1) Muscle sprains or strains
This most often occurs as a result of an injury. Something like a whiplash injury from a fall, sports injury, or car accident. It can also be from sleeping in an uncomfortable position or from spending too long in one position. Even a shoulder injury or turning too fast can do it. There are actually many ways someone can pull a muscle; sometimes it can be literally from stress or combined with one of the other things I’ve mentioned.
2) Herniated or bulging disc
A herniated disc occurs when the inner disc, the nucleus, bulges or ruptures through the outer part and puts pressure on a nerve or nerves. It usually occurs as a result of a very serious injury, like one of the above but on a more serious scale. Most of the time, someone has accumulated a certain amount of wear first and then something is the “last straw” causing the drive to break. A bulge is similar, except the outer disk remains intact but bulges out. The same pain and inflammation can result. Depending on where exactly the disc bulge is and its size will determine the amount of nerve pressure. Often, as the discs degenerate and flatten, they bulge. This brings me to my next common cause…
3) arthritis
Arthritis is another word for degeneration or wasting away. People who beat their bodies more over the years will have more arthritis as they get older. Actually, there are many factors, but basically people who don’t take care of themselves tend to collapse faster. Just like a car, if you don’t feed it good fuel and keep it up with changing the oil and cleaning certain things, it can stop running. Our bodies are the same way, and as degeneration increases, bones become more brittle, muscles become tighter, and pain increases. Constant repetition of certain activities or having poor posture over time can lead to degenerative changes in the spine.
4) muscle spasm
Muscles are an important factor that allows us to move and be active. Doing a movement incorrectly or repetitively can cause muscles to overstretch and injure themselves. Muscle spasm can cause constant pain because the muscles are irritated and put pressure on the nerves. Remember that those muscles are attached to the bones of the spine and call force misalignment which also puts pressure on the nerves. Misalignment can cause poor posture or the opposite.
5) Poor neck posture
The appearance of your posture on the outside is often the appearance of your spine on the inside. So if you have a forward head posture, for example, you most likely have lost the normal curvature of your neck. This is also known as loss of cervical lordosis or “military neck”. This will tighten the spinal cord and nerves; it will tighten the muscles in the back of the neck and predispose you to all of the conditions mentioned above.
Now, on to how to prevent and correct these common causes of neck pain…
The best way to prevent and correct all of the above is to keep your spine in its best alignment. Injuries and strains will happen, but when they do, they will be fewer and the muscles will heal much faster. My top recommendations for avoiding and ending neck pain are to see your chiropractor when an injury occurs, avoid repetitive stress on your neck, and try to maintain good neck posture. I realize that sometimes you can’t get to your chiropractor’s office soon enough, or sometimes you find it difficult to maintain good posture. In this case I would also recommend using a good neck pillow. The traction pillow will help correct and maintain alignment while you sleep. This is critical to keeping pressure off the nerves and therefore preventing muscle spasms, degeneration, and disc injuries.
