Chronic Neck Pain
Patients with Chronic Neck Pain
Patient's Concerns
Patients suffering from chronic neck pain have difficulty turning their head. It could be tough to drive your car or watch a movie because your neck doesn't feel good with certain positions and movements.
Some patients also find it difficult to play tennis or footy. When turning your head quickly in any direction causes an unpleasant sensation, it's tough to play and enjoy your favourite sport like you used to.
Patient's Experience
Patients with chronic neck pain generally feel stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Everyone's symptomatic experience is different, so patients may find it difficult to describe what they're feeling.
Some patients describe their neck pain as sharp or sudden. Often times chronic neck pain can be recurring, which means it can go away for some time and then come back again in the future in cycles.
Chronic Neck Pain Causes
Chronic pain is usually caused by prolonged stress on your nerves. Stress can come in many forms, and is typically dependant on your environment, lifestyle and habits.
These are some common causes for chronic neck pain:
- Wrong sleeping position
- Trauma to the neck
- Wear and tear (age related)
- Forward head posture
- Whiplash injuries (car accidents)
- Mobile phone overuse
Chronic Neck Pain Facts
Misconceptions about Chronic Neck Pain
Most people think that chronic neck pain is caused by things like tight muscles, muscle aches, weak muscles or sore muscles. This may be true for acute neck pain episodes, but these seldom last for more than 6 weeks.
Another mistake people make is to assume that you need an injury for neck pain to happen. Most chronic neck pain cases start because of the patient's below average lifestyle habits, not because of an accident or injury.
Conditions Associated with Chronic Neck Pain
- Neck arthritis
- Neck muscle pain
- Whiplash injury
Solutions for Chronic Neck Pain
Chronic Pain is a Nerve Problem
Traditionally, patients with neck pain address their chronic pain with quick fix solutions. These include applying heat, ice, stretching, massaging the painful area and pain medication.
However, because chronic pain is different from normal pain, these solutions only address the "tip of the iceberg". Chiropractic on the other hand addresses the "whole of the iceberg", allowing for natural chronic pain relief by addressing the patient's nerves.