What Causes Neck Pain?

Neck pain that persists cannot be ignored. It hampers your activities of daily living, interrupts your sleep, or even causes other distressing symptoms, such as vertigo, headaches, and tingling down your arms. Thankfully, there are several treatment options available to deal with neck pain.

Let’s talk about the causes of neck pain and where you can go for effective neck pain management in O’Fallon, Wentzville,and St. Peters, Missouri.

The Anatomy of Your Neck

Your neck supports your head–no small feat, as your head weighs about 10 pounds. Plus, its complex movements depend on the proper function of nerves, blood vessels, connective tissues, muscles, and the bones in your cervical spine.

Your cervical spine has seven neck vertebrae which are highly innervated and contain jelly-like cushions called intervertebral discs. These vertebrae form the topmost portion of the spine and spinal canal, which houses and protects the spinal cord.

That being said, your neck is prone to injury, disease, degeneration from wear and tear, and the effects of advancing age. While limitations in flexibility, strength, and range of motion can occur in the cervical spine, neck pain is one of the most common and even life-changing musculoskeletal issues adults deal with.

Causes of Neck Pain

When you and your primary care physician determine that you need an orthopedic evaluation for your persistent neck pain, you can expect a thorough review of your symptoms, a physical examination, and digital imaging, such as X-rays, a CT scan, electromyography to detect nerve damage, blood work to test for infections, such as meningitis, or an MRI. Your bone and joint doctor will prescribe necessary and highly individualized treatments you can do at home or with the help of a physical therapist at your local clinic. Serious causes of neck pain may require more invasive treatments, such as injections of corticosteroids to relieve inflammation. Less frequently, surgery to relieve pressure on spinal nerves may be necessary.

Causes of neck pain can include the following.

Poor Ergonomics

How you sit, stand, and lift may lead to neck pain. Poor ergonomics or posture as you work or sleep puts painful strain on the neck muscles, soft tissues, and nerves.

Degenerative Conditions

These can include thinning bones due to osteoporosis, a prevalent bone fragility disease affecting mostly women in their postmenopausal years. Also, the almost 100 different kinds of arthritis–mostly osteoarthritis or OA–can cause substantial neck pain.

OA frequently coincides with degenerative disc disease (cervical spondylosis) or a separate issue: ruptured intervertebral discs. Loss of beneficial hydration in the soft inner tissue between spinal vertebrae causes pain. So does actual rupturing and leaking of the same natural cushioning. Usually, these conditions only worsen with age.

Injuries from Sports, Work, or Other Circumstances

A common auto injury is a whiplash, which happens when a collision causes the occupant’s head to snap quickly forward and backward. Whiplash leads to pain, inflammation, and nerve impingement.

Falls and sports impact during football or other contact sports can damage both the soft and hard tissues of the neck. When pain worsens or is accompanied by other symptoms, such as fainting or tingling in the extremities, immediate care at a hospital ER is in order.

Spinal Stenosis

This narrowing of the spinal canal results in painful compression of nerves in the neck and other back areas. It results from congenital disabilities, injury, or advancing age and often coincides with osteoarthritis.

Neck Pain Treatments in O’Fallon, Missouri

If your neck pain results from a sudden injury or if your pain lasts more than three weeks, consult the musculoskeletal experts at Advanced Bone & Joint. We have board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic physicians on staff to help you regain full and comfortable movement. Whether you need treatment for neck pain, a sports injury, or any other type of orthopedic condition, our doctors are happy to provide you with tailored care utilizing cutting-edge treatments and advanced techniques.

For more information, call us today at (636) 229-4222.To arrange your in-office consultation at one of our three convenient locations: O’Fallon, Wentzville, and St. Peters, Missouri, fill in our online appointment request form.