Why Does My Neck Ache?

To answer this question, there are a few questions that must come before. At The Mayfair Clinic, we always do our very best to get to the bottom why the neck is painful.  We then follow on with treatment and exercises. Overall we have great results in the treatment of neck pain, so if after reading this you think you might need some help, contact us and we will do our very bets to help ease your neck pain.

Sometimes neck pain can be more serious and you must have a practitioner that is able to differentiate between what is treatable and what is an emergency.

What Are The Causes Of Neck Pain?

The causes of neck pain can be varied and wide reaching. One cause could be a muscle strain as a result of poor weight bearing or posture, this sort of neck pain is relatively simple to understand, and treatment at the clinic is often very successful. Other causes like infections or the common cold can give neck pain as the glands become slightly swollen around the neck. This sort of pain is more difficult for us to help in the clinic, and we would suggest if you are suffering from neck pain associated with an infection it is likely a good idea to see your GP, especially if this came on after a surgery or medical procedure.

Why Does My Neck Ache, is it Arthritis?

Arthritis or degenerative or slipped discs can also occur in the neck although they are more common in the low back.  In the neck, this process of degeneration of the discs and other spinal joints can start off as a neck ache.  If you are over 40 years of age, it’s worth seeing someone about your neck ache.  In our experience, early detection is so often associated with a swift recovery process.

Serious Neck Ache

There are occasions which neck ache or pain should be investigated with urgency, if accompanied with light sensitivity and stiffness with vomiting, please get yourself checked for meningitis. If the pain is on the left side of the neck into the face (same side) and down the left arm, this could be a cardiovascular issue and should be treated as an emergency

Neck Ache After A Car Accident (Whiplash)

The one problem with conditions like whiplash is that they can give very intense neck ache but scans after an accident will show no bone breaks.  In these sorts of traumas, there is often a lot of soft tissue tearing causing the neck ache.  The main goal here should be to reduce the neck ache by helping heal the soft tissue damage in your neck.  You also need to understand that although nothing is broken, it is likely that there is damage so please take care of your neck and body while things heal!

How Treatment Can Help

We see a lot of patients with neck ache of varying severity and treating neck symptoms is something we are rather good at.  One thing we do ask is that all patients take an interest in their own posture and spine.  We would often choose to get imaging (where appropriate) to better understand how the spine is positioned. This helps by providing you a visual and measurable analysis of your neck.  From this stable start, we can work together to treat your neck and prescribe you specific exercises to help rehabilitate your neck and surrounding muscles.  Contact us today if you are struggling with neck pain and we can start working together to get rid of your neck ache.