Symptoms of Neck Pain

Early at the beginning neck pain, it may start with pain in the neck itself then this pain may will be distributed or referred to one or both shoulders or upper limbs, associated with or without other symptoms, Some of these accompanying symptoms occur due to compression on the nerves present in the neck. These symptoms are:

• Tenderness and tight muscles around the neck
• Sometimes sharp shooting or dull pain.
• Limitation of range of motion.

Associated symptoms with the neck pain.

• Pain on face and around shoulders.
• Numbness or tingling sensations (needle-type sensations) referred to one or both shoulders or upper limbs.
• Headache.
• Giddiness or lightheadedness.
• Difficulties while performing activities.
• Trouble with swallowing.

Other symptoms arising after an accident or sudden trauma

• Severe stiff neck.
• Headache associated with nausea, vomiting, dizziness.
• Increased sensitivity to light.
• Pain that never changes in its intensity whether you’re taking rest or not.
• Unsolved weight loss, fever, and chills
• Nerve issues like tingling or problems with moving your arm and fingers.
• No control of bladder or bowel.

Causes of neck pain

• Your weak excessively used neck muscles

For example, when using a computer or reading a book, when you sit at the chair for a prolonged period predominantly in some odd positions without maintaining the posture with tensed muscles. This tension in your muscles leads to pain and stiffness in the neck, or it can occur in shoulder areas.

Similarly, some actions that typically include leaning your head back, contrary to the neck, can equally lead to muscular issues in the neck zone. These activities can be like painting a ceiling, doing sports like riding a bike, and swimming while keeping your head in a fixed position.

• Degenerative changes on your cervical spine

Your backbone (a hard tissue) is called spine. There are 33 bones in the spine, named as a vertebra. When you age, some changes occur in your spine titled as wear and tear of the structures. This wear and tear phenomenon can happen in the bone itself, the cartilage, and the discs present in the spine. These changes are; flattening of disks present between the vertebrae, bone growth around the margins of vertebra.

• Whiplash injury

This is basically an injury that happens if you are driving and encounter an accident. The effect of the accident results in a quick jerk at the head and then in a backward position. This frequently results in minor injuries in the muscle and connective tissue, resulting in painful, tense muscles, and problems while moving your head.

• Narrowing of your vertebral canal or suffering from slipped disk

There is a canal present in the back of your vertebra known as a vertebral canal where your most essential structures (nerves) are passing. When this canal becomes too narrow, or the content (fluid) of your disk protrudes outside on a nerve root, it can result in neck pain that goes (radiates like a shooting pain) into your shoulder or arm. However, a slipped disk does always result in these symptoms.

Additional causes of neck pain

• Fractures.
• Infection like meningitis.
• Tumor.
• Inflammatory conditions like Ankylosing spondylitis.
• Anxiety.