Neck Injuries
Our neck allows us to look around by moving our head. Our ability to scan the environment and process this information is very important.
Our neck is very mobile and because of this easily injured. The neck also supports the heavy head so again easily injured. Lets look at the anatomy first.
Seven bones called vertebrae make up the neck. They are separated by discs and held together at joints by ligaments. Muscles move our head but also help to stabilise and protect our neck.
Nerves from the neck supply the shoulders, upper back and arms. If these nerves are irritated, injured or tight we may feel pain in these areas.
But nerves alone do not cause pain-neck muscles, discs and joint/ligaments, if injured, can also produce pain-in the neck itself or in the shoulders, upper back and arms. Sometimes even headaches.
But what causes these injuries? And what causes tightness and irritation?
Bad sitting posture is a common cause. This is because the muscles work harder to support the heavy head then fatigue and put strain on our neck joints/ligaments.
Good posture means less muscle work and less strain on the neck as a whole. Even with good posture we are not designed for prolonged sitting-try to get up and move around as often as you can.
Another cause of pain is motor vehicle, sports or work injuries. If the head is thrown forward, backwards or sideways with force damage to discs, nerves, muscles and joints/ligaments is possible.
Finally as we get older, or if we have injured our neck badly when young, arthritis of the joints and discs can also cause pain. This is essentially wear and tear and stiffness and reduced neck movement is also present.
So what can we do? Look after our neck-keep good posture, limit time spent sitting and keep the neck muscles strong with exercise to protect your neck. Have you seen the size of a swimmers neck?
Physiotherapists have the training to effectively treat you if you have pain.
A thorough assessment determines what is injured. With the neck it is usually more than one structure.
Physiotherapy neck treatment includes manual therapy, ultrasound, massage, traction and exercises. Posture/Ergonomic advice also if you sit for long periods.
If you injure nerves from the neck you may experience pins and needles/numbness (paresthesia) down your arm. If the discs are causing this nerve irritation scans may be necessary to measure the damage.
Almost all neck injuries are treated successfully by physiotherapy and the rule of thumb is the faster you get treatment the faster you recover.
So you can get on with things-pain free.