Many people don’t realize just how much they use or move their neck until they’re unable to do so. The neck is actually very susceptible to damage/injury because of its’ flexibility, and the fact that it has the least muscular stabilization and has to move and support a 14 to 16 pound head. As such, back and neck pain are among some of the most common reasons why many people visit doctors, and are also the major cause of lost work days, high healthcare costs, disability, among others.

Back and neck pain can come from injury or damage to the body’s soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons or muscles; bones in the neck and back; and disks which protect and support the spine vertebrae. The pain can occur anywhere from your lower back, to the bottom of the head. The pain might begin in any of the neck and back structures. They include; the muscles, nerves, spinal vertebrae, the cushioning disks in the neck, the shoulders, jaws, head, arms, among others. Back and neck pain can restrict your mobility and greatly interfere with your normal functioning and the overall quality of life.

Causes of Back and Neck Pain

The pain can be mild or can be acute and can come suddenly and intensely. It can last for days, weeks, months or even longer. If the pain involves the nerves (for instance, muscle spasms pinching on nerves, or slipped disks pressing on nerves), you might experience numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arms. The pain can be as a result of disk breakdown, muscle strain, muscle tension, ruptured disks, injuries from accidents, among others. Let’s now take a closer look at some of the causes of back and neck pain;

1. Accidents

Accidents or falls may cause severe back and neck injuries such as whiplash, vertebral fractures, blood vessel injuries, among others. If you’ve been involved in an auto accident, you might experience back and neck pain as a result of whiplash injuries.

Whiplash is basically caused by the sudden movement of your head either forwards, backwards, or sideways, which results in damage to supporting muscles, the ligaments and various other connective tissues in your neck and back. Since the symptoms of whiplash injuries can take days, weeks or even months before manifesting, it is easy for one to get fooled into falsely believing that they aren’t as injured as they actually are.

Many times, people do not seek the any treatment or do not get compensation following an auto accident since they do not feel hurt at the time and are not aware of their rights. If you’ve been involved in a car accident and you are experiencing back and neck pain, you should call a reputable car accident law firm like Crowell Law Offices to help you out with your situation. Even if you do not feel any pain at the time of accident, do not assume that you have escaped without injuries since the pain might manifest later on.

2. Everyday Activities

Back and neck pain can be caused by everyday activities which cause strain. The activities can include; poor posture while reading or watching TV, painting the ceiling, bending over the desk for hours, slouching, placing the PC monitor too low or too high, an uncomfortable sleeping position, turning and twisting the neck in a sort of jarring manner when exercising, among such other activities.

3. Medical Conditions

The pain can be caused by medical conditions such as an infection in your neck, narrowing of spinal canal in your neck (which is known as cervical spinal stenosis), cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, cervical arthritis, ruptured disk, osteoporosis, scoliosis, kidney stones, stress, tumors, among others.

4. Your Job

Your job can also cause back and neck pain. If you’ve to regularly push, pull or lift objects while twisting the spine, you might develop back and neck pain. If you normally work at your desk all day long, and you rarely sit up, you might also develop back pain.

5. Smoking

Smoking is another cause of this type of pain. Your body might be unable to get sufficient nutrients to disks that are in your back if you’re a smoker. Smoker’s cough might also cause the pain. Those who smoke are much slower to heal, which in turn makes the back pain last much longer.

6. Aging and Poor Physical Fitness

Aging and poor physical fitness can also cause back and neck pain. The pain is more common in older people, and those who are not physically fit. Being overweight can also cause the pain since too much weight may stress your back and neck which results in pain.