Neck pain is one of the worst pain a person can experience. It starts with the neck and can go down excruciatingly to one or both the arms. It can cause or get triggered through numerous disorders or any kind of severe diseases which harms the neck tissues in any case. It is not only associated with neck tissues, but also to any of the neck bones, nerves, joints, ligaments or muscles. Read More.
The pain in your neck can be a cause of any strain or sprain. Whereas, in some rare conditions, neck pain can improve and cause other serious conditions too; if not taken care of. It is always recommended to seek proper medical care if the symptoms increase and go unbearable. Below are the causes of neck pain and stiffness.
1. Injuries
Neck, being a very vulnerable body part, can be extremely injured due to any minor falls, accidents, injuries or in sports. Neck bones are one of the most sensitive bones, also called cervical vertebrae. If any injury happens to the cervical vertebrae, it also causes serious damage to the spinal cord. This, later on can lead towards other mishaps.
Whiplash is a very common cause of neck injury. It happens due to any accident in which your neck is hit and moved around violently. It is known as a soft tissue injury. The most common neck injuries are initially treated with ice or taking pain relievers. Other than that, neck massages or even wearing a cervical collar can help a lot.
2. Arthritis
The word ‘Arthritis’ often gives you an image of creaky knees or painful and swollen fingers, in your mind. But what if you get to know that arthritis is not about these, only? Yes, arthritis can also be a severe reason for your neck pain. If you feel your neck stiff almost all the time, and feel pain while you move your neck to the other side, this can be a serious cause of arthritis.
One of the most common symptoms of neck pain due to arthritis is the sound of popping in the neck while moving it around. Other than that, many people feel numbness and weakness in arms or fingers, too.
3. Warning of Heart Attack
Heart attacks usually come with a lot of warnings, which are commonly unnoticeable or not given attention to. Our body systems are very intricate, thus, they always give signals when there is something wrong. It is a very common thought that the area of pain is also the area having any problem, right? But the real case is entirely different.
Usually, when there is any disorder in the heart, it triggers the nerves present in that area, but you feel the pain of that area somewhere else.
Attacks and arrests have majorly visible symptoms; in which, pain in neck, jaw or arms turns up to be a common symptom. If you face pain in these parts regularly, the signals are not good. There is no such specific muscle or joint that aches, but there happens to be discomfort feelings. It usually worsens when you put constant exertions on it, and relaxes when you are in rest.
4. Muscle Tension
Our neck consists of many flexible muscles which helps us support the weight of our body. The issue of muscle tension is one of the most common complaints these days. The main causes of muscle tension are bad posture and extreme physical stress. Neck tension is usually due to the soft tissue injuries or neck spasms.
Many people complain of having a muscle strain when the wakeup from a good sleep, or after a day-to-day workout routine. Muscle strains can hit any time and can take days or weeks to heal back. It can attack suddenly after any chore, or slowly during weeks. There are numerous activities which affect the muscles of your neck, whereas, noticing the changes in your body is very important to understand the causes.
5. Diseases
While consistency in good habits helps you grow, on the other hand consistent pain is not something good for your body and health. Sometimes, constant neck or head pain can be a major warning your body gives you about a deadly disease, Cancer! Although this condition can also appear in any other less serious issues, cancer can be one of the reasons why you are having neck and head pain. Cancer also gives a lot of other signals when it enters the human body, which are a lump, swelling or sore that stays and does not go away, instead, gets bigger.
If you feel numbness in your head or neck region while you wake up in the morning, you need to take care of yourself and consult a doctor immediately.
6. Meningitis
Meningitis is a deadly disease which is caused by a life-threatening infection and can be a very common cause of neck and shoulder pain. Basically, there is a protective layer which covers the brain and the spinal cord, known as meninges. The situation gets serious when the membranes which cover the brain and spinal cord get inflamed or infected. Initially, it may seem like the person is having the flu, being it’s most earliest symptoms. One can get real signals by recognizing flu-like symptoms with addition to shaving a stiff neck. As discussed above, this disease ruins the membranes, it can get very serious in a very short period of time. It can easily differ from a full recovery, to a permanent disability or even death, if not treated on time. Stiff neck being its most common symptom, along with fever headache.
Other than meningitis, several viruses can also cause neck pain. Due to flu or other viruses, the neck muscles swell and get sore. This can create achy glands in your neck which can be really painful and make your neck feel stiff. It can worsen to a stage that it feels like a lump in the neck.
