DO YOU SUFFER WITH symptoms of neck pain, trouble turning your head to look around, headaches, sensations of numbness and tingling down your arms?

Complaints of neck pain are very common. It has been said that two-thirds of people have neck pain at various times of their lives.¹

Your head weighs 10% of the body’s weight. If you weigh 150 pounds, the effective weight of your head on your cervical spine would be 15 pounds! This weight is supported by your neck and upper back. Gravity tends to exert a force on the head and neck that makes them fall forward, even when the normal person is in the erect position. The skull balanced on the spine is a lever system with the fulcrum at the atlanto-occipital joints (where your neck meets your head) and the center of gravity anterior (in front) to them. The counterbalance to the weight of the skull is the posterior (in back) cervical muscles.

SYMPTOMS

Obviously, pain is the main symptom. Also, stiffness will result in decreases in Ranges of Motion. Headaches may also result from trouble in the neck area. Swelling, numbness and weakness may also be symptoms of neck involvement.

• Sharp or nagging pain
• Stiff neck
• General soreness
• Decreased ability to move your head
• Headaches
• Muscle tightness and spasms
• Trouble gripping and lifting objects
• Swelling, numbness and weakness in shoulders, arms fingers/hands

Usually, the symptoms come on gradually, but a traumatic event may cause almost immediate symptoms.

CAUSES

• Poor Posture
• Prolonged sitting at your computer
• Bad falls
• Auto accidents
• Sporting injuries
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Osteoarthritis
• Worn joints
• Nerve compression: herniated disks, bone spurs
• Spinal stenosis
• Diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis or cancer²

References

1. WebMD: Cervical Disk Disease and Neck Pain Stephanie Watson Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD 10/03/2007
2. Mayo Clinic: Neck Pain Mayo Clinic Staff 06/31/2020