Neck pain can be really frustrating, and can be uncomfortable even at rest. It can ruin a night’s sleep and be a real distraction during the day.
What Causes Neck Pain to Arise?
Direct trauma to the neck or shoulder can cause injuries, for example road traffic accidents or even lifting heavy weights at the gym. Depending on the severity of the injury, examination may be required. However, sometimes just sleeping awkwardly can cause irritation to a muscle or joint, causing muscle guarding and pain when moving. Poor standing or seating posture can cause loading on joints, ligaments, and nerves causing irritation and pain.
The neck is part of the spine and like elsewhere in the spine there are a number of complex structures that can cause pain. These Include:
- Tendons – Which attach muscle to bone.
- Ligaments – Which attach bone to bone and are important in the stability of all joints in the body.
- Muscles
- Vertebral discs – These are gelatinous filled discs between each vertebrae in the spine. They allow our spine to move and absorb shock placed through the spine.
- The nerves exiting the spine – at every joint in between the vertebrae of our spine a nerve exits the spinal cord.
- The small ‘facet’ joints of the spine – these are small joints (about the size of a finger nail) between the vertebrae that help stabilise our spine and limit certain movements.
- The pain can sometimes be referred by other structures and organs to the neck or shoulder.
Care needs to be taken with shoulder or neck pain to ensure that it is not referred pain as a result of an underlying pathology, for example, a heart attack or angina. We advise to seek medical advice if you’re experiencing shoulder or neck pain with; shortness of breath, squeezing or gripping sensation in the chest, cold sweats, or nausea.
How Can Osteopathy Help?
The key to treating any problem is to find the root cause. At Pure Health Osteopath Clinic, our expert Osteopaths carry out a thorough assessment, then offer treatment and advise based on our findings. We take into consideration your life demands, health, and tailor our treatments to suit. Treatments typically involve massage techniques to ease tight and painful muscles, joint mobilisation to restore movement and improve restriction.
If you have any concerns about your neck or shoulder pain, or would like to find out more, contact Pure Health Osteopath Clinic on 01934 752122.