Anatomy of the Neck

The “neck bones” are called cervical vertebrae. There are 7 of these (C1-C7).

✖Discs that separate the vertebrae align the spine, provide shock absorption and support the skull.

✓Facet joints anchor the vertebrae & allow for full rotation of the neck.

Spinal Cord and Nerves:

🔜The spinal cord travels through a canal hollowed out in the bones.

★ Nerves exit from the spine through an opening on the side of the vertebrae and travel to muscles in the neck, chest & arms.

Neck Muscles

The neck muscles have 3 main functions:

1) Support the head

2) Maintain posture by keeping the head aligned

3) Help you turn your head in different directions (full range of motion)

Common Causes of Neck Pain

Age

• Aging causes degenerative changes to the bones and discs of the spine called osteoarthritis or cervical spondylosis

Injury

• Injury from whiplash can strain your neck muscles and cause immediate pain. This pain can become chronic if it is not treated with rehab therapy.

Poor Posture

• Poor posture changes the balance of weight from the head. This increases the stress in the neck and can result in strained muscles that cause pain immediately. Over time, poor alignment can lead to degenerative disc disease (a kind of arthritis in the back). For every inch forward your head bends, the weight on your neck increases 10 by ten pounds.

Disc Degeneration

• Poor alignment can lead to degenerative disc disease (a kind of arthritis in the back). The discs between bones and parts of bones can push out into the spinal canal (where the spinal cord runs). This is called herniation. When, discs and parts of bones herniate into the canal, the canal becomes narrower in some places. If the discs and bones push far enough into the canal to actually press on the cord, this could cause chronic neck pain, arm and leg pain and weakness and difficulty walking. Severe pressure could be an emergency.

Spinal Stenosis

• Herniated discs can put pressure on the exiting nerves to cause numbness, burning, pain, and muscle weakness

Muscle Strain

• Muscle strain can be caused by poor posture or injury. Strained neck muscles lead to immediate pain and can cause chronic pain.

Stress

• Stress can result in poor posture that results in neck muscle strain.

Overuse Arthritis (Osteoarthritis)

Autoimmune Arthritis (Rheumatoid)

Effects of Neck Pain

Tension Headaches

Temporal Mandibular Joint Pain (TMJ)

Shoulder Pain

Low Back Pain

Emotional Stress

Arm Tingling and Numbness

Bruxism (Teeth Grinding)