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Chronic Neck Pain: Cervicalgia
Cervical Spine Chronic Pain Syndrome

Chronic Neck Pain - Also known as Chronic Cervicalgia

Cervical Spine Anatomy

Strength and Flexibility – Critical Factors of Chronic Cervicalgia

• Bend forward (Cervical Flexion)
• Bend backward (Cervical Extension)
• Bend from side to side (Lateral Cervical Flexion)
• Turn left and turn right (Cervical Rotation)

Ever notice how an infant moves and develops? One of the first things that an infant develops unconsciously is strength in the Neck and Back. Remember how herky-jerky they move and how that decreases as they develop neck and back strength? It is as if their necks and heads move initially like miniature bowling balls on top of toothpicks. As they get older, we watch their neck flexibility and strength develop as they move their necks to look at us, and move less of their entire body to perform simple movements.

So if we think about it, chronic neck pain is an indication of the lack of strength and/or flexibility in the neck. Some forms of chronic cervicalgia take a long time to heal while others do not completely heal.

What are some common causes of Chronic Neck Pain?

• Osteoporosis-Bone disease that increases bone porosity risking fractures within bone structures
• Neck Injury such as whiplash
• Bad Posture-Forward Head Posture and/or position
• Bad Posture-Incorrect Shoulder Posture and/or position
• Muscular Imbalance
• Repetitive Stress- Spastic repetitive muscle contractions and/or repetitive compressive forces upon extension
• Trigger Points – Knots in taut bands of tissue that cause referred pain
• Cervical Kyphosis - Abnormal Spinal Curvature of the Neck
• Herniated Cervical Disc
• Pinched Nerve in Neck- Cervical Radiculopathy
• Bone Spurs in the Neck- Osteophytes
• Degenerative Disc Disease in the Cervical spine
• Cervical Dystonia-Torticollis
• Cervical Stenosis-Myelopathy - Narrowing of the spinal canal
• Cervical Spondylosis – Osteoarthritis (Degenerative Arthritis) – aka Cervical Arthritis or Neck Arthritis
• Spondylolysis - Cervical Vertebrae Stress Fracture
• Spondylolisthesis – Cervical Vertebrae Anterior Displacement
• Facet Syndrome or Facet Arthritis or Facet Joint Pain in the Cervical Spine

Neck Injury Pain Symptoms

What are the Symptoms of Chronic Neck Pain?

• Headache-also known as a Secondary Headache and/or a Cervicogenic Headache.
• Shoulder Pain-usually at the base of the neck and top of the shoulders.
• Head Pain-especially at the Occipital Ridge-the uppermost posterior location where the cervical spine and base of the skull meet.
• Muscle Spasms-some are severe enough to be visually observed.
• Muscle Cramps-pain representation is similar to leg cramps.
• Stiff Neck-the need to turn the entire body towards the desired direction.
• Hypertonic Neck Muscles-excessively tight muscles that lead to muscle spasms and cramps.
• Pain upon movement-either muscle pain or nerve pain.
• Jerky head or neck spasms or movements-most likely due to Cervical Dystonia-Torticollis.
• Cervical Radiculopathy-Radicular Nerve Pain radiating into the Head, shoulders, upper back, arms, and hands. Numbness or tingling in your arms or hands. The feeling in your arms or hands like you were operating a jackhammer all day.
• Referred Pain, from the neck into the head or shoulders or upper back. This is not the same as Radicular Pain, because the pain symptoms are different, do not usually refer into the hands, and can be caused by Facet Syndrome or Facet Arthritis, or some other cause of Facet Joint Pain.
• Myofascial Pain and Trigger Points-knots in tissue that can cause referred pain.
• Movement difficulty-decreased ROM-Range of Motion in any cervical movement.
• Grinding, crackling, or crunching sounds, sensations, or feelings from the neck upon neck or shoulder movements.

Get a Chronic Neck Pain Assessment to get an idea of what’s wrong before treatment

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