Neck pain can happen as a result from a number of abnormalities in the soft tissue being the muscles, ligament, and nerves. It may also occur in the bones and joints of the spine. Generally this injury is commonly caused due to either injury or prolonged wear and tear. There have been recorded rare cases of injury caused by infection or possible tumours which cause the neck pain. There are some people who have neck pain which maybe due to pain in their upper back, shoulder or arms.



Neck pain can also be cause by either degenerative or inflammatory diseases, like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. It has been found that osteoarthritis usually occurs in the elderly due to the wear and tear of life. This wearing takes place in the joints between the bones in the neck. The injury cause by rheumatoid arthritis does cause the destruction of the joints of the neck. As a result of these diseases stiffness and pain can also be a factor.

Another cause of neck pain is cervical disk degeneration. The function of these disks's is to act as shock absorbers between the bones in the neck. This type of injury generally occurs when the patient is aged 40 onwards. What takes place is that the gelatine center of the disk starts to degenerate which then allows the space between the vertebrae to narrow. This then in turn adds addition stress to spine joints causing yet further pressure of the spinal cord or the neck roots as the rim of the disk weakens. This results in what is know as a herniated cervical disk!

As our necks are so flexible and used to support our head, this makes it very vulnerable to injury. We are open to all sorts of injury from every day occurrences like driving accidents, full contact sports and slips, trips or falls. Whilst we can use seat belts to stop whiplash type injuries, we can still suffer from hyperextension neck pain due to a ?rear end shunt?. This is caused when our neck is made to backwards beyond its normal limits. A forward motion beyond the normal limits is called hyperflexion. You would find that these would cause soft tissue type injuries to the muscles and ligaments.

If you have suffered any of the above which results in neck pain then a visit to your local orthopaedist who is a person with inside knowledge and training in the workings of the musculoskeletal system? Their training obviously includes the diagnosis and treatment. They will also help to prevent future problems with neck pain.

Depending on the diagnosis you will be treated successfully with plenty of rest, medication if required, immobilization, physical therapy or exercise. If your neck has been stretched and the muscles or ligaments have gone beyond their limits them possible treatment would be a neck collar to immobilize the neck and allow the neck pain to subside. Medication may be prescribed to aid the recovery. If rest has been advised then follow the diagnosis to once again aid your recovery.

As with any injury, neck pain should be treated seriously and you should get medical advice as soon as possible.