Back Pain-Upper/Neck

Most people do not realize how much their neck move during the day until they are unable to move it anymore. The degree of flexibility of the neck putting into consideration it has to support your head means that the neck is highly exposed to injury.

The spinal cord runs through a space in the vertebrae to send nerve impulses to every part of the body. The spinal cord sends off large bundles of nerves that run down the arms and the upper back between each pair of cervical vertebrae. This means when your arm is aching it may be a problem in the neck.

Problems in the neck can also contribute to head aches, muscle spasms in the shoulders and upper back, ringing in the ears and chronic tightness in the neck and upper back. The neck is associated with the upper back because most of the muscles associated with neck are located in the upper back. Some of these muscles include Trapezes, the cervical paraspinal muscles and scalene among many others.

Causes of neck and upper back pain

Injuries

The most common injury to the neck is a whiplash injury. Whiplash injury is caused by sudden movement of the head either backward, forward or sideways which results in the damage to the supporting muscles and other tissues connecting neck and upper back. Whiplash injuries need to be taken seriously whether it’s from car accidents, sports or an accident at work. If you have been involved in any kind of accident ensure you are checked by good chiropractor.

Poor posture

This is one of the major causes of neck pain. It is easy to get into bad posture of your neck without realizing it. Always ensure you keep your neck in a neutral position and ensure your posture is good.

Subluxations

Subluxations in the neck and upper head are common due to the high degree of stress associated with holding up your head and high degree of instability in the cervical spine.

Stress

When most people become stressed they contract their muscles especially the muscles in their back. This causes the back pain. You should decrease the physical effects of stress by a deep breathing exercise. When you decrease the physical effects of stress it leads to reduction in the amount of tightness and pain in your upper back and neck.

Disk Herniations

The discs in your cervical spine can bulge and exert pressure on the nerves that exit from the spin through that area. Cervical discs herniate when the discs sustain damage from a whiplash injury. In case of a whiplash injury contact us for the treatment services.