East Toronto Orthopaedic & Sports Injury Clinic and Trilogy Physiotherapy have partnered in order to provide you with the experienced and skilled care you deserve.
Neck pain is a common issue, affecting many people over their lifetime. Pain can occur anywhere from the bottom of your head to the top of your shoulders and can spread to the upper back.
Neck pain can also be associated with headaches, facial pain, shoulder pain, and arm numbness or tingling. These associated symptoms can be a result of pinched nerves in the neck.
You may also feel a knot, stiffness, or pain in your neck muscles that can lead to difficulty in turning your head.
Neck pain can be caused by activities that strain the neck. This can lead to neck strain, a sprain, or a spasm in the neck muscles. In addition, underlying joint changes in the neck can make you vulnerable to pain.
Some common causes of acute neck pain include:
Carrying a heavy backpack or purse on one shoulder
Emotional stress can cause the neck muscles to tighten up and ache in response to stress, anxiety, or depression
Sports injury due to strain from a sudden or unusual neck movement or caused by a collision
Poor posture due sitting for long periods at a computer, watching TV, reading, or texting on your phone
Sleeping on your abdomen or in an awkward position
Trauma from a car accident or a fall
Holding the head in an unusual position due to painting a ceiling or cradling your home phone between your shoulder and neck
Most episodes of neck pain will go away within a few days or weeks, but pain that persists for months could indicate an underlying medical issue that must be addressed. Early treatment intervention is recommended for optimal recovery.
Common causes of chronic neck pain include:
Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
The cervical spine experiences wear and tear over time. If a disc degenerates enough, it can lead to painful irritation of the cervical nerve or pain from increased joint and ligament stress.
Herniated Disc
A cervical disc is herniated when its jelly-like inner layer leaks out through a tear in the disc’s protective outer layer.
The soft tissue along and near the cervical spine can be torn or ruptured as a result. This neck injury commonly occurs in an car accident that involves a rear-end collision.
Cervical Osteoarthritis
When the cartilage in a cervical facet joint wears down enough, it can lead to osteoarthritis, also known as cervical spondylosis.
The joint becomes enlarged from inflammation and bone spur growth, and may cause nearby nerves to become pinched and lead to considerable pain.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis with Myelopathy
Spinal stenosis occurs when spinal degeneration leads to a narrowing of the spinal canal, such as from a herniated disc that pushes into the spinal canal or bone spurs that grow into the canal.
When the spinal canal narrows enough to compress the spinal cord, it can result in myelopathy. Myelopathy is when compression of the spinal cord starts causing symptoms such as weakness, loss of balance or problems with coordination in the arms, hands, legs, or feet.
Cervical Foraminal Stenosis and Cervical Radiculopathy
This condition occurs when the holes (foramen) in the vertebrae, through which nerve roots exit the spinal canal, become narrow.
This narrowing of the hole can irritate the nerve root that runs through it causing pain that radiates down the arm. Treatment with cervical traction can be particularly helpful for this condition.
Myofascial Pain
Achy muscles and surrounding connective tissue can cause irritable trigger points in muscle, typically in the upper back or neck.
This can result in a tension headache due to neck muscles tightening, or occipital neuralgia where a pinched occipital nerve in the neck causes pain to radiate up to the head.
Physiotherapy Treatment
Management of the above conditions has been proven to be helpful in relieving pain, speed up recovery and manage chronic issues.
Treatment involves education, self-care management, exercise therapy, and manual therapy are commonly used by a registered physiotherapist to treat neck pain. Other treatments such as acupuncture, soft tissue release and massage therapy can also help. A registered physiotherapist can conduct a skilled assessment and examination of the spine and recommend the appropriate treatment. For most neck pain issues, x-ray and other imaging is not required for management in the initial stages.
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