4 Reasons Your Neck Hurts—and What to Do About It - Article Health

Your neck works hard. Not only does it have the burden of holding up your head–which weighs as much as 10 to 12 pounds–it’s also responsible for moving it constantly, up, down, right, left, and around. Your neck doesn’t have as much padding as the rest of your spine, so, not surprisingly, it’s vulnerable to aches, pains, and other issues.

Luckily, most neck pain will go away on its own with a few easy adjustments in how you sit or move. Other cases might require over-the-counter pain remedies, physical therapy, or more intense treatments. Of course, if your aching neck continues to hurt, do get it checked out.

“If you have persistent or escalating neck pain, you should see your primary care physician,” says Richard C. Naftalis, MD, a neurosurgeon with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. The same goes if the pain radiates into your arms or legs or if you notice weakness, numbness, or tingling radiating into your arms or legs.

Degenerative disk disease
Also called spondylosis, degenerative disk disease is one of the hazards of getting older. The disks in your spine have a soft, jelly-like center and sit between the neck bones to serve as shock absorbers. As you age, the center of the disk can degenerate, affecting the structure of the rest of the spine. Symptoms may include not just neck pain but also neck stiffness, headaches, and muscle spasms. Many people, though, don’t have any symptoms at all.

Neck strain
Who hasn’t had neck strain, especially in today’s screen-saturated world?

This kind of neck pain is musculoskeletal, Dr. Naftalis says. “You overuse the muscles [by] holding your head in a certain position for a period of time,” he says, like to stare at a computer all day. Neck strain can also come from carrying a heavy backpack or purse, cradling the phone between your shoulder and your ear, or holding a baby–anything that might shift your posture and have you staying in one position for a while.

Neck injury
You may also have neck pain from directly injuring your neck. Whiplash is a common neck injury, often caused by a car crash or sports accident.

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