Neck pain: Causes, therapy, tips

Brief overview

Description: Pain in the neck, possibly radiating to the head, shoulder or arm; stiff neck with restricted mobility, sometimes numbness/tingling in the fingers.
Causes: including muscle tension (psychological, due to drafts, poor posture, strain), injuries (whiplash, vertebral fractures), physical wear and tear (e.g., osteoarthritis, herniated disc, osteoporosis), transmission pain, tumors, rheumatic diseases, fibromyalgia, Scheuermann’s disease, scoliosis
Diagnostics: patient interview (anamnesis), physical examination for mobility of the neck and peculiarities in the physique, imaging procedures, possibly neurological examination
Therapy: e.g. injection of anesthetic, acupuncture, physiotherapy, manual medicine with chiropractic and osteopathy

Neck pain: Description

The neck area consists of countless nerves, many muscles and a total of seven vertebrae – a complex construct, but one that forgives us quite a few (postural) sins. As soon as neck pain sets in, the neck area was usually overloaded a long time before.

Neck pain is usually the result of tense muscles in the neck area. The neck reacts to long periods of poor posture, cold drafts or incorrect lying with painful cramping. Our body also tenses up in psychologically stressful situations. For example, lovesickness can trigger neck pain.

A stiff neck occurs when neck tension severely restricts the mobility of the head and rotation to the right, left, up or down is only possible with severe pain.

Frequency

Almost everyone suffers from back pain at least once in their life. According to research, about 40 percent of those affected have pain in the neck and shoulder girdle area. Work-related neck pain is the most common.

Acute and chronic neck pain

Acute neck pain passes after a few days to three weeks, it is usually harmless. Triggers can be overtime at the computer in a correspondingly neck-unfriendly posture or psychological strain such as stress.

Cervical syndrome: In this case, neck pain , which may radiate to the shoulder and arm, occurs without other disorders of the nerves. Possible is also such a strong neck tension that the movements of the head become impossible. Stiff neck is the popular name for this condition.
Cervicobrachial syndrome (neck-arm syndrome): The neck pain radiates to the shoulder and arm. In addition, there may be paralysis or sensory disturbances in the hands.
Migraine and headaches: These are frequent consequences of chronic neck pain.
Inflammations in the shoulder: They can occur due to protective posture and avoidance of painful movement in chronic neck pain.
Intervertebral disc problems: Tense muscles in particular are not able to bear as much strain. Loads must therefore be borne more by the vertebral joints. Herniated discs are thus favored by neck pain.

Neck pain: causes and possible diseases

The neck is unique in its position: it carries the heavy head and is very mobile. A fine balance that must be maintained. Far too often, however, we make it very difficult for the neck to do just that: we expose it to cold drafts or sleep and work in a position that is unfavorable for the neck. Such incorrect postures are often the cause of neck pain. In these cases, they are caused by muscles. Due to the overload, the neck muscles harden and shorten, which is painfully felt (especially when pressure is applied to the corresponding area). Chronic neck tension, on the other hand, may indicate changes in the skeleton or intervertebral discs.

You can learn more about the possible triggers of neck pain below:

Muscle Tension

Incorrect posture: If the same incorrect position is repeatedly adopted at work, during sleep or even during sport, muscle tension is the result.
Colds & flu: The typical headaches and aching limbs of a severe cold or flu are also muscular in origin.
Drafts: Cold drafts cause the muscles to tense up subconsciously – a stiff neck is often the result when cold wind meets a sweaty neck.
Muscle strains: The neck has a large range of motion, making it particularly susceptible to uncontrolled, sudden movements and strains that lead to neck pain.
Torticollis: Here, excessive muscle activity in the neck area leads to uncontrollable muscle tension and a crooked head posture.

Injuries

Whiplash: In acceleration injuries, abrupt head movement (especially in rear-end collisions) leads to muscle tension and strain. Possible consequences include severe neck pain, headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, unsteadiness of gait or visual disturbances. Chronic problems with the neck are also possible.

Physical wear

Herniated disc: In the cervical spine, a herniated disc occurs less frequently, but is particularly possible due to prolonged incorrect posture or accidents.
Osteoarthritis: The age-related wear and tear of joints increases sharply due to static incorrect postures. Due to the special anatomy of the vertebral bodies in the neck, “uncovertebral arthrosis” is common, a wear and tear of the so-called hemijoints, i.e. the joints in the cervical spine that are unable to move.
Spondylosis: Older people are particularly affected by stiffening of the spine due to changes in the intervertebral discs. In addition to a stiff neck, there is also stabbing pain and restricted movement.
Chondrosis: Age-related wear and tear of the intervertebral discs is also possible in the neck area.
Cervicocephalic syndrome (Barré-Lieou syndrome): Signs of wear or changes in the cervical spine cause headaches, dizziness, visual disturbances or ringing in the ears in addition to neck pain. The mobility of the neck is often restricted, and swallowing disorders may also occur.
Osteoporosis: Particularly women after menopause suffer from bone loss, which is noticeable throughout the body, including possibly pain in the neck.
Rickets:Here, disturbances in bone growth occur, triggered by a vitamin D deficiency. The entire musculoskeletal system is weakened, which can manifest itself, among other things, in neck pain.

Other causes

Transfer pain: Diseases of internal organs such as the heart, liver, gall bladder or stomach can manifest as pain in the neck. This is probably possible because certain areas of the body are supplied by nerve roots from the spinal cord. However, muscle stiffness that is tender to pressure can also cause this referred pain.
Tumors/metastases in the neck area: growths of the thyroid gland or the vertebrae can manifest themselves in a stiff neck. Often lymph nodes are also enlarged and palpable in this case.
Rheumatic diseases: Rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, as well as degenerative osteoarthritis, can cause a stiff neck and poor posture.
Abscesses: Purulent swellings in the throat can lead to a stiff neck – but not only: due to the swellulng, there is also a risk of shortness of breath and suffocation! Therefore, abscesses should be treated immediately by a doctor.
Scoliosis (crooked back): A crooked spine is noticeable all over the back, including the neck. In some cases, it can only be treated surgically.
Scheuermann’s disease: In this case, patients develop a pronounced hunchback, which causes problems in the neck area, among other things.
Fibromyalgia: This chronic pain disorder is associated with chronic pain in the neck and other areas of the body, pronounced fatigue, loss of concentration and sleep disorders.
Deformities of the vertebral bodies: A rare cause of neck pain can be a Kippel-Feil syndrome, in which the cervical vertebrae are fused together. Also rare is the occurrence of bone thickening of the vertebral bodies (Paget’s disease).

Neck pain diagnosis: When do you need to see a doctor?

However, if the complaints recur or do not go away, you should consult a doctor to clarify the cause. The contact person for occasional neck pain is the family doctor or orthopedist. If the neck pain is accompanied by tingling and numbness in the arms and hands, possibly also by slight paralysis, you should consult a neurologist. This could be cervical spine syndrome (C-spine syndrome). Often, these symptoms also occur at night during sleep – sufferers are then awakened by numb limbs or tingling in the fingers.

If signs of meningitis appear, you should call 911 immediately. Such signs include:

Fever, cramps, and headache.
Pain when bending the head toward the chest
Paralysis and loss of consciousness

Neck pain: what does the doctor do?

Neck Pain Therapy

For acute neck pain or degenerative wear and tear conditions, there are several therapies to make the stiff neck more mobile and relieve pain:

Injection procedures: This involves injecting local anesthetics around irritated nerve roots. This interrupts the conduction of pain to the brain. If the pain subsides as a result, the muscles in this area relax. Neural therapy is also commonly used.
Acupuncture: The fine needles – placed in the right places – bring the energy pathways back into flow and have a pain-relieving effect.
Physiotherapy: The physiotherapist relieves existing neck tension with massages or certain hand movements (e.g. trigger point therapy). In physiotherapy, patients learn exercises to build up the neck muscles. Long-term success with postural weaknesses can often only be achieved in this way.

Neck pain: What you can do yourself

Most often, the cause of a stiff neck is incorrect posture or movement. For example, stressed people often adopt an unhealthy position by raising their shoulders and thus unconsciously trying to make themselves invisible. To specifically combat stiff neck, you should follow a few rules:

Relax actively: With Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation, every muscle in the body is consciously relaxed after ten seconds of strong tension. Since mental tension shows up physically as muscle tension, this technique also quiets the mind.
Keeping the neck warm: Warmth from a hot bath, a thick woolen scarf or a hot water bottle loosens the muscles and relieves pain. Heat patches that keep the neck warm for hours also work particularly well.
Sports: Endurance sports such as running, hiking, yoga or swimming (please only crawl or backstroke here, as breaststroke raises the head awkwardly) keep the entire body fit and also work well against stress.
Back training: Targeted strengthening of the back and neck muscles is the key to preventing neck pain in the long term. Special training is used to learn how to sit, bend and stoop in a way that is easy on the back, and to build up the muscles that are under strain. Don’t be surprised to feel sore muscles in your back afterwards.
Massage: A careful massage, preferably by a physiotherapist, can literally knead away shoulder and neck tension.
Sleep properly: A neck pillow or back-friendly mattress is good protection against neck pain.

Neck pain: Tips for the workplace

Hours of cramped sitting in one position and staring into the computer – that can’t be healthy. Tension and pain are typical consequences of this one-sided strain and poor posture. Neck pain are signals from the body to change something about this current situation. To do this, you should design your workplace as ergonomically as possible:

Chair: The office chair should adapt to your body, and not vice versa. An upright sitting position, both legs hip-width apart on the floor and the arms resting at right angles on the tabletop are considered a healthy sitting position.
Monitor: There should be at least 50 centimeters of space between the eyes and the screen to avoid a cramped posture. The height is most favorable when the gaze falls slightly downward while sitting upright.
Headset instead of telephone: If you make a lot of calls and squeeze the telephone receiver between your shoulder and ear in order to have both hands free, you provoke neck tension. A headset that keeps the head upright is more advantageous here.

Preventing neck tension: Exercises

Build regular small breaks into your workday to stretch and change your position on your office chair frequently. Exercise loosens the muscles. That’s why you shouldn’t shy away from activities that can be done while standing, or the occasional trip to the copy machine, etc. On the contrary!

In addition, you can loosen up the neck muscles a bit with targeted exercises:

Loose shoulders: Lift your shoulders as you inhale and drop them as you exhale deeply. Repeat the exercise five times.
Neck Stretch: While standing, gently bend your head to the left while your right hand reaches down until you feel a stretch in your neck on the right side. Now hold the position for ten seconds and then repeat the exercise on the left side.
Round back stretch again: place your palms against your forehead and now – against a slight resistance from your hands – bend your head down until your chin comes to rest on your chest. From this position, clasp your hands at the back of your head and now slowly straighten your head again.
Finish: Finally, loosen the shoulders with circular movements and shake out the arms.

The more often you take small breaks in your (office) routine, the better it is. At least once a day you should do such exercises to prevent neck pain (for example, during your lunch break).