1) Muscle sprains or strains
This most often occurs as a result of an injury. Kind of like a whiplash injury from a fall, a sports injury, or a car accident. It can also be from sleeping in an awkward position or from staying in one position for too long. Even a shoulder injury or turning too fast can do it. There are actually many ways someone can strain a muscle; sometimes it can be literally stress or combined with some of the other things I’ve mentioned.
2) Herniated or bulging disc
A herniated disc occurs when the inner disc, the nucleus, bulges or breaks 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” that causes the record to break. A bulge is similar, except the outer disc remains intact but bulges out. The same pain and inflammation can result. Depending on exactly where the disc bulge is and its size, the amount of nerve pressure will be determined. Often, as discs degenerate and flatten, they bulge. This brings me to my next common cause…
3) arthritis
Arthritis is another word for degeneration or wear. People who hit their bodies the most over the years will get more arthritis as they get older. There are actually many factors, but basically people who don’t take care of themselves tend to break down faster. Just like a car, if you don’t feed it good fuel and don’t keep it changing the oil and cleaning certain things, it can stop working. 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 poor posture over time can lead to degenerative changes in the spine.
4) muscle spasm
Muscles are an important factor that allow us to move and be active. Doing a movement incorrectly or repetitively can cause your muscles to overstretch and become injured. 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 draw force out of alignment which also puts pressure on the nerves. Misalignment can cause poor posture or the opposite.
5) Poor neck posture
What your posture looks like on the outside is often what your spine looks like 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 strain the spinal cord and nerves; it will strain the muscles in the back of your neck and predispose you to all of the conditions listed 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 best 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 thus preventing muscle spasms, degeneration and disc injury.