Neck pain can range from mild and annoying to severe and debilitating. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or AAOS, for many people, neck pain lasts only a short time before self-resolving. Other people may require intervention from a health care provider to relieve symptomatic neck pain or discomfort. Most types of neck pain respond favorably to conservative care modalities, including chiropractic, physical therapy and traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM.
Pain or Discomfort
Pain or discomfort is one of the most common symptoms associated with cervical or neck injuries. According to MayoClinic.com, the location and severity of a person's neck pain helps health care providers determine its cause. A patient should communicate openly with his doctor about all aspects of his neck pain, as this will help his physician render a timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Neck pain ranges from mild to moderate or severe, and the patient is often asked to grade his pain on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst possible pain imaginable, and 0 being no pain at all. Whiplash injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents are one of the most common causes of long-term neck pain. A person who has experienced a whiplash injury should seek professional, holistic care for her injuries so that future musculoskeletal problems, such as degenerative joint disease, do not arise.
Decreased Range of Motion
Decreased neck active and passive range of motion, or ROM, is a common symptom of painful neck injuries. Numerous neck conditions can limit neck ROM, including herniated or bulging cervical discs, wry neck or torticollis, whiplash injuries, facet syndrome, sports-related trauma and osteoarthritis, along with systemic conditions such as polio, meningitis or Paget's disease, a chronic disorder that results in bone enlargement and deformity. According to the University of Southern California's Center for Spinal Surgery, physical examination findings for most neck disorders include focal tenderness in the affected area and decreased cervical ROM. If a person's active cervical ROM--which is neck ROM performed by the person without assistance--decreases, it's likely that a muscle strain has occurred. If a person's passive cervical ROM--which involves a practitioner evaluating the patient's neck ROM without help from the patient--is painful, it's likely that a ligament sprain has occurred.
Muscle Spasms
Neck muscle spasms frequently occur in conjunction with trauma-induced neck pain. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, muscle spasms can occur when muscles, including neck muscles, are overused or injured. Neck muscle spasms, in particular, can be an indication of stress. Neck muscle spasms may also be a reflexive response to significant neck trauma. To protect the neck and spinal cord from further damage, the muscles spasm to help stabilize or guard nearby spinal joints. The NIH notes that some muscles spasm because the nerve that innervates or enlivens them becomes irritated. A herniated cervical disc impinging on nerve roots exiting the spinal column in the neck causes such an irritation, which in turn causes pain and spasm in various neck and shoulder muscles, depending on the nerve root that's affected.
