What May Be Causing Your Chronic Back & Neck Pain

While people are more likely to suffer from lumbar pain than cervical pain there are still many Americans that suffer from neck pain that also affects their arms. Most of the time this problem clears itself up without medication. There are some occasions where the pain is masking an even bigger issue that does need medical attention. There are some symptoms to keep an eye out for.

One of these symptoms is progressive neurological degeneration. This might present itself as losing strength or feeling in your limbs and losing limb coordination. Another thing to watch out for is chronic pain and sudden weight loss, fever, shakes and chills, losing your appetite, nausea and vomiting. These problems are signs of a spinal infection or a tumor.

While most people suffering from back pain will do so because of physical problems, some may also suffer from general issues like muscle strain and a herniated vertebral disc.

Acute Back and Neck Pain

Acute neck pain is most often caused by muscle strain, neck strain, and straining of other soft tissues like the ligaments and tendons. Neck strain is often caused by a stiff neck. Stiff necks may be caused by sleeping in the wrong position or lifting too much weight. Muscle strain is usually caused by sudden pressure on the muscles.

Most of the time a minor injury on soft tissue heals up itself after a few days. There is plenty of blood where the soft tissue is so protein and other essential nutrients needed to heal are in abundance here. To help alleviate the pain from back and neck pain you can use a number of things including physical therapy, ice or heat, osteopathic manipulation and medication.

Chronic Back and Neck Pain

Chronic neck and back pain generally have the same effects as acute back and neck pain but there are different symptoms involved. Here are some of the more common symptoms associated with chronic back pain:

• Pain spreading downwards from the neck and back to the arms
• There are some activities that can exacerbate neck and back pain
• A loss of coordination can cause arm pain
• Neck and back pain that doesn’t go away on its own and persists
• Neck pain that gets worse during the day and feels worse in the morning

There are several other common symptoms associated with cervical conditions. They are also associated with other cervical problems including wrist pain, shoulder pain, headaches and elbow pain.