According to the Spine Universe website, many Americans experience bouts of acute or chronic neck pain each year. Neck pain may be the result of strains, sprains, overuse injuries or blunt force trauma, and neck pain should not be left untreated. Some neck conditions require immediate attention, so that further damage to the neck tissues and structures does not occur. Neck pain can range in severity from mild to severe, and can even be debilitating.
Wry Neck
Some of the worst neck pain people experience arises from seemingly innocuous activities, such as sleeping. Wry neck, also known as torticollis, can be extremely painful, and is characterized by a person's inability to turn their head. According to the National Center for Emergency Medicine Informatics, those with wry neck typically hold their head and neck twisted to one side. Spasms of the neck muscles are common in patients with wry neck. The onset of wry neck symptoms are gradual, and may be due to a minor turning of the head after a sudden movement or injury, or from maintaining an awkward sleeping position. Wry neck sufferers often experience pain in the neck muscles, although pain may travel down the spine to the level of the shoulder blades. The primary cause of wry neck may be spasm of the following neck muscles: occipitalis, sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, splenius cervicis, or levator scapulae. Wry neck can also be secondary to more serious conditions, such as a slipped facet, herniated disc or an infection of viral or bacterial origin.
Fracture
A cervical vertebra fracture can cause excruciating neck pain, and is always serious. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, any injury to the vertebrae can jeopardize the spinal cord's integrity and could even result in paralysis or death. Cervical fractures may result from direct or indirect stress to the neck, but fractures typically are caused by significant forces acting on the spine. Motor vehicle accidents are one of the most common causes of cervical fractures, although neck fractures occur in sports too, especially football, hockey, gymnastics and diving. The most common symptoms associated with cervical fractures are severe pain and swelling around the fracture site. To help guard against a neck fracture, a person can strengthen their neck muscles to provide increased stability to cervical spine joints. Using appropriate protective gear during athletic participation may also reduce the possibility of a serious neck injury.
Herniated Disk
A herniated cervical intervertebral disk is a relatively common cause of severe neck pain. According to the Spine Universe website, cervical herniated disk symptoms include a dull or sharp pain in the neck or between the shoulder blades, pain that travels over the shoulder into the arm, forearm, hand or fingers and numbness or tingling in one of the upper extremities. The Spine Universe website notes that certain neck positions or movements often provoke pain in individuals with herniated cervical disks. Cervical disk herniations occur when the fibrous outer ring of the disk--called the annulus fibrosus--develops a crack that allows the disk's nucleus to extrude into the spinal canal or intervertebral foramen, where it may impinge on nerve roots--offshoots of the spinal cord--exiting the spine. Herniated cervical disks often respond well to conservative care, although in some cases surgical intervention may be required.
