NECK PAIN is pain in or around the spine beneath your head, known as the cervical spine. Neck pain is a common symptom of many different injuries and medical conditions. It can be either postural or mechanical.
CAUSES
The cervical spine is responsible for supporting the weight of the head and it should be
flexible enough to allow rotation, flexion, extension, and lateral flexion to occur
The most common contributor are as below :
- Muscle strains - Neck strains are caused by overuse of the neck muscles such as too many hours sat hunched in a chair
- Weakness - Training the upper traps more than the lower and mid traps may lead to overstimulation of the upper traps resulting in neck pain
- Worn joints - As we age our joints in the neck become worn down. Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage between vertebrae to deteriorate. This can then cause osteophytes to form that can affect range of motion and cause pain
- Nerve compression - Herniated disks or osteophytes in the vertebrae of your neck can press on the nerves branching out from the intervertebral foramen
- Injuries - Motor collisions and sporting injuries can often result in whiplash injury, which occurs when the head is jerked backward and then forward, straining the soft tissues of the neck