatic accident such as a motor vehicle collision or an athletic injury.
Now What?
If you are experiencing neck pain, the proper treatment for the right injury will get you the best results.
E3 Chiropractic + Wellness is here to help anyone in Saskatoon experiencing neck pain! We will perform a thorough examination to determine the root cause of your pain and give you the tools you need to get free from pain so that your body performs and feels better than you ever thought possible.
Click HERE to book an appointment today!
