A pain in the neck
The
neck supports the head, enabling it to move, and provides a link between the head and the trunk. Seven cervical vertebrae support the neck. However, because the neck is less protected than the rest of the spine, it is vulnerable to injury and disorders that produce pain and restrict motion.
How does neck pain develop?
A strain or spasm of the neck muscles or inflammation of the neck is often what causes us to feel neck pain. This pain may be caused by a sudden, acute injury like whiplash, a blow to the head or neck or strangulation. Neck pain also may be caused by cervical disk degeneration, a pinched nerve, meningitis, influenza, a heart attack or torticollis. Poor posture or sleeping on a pillow that is too high, which place stress on the muscles in the upper body and arms, could also cause this localized pain.
Chronic neck pain and disability can be a result of
osteoarthritis, although other forms of
arthritis can be culprits as well, including rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic arthritis and gouty arthritis. Osteoarthritis afflicts most of us as we age, steadily wearing away the smooth and resilient cartilage that caps the ends of our long bones and is essential to normal joint function.
What are the symptoms of neck pain?
Individuals with minor neck pain may be experiencing the earliest symptoms of
arthritis. Osteoarthritis can begin in those as young as thirty, and may progress for many years before symptoms appear. Other symptoms of neck pain include headaches; pain in the shoulder, arm or hand; reduced range of motion in the neck; numbness; weakness; and slower reflexes in the arms, hands, legs or feet. Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of neck pain but they do not address the root of the problem. By strengthening structural weaknesses in the neck, as natural medicine therapies like Prolotherapy do, chronic neck pain may be alleviated permanently.
