NECK PAIN

Nearly 100 million Americans suffer from neck pain annually and up to 70-75% of the population will experience neck pain sometime in their lives. Neck pain may involve tightness and spasms in the muscles of the neck resulting in a decreased range of motion. This pain can be caused by poor posture, sleeping in an uncomfortable position, spending long hours driving, working at a desk or spending long hours looking at a computer monitor.  Traumas such as falls or automobile accidents also frequently result in neck pain. As the frequency of mobile technology increases, people are now suffering with what has been termed “text neck” or “tech neck”. Pain may grow worse when you hold your head in one position for long periods of time and can lead to tension headaches. 

The most common cause of neck pain, however, usually comes from joint related issues and associated malfunction of the nervous system. An extensive study on arthritis shows that although degeneration can cause stiffness or limited mobility in the neck, it rarely causes pain. Joint problems in the upper neck cause malfunction of the nervous system and can refer pain throughout the neck over the top of the skull. Joints not working correctly in the lower neck can produce radiating pain across the shoulders, upper back and arms.