Neck pain can have many causes.
Did you know that 98% of all neck pain comes from mechanical origin. This simply means that the pain could be caused by irritation to the muscles, tendons, ligaments or disc tissue due to some mechanical problem in your neck. The remaining 2% of causes of neck pain can be attributed to compression fractures, tumors and other disease processes.
So if you’re having neck pain the question you should ask is what is the root cause of the pain in my neck? So let’s discuss some reasons for neck pain and symptoms of neck pain, and see if we can figure out what your pain generator is.
Do you have pain and numbness or tingling radiating into your arm? If so it is likely that you have pressure on one of the nerves in your neck that go into your arms. It is also likely that this is caused by a disc herniation.
Do you have pain on one side of your neck that you can pinpoint to an area about the size of a quarter? Does this pain get worse if you tilt your head back? These are signs of irritation to the facet joint. The facet joint is a joint on either side of the vertebrae that interlock with the vertebrae above and below it. Irritation to this joint on the left or right side of your neck will cause pain over that area.
Do you have pain on both sides of your neck that goes from the top of your neck into your shoulders? Is this pain dull and achy? This is most likely muscular pain. Muscular pain in the neck can be caused by tension or sitting in one position for a long period of time. Mechanical stresses on the neck such as an abnormal curvature of your spine can also irritate the muscles.
Do you have neck pain and stiffness when you first wake up in the morning? Does this pain improved when you get up and move around? If so it is likely that you have degenerative disc disease with related muscle imbalances in your neck. What this basically means is the mechanics of the next, ie your joints and muscles are not working correctly.
So if you’re having neck pain you should determine what is the root cause of your pain. This is done in the office by functional, orthopedic, and nuerodynamic testing.
Why live in pain? Call our office at 309-585-0382 and make an appointment to determine what is generating your pain.