5 Common Causes of Chronic Neck Pain

Living with any type of pain that doesn’t improve on its own can be frustrating, especially when it starts to affect your quality of life. Chronic neck pain is persistent pain that lasts for three months or longer, even if you follow your treatment plan closely. 

At Pain Management Associates LLC, pain management specialist Haddis T. Hagos, MD, is committed to helping you find treatments that minimize chronic neck pain so you can be productive and enjoy life with less discomfort. 

Dr. Hagos can make personalized treatment recommendations, but the first step is determining the cause of your chronic neck pain. Sometimes, chronic neck pain comes from an acute injury that never fully heals. Here are five of the most common chronic neck pain causes to consider:

1. Arthritis

Several types of arthritis can affect the joints in your cervical spine (the section of your spine in your neck). Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are two such types, which are most common in people 40 or older. 

Some features of your neck pain can indicate if arthritis is the cause. Your pain might flare up when you extend your neck or shake your head. You might also get frequent headaches with arthritis-related neck pain. They’re called cervicogenic headaches. 

Osteoarthritis (degenerative joint problems) can cause bone spurs to develop in your cervical spine. Bone spurs are bony growths that can put pressure on nerves or nerve roots. Bone spurs can also prevent normal neck movement. 

2. Disc problems

The discs in your spine are round structures that sit between the vertebrae (bones of the spine) to provide support and shock absorption. Discs can degenerate (weaken) over time, which is called degenerative disc disease. 

Disc degeneration alone can cause neck pain, but it can also lead to herniated discs. When the inner part of a spinal disc bulges out through the outer layer and into the space around your spinal cord, it’s called a herniated disc. 

Herniated discs often compress (put pressure on) nearby nerves and nerve roots, which can lead to neck pain or pain in other areas, such as your arm or shoulder. 

3. Muscle strain

It’s not hard to strain the muscles in your neck, especially if you make repetitive or long-lasting neck movements for any reason. This includes spending lots of time straining your eyes to stare at a computer screen. 

Overuse injuries can also result from poor posture, which places too much pressure on certain muscles in your neck. Working on your posture and strengthening your abdominal muscles may help reduce neck strain and chronic pain from overuse. 

4. Whiplash injuries

Car accidents are a common cause of whiplash injuries, which are neck injuries that occur when your neck is jerked backward and forward. This can cause tears in your neck’s muscles and soft tissues. 

Whiplash injuries typically start as acute injuries, but they can lead to chronic pain for some people. They can cause ongoing inflammation around your spine that compresses nearby nerves. 

It’s important to see Dr. Hagos immediately after you get a suspected whiplash injury. Immediate medical care can reduce your chances of the pain becoming chronic. 

5. Stress

Mental stress alone is a common cause of chronic neck pain. You may now realize it, but the muscles in your neck can carry a lot of tension. For many, this leads to ongoing neck pain and stiffness that eventually needs treatment, just like neck pain from other causes. 

Get in touch

Dr. Hagos can evaluate your neck pain and determine which injuries or conditions may contribute. He specializes in comprehensive neck pain management, including advanced procedures like radiofrequency ablation and facet block injections. 

Call Pain Management Associates LLC or request an appointment online to learn about chronic neck pain treatments today.