Causes of Neck Pain
The most common causes of neck pain are soft tissue abnormalities—such as muscle strains and sprained ligaments—due to injuries or prolonged wear and tear. Stresses on the soft tissues can come from poor posture or from sleeping on a pillow that doesn’t support your head properly. They can also result from tasks that put the body in an unnatural position, such as painting a ceiling. Focusing too intently on a task can produce tension in the neck muscles that contributes to neck pain.
Degenerative and inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can also cause neck pain. Osteoarthritis can cause wear and tear on the joints in the cervical (neck) spine. Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to the destruction of the joints in the neck.
Because the neck is so flexible and because it supports the weight of the head, it is easily injured. Sports activities and falls can cause neck injuries that result in pain. Motor vehicle accidents are another common cause of neck pain. In fact, about 20% of all people involved in a rear-end collision develop symptoms that centre in the neck region. This is because the impact pushes your body forward; then the abrupt stop throws your head and neck backward. In a matter of seconds, you have experienced a whiplash injury (extension-flexion injury).
Other causes of neck pain include:
- Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord that results in pressing or pinching of a nerve.
- Facet joint syndrome, a swelling of the joints in the spine that leads to stiffness and pain.
- Osteoarthritis, which causes the deterioration of the cartilage that cushions the joints in the spine, causing the bone ends to scrape against one another.
- Cervical disc degeneration, the breakdown of the discs that separate and cushion the vertebrae.
- Herniated (ruptured) disc that bulges out and presses against a nerve can also cause pain.
